LOGINI woke up from a nightmare.In the dream, I was freezing.I was leaning against a solid, warm back, being carried farther and farther away with every jolt.The face in front of me kept changing. First, it was William. Then, it was my parents. Finally, it became the Bakers.I shot upright, drenched in cold sweat, and sat there for a long time before I could steady myself.When I finally calmed down and sat in front of the monitor, I caught a scene at just the right moment.Kelly was lying on the floor, completely still.A fruit knife was buried in her chest.Rhett and Nevin were both injured, standing far apart, gasping for breath.Was it a fight over food?Or revenge for Jasmine?I did not know.However, I did know one thing.In that kind of weather, it would not be long before all of them ended up together in hell.Just as I was about to look away, something in the corner caught my eye.Luis.Jasmine's brother.He had always faded into the background before, barely no
What had she been thinking before she died?Did she remember the warmth and devotion I had given her over those five years?Or did she hate me for not showing up like I used to, like some hero, to pull her out of that frozen hell?Or maybe she was just regretting it.Regretting that this time, her lies had been exposed so easily.After all, she was Jasmine.The same Jasmine who, in my previous life, had stabbed me in the back with a fruit knife without a hint of hesitation.With that thought, the last trace of pity in my heart faded completely.That night, I had a lively dinner with my family. We shared a warm pot of stew.Outside, the world was buried in ice and snow. Inside, everything felt warm and alive.After dinner, William went to tend to the vegetables in the underground greenhouse. As usual, I took care of the dishes.When I returned to the monitor, Jasmine's body was gone.In the center of the living room, only a dark red stain remained, a silent reminder that som
My phone rang again.This time, Jasmine had completely dropped her arrogant tone. "Carson, listen to me. It's all a misunderstanding."You're the only one I love. Please, come get us. We don't even have any warm clothes. We're freezing. My mom already has a fever."My voice stayed calm, completely flat."Your mom has a fever? Then, call a doctor. Why are you calling me? I'm not a doctor."Jasmine went silent for a moment. Then, her voice shot up, sharp and furious."What the hell do you mean? Didn't you say that if Patrick left, you'd come get us?"I sat by the fireplace, smiling faintly as I ate some fruit."And didn't you say you only loved me? That you were saving your first time for our wedding?"Then, I hung up again, cutting off her shouting.On the other end, Jasmine stared blankly at her phone.She had just looked up, about to say something, when Rhett kicked her to the ground.The next second, his fists came down on her like rain.As he beat her, he shouted curses
As the lights in the villa suddenly went out, everyone's expressions changed instantly.Luckily, William had been sharp when I told him to install the surveillance system. He had chosen cameras with large backup batteries that could run on their own.So, whether the villa had power or not did not affect the surveillance at all.Outside, the snow had already piled up past knee level. The sky was unnaturally dark.Inside the freezing villa, the group huddled together, whispering nervously."What's going on? How does a place like this lose power?""Could the snow have crushed the cables? Who's going to go check?"At that, the same family that had once united so tightly against outsiders suddenly fell silent.Not a single one of them was willing to step outside. They just pulled their thin clothes tighter and shrank into themselves.Meanwhile, my parents quickly accepted that my 'prediction' had come true. My mom personally cooked a full table of dishes for us.William kept pilin
At noon the next day, in the middle of June, snow began to fall.It came out of nowhere.Everyone else was caught up in the strange excitement of summer snowfall. Only the employees of the Lewis Group stayed home, just like they had been told, with heating equipment and food prepared in advance.That same day, Jasmine finally got what she wanted.She spent the afternoon in my bed with that balding man.Afterward, still not satisfied, she called me and asked when the money would be ready.I smiled and soothed her, telling her it would be transferred to Rhett's account on time the next day.Jasmine ran downstairs in excitement and shared the good news with her parents.The moment Kelly heard it, she jumped to her feet and started scolding Jasmine for not thinking things through.Why not split it into two payments? That was 1.5 million dollars in each parent's account.Ruby and Nevin sat off to the side, rolling their eyes again and again. In their minds, they were also part of
For the next few days, I stayed holed up in the basement. Whenever I felt like it, I checked the surveillance feeds to keep an eye on the Baker family.I did not expect to find anything interesting.I was wrong.On the second day after I left, Jasmine showed up on camera, shyly leading a balding middle-aged man into the villa.The way they stood close together told me everything I needed to know.That man was the father of her child.It did not take long before the two of them disappeared into one of the bedrooms and got intimate.A playful thought crossed my mind. I immediately called the driver and told him to deliver some high-quality ingredients to the mountain villa.Not long after, the front door opened.Inside the room, the two of them, who had just gotten started, scrambled off the bed in a panic.As I watched the ridiculous scene unfold, I could not help but laugh out loud.However, after the laughter came something colder.So, that was why Jasmine had called me ea







