I'm Ready

"Boss!" Mike shouted immediately. The man, about Maia's age, was furious and immediately aimed the tip of his gun directly at the enemy's forehead.

‘Argh!’ Mike shouted in uncontrollable anger, shooting the enemy’s head indiscriminately until it was no longer intact.

Until his gun could no longer fire bullets, Mike lowered his hands, moving to support Maia's weak, helpless body.

“Boss, wake up. Open your eyes! Look at me, Boss!” Mike tried to wake Maia, who was almost asleep.

"Don't keep shouting. You're making me deaf," Maia replied softly and choked. However, her smile remained even though her lips were bleeding profusely.

Shele still managed to smile at Mike, who was devastated to see her like that. Before the last sentence, she escaped with difficulty.

“Thank you for taking care of me until now, Mike. Goodbye…”

That was the last sentence that Maia uttered as her body, which had been stretched, no longer showed any movement, as her last breath left her body, bringing the story of the Queen of Blood Lotus to an end.

'Boss!!!' Mike cried even harder while hugging Maia's body on his lap.

Mike's cries echoed throughout the forest, which bore silent witness to Maia Blackwell's death.

The echo of her confidant's sadness penetrated space and time, waking Ruby even as her body felt the calm of the hot water in the bathtub.

In the blink of an eye, everything from the past flashed before her. Both Maia Queenand Ruby Moon.

'I should have died from being shot, but why did I wake up in this place when I opened my eyes?'

Ruby clenched her fists tightly. The white, wrinkled skin on her palms gradually turned red from the pain. She did this just to confirm that what she was feeling was real. 

Yes, she was alive again.

“Isn’t this a joke, waking up and living another woman’s life?” Ruby muttered. Her eyes were blank as she remembered her dark days as a gangster woman until her death as Maia Blackwell.

“To hell with it all. What matters is… I’m alive again.”

"Mrs. Ruby!"

Ruby was shocked; her hands reflexively crossed over her chest when someone suddenly called her.

In the doorway stood a middle-aged woman, dressed in a maid's uniform, with a surprised expression on her face."Why aren't you finished yet? I even cleaned up the sleeping pills scattered on the floor," Mariana asked grumblingly.

Mariana was a maid who served the O'Neil family for decades. She spent her youth as a nanny to Juan O'Neil, Ruby's husband. Even after Juan had his own son, she remained loyal to the family, but now served as Ruby's maid and Leo's nanny.

According to Ruby's memories, Mariana was the only person who truly cared for her in this house. 

However, Ruby's haughty attitude didn't mean she opened her heart to Mariana. Of all the others, Mariana was the only one she allowed to approach her.

“Mrs. Ruby, I have a question. Have you tried to commit suicide again?”

Ruby grew increasingly silent as Mariana approached, as if demanding a definitive answer. The maid's expression gradually darkened, her worry for her employer clearly etched on her face.

Mariana was at a loss for words. She had tried her best to care for Ruby, offering positive feedback and life advice to the young lady. But sadly, Ruby continued to be depressed, blaming the crazy fate that kept swirling around in her mind.

“Mariana,” Ruby said with a faint smile.

From the memories she had left, she knew that the body's owner had attempted suicide again last night, but just like before, Ruby's life was saved. She was just unconscious and foaming at the mouth.

Then, how could Ruby die, and her body now belongs to Maia?

That's because, on the verge of consciousness, Ruby was visited by an uninvited guest. A figure dressed all in black entered her room and covered Ruby's face with a pillow as tightly as possible, causing the celebrity's life to surely be lost.

But how could Maia tell anyone about Ruby's death? Would anyone believe her? It would surely arouse suspicion.

Ruby's brow furrowed. Maia's soul was oppressed, forced to live in the body of a celebrity. Even though Ruby had complete memories up until the moment she died, what could Maia do? Maia described her situation as Hell.

"Mrs. Ruby, I know I've overstepped my bounds by asking this. But please, don't you have even a shred of affection for Mr. Juan and Leo? After all, he's alive and was born from your womb, right?"

“Continuing to try to commit suicide will not only destroy you, but also them. Leo is still too young to face this cruel world.”

Mariana cried as she said this, causing Ruby's gaze to intensify. In her lingering memory, this was the first time Mariana had dared to mention or remind Ruby about the child. This was because it was no secret in the family that Ruby hated the baby, who had ruined her career.

"I know you're unhappy, but what's wrong with Leo? He couldn't choose which mother he was born to," Mariana added sadly, "Such a small child has to solve his own problems at school without his dad or mom. Isn't this too hard for Leo, Mrs. Ruby?"

Mariana, who had been crying with her head bowed, now dared to look at her mistress, "Please, try to care about your child. It will make you feel better, and Leo will be happy too. Try it, at least for the first and last time."

"Leo got into a fight at school. He's not usually like that. He always apologizes for his mistakes, but today he didn't. He was furious and hit his friend. I just received a call from school, but I didn't have the courage to tell him this when he just got home, so... Please, Mrs. Ruby. Try this first."

After making her plea, Mariana lowered her head, as if ready to hear the judgment that would ultimately lead to punishment from Ruby, a terrible wife and mother to her family.

'I can't blame the owner of the body. The happiness and dreams she was chasing were shattered in an instant when she became pregnant. So, what is the reason she doesn't hate her own husband and son?'

‘But, as a woman who's become a mother, where are her motherly feelings? Tch, you're truly a pathetic and cruel woman. If you can still hear my heart, listen. Your near-perfect life is too expensive a dream for Maia.’

Unconsciously, tears streamed down Ruby's face. Maia's anger at Ruby's poor life choices made her furious, wondering why a woman as stupid as Ruby would throw away the life Maia desired.

‘Because this is a gift from God, I can't possibly waste it. Rest easy up there, Ruby. Look at me, who will be the perfect wife in this second life,’ Maia concluded, muttering to herself.

Now she smiled softly as she took Mariana's hand, "Okay," she said briefly.

“O-okay?”

"Yes, I'll try my best for this family. Besides, my soul is too bitter for the Grim Reaper," she said lightly.

Ruby waved her hand in front of Mariana's face, who was still staring at her blankly, "Hello, I already said I'm ready. That means stop just standing here and hurry up and make my breakfast. I'm going to get dressed and see which crazy person hurt my son."

Mariana looked at the woman who was now smiling beautifully at her. The middle-aged woman had always believed that Ruby was a kind woman who kept her secrets, including her affection for Leo. However, the problem now was…

“But, Mrs. Ruby. The parents’ meeting was at eight this morning, and it’s almost lunchtime,” Mariana hesitated to say this.

“Damn it. I want to break the neck of any parent who scolds my son,” she muttered in annoyance, but she had to keep it to herself in front of Mariana. “Then please prepare some food, I’m hungry,” she said to the maid, who immediately left.

Ruby stepped out of the bathtub and headed for the dressing room. Her lips parted as she saw the rows of fine clothing, expensive accessories, sparkling jewels, and designer bags and shoes. She was delighted by the luxury.

Maia Queenisn't a money-hungry person, but she's not a poor gangster. Worldly possessions like these are nothing new to her, and seeing all this luxury in their lives makes Maia grateful again. At least she won't have to learn to live with nothing.

In Ruby's memory, her husband always replaced her old clothes with the latest ones whenever he saw his wife getting dressed. 

Ruby knew this, but her hatred for Juan still made her indifferent to all the servants' attention and affection she received.

“A loving and wealthy husband. It’s perfect. And now, it’s all mine,” Ruby murmured happily. But a few seconds later, her brow furrowed. “No black?”

Like the world and her life, black was a part of Maia. For almost her entire life until her death, Maia adorned herself entirely in black. 

Why? Because black overshadowed all colors, including blood. The invisible blood masked her weaknesses.

"But okay, let's try to be more cheerful!”