Chapter 4

My body felt as light as air. Looking down at the massive crater on the ground, along with the severed limbs strewn everywhere and the burning wreckage of the aircraft, I realized that the plane I was on had crashed. Not a single soul had made it out alive.

I was about to take a closer look when my body floated upward against my will. In the blink of an eye, I found myself right beside Elio.

The moment I saw him, I couldn't help but knit my brows tightly in sheer disappointment. I had foolishly thought that after dying, I'd be able to drift across the world and at least take in some beautiful scenery. Yet, I had been brought right back to Elio's side.

At that moment, they still had no idea that I was already dead.

Elio sat in his office reviewing documents and casually asked, "Has she arrived at the apartment?"

His assistant shook his head. "I'm not sure. I'll check right away."

"Don't bother. It's not like she has anywhere else to go besides that apartment anyway. She threw away a perfectly good life just to be a sneaky thief. I should let her suffer a little, so she realizes that without our family, she's nothing!"

After hearing that, I couldn't help but chuckle.

Before they found me, I lived in an orphanage and spent all my time working part-time gigs. I managed to take perfectly good care of myself without ever relying on them. If anything, I relied on the state's welfare system. Who did the Langstons think they were?

When I was in the orphanage, at the very least, I always had something to eat. The director might not have showered me with affection, but she never once let me go hungry.

Yet, ever since I arrived at the Langston residence, being starved and slapped across the face had become a regular occurrence. At the drop of a hat, they would throw me into the basement. My time under their roof was a nightmare compared to the orphanage.

And not to forget that apartment Elio supposedly left for me. He talked a big game, but he hadn't even given me the keys.

But what did it matter now? Elio was a hypocrite. They were all such disgusting hypocrites!

I shook my head and remained silent. I wanted to leave, but I couldn't. I was forced to stay by Elio's side.

Just then, Melina skipped into the office. "Elio, can you please come watch a show with me?"

Holding out a pair of tickets, she looked at him expectantly.

Elio smiled and stroked her head. "Sure. Just give me a second to wrap things up here."

Melina pouted. "Is your work more important than me, Elio?"

"Of course, my work comes after you, but I'll get in trouble if I don't get this done. Be patient. It'll just be a minute!"

Melina complied, sitting quietly on the side to wait for him.

Watching the way she interacted with Elio, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. To be honest, I used to want that kind of relationship with Elio, too. Yet, whenever he looked at me, his expression would darken, and he'd yell at me to stay away from him.

Eventually, I stopped getting my hopes up. After he falsely accused me of stealing, I had come to detest him.

Meanwhile, Melina was scrolling through her phone. The audio was loud enough to draw my gaze. "At 9:00 am on November 23rd… A total of 208 passengers, including the flight crew, have perished. No one made it out alive. The rescue operation is underway at the crash site…"

Elio instinctively turned his head to take a look.