Chapter 4

The day Talia was discharged from the hospital, the Silva family threw her a belated eighteenth birthday party.

My own welcome home banquet, meanwhile, was postponed indefinitely.

Matheus said the family had already been in the news too much lately. Victoria said Talia had only just recovered and couldn’t handle any more stress.

Harriet put it most bluntly. “Skipping one banquet isn’t going to kill anyone.”

I could not help but glance at him.

He should not speak too soon. In my case, it might actually happen.

Before the banquet, Victoria picked out a white evening gown for me. I was quite pleased with it.

Its lines were clean and simple, its color soft and understated. If I put my hair up a little, I would be ready for my coffin.

Then, Talia suddenly walked in. Her eyes went straight to the luck charm around my neck.

“Mom, I’d like to wear this for the family photo tonight.”

Victoria looked troubled. “But that’s the keepsake your sister was wearing when we found her.”

Talia lowered her head. “I just want something to prove that I’m a daughter of the Silva family, too.”

Her eyes turned red and the three brothers appeared in the doorway as though they had caught the scent of fresh drama.

James held out his hand to me. “Let Talia borrow it for one night.”

I clutched the charm protectively. It was not that I could not bear to part with it.

I was just so overwhelmed by my sudden stroke of good fortune that I was afraid I misheard him.

Byron frowned at the sight of me. “It’s just a piece of jewelry. Do you have to compete with her over everything?”

I struggled to suppress the grin threatening to split my face and cautiously confirmed, “You really want to take it? I might die once it’s gone.”

Harriet burst out laughing. “You fell from the twenty-eighth floor, ate all kinds of questionable things and spent ages in a cold room. Weren’t you perfectly fine afterward? And now you’re threatening to die over a necklace?”

Victoria patted my hand. “It’s only for one night. Please don’t make things difficult for your mother.”

I nearly dropped to my knees and bowed to her on the spot.

After all that effort, the entire family had finally placed the murder weapon into the right hands.

I immediately removed the charm and solemnly placed it in James’s palm.

“Give it to her. Make sure she takes good care of it.”

I would prefer if she kept it safe all the way to the crematorium.

The instant the charm left my body, sensation rapidly drained from my fingertips.

The Grim Reaper’s voice rang out, practically buzzing with excitement, “Host vessel separated from its anchor. The host will lose their regenerative abilities within twelve hours.”

It was good news, the best news imaginable.

I nearly ran into the banquet hall and popped open a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

During the family photo session, the photographer waved me over to join the others.

Talia stood in the very center, surrounded by the Silva family, the luck charm hanging proudly around her neck.

Harriet stepped in front of me. “You’re still not familiar with everyone. We’ll take another one next time.”

I happily stepped aside. Fine, I had no intention of including them in my funeral portrait, either.

At nine that evening, I received a message from Talia.

The photo showed the luck charm resting on a gasoline drum in a warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

She told me to come alone. After reading the address, I sprang off the sofa in excitement.

Talia certainly took her work seriously. She obtained the necessary equipment and was destroying it that very night.

There were no delays and no wasted time. She truly deserved her position as the Silva family’s heiress.

When I arrived at the warehouse, she was waiting with a lighter in her hand.

“Once this charm burns, you’ll have no right to call yourself the Silva family’s heiress.”

I did my best to sound frightened. “Don’t.”

Perhaps I had not done a good enough job hiding my smile, because it came out sounding more like, “Oh, please do!”

Talia shot me a suspicious look but tossed the lighter into the gasoline anyway.

Flames roared to life. The luck charm quickly began to warp and melt in the fire. She locked me inside the warehouse and walked away.

Meanwhile, I dragged over a little stool, sat beside the gasoline drum and patiently watched my own Achilles’ heel go up in flames.

The fire grew higher and higher. That was when my phone rang.

James’ voice came through, cold and distant.

“Talia says you stole her charm and then tried to burn her alive. How long are you going to keep this up?”

I glanced at the ceiling, now glowing red from the heat.

“I’m about to die.”

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then Harriet let out an impatient, mocking snort. “Aren’t you the expert at escaping death? Cut the act and get back here to apologize to Talia.”

Victoria chimed in, trying to reason with me. “Today is Talia’s birthday. Don’t keep the whole family waiting.”

I answered earnestly, “You don’t need to wait.”

After tonight, no one would ever have to wait for me again. Apparently, none of them understood what I meant.

The call ended soon afterward.

I stared at the darkened screen and could not help bursting into laughter.

Great. With the time, place, and circumstances all in my favor, the success rate of this death attempt was a full one hundred percent.

The luck charm melted away completely.

“Host vessel anchor destroyed. Regenerative abilities permanently lost. Reincarnation passage opening.”

I sprang to my feet, trembling with excitement.

It had been three hundred years. After countless failed attempts, I was finally reaching the pinnacle of my undead existence.

Then, the piercing screech of brakes rang out outside the warehouse.

Someone kicked the metal door with tremendous force.

“Bianca!” The smile vanished from my face.

Seriously? Why could this family not leave me the hell alone?

James’ voice could be heard through the wall of fire. “Are you in there?”

Just as the metal door was about to give in, I spotted the burnt-through beam overhead and eagerly flung my arms open.

Whoever dared to bring me back to life tonight would become my greatest enemy in three hundred years.

With a deafening crash, the beam came down. Agonizing pain tore through my entire body.

However, I closed my eyes in bliss. At long last, the countdown began in my mind.

“Separating from the corpse.”