The dark, damp basement was airless, the stench of rot and blood permeating every corner.
A filthy blanket was wrapped around a gaunt woman, who was curled into a ball beneath it as if trapped in a deep nightmare.
"CLACK, CLACK, CLACK..." The sound of unhurried footsteps echoed from the stairs. The body huddled in the filthy blanket twitched violently. Eyes hidden beneath a curtain of long hair slowly opened, revealing a pair of bloodshot irises. A moment of emptiness gave way to deep-seated terror.
The owner of the combat boots came to a halt, then raised his foot and kicked the woman viciously in the stomach. "It's only been a few days. Can't take it anymore?"
"..." The woman silently curled herself into an even tighter ball.
The man in the combat boots suddenly reached out, grabbed her by the hair, and yanked her up. The filthy blanket slipped from her body, revealing a canvas of wounds. The next moment, he slammed her head viciously against the wall.
The sound of her skull hitting the wall, along with the man's hysterical beatings and curses, flooded the dark basement like a tempest. The last wisp of strength drained from the woman's body, and she went limp like a deflated ball.
"...She's dead already?" The man looked at the person in his grasp, disappointed, and muttered, "She... died this quickly?"
A brilliant morning dawned on the beautiful Mikar Island. Bright sunshine and clear seawater have always been a perfect match. The white-crested waves caressed the sand like a mother's gentle hand, singing a soft lullaby to soothe those sleeping soundly after a night of revelry.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
'Can't a person get some peace even after dying? What's all that noise...' Ivy Holden thought resentfully as she buried her head in her blanket.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK... The knocking continued.
Ivy Holden shot up, staring blankly at her surroundings. The soft lighting, the luxurious decor, the pristine white sheets, and the magnificent ceiling lamp left her with no idea where she was.
"Are you awake?" a man's voice called from outside the door.
Ivy Holden paused for a second as she reached for her phone. She unlocked it to check the time and froze. 'Three years ago?'
'Is my phone broken?'
'How... could it be three years ago?'
"I'm coming in," the man said. The voice wasn't unfamiliar. A name suddenly flashed through Ivy Holden's mind—Jensen Morrison, her step-brother.
The next moment, the door swung open. Jensen Morrison, dressed in casual clothes, walked to the bed carrying one of his own shirts. "If you're awake, stop pretending," he said with a frown.
"Why am I here?" Ivy Holden pushed through the soreness in her body and climbed out of bed. She demanded through gritted teeth, "What... did you do to me?!"
Jensen Morrison raised his handsome, thick eyebrows. "A single man and a single woman, things got heated..." he said with a half-smile. "Don't you have any idea what happened?"
"How could you..." Ivy Holden helplessly rubbed her throbbing temples, silently cursing that bitch Leila Lane for drugging her drink.
At the mere thought of Leila Lane, every cell in Ivy Holden's body seemed to scream in protest. 'It was her. For a stake in the Zimmers Group, she was the one who pushed me, step by step, into hell.'
Jensen Morrison held the shirt out to Ivy Holden. "You were pretty enthusiastic when you threw yourself at me last night."
"Last night... what happened?" 'I can't believe I was reborn in a man's bed,' Ivy Holden thought.
The corner of Jensen Morrison's mouth twitched into a smirk. He remained noncommittal about her insinuations, saying only, "If you still don't feel well, I can take you to the hospital for a check-up."
"No need." 'I need to get the morning-after pill as soon as possible,' she thought. Ivy Holden snatched the shirt and quickly darted into the bathroom.
"What do you want for breakfast? I'll have someone bring it up," Jensen Morrison called from outside the bathroom.
"I'll go to the restaurant myself," Ivy Holden said, turning on the showerhead.
There was a moment of silence from outside, followed by the sound of the door closing. Ivy leaned against the bathroom sink and let out a long, deep sigh of relief.
'In my past life,' she recalled, 'when Leila and I were staking out the popular idol James Zimmers at the hotel's executive lounge, Leila drugged my drink. She then sent me to the bed of Holden Patterson, an old lecher from the business world. From that night on, my life became a nightmare that didn't end until the day I died.'
'But looking back now, it seems what happened in my previous life didn't happen last night. Was it Jensen Morrison's sudden appearance that changed the course of my life? Or did my rebirth itself alter the people and events involved?'
Having calmed down, Ivy Holden took a quick shower, then changed into Jensen's shirt and slipped back to her own room.
"Ivy? You... where were you last night?" Leila Lane asked, coming out of the bathroom. She looked surprised to see Ivy.
Ivy Holden stared at her, her face a blank mask, and said nothing.
"What's wrong?" Leila Lane scrutinized Ivy's pale face, feigning concern. "You were gone all night. I was really worried!"
"Is that so?" Ivy Holden shot Leila Lane a cold glance and walked past her to the closet to find something to wear.
"Whose shirt is that?" Leila Lane asked, pointing at the men's dress shirt Ivy was wearing with feigned shock.
Ivy Holden raised an eyebrow. "What? Is it illegal to wear a man's shirt?"
"No, no..." Leila Lane lowered her head to hide her ecstatic joy. 'When I see that old lecher later,' she thought, 'I can really squeeze him for a hefty sum.'
Seeing her hide a smirk, Ivy Holden's eyes narrowed. "What do we have planned for today?" she asked calmly.
"Oh, right! James Zimmers has an outdoor photoshoot today," Leila Lane urged. "Don't you want to date him? I bribed his personal assistant. Hurry up and get changed so we can go, or we'll be late!"
"Bribed?"
"It cost me this much—" Leila Lane made a hand gesture at Ivy. "But my card is maxed out, so you'll have to transfer me some money later!"
"You go to the restaurant and wait for me. I'll be right there." Ivy Holden's eyes narrowed, her face unreadable. 'Leila says something like this every few days, always with a different excuse. But the goal is always the same: to get money.'
"Alright, but hurry up!" With her mind on other things, Leila Lane sashayed out of the room.
Ivy Holden closed her eyes, plotting for a moment, then hurriedly changed and went to the restaurant to find some food. The moment she walked in, however, she saw Leila Lane holding a cup of coffee and smiling seductively at James Zimmers. 'I used to think Leila was helping me pursue James,' Ivy thought wryly. 'Now I see it's more like a bitch and a dog, a match made to last forever.'
Not yet sensing the change in Ivy, Leila Lane smiled and waved eagerly when she saw her come in. "Ivy, over here!"
Ivy Holden suppressed the hatred in her heart and walked over with a smile. "Morning, you two."
Leila Lane made the introductions enthusiastically. "James, this is my cousin, Ivy Holden. She loves your music—she's a total die-hard fan."
James Zimmers's eyes swept over Ivy Holden's clothes and accessories. He found the girl in the black-framed glasses to be plain and unappealing, without a single valuable item on her. He couldn't be bothered to feign interest, giving a curt nod only for Leila Lane's sake. "Hello, Miss Holden."
"A die-hard fan? I wouldn't say that. I just like your songs. Your voice is very unique, very captivating," Ivy said. "But... how come your speaking voice is so different from your singing voice? Is that what they call a voice that knows how to put on a performance?" Her casual jab made the color drain from James Zimmers's face.
"You're quite the joker, Miss Holden," James Zimmers said with an awkward laugh.
"What are you saying?!" Leila Lane secretly pinched Ivy, then turned to apologize to James Zimmers. "I'm so sorry, my cousin doesn't really know how to talk to people. Her mother—my aunt—passed away when she was young, so my mom always felt sorry for her and told me to just let her have her way."
Ivy Holden sneered inwardly. 'Leila Lane truly is a scheming bitch. With just two sentences, she managed to step all over me while hoisting herself up on a saintly pedestal.'
"It's fine." James Zimmers had to maintain his composed public persona, so he nodded, pretending to be magnanimous.
"That's right. My dear cousin has always let me have my way," Ivy said, turning to Leila with a devastatingly charming smile. "So, that bracelet you bought yesterday? It's mine now, okay?"
Leila Lane secretly gritted her teeth and forced an awkward smile. "No problem at all." 'Just pay me back double for it later,' she thought.