Elisa clenched the cat tag engraved with “Mimi Forever”, rubbing it between her fingers. She had already wiped the blood off, but she still felt as though it was soaked in Mimi’s blood, unable to be cleaned.
Seated in the large leather boss chair, Elisa curled up, her feet resting comfortably on it. She absentmindedly stared at the computer screen, while Louis quietly accompanied her.
The sky had darkened, and Louis glanced at the pitch-black night outside. A chilly wind rustled the leaves. Autumn was approaching, and the nights were turning colder.
“Elisa, go get some rest. I’ll keep an eye on Filippa and Lorelei,” Louis suggested.
It was nearly half past midnight. Elisa, pale and weary-looking, appeared surprisingly alert, without a trace of fatigue in her eyes.
In truth, her head ached as if an invisible balloon had inflated inside her skull. Her eyes felt gritty, yet every time she closed them, all she could see was the gruesome death of Mimi, the blood-soaked ground at the landfill. The glaring red color gave her a suffocating sensation, as if she had plunged into the depths of hell in a past life.
She struggled to suppress the restlessness in her chest.
“No,” Elisa stubbornly shook her head. “I need to do this myself.” She wanted to personally drag these people into hell.
Louis fell silent for a moment, then got up to fetch a blanket from the bedroom and draped it over her before quietly resuming his vigil.
Elisa had her own plans, and for now, he could only try to cooperate as best as he could. It was also time to close in on X Entertainment’s shares, and it was long overdue for a change in leadership at Lorelei’s helm.
…
At 1 a. m., Filippa’s phone received a notification of a payment, a transfer of five million dollars.
Seeing the message, Filippa breathed a sigh of relief. Now she could leave without worry. Once a person relaxed, hunger set in. She never cooked, and there was hardly anything in the fridge. She usually just ordered takeout.
During the day, she didn’t dare to go out for takeout, fearing potential danger. It was now nearing 2 a. m., and she figured she wouldn’t encounter anyone at this time.
She ordered a late-night snack on her phone and began packing her bags. She waited for almost forty minutes before the doorbell rang.
Filippa was cautious. She answered the phone to confirm and then peered through the peephole to verify that it was the delivery person before cautiously opening the door to receive the package.
“Wishing you a pleasant meal,” the delivery person said.
Filippa didn’t respond. After taking the bag, she closed the door and felt the weight of the takeout. It seemed heavier than usual, although she didn’t dwell on it. Portion sizes in takeout often varied, so it was not unusual for it to be a bit heavier.
She brought the takeout to the dining table and, after washing her hands, began to unpack the bag layer by layer.
“Ah-!” accompanied by a scream, the takeout container was overturned onto the floor, from which a dead rat rolled out, soaked in the rice and soup. The rat’s head was a bloody mess, its belly split open, its intestines spilling out.
In an interview, Filippa had once mentioned her fear of rats, so one could imagine the impact of this sight on her.
She rushed into the bathroom, pressing the flush button while vomiting into the toilet. The sight of the dead rat in the takeout box made her feel as if her whole body was covered in goosebumps. She shivered and twisted, feeling a chill run down her spine.
Filippa could only remember the pitiful state of the rat, but she had forgotten that her own methods toward Mimi had been even more cruel. People only feel fear when their own safety is threatened.
Exhausted from vomiting, Filippa felt as if her stomach had been twisted like a damp cloth. She staggered out, trying to avert her eyes from the dead rat.
In addition to the dead rat, there was a note in her pocket that had fallen to the floor near the table. She looked down at the bold, crimson letters on the paper.
“You despicable woman, enjoy your meal.”
Was it the seller? Or the delivery person? Or someone else posing as the delivery person? But how did they know she had ordered takeout using her phone, and how did they know it was her? She had used an anonymous account.
Just a passing thought at first, but slowly, she became increasingly terrified. Could her phone be under surveillance?
No… it couldn’t be… Who could possibly do this?
Elisa? How could that be possible? What kind of background couldshe have…?
Filippa suddenly thought of Louis. Elisa had already managed to get him involved in the “Weekend Show” variety program, and this time it was Louis who had posted the video on Twitter.
Elisa’s background was Louis! Given Louis’s status and capabilities, he could easily arrange such things.
She cursed herself for being consumed by fear all day and for forgetting to consider these possibilities.
Her phone had been hacked once before. She had thought that resetting her phone would solve the problem, but for those who were skilled, if they could hack you once, they could do it again. It wasn’t impossible that her phone was being monitored.
Filippa looked at her phone lying on the table, suddenly realizing the truth. Her eyes widened, and she let out a piercing scream.
“Ah!” She had never felt so broken down. She couldn’t understand. She hadn’t committed a crime or killed anyone. It was just a cat, and if it died, it died. Why were these people relentlessly targeting her?
What should she do now? She couldn’t throw away her phone, especially since she didn’t have a spare and couldn’t go out to buy one so late. If she encountered a dead rat just by ordering takeout, she had no idea what could happen if she went out.
She couldn’t turn off her phone either, as she would need it for her trip abroad the next day.
Panicked, Filippa no longer felt hungry. She looked at the nearby suitcase.
For now, she could only temporarily set aside her phone and wait a few more hours until she could leave the country.
…
To distract herself, Filippa turned on the TV. It was only 3 a. m., and her flight was at 8 a. m. She had to endure another five hours.
At 6 a. m., as she watched the sky gradually brighten, Filippa prepared to leave for the airport early. Those who cursed and insulted her were just all talk, at most, they would send her something like a dead rat as they did last night. They wouldn’t dare to do anything to her in public.
After all, it was illegal.
Filippa breathed a sigh of relief as she was about to pick up her luggage and leave, when her phone in her bag suddenly rang.
Every little movement or sound now made her feel jittery. Since the previous day, she had set her phone to block unknown numbers, so the only calls that would come through were from the contacts she had kept in her address book. Her address book had been nearly cleared out, and it wasn’t hard to guess who would be calling her at this hour.
As expected…
When she took out her phone and saw the caller ID displaying “Lorelei,” Filippa answered, “Hello?”
“Where are you right now?”
Through her phone, Filippa couldn’t see Lorelei’s expression, as she hesitantly replied, “I’m getting ready to leave for the airport now. I’ve received the money, so rest assured, I won’t be coming back once I leave the country. Also, transfer the remaining five thousand to my card.”
“Where do you think you’re going, Filippa? Did you not hear what I said yesterday, or do you think I’m just someone you can push around because I’m easy-going?”
After a sleepless night and highly tense emotions, Filippa couldn’t immediately understand Lorelei’s meaning, but after pondering for a while, she felt the harshness in her tone. Her temper flared instantly, “What do you mean, Lorelei? Are you blaming me? If it weren’t for your crazy ideas, I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation, leaving my home country to live abroad alone. You’ve ruined me. Who are you to lecture me first thing in the morning?”
Now that she had received the money, and she was about to board her flight in two hours, she wasn’t afraid of Lorelei. “You finally reveal your true colors,” she retorted.
“You’re no different, pretending to be so noble for everyone to see,” Filippa countered defiantly.
“I did everything I could for you, Filippa. I promised to give you the money to shut you up. But as soon as I transferred the money to you, the recording of our phone call was leaked. What’s the meaning of this? Do you think I’m just a plaything?”
Filippa was taken aback. Even in her befuddled state, she instantly realized that something was amiss. “What recording?”
“Don’t play dumb! It’s all over the news! Filippa, I won’t let you off the hook. Today, you won’t be able to leave the country!”
*Click…*
The call ended, and Filippa instinctively reached for Twitter, but she had already uninstalled the app. She had no choice but to open the phone’s built-in browser, where she immediately saw the trending topics.
Displayed prominently: “Filippa Lorelei recording”
It was the recording of the phone call she made to Lorelei yesterday. Since then, her phone had been compromised, but she had been completely oblivious. Filippa had no intention of reinstalling Twitter. She glanced at the headline of the trending news but didn’t click to read further. All she wanted now was to escape from this place as quickly as possible.
When Lorelei said she wouldn’t let her off the hook, she definitely meant it. Having worked with Lorelei before, Filippa knew firsthand how ruthless and adept at exploiting others’ weaknesses she could be. If she fell into Lorelei’s hands, her life would be in grave danger.
Dragging her suitcase and wearing a pair of sneakers, Filippa stepped outside. As she opened the door, she was startled once again. Outside were various wreaths and paper-made figurines.
After the incident with the “dead mouse” the previous night, Filippa had developed a higher tolerance, so she didn’t scream, but she was equally stunned by this eerie sight. She had to leave this place. If she stayed any longer, she would either go insane or end up dead.
Rewinding time by two days, Filippa never thought that she would stumble over a cat, just as she had not expected to do the same with Elisa two months prior. She had made the same mistake twice.
Wearing a mask and sunglasses, she thought she was disguised well enough, but as soon as she stepped out of the community, she was recognized. A rotten egg was hurled directly at her, and the stench hit her immediately. Then, all sorts of garbage rained down on her from all directions.
Filippa couldn’t dodge it all. As she looked at the people rushing toward her, their masked faces filled with malice, they seemed like criminals. These were the people who had been viciously mocking her online. Last night, they had received her address, phone number, and the time she was leaving for the airport this morning. Fearful of missing her, they had gathered together and had been waiting here since the early hours of the morning. Now that they saw her, all the suppressed anger from the night burst out.
Filippa had never imagined that these people would resort to physical violence. Her face was still covered in the sticky residue of the rotten egg, making her feel nauseous. She reached to wipe it off, but the more she wiped, the more nauseous she felt. She couldn’t wipe it off as quickly as they were throwing things at her. In just a moment, she was completely filthy, with an unknown liquid dripping from her head, mixing with the vegetable leaves.
“You’re breaking the law! I will call the police and have all of you arrested!”
“Filippa, you scum!”
“Go to hell, you despicable person!”
Filippa, although she had lived a comfortable life in the entertainment industry these past few years, could have continued smoothly if she hadn’t provoked Elisa. Now, she was down and being humiliated, experiencing all the insults she had never endured in her entire life. Her body ached all over. Standing in place, the last shred of her sanity vanished without a trace. She glared fiercely at the people around her.
“It’s just a cat, and I haven’t broken any laws. Why are you treating me like this? Moreover, that cat had nothing to do with any of you. If I had harmed it, do you really want to avenge it? Remember, killing a cat isn’t illegal, but killing a person is. What you’re doing today is a crime, and I will make sure you face legal consequences!”