Chapter 3

My parents' faces instantly flushed red with rage.

"Alison, what the hell do you mean by that? If you're so capable, then call on a higher-ranking ghost! Otherwise, just wait to be torn to pieces!"

My brother sneered as well.

"If you rip her apart right now, I'll give each of your families twenty thousand dollars!"

Hiding behind the three of them, Nicole shot me a smug, provocative smile.

It was as if she were saying, 'Your family belongs to me now. You deserve everything happening to you.'

I used to never understand why.

But the moment I saw the love and indulgence overflowing in my brother's eyes whenever he looked at Nicole, I finally realized the truth.

To him, Nicole was no longer just a sister.

My parents bringing me back to become the Bennett family's "real" heiress was nothing more than a cover for their twisted relationship.

And the reason they sent me into this place… was because I'd dared to question why they loved Nicole more while constantly neglecting me.

The instant my brother finished speaking, the administrator and gatekeeper pinned me to the ground.

Nicole walked over and drove the heel of her stiletto into my hand.

I screamed in agony.

Yet, she immediately covered her face, pretending I had frightened her.

"Alison, weren't you supposed to be the bosses' adopted daughter? Why aren't they here to save you yet?"

The gatekeeper clamped a hand around my throat, cutting off my cries.

"The bosses' adopted daughter? The audacity! The three bosses rarely even leave the top floor! With just the two of us mid-level ghosts, crushing you is as easy as crushing an ant!"

As the sky gradually darkened, the other players grew impatient as well.

"Kill this bitch already and hurry up so we can enter the complex! Otherwise, the ghosts outside will tear everyone apart!"

For a moment, voices demanding my death rose one after another.

My brother crouched in front of me, grabbed my hair, and slapped me viciously across the face again and again. My face quickly swelled black and blue as blood streamed from my nose and mouth.

"Apologize to Nicole and beg for her forgiveness. Then maybe, we'll grant you a quick death."

I stubbornly turned my head away, only for the administrator to smash my face into the ground again.

"I'm not apologizing! Once I break free, all of you are dead—"

A familiar voice abruptly cut me off. It was Granny Rosa.

"How have the two of you still not brought them inside? I'm done cleaning all the rooms!"

The moment everyone saw the towering Granny Rosa—over eight feet tall—they collectively sucked in their breath.

But unlike before, there was no hostility between her and the gatekeeper. If anything, they seemed unusually close.

"What's holding you two up? You could've just called me to handle it."

Her gaze dropped—

Just as the gatekeeper yanked my head up by my hair.

A flicker of surprise crossed Granny Rosa's eyes.

I thought she'd recognized me and was about to speak.

But the words that came next made my heart sink straight to the floor.

"Why are you killing someone outside the complex? Hurry up and get it done. The bosses are getting impatient."

The moment Nicole realized Granny Rosa was a high-level ghost, her eyes lit up and she rushed over to suck up to her.

"Granny Rosa, don't blame them! This bitch kept claiming she's the princess of your instance, and that's why everything got held up!"

"Princess?"

Granny Rosa looked me over again, then let out a cold laugh.

"The princess already went to the real world to reunite with her family. Where did this little brat come from, daring to impersonate her? Hurry up and kill her. Don't spoil the bosses' view."

My eyes went wide in disbelief.

Why didn't she recognize me?

She should've been familiar with my aura!

Now that they had Granny Rosa's blessing, the gatekeeper and administrator opened their mouths at the same time, ready to tear me apart and devour me whole.

But right at that moment, I finally managed to free one hand and crushed the red bead hidden inside my bag.

The next second, a blood-red figure shot down from the direction of the apartment complex's top floor, plunging straight toward us.

A shrill, terrifying scream split through everyone's eardrums.

"Who dares touch my darling Alison?!"