Dim lighting, complete silence, and the sharp smell of medicine. Yes, this was the life of the beloved granddaughter of a business tycoon who had died just a week ago. The brown-haired girl stared blankly at the ceiling of her room. The oxygen tube keeping her alive continued supplying a little more time to a girl living like a corpse.
“Grandpa should’ve just taken me with him yesterday. Then I could’ve met Mom and Dad sooner, right?”
Living all alone in the world. Could there be any suffering more heartbreaking than what this seventeen-year-old girl had endured? Of course there could.
The sound of the door opening drew Mia’s attention. From the corners of her eyes, she glanced at the two people who entered, both wearing crooked smiles.
“Good afternoon, Cousin.” The boy’s name was Tian, the eldest child of Mia’s uncle, her father’s younger brother.
“Look, we came to visit your burial chamber today. Aren’t we good cousins?” That was Tina, Tian’s younger sister. Mia wanted to smile at them in response, but she no longer had the strength even for something so trivial.
The siblings approached Mia’s large bed while Mia weakly turned her gaze away, unwilling to look at them.
“Ugh, are you rejecting our visit? How cruel. You’ve really hurt my feelings, you know,” Tina said, pursing her lips with an injured expression.
“Go.” Mia managed to force a single, short word from her mouth. She hated having them around. At the very least, she wanted some peace during her final moments. Yes, perhaps these really were her final moments.
“Huh?” Tian and Tina exchanged disbelieving looks. A second later, bright laughter spilled from their lips.
“Bro, did you hear that? She’s kicking us out!”
“Wow, she really thinks she’s Grandpa’s heir. Look at this living corpse acting so entitled,” Tian said, looking down on his cousin, who merely closed her eyes.
“Just let her fantasize about it. Besides, I’m sure she won’t be alive much longer. Right, Cousin?”
Mia tried to ignore him, but it was difficult. Even after enduring this for years, it had never become easy. Having to face people who so desperately wanted her dead—especially when those people were her own family.
“Yeah, you’re right, Tina. Hey, Mia.” Tian called out to her. He sat on the edge of Mia’s bed, gently touched her brown hair, and pulled it close to his nose. Tian closed his eyes as he inhaled the fragrant scent of her hair.
“Ugh, stop it, Bro. That’s disgusting. Do you even know when she last washed her hair?” Tina shuddered in disgust, but Tian ignored her.
*Bang!*
The sound of the door slamming startled the three cousins. All three turned toward a woman who had entered, her cold gaze suffocating. Tian and Tina swallowed hard, frightened by the woman.
“Tian, Tina, leave. Now.” Even the woman’s voice was enough to make them shiver.
“W-What is it, Auntie? Is something wrong?” Tian mustered the courage to speak. He had already risen and now stood one step in front of Tina, who stared fearfully and anxiously at the figure they called their aunt. It was Melisa, the youngest daughter of this prominent family.
“Don’t argue. Get out.” Tian’s courage shriveled. He immediately grabbed his sister’s hand and hurried her outside. Just as they reached their aunt’s side, a voice stopped both him and Tina in their tracks.
“This afternoon, you two were not here. You were playing video games in Tian’s room. You also saw me leave the house in nice clothes, and I haven’t come back since noon. Understand?”
The siblings’ bodies trembled violently. “Y-Yes, Auntie.”
Melisa shot them a sharp look, sending them scrambling out of Mia’s room. After that, all of the woman’s attention turned to Mia, who stared at her in fear.
Unexpectedly, Melisa smiled sweetly. But Mia knew. The meaning behind that smile was terrible for her, especially in her current helpless state.
Mia’s chest felt unbearably tight. Even breathing through the oxygen tube was difficult. The pressure radiating from Melisa tormented her.
“My dearest niece Mia, would you like to hear a story?” The woman in her early thirties approached, making Mia’s breath catch even more painfully.
“Please forgive me, Auntie.” Mia’s eyes filled with tears from fear. Throughout her life, Melisa had never cared about her presence. But ever since Mia had been announced as the sole heir to the family fortune, Melisa had started looking at her—with a frightening, icy stare.
But this afternoon, Melisa’s gaze was many times more terrifying. Mia could only interpret it as a look filled with murderous intent.
The woman pulled a chair from in front of the vanity and brought it over to Mia’s bed. She sat down and began her story. “Once upon a time, there lived a little girl who was ignored by her family simply because she was born a girl. Her brothers often looked down on her because she was a girl. She was constantly compared to others because she was a girl. She suffered countless hardships because she was a girl. Until that child resolved to defeat all her brothers—as a girl.” Melisa paused, while Mia continued staring at her in fear.
“She worked hard—very hard—in every possible field. She studied foreign languages, sports, musical instruments, business, and even dirty work. She did everything so she could defeat the men and earn recognition despite being a woman.” Melisa’s eyes gazed into the distance, the pain in her story unmistakable. “But it wasn’t enough. Unfortunately for her, her eldest brother had been born a genius. No matter how hard that child tried, her brother was always one step ahead. Then, just as the girl began to give up on life, fate finally dealt fairly.”
Melisa stared deeply into Mia’s eyes, smiling like a psychopath tormenting her victim. “That child’s brother died! He perished in a tragic accident along with his wife!” The woman laughed in satisfaction, paying no attention to Mia’s worsening condition.
Mia’s chest grew even tighter under the pressure. She knew that story. She knew it all too well. The accident Melisa was talking about was the accident that had killed Mia’s parents!
“That girl was so happy. She threw a party all day long. But not long after that, her father caused trouble again by declaring his granddaughter the rightful heir to the family.” Melisa’s expression darkened. She stared blankly at Mia while gently touching her hair.
“A child born weak, sickly, helpless, and useless. How dare a brat like that snatch away an adult’s ambitions, right?”
Mia shook her head as best she could. Truly, becoming the heir had never been her wish. She had never dreamed of a position that dangerous.
Melisa tightened her grip on Mia’s hair, making the girl flinch. She truly had no strength to fight back.
“My dear Mia, you know this story very well, don’t you?”
The girl nodded weakly as tears began to fall. Had her aunt decided to make her disappear right now? So Grandpa’s will had really been a ticket to the afterlife? And was her aunt the angel of death sent to escort her there?
“D-Dad ... l-loved Auntie ....” It was the truth. Although Melisa had always kept her distance from Mia’s father, he had often praised his sister in front of Mia and her mother.
Melisa fell silent, and Mia could feel her aunt’s grip loosen. Could she have been surprised?
“And why does that matter?” Mia’s body tensed for what felt like the hundredth time when the cold tone left her aunt’s lips.
“What good is that affection? Do you think something so trivial will move me?”
Melisa stood and walked toward Mia’s oxygen tank, which was on the opposite side of the bed.
“Mia, you miss your parents, don’t you? Even though it’s only been a week, I’m sure you miss Grandpa too. Right?”
Mia’s heart pounded, making it even harder to draw breath through the oxygen tube that was about to be removed. She could only stare in silence, struggling to maintain her breathing. Even so, she was certain she would stop trying before long.
Mia’s chest screamed with pain when Melisa cruelly pulled out the oxygen regulator and slammed it down. Mia desperately tried to gulp in as much oxygen as possible, but it was useless. She gripped the white bedsheet tightly, her head tilted toward the ceiling.
“You should thank me, my dear Mia, for sending you to meet the people you love so much.” Amid Mia’s agony, Melisa approached her again and gently stroked the crown of the girl’s head.
There was not the slightest trace of affection or regret on her face. As Mia’s movements weakened, the corners of Melisa’s lips lifted, as though she had been waiting for this moment all along.
Unable to draw in any more oxygen, Mia decided to give up. Her efforts were futile. The pain had become unbearable. Slowly, Mia could no longer feel her body. Her vision blurred, and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Inside that room, Mia breathed her last. Melisa stood silently, watching her poor niece die. She raised her hand and gently stroked the girl’s cheek.
“Rest in peace.” Her low voice was enough to make anyone who heard it shiver. Afterward, Melisa picked up the oxygen regulator lying on the floor and reattached it to the oxygen tank.
The click-clack of those bright red high heels became the room’s only break in the silence. Melisa stopped right in front of the bedroom door.
“This afternoon, the granddaughter of the Sanjaya family, who was also the sole heir to Sanjaya Group, breathed her last due to the illness she suffered from. Let us observe a moment of silence to honor her soul.” Melisa lifted her chin toward the ceiling, then flashed a psychopath’s smile. “The journalists are going to love this story.”
To be continued ....