In Drake's house, a satisfied smile played on his lips as he viewed the photos of Felicia Mendez's burnt face, sent by the clerks he had tasked with the disturbing mission."Why of all faces did he need to disguise it would be Aunt Beck's face?” he muttered.He walked over to the altar, a small space dedicated to his aunt who had given up her existence for Drake's second chance. Drake never wished for anyone to disrespect Aunt Beck by using her face and he doesn't want them to remember her through Zack."But how did Zack use her face as a disguise? Don't tell me the system reused Aunt's face?" he pondered.Turning to a half-finished portrait of Aunt Beck, Drake, forced to forget her face by the system, resumed drawing, desperate to capture her image before the system wiped it from his memory again."You can't force me to forget her entirely. I might forget because of the system, but I'll always recall if you make me face her this way," he murmured to himself, hurriedly completing the
Zack White grappled with his thoughts, trying to find ways to gain access to his tribute system again, but his mind incessantly circled back to the idea of confronting Lucille. Abandoning the careful planning and cautious approach, he headed straight to Lucille's university, determined to find her.Seizing the opportunity, he attempted to strike, but luck wasn't on his side. Lucille effortlessly evaded him."Damn these heels!" Zack cursed as he stumbled, breaking the fragile heels of his shoes. "I hate this body! Blast it all!" His once-perfect disguise now proved terribly inconvenient."Leave me alone!" Lucille's terror-filled scream pierced the air."Come back here!" Zack roared, frustration boiling inside as he watched Lucille run away, her pace outstripping his ability to give chase.Zack trembled, the pain in his burned skin intensifying as anger surged through him. He gritted his teeth, frustrated by the lack of progress."You look really miserable," a voice suddenly remarked, p
The following day, Drake was taken aback as he entered the elevator and was greeted by none other than Felicia Mendez, who bowed respectfully. Although other employees also greeted him, Drake's attention was fixated solely on Felicia."What happened to your face?" Drake blurted out, feigning ignorance about her ruined face, as if he wasn't the one who had ordered it to happen."Someone threw acid on my face, sir," Felicia replied calmly, causing Drake to become extra cautious.“What’s with her?” he mused.Inside the confined space of the elevator, an unsettling feeling crept over him, as if Felicia could attack at any moment."Someone harbored such anger toward you that they resorted to throwing acid?" Drake questioned, striving to maintain a stoic demeanor."It was actually a colleague, sir," an employee chimed in."Really? Have they been arrested?" Drake inquired."They were charged but released on bail," the employee disclosed. "It's hard to believe there are such vicious individua
In the public eye, Jessica Choy is revered as the saint-like princess of Gerald and Sons Corporation, a conglomerate on par with BellRox Corporation in size. While everyone believes Jessica, the only daughter of Gerald, the owner of G&S Corp, has it all – wealth, beauty, intelligence, kind heart– her true self remains concealed behind a facade of charity and generosity."Did your friend finally get discharged from the hospital?" Gerald, her father, inquired."Yes, Dad," Jessica replied, a hint of fear lacing her voice. She stood in front of his table as he sat imposingly on his leather chair."I know you did it, don't you?" Gerald stated, glaring at his daughter."What do you mean, Dad?" she deflected, avoiding his gaze."I know you two well. Saintly? Kind? Ha!" He snorted. "I know that what happened was not an accident. You made her fall off the stage, didn't you?""It was really an accident, Dad," she insisted, clutching her dress anxiously. Despite her denial, her father was right;
Lucille, unaware of the chaos outside, focused on searching for something in the library."Are these all books about lucid dreams and altered memories? There's nothing that tells about what happened to me," she exclaimed, frustrated. She had already checked the internet and was slightly hopeful to find answers in the old books in the library, but to her disappointment, nothing addressed her questions about her weird encounters."Is this really just me being confused, or why is she going after me?" she mused aloud. Suddenly, she jolted when Drake leaned over her shoulder."Aahh!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth as the librarian shot her a deathly glare. She promptly dragged Drake out of the library and demanded, "Why are you here?""Why? Can't I see you?" he innocently replied."No, but aren't you supposed to be at work?" she asked."I am, but I came to pick you up," he said with a smile."Pick me up? I still have to wait for approval for the internship. You can't just pick me up and
Drake felt baffled by Zack's assumption, yet he saw it as a potential opportunity. "Why does he think Lucille has the system? Or perhaps he assumes I'm clueless?" he pondered silently. Choosing not to react and risk confirming Zack's mistaken belief, Drake shifted his attention, feigning interest in Lucille."What happened to you? Why didn't you tell me?" Drake asked, gently holding Lucille's face, his concern masking any hint of his own confusion.Lucille continued trembling, hesitant to reveal Felicia's threat looming over them. "It's nothing. Just a panic attack. I might be remembering things wrong," she mumbled, glancing uneasily at Felicia, who still gave her the creeps."What's the deal here? Are you protecting your boyfriend?" Felicia taunted."Why are you doing this to me? I didn't do anything to you!" Lucille's grip on Drake tightened in desperation."Really? Are you asking that?" Felicia's expression darkened as she shifted her gaze toward Drake. "Remember how you 'handled'
Drake felt a surge of anxiety as Zack, under his Felicia Mendez disguise, acquired a high-level item from the system despite being suspended. The realization that Zack might have someone backing him up, particularly if that someone was also a system user, unsettled him deeply."Where did he get those items? He even survived a fall," Drake muttered, his eyes fixed on Felicia as she crawled back up inside the office."Do you think you can kill me twice?" Zack(Felicia) growled, the memory of Drake's initial attempt to end him flashing through his mind."I think I can," Drake replied bluntly. He stood up and approached Zack, intending to push him off the window again. To his surprise, a bullet narrowly missed him, and his reflexes allowed him to safely roll away."Let's go, Lucille," he said, carrying her in his arms, leaving his office to escape the sudden rain of bullets from a gunman in the building across from them."Coward! Come back here!" Zack yelled. He was about to run after them
In the hushed confines of a private hospital, Eleanor gingerly settled into a chair within the doctor's office. A stern-faced female physician stood across from her, diligently explaining something that seemed to elude Eleanor's grasp."There is no way, I am pregnant," she insisted."But you told me that your period had stopped, and you also honestly admitted that you had slept with someone," the female doctor patiently replied.“I did… but… but…”Over the past few days, an overwhelming lethargy and occasional waves of nausea have seized her, sparking worry that her illness has resurfaced. To spare Drake from undue worry, she had opted to face this alone."Your symptoms are indicative of a possible pregnancy. That's why I recommend getting an ultrasound. However, I understand the cost concerns here, so I'll write you a referral. You can avail yourself of a free ultrasound at the public hospital," the doctor gently suggested, her pen gliding over the referral note. Her eyes momentarily