For several days, Juliette was preoccupied with Tamara’s death. Tamara’s family had also arrived in New York, and she didn’t leave the side of her late friend’s family for even a moment. Juliette took care of everything out of sympathy and as an apology for being unable to attend Tamara’s funeral. During those days, Juliette was engulfed in sadness, especially when she saw Tamara’s mother-Aunt Taylor-crying over the loss of her only daughter without stopping, even fainting a few times from exhaustion.
Juliette was overwhelmed with guilt. Suppose only Aunt Taylor knew that the accident with Tamara was intentional and that the perpetrator was Juliette’s stalker. Would that kind-hearted woman blame herself? Not to mention when she and Hannah had a video call. It was clear that Tamara’s passing hit Hannah hard. After all, the three of them had never been apart, and Juliette realized that the friendship between Hannah and Tamara was more substantial than hers with both of them.
During those days, Juliette ignored her phone. She didn’t check whether Master D had contacted her or not. She didn’t care at all about that psychopath because her priority was Tamara’s family. It was only when the body transfer procedure was complete and Tamara was returned to Colorado with her family that Juliette could finally breathe a little easier. Two days after the body arrived in Colorado, the funeral took place. Juliette could only watch the funeral through her video call with Hannah.
For an entire night, Juliette couldn’t stop crying. She was genuinely overwhelmed with guilt. Memories of her last conversation with Tamara kept replaying in her mind. Her chest felt so tight that it was hard to breathe. Juliette finally fell asleep that night when the clock struck one in the morning.
Then, when she woke up the following day, Juliette got up feeling extremely heavy. First, she washed her face, wiped away the traces of dried tears, and didn’t forget to brush her teeth and rinse her mouth. Only after that did Juliette check her phone, which she hadn’t taken out of her bag the night before. At first, there was nothing unusual about the contents of her phone, especially since Master D hadn’t contacted her, as if he knew Juliette was engulfed in sadness and so busy. But a few minutes after Juliette picked up her phone, it suddenly vibrated with an incoming message.
For some reason, Juliette had a bad feeling. Especially when the notification for the message reads “private number.” Her entire body trembled, and with fingers that were starting to stiffen, Juliette opened the message. All the blood drained from her head, her face went pale, and her heart raced rapidly. In the message sent by Master D, there was a photo. A photo of her sound asleep at night in the same clothes-Juliette looked down and noticed what she had worn last night. She had just intended to change before leaving her room but was delayed by the message.
Juliette staggered and fell onto the carpet that adorned the floor of her room. It didn’t take a genius to figure out when the photo was taken. A picture of her sound asleep with tear-stained cheeks, taken last night. Suddenly, fear dominated her. How could that psychopath have entered her room without her knowing at all?
She examined the angle of the photo taken by the man. When she realized where he had been when he photographed her, Juliette’s eyes immediately focused on the chair purposely placed in the corner of her room, near the balcony door and the bookshelf that held various novels.
Then Juliette stood up and ran to the balcony door, ensuring it was still locked. Once she confirmed that the door was still secured, she rushed to the bedroom door, which was also closed. So, where did the man enter her room? The window? Juliette’s room had no open windows; only the sliding balcony door could be opened for air circulation.
She then heard her phone ringing again, signalling another incoming message. Juliette walked over to her phone on the carpet and opened the new message.
“Rule: once you enter the game, you cannot leave or go back. If you leave, I will kill you as easily as I touch you while you sleep.”
Her phone dinged again, indicating another message had come in. Juliette took a breath and read the four words written in the message.
“Wait for my message tonight.”
After reading Master D’s message, Juliette felt like dying at that moment. Once again, she asked herself, why? Why was this happening to her?
Juliette had no motivation to go to work after receiving the message from that psychopath. So, after breakfast, she decided to take a sick day. All day, she lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She didn’t even feel like leaving her room just for lunch until finally, Meryl ordered a servant to bring food to Juliette’s room.
She avoided everyone and chose to be alone. If so, then no one else would get hurt.
When night fell, Juliette finally gathered her courage to prepare for Master D’s game. She got up from the bed and tidied herself, putting on covered clothing, a hoodie, and sneakers. As she finished getting ready, her phone dinged with an incoming message. With her heart racing, Juliette opened the message and read every word written there.
“Go to the place where I first touched you. You will find something in the room full of memories.”
Juliette blinked and took a deep breath. She could guess it easily. The man wanted Juliette to come to the five-star hotel where her birthday party had been five years ago, the one owned by the De Lavigne family. But the room? Juliette had no idea where she and that psychopath had done that. She had no memory of whether that room was standard, which floor it was on, or what the number was, and Juliette needed help to ask.
She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. No. She wouldn’t think about all of that now; the important thing was that she arrived at that damn hotel, and perhaps the rest would come back to her. With that thought, Juliette grabbed her messenger bag, where her essential items were, including the folding knife she had bought a few days ago, and then she walked out of her room. Dinner had already been served, and she guessed all the mansion’s residents had returned to their rooms. For a moment, Juliette thought about Daisy’s condition and decided to visit her if she had free time.
Upon arriving at the garage, Juliette noticed the cars belonging to the De Lavigne family and Robbin’s collection. Juliette was not surprised that all the cars parked in this garage if totalled, could buy an island and feed many people. Ferraris, Rolls Royces, Mercedes Benzes, and many more renowned car brands lined up neatly.
In truth, Juliette didn’t want to use a car that wasn’t hers. Still, since she wasn’t in the mood to take public transportation, the hotel was in downtown Manhattan, and she couldn’t waste any more time. She had to set aside her pride this time. She walked toward the cabinet where the car keys were stored. After entering the combination and scanning her fingerprint on the security device installed on the key storage cabinet, Juliette opened the cabinet and took out one of the keys.
After ensuring the cabinet was securely closed, Juliette pressed the car remote. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized the key she had taken was for a simple BMW sedan. Juliette walked over to the car and got in. She made sure she had the vehicle registration papers. When she was done, Juliette immediately started the engine. She maneuvered the car out of the garage, automatically opening its doors.
Juliette felt anxious during the drive. She didn’t know what Master D had in store for her. Was it another video? Photos? Whatever it was, all Juliette wanted was Master D’s identity. After all, she had already experienced and felt all of this. That man couldn’t intimidate her forever with videos and photos.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Juliette walked straight to the hall where the party had taken place. Today, the hall was empty and unused, making it quiet and dark. The sound of her footsteps echoed throughout the vast hall. Juliette took out her phone and turned on the flashlight. She shone it around the room but found nothing. Where else was she supposed to look? What room number? Juliette stomped her foot as she thought. She couldn’t trace that night because her memory of it was so foggy as if her brain had locked everything away before erasing the memory of that night.
Juliette felt like screaming and smashing the phone in her hand, forgetting all this craziness and running as far away as she could. She was hiding and living under a different identity, but she couldn’t do that now. What if that psychopath hurt someone else because of her foolish decision?
Once again, she shone the flashlight around the hall. Was she going to lose in the first game? Just as she finished wondering about that, her phone’s flashlight caught something on the other side of the room. Juliette walked closer to the object, which turned out to be a projector. She swallowed hard, considering the worst possibilities. Just then, her phone rang, and Juliette quickly answered the call from Master D.
“Turn on the projector, and you will see a little moment of us.” With trembling hands, Juliette turned on the projector. She held her breath as the video played. Unlike the previous video, this one was from the party itself. Juliette could see the guests’ wildness when the seniors had left the room. The elegant party turned into a wild celebration like a teenage party. Juliette’s entire body shook when she realized she was dancing amidst a sea of people, moving sensually with a masked man. Juliette couldn’t identify the man because of the dim lights and the camera’s distance.
“You see how beautiful you are? How perfectly you fit in my embrace. That’s what I long for, Kitten. You, in my grasp.”
Then slowly, the video changed, and now Juliette was seen walking down a hotel corridor with the masked man-Master D. This time, the video was in black and white so Juliette couldn’t recognise the man’s features. Juliette’s hands clenched as she watched the video intently, seeing herself slowly acting like a woman craving caresses, clinging to the man.
“You know, at that moment, I really wanted to devour you. I didn’t care if we were still in a public place.”
“STOP!” Juliette screamed and hung up the call. She didn’t want to hear that psychopath’s ramblings at all. Her heart boiled and trembled with terror. If that night hadn’t happened, none of this would have occurred. Juliette hated her birthday because that incident took place on her birthday.
Before she knew it, she was sobbing and crying, staring at the video with bitterness and deep pain. Juliette wanted to smash the phone and projector nearby but held back. This was not the time for her to go on a rampage like a madwoman. Suddenly, Juliette froze when she saw the door to the room she had entered five years ago with Master D -the room that bore witness to that cursed event.
Juliette squinted her eyes and read the four-digit number on the door.
What is this?
2001
That was the room number.
The room on the 20th floor and room number 01. Juliette didn’t know how to react. The 20th floor was designated for the Penthouse and VVIP rooms. Juliette knew this because several De Lavigne guests had been assigned rooms on the 20th floor. Then, room number 01 indicated that the room was not a VVIP room but a Penthouse. Why hadn’t Juliette realized all this? Oh, of course, it was because she was still half-conscious and overwhelmed with panic.
But who owned that Penthouse? Without thinking twice, Juliette turned around and ran out of the hall. The video playing on the projector had stopped, leaving the atmosphere once again silent and dark. Juliette ran toward the reception desk, intending to ask, when she saw Dion standing at the reception, talking to an officer while handing a card to the receptionist.
From a distance, Juliette recognized the card as a hotel key card. Did Dion have a room in this hotel? When the man left, Juliette gathered her courage to approach the receptionist. She smiled formally at the receptionist and murmured, “Hi.”
“Good evening, miss. Welcome to-”
“I’d like to ask a question.” Juliette quickly interrupted. She didn’t want to make small talk at the reception desk. There was something important to do. “Is room number 2001 occupied?”
“If I may ask, who are you? And what business do you have?”
“I’m Juliette De Lavigne.” Juliette grimaced inwardly. In a flash, she had broken her promise to herself by using the De Lavigne name. She felt like rinsing her mouth with saltwater to feel clean again, but this was the only way Juliette could avoid something terrible.
“Ah, Miss De Lavigne.” The receptionist pulled a card from a drawer and handed it to Juliette. “Here’s the key, miss.” After saying this, the receptionist walked away with her phone to her ear.
Juliette sighed heavily and looked at the key card in her hand. All of this only made her more curious and frustrated. With a troubled feeling, Juliette walked toward the elevator. She groaned when she saw that the elevator only went up to the 19th floor. Besides the floor buttons, there was a scanning machine that blinked red. Juliette stared at the card in her hand and bit her lower lip, then hesitantly placed the card on the machine.
Juliette breathed a sigh of relief when the machine turned green with a beep. Soon after, the elevator doors closed, and it ascended. One thing Juliette didn’t realise at that moment was that after arriving on the 20th floor, Juliette exited the elevator into a quiet, elegant hallway. She could guess the paintings and vases decorating the hallway were worth a fortune. There were two doors on either side of the hall. Right and left.
And 2001 was on the right side.
Juliette scanned her key card again to unlock the door. After the lock clicked open, Juliette turned the handle and walked in. At first, the atmosphere was pitch dark, but that was not good for Juliette. She hated the darkness, especially when it was uncertain. She walked along the wall, searching for a light switch, and when the light turned on, Juliette realized that the Penthouse she had entered was modern and beautiful. The view of New York City sprawled wide from the window.
Juliette shook her head and pushed aside all the beauty and luxury. She had one goal in entering this place. With slow steps, Juliette walked toward the main bedroom and opened the door. She remembered this door, Juliette remembered opening it, and she remembered when that psychopath assaulted her behind this door. Juliette took a deep breath and stepped inside.
She was shocked when she realized something was in the room. Juliette screamed as loud as she could and fell to the floor. Her whole body trembled in terror, and her hazel eyes could not tear away from the bed in this room.
Why?
Because on that bed lay a woman’s body with features similar to Juliette’s. Long, wavy brown hair and a body wrapped in the dress Juliette wore on the night of her birthday party, so identical that Juliette thought the woman there was herself. The woman’s arms were bound and hung at either side of the bed, her head bowed, and blood dripped from there. The entire white bed was stained red.
Not only that, but Juliette also saw purple roses stabbed into the woman’s chest, and on the stem was a piece of paper that had started to turn red. Juliette glanced at the nightstand and saw a neatly folded dress with an envelope on top of it.
It turned out that the man was more terrifying than Juliette had imagined.
.
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