Elmore Gambon, the newly crowned man of wealth in Northern City, was my older brother. He was young and affluent, with an imposing presence.
We were both from the orphanage, and thus relied on each other to survive.
Miss Yates thought that with me dead, Elmore would be hers.
Little did she know that beneath his handsome appearance was a crazed soul.
His insanity knew no bounds, hurting even himself. Yet, he was tender only to me.
Elmore, my older brother, was young, wealthy, and suave. When Patricia Yates admitted her feelings for him and was rejected, she deemed me her next target.
Days later, I was brutally murdered in a company warehouse. When they found me, I was a mess. My body beaten and battered, and my face had been disfigured by sulfuric acid. It was a sight that had long lost all resemblance to my former self.
Journalists with well-informed sources rushed to photograph the scene with the probable intention of making it the headline news for the next day.
The crowd of onlookers grew. Local police were stationed around the perimeter, and a coroner examined my body. My death was determined to be caused by sudden cardiac arrest from over-indulgence, and my case was ruled as a crime of passion.
For a time, the public chastised me for not being virtuous, for being fickle with affection, thus meeting such a tragic end.
Later on, Patricia's wish came true. She married Elmore, who gave her an extremely grand wedding.
However, after the magnificent wedding, things took a devilish turn. She deeply regretted everything, but it was too late.
In the days of my absence, Elmore became cold and cruel. He was no longer tender.
Indeed, Elmore had lost his humanity...
Upon my death, my soul was hesitant to leave. I had turned into a ghost that lingered around Elmore.
I watched him turn off his office computer and leave work an hour early to go the florist. He bought my favorite, champagne roses. Holding the roses, I noticed a slight smile form at the corner of his lips as if he were imagining my surprise when receiving the roses. Knowing I had a sweet tooth, he also bought my favorite cake from a particular shop, along with a bunch of sweet snacks. He even drove to the market and bought a selection of my favorite ingredients, preparing to cook me a feast for dinner.
After running his errands, Elmore was heading home joyfully, knowing I must be waiting for him.
It was my birthday. Despite his busy schedule, he still remembered. At this moment, I was filled with joy. It felt worth it to be with him.
On the way home, Elmore received a call from the police. Moments later, he put the phone down and swerved sharply, causing the cake to flip over and getting destroyed in the process. He ignored it and sped down the road.
A 20-minute ride only took him 5 minutes.
He got out of the car in a hurry. Someone was waiting for him at the entrance and led him to a warehouse in a building. A group of people were gesturing toward a body on the ground.
Her eyes were not completely closed. Sulfuric acid had been poured on her face, melting it completely and rendering her unrecognizable. The pain and desperation were evident in her half-opened eyes, her disheveled clothes an indication of the brutal treatment she endured. She had died slowly with no dignity spared.
Around her were whispers of judgment. She was accused of abandoning womanly virtues, being flippant, and even deserving her gruesome death.
Elmore stood among the crowd, a picture of calm as he remained where he was without moving closer. No cries or shouts left his mouth; his thoughts were inaccessible to outsiders.
I followed his gaze to the corpse's hand.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my head as if I was remembering something. My memories after death were incomplete, often needing stimuli to recall past life memories.
The female corpse's fingers were intact while my pinky had broken when a bully picked on me at the age of ten. As I did not receive medical treatment in time, my finger stayed crooked even though it was ultimately saved. Without close examination, this could be easily overlooked by others. Elmore cut off all five fingers of that bully's hand that year.
This meant that that corpse was not me.
My Elmore, who had known me since childhood, could not possibly mistake someone else for me.
Perhaps the police had made an error and dialed the wrong number. His heart, once ash, turned aflame with hope again. It looked to be a false alarm. He calmly turned around to leave.
"Mr. Gambon, please accept my condolences. Your sister was immature. A naive woman like her isn't worth your grief. Besides, you aren't even biologically related." Patricia appeared out of nowhere and stood in Elmore's way.
Elmore glanced at her, catching a whiff of a familiar scent. His gaze suddenly focused, and his brow furrowed. Not uttering a word, he swiftly left the scene.
People assumed Elmore left in anger as he could not bear to see someone close to him pass away under such circumstances.
Driving at a breakneck speed, Elmore quickly arrived at our residential community. Since our newly purchased villa was still under renovation, we were living in the old apartment complex we had moved into after leaving the orphanage. This was the first villa Elmore and I had bought together, and we were meticulous with the renovation, which had been going on for two years and was still unfinished. As we arrived, we saw our apartment engulfed in flames. Elmore tried to rush inside, but the firefighters held him back. The fire was too fierce; entering would have been certain death.
Firefighters did their best to douse the flames. The residential area's old age made the rescue attempts difficult. It took them a full hour to extinguish the vast blaze.
When the fire was finally put out, Elmore rushed into what remained of our destroyed house. He eventually discovered the remains of my burnt body in the washroom. Evidently, I had run into the washroom to get water, trying to save myself. One can only imagine the pain and helplessness I must have felt.
The police studied the scene and determined that the accidental fire was caused by a gas canister explosion. The identity of the remains was indeterminable as my corpse had already been "identified" as the charred remains found in the warehouse. After a brief questioning and record-keeping session with Elmore, the corpse was no longer recognized as mine. The police were preparing to remove the remains from the scene.
Elmore obstructed them, wanting to keep my body. He explained to the police that the deceased was a distant cousin. Only then did they proceed with the claim procedures, leaving my corpse behind.
Once the police had left, Elmore kneeled beside my remains, crying loudly.
"Naomi..."
For the first time in my life, I saw Elmore cry. He sobbed so hard that it was a truly heartbreaking sight to behold. Since I was little, I always thought he was not one to cry.
Of course, my charred body could not respond to him. Seeing him in so much pain was agonizing. I wanted to call out to him and comfort him, but no words left my mouth.
I felt helpless. Nothing I did could soothe his pain.
At that moment, a severe headache stormed my mind. It was another memory.
My name was Naomi Gambon. Elmore and I grew up together in the orphanage. He was four years older than me, and was always a lonely, aloof person. However, he was gentle only toward me. I used to follow him around as a child, constantly calling him by his name. I even told him I wanted to marry him when I grew up. Although he seemed slightly reluctant, he still quietly allowed me to do so.
Later, when we grew a little older, Elmore prepared to flee from the orphanage at the age of fifteen. He wanted to venture out into the world and make a living.
The night before Elmore was due to leave, he came to bid me goodbye. I cried as I said to him, "Elmore, I want to go with you."
The next day, we sneaked out of the orphanage together.
From that moment on, we began to depend on each other to survive as we woked to earn a living.
In the beginning, we set up street stalls, collected scrap, delivered take-out food; we did all sorts of part-time jobs to make ends meet. Later on, Elmore told me that he wanted to work hard for abundant earnings to ensure that I could live a comfortable, worry-free life.
Therefore, Elmore started a business. The early stage of starting a business was always difficult because it required a large amount of capital. I set up a stall to support his business expenses during the early days.
During our most difficult times, we could not even afford instant noodles. Elmore wanted to give up several times, but I managed to persuade him to continue the business each time.
Fortune favored the bold. At long last, our efforts paid off—we struck it rich and earned our first substantial profit. With that, we bought this charming old house. As time went on, we amassed more startup capital, and thanks to Elmore Gambon's exceptional business acumen, he swiftly elevated the company to the top. In just a few years, Elmore became a rising star in the Northern City business community.
Our days of not having to worry about making ends meet began. I did not need to work three jobs a day anymore. When I was at the orphanage, I especially liked drawing, so I started a design studio at home.
After Elmore's company went public, he entered the ranks of the wealthy. Thus, the number of conferences and dinners he attended increased. He would often have me accompany him in the capacity of a female companion.
While I accompanied Elmore Gambon to the 70th birthday celebration of Charles Aiken, the wealthiest man in Northern City, Elmore's tall stature and handsome face quickly caught the eye of Patricia Yates. She was instantly captivated by him.
I remembered then. Patricia was the young lady of the Yates family in Northern City and the niece of Northern City's richest man, Charles Aiken. Born with a golden spoon in her mouth, she grew up beloved and spoiled; she had everything she desired.
The audacious lady of the Yates family expressed her admiration on the spot but was delicately rejected by Elmore.
Patricia did not give up, vowing in secret to win him over no matter what.
Although Elmore did not tell her the reason for his rejection, Miss Yates soon turned her attention to me since I was by his side.
After the banquet ended, Patricia began to investigate me.
A few days later, she, along with some henchmen, came knocking on my door.
That day, I had been busy working on a design at home.
Upon hearing the knock, I opened the door, somewhat surprised to see that it was Patricia.
Patricia walked in, scanning the place with disdain in her eyes.
"The glorious CEO of the Gambon family lives in this shabby place?" She questioned.
I did not retort. Noticing that she was being ignored, Patricia became somewhat embarrassed.
Without beating around the bush, she spoke forthrightly, "Tell me, how much money will it take for you to leave Elmore?"
Heh, it seemed she had intended to bring me money. But Elmore ran a listed company, and I've long since had more than enough. My current life would indeed be one of luxury and opulence. However, I had always preferred to remain understated and not draw attention to myself.
"Why should I leave him? Do I look like I need money? Elmore's wealth is also mine. I'm his sister," I replied furiously because I felt like she was treating my brother as a commodity. I could not believe she was asking me to quote a price.
"Please, it's not like you're biologically related," Patricia responded disdainfully.
I laughed. It seemed that she had done her homework and came well-prepared.
Suddenly, I was curious about how much Elmore was worth.
Immediately, I put on a facade of being greedy. "Looks like you know everything. Tell me, how much money are you willing to offer?"
"Here's a check for two million dollars. You can cash it right now." Patricia pulled out a check from her Hermès handbag and handed it to me.
I did not take it.
"Is my brother, the president of a listed company, only worth two million dollars? Is he worth so little to you? It seems you do not love my brother as much as you claim to." I feigned dissatisfaction and disdain.
Upon hearing my words, Patricia was clearly displeased. However, she took out another check from her bag. "Five million dollars. Is this enough?"
I still didn't take the check. After getting rejected time and time again, Patricia turned pale with frustration, her patience wearing thin.
"How much do you want? Name your price and leave Elmore alone. He's mine and not someone you can claim."
"What if I refuse?" I had no intention to compromise. It appeared that Patricia had already determined that I would compete with her for a man.
Hearing my answer, Patricia's face darkened.
"Men, let's give her a lesson."
Upon hearing her command, Patricia's two bodyguards stepped forward. They grabbed me, dragged me into the restroom, and dunked my head in a sink filled with water.
I quickly felt like I was suffocating and I desperately struggled to lift my head. Just as I was about to drown, a bodyguard yanked my head up. I coughed violently, my vision a blur. I couldn't open my eyes.
In no time, they pushed my head underwater again. This cycle repeated thrice, and I was on the verge of suffocation and passing out.
"B*tch, this is just a small lesson. If you're still ignorant of your position, thigns won't be as simple as it was today. Anything I set my sights on, I always get. Look into who I am in Northern City—I’m the niece of the wealthiest man here. In this city, who dares ignore me?" She said with an air of condescension.
"Also, I assume you wouldn't tell Elmore about today’s incident. You understand his company just went public and stable isn't what I'd call it just yet. Knowing about today's matter would only cause him more trouble. I trust that you wouldn't be so naive."
Patricia held my chin lightly with a menacing look on her face.
It seemed she was threatening me.
"I'll give you time to mull this over." After speaking, Patricia left with her bodyguards.
I stayed silent as I watched them leave and composed myself. However, what Patricia did not expect was that when Elmore came back, I told him everything that happened that day.
Elmore and I had been through a lot. We promised to always be transparent with one another.
Upon hearing this, Elmore, driven by anger, was about to confront Patricia, but I stopped him. He did not have a strong standing yet, and I didn’t want him to get into trouble.
Under my coercion, Elmore agreed to let Patricia off the hook for the time being.
Elmore held my hand, his heart filled with concern. He called for a family doctor to examine me from top to bottom, ensuring I was alright apart from taking in some water. Only then was he at ease.
"Naomi, you need to pay more attention to your safety in the future. Contact me immediately if anything happens. Forgive me for not publicly acknowledging your identity yet. The business world is like a battlefield, and there are too many predatory eyes watching me and my family," Elmore explained, worried that I might misunderstand and overthink about the women constantly approaching him.
"I understand. You're doing this for me."
I fully understood Elmore's good intentions. We had been together for some time. I was his chosen wife, but to avoid unwanted attention, we still referred to each other as siblings, though we were biologically unrelated. This was a way to avert the many threats. After all, in the world of the rich, it was not uncommon for family members to be kidnapped for ransom.
Elmore just wanted me to do what I love and live a simple, happy life, without getting involved in all the stratagems of the business world.
In the following days, Elmore went to work as usual, seemingly oblivious to everything Patricia had done to me.
At a gathering one day, Elmore ran into Patricia again. As she greeted Elmore, he simply acknowledged her with a nod with an expression as indifferent as ever.
Patricia saw his cool demeanor quite differently. However, this time, she did not immediately confess her feelings again. Instead, she turned to her uncle, the wealthy Charles, hoping he could pull some strings for her.
"Mr. Gambon, the Gambon Group has grown rapidly over the years. With such a large enterprise. I suppose you've been fully committed to your career, haven't you? What a real go-getter. You're not yet married, are you? Is this your version of being a bachelor?" Charles began the conversation around the dinner table.
"Mr. Aiken, you flatter me. You're too kind." Elmore returned the courtesy.
"You see, Mr. Gambon, I greatly admire young men like you. My niece has reached marriageable age, and she's quite outstanding herself. I wonder if it could be of mutual interest to you both, uniting in matrimony in the future. That way, the Aiken Group and Gambon Group could become one, propelling both families to greater heights." Charles was quite explicit about his intentions.
"I appreciate your goodwill, Mr. Aiken. However, I'm currently preoccupied with my work; I'm not quite keen on attending to other matters. Miss Yates is extraordinary indeed, but I'm afraid I would have to turn down your kind offer. At the moment, I have yet to consider my romantic matters," Elmore tactfully refused.
Being rejected for the second time, Patricia felt like exploding in anger. However, given the occasion, she feigned shyness and responded, "Uncle, you shouldn’t... I'm still young and not ready for marriage yet."
To her surprise, even the temptation of marriage between two powerful clans could not win Elmore's attention. Patricia was unwilling to accept this. She could not believe Elmore refused simply because he did not want to get married. It was likely that someone had a place in his heart.
Patricia quickly set her mind on me.
After laying low for a few days, Patricia reappeared near my house one day with several bodyguards dressed in black.
They broke into my house, and the next thing I knew, they were beating me to a pulp, demanding that I hand over the valuables at home. Believing I was being robbed, I gave them all my valuables. In the end, they left me lying on the floor barely alive.
Patricia came forward and stood before me while I was left crawling at her feet.
She ordered them to desecrate my body, defile me, and kill me, but I would rather die than surrender. I fought back by grabbing the homemade perfume on the coffee table and spraying it at their eyes. Caught by surprise, they were all temporarily blinded. I tried to seize this chance to escape but was dragged back by one of the bodyguards who had quickly recovered from my offense.
"Smack!"
A crisp slap across the face left my ears ringing.
"Kill this b*tch and don't hold back," she ordered and left.
The bodyguards began to tear at my clothes. I screamed and ran, trying to find a knife in the kitchen, but they did not seem to be scared. I could not just let them defile me. I decided to do whatever I could to avoid that. I opened the gas cylinder and prepared to ignite it. Seeing this, they retreated, no longer daring to enter the kitchen.
Finally, I lit the gas cylinder because I knew I could not wait for Elmore to save me. Upon seeing this, the bodyguards fled and locked the door from the outside. Unfortunately, I could not undo what was already done. The explosion sent me flying into the living room. The fire spread quickly, and though injured, I still tried to crawl into the bathroom to get water to put out the fire. I ended up fainting in the bathroom and getting burned alive.
Since she failed to humiliate me and ruin my reputation, Patricia was not satisfied.
I was already dead, and yet, she would not let go of me. She found a woman who resembled me and dressed her up to mimic my appearance. Then, she rallied a group of thugs to torment and ravage the woman.
To ensure Elmore would not recognize her, she hatched a plan to splash acid on the woman's face. In the end, the woman died in agony, hopelessly crying out in despair.
This was all Patricia's plan to make Elmore despise me and grow disgusted with me.
She even arranged for people to publicly disgrace me, claiming that I was unfaithful, shameless, flirtatious, and doomed to die from a love affair.
Patricia also manipulated both the police and the coroner to follow her narrative.
She even appeared at the scene to provide a sense of comfort for Elmore.
However, Elmore could smell a distinctively familiar scent from her.
He might have suspected something amiss, so he anxiously rushed home. On the way there, he tried calling me numerous times, but all attempts went unanswered.
Upon his arrival, all that awaited him was devastation. Our once-warm home had been utterly destroyed.
That night, he gathered my remains into a jar. He spent the entire night amidst the ruins, cradling it in his arms.
The petals of champagne roses were scattered across the ruined house, a cruel reminder that it was supposed to be my birthday.
He would spend my birthday each year by my side. Amidst his busy work life, it was one of the few times we could be alone together.
He had returned home cheerfully, ready to celebrate my birthday, yet all he found were fragments of my decaying body, symbolizing the bridge between our two worlds.
The next day, Elmore found a beautiful spot in a picturesque landscape and buried me there.
He had always feared loneliness, but after I was laid to rest, he stayed by my grave for one whole day. As I looked at his lone self, his face had paled and ashen; he looked like he would faint any moment.
My heart was filled with worry, and it hurt to see him like this.
I wanted to hold him, to comfort him.
No matter how much I tried to reach out to him, I could not hold him. My heart was an aching mess.
The next day, Elmore returned to work, immersing himself entirely in his career. He acted as though nothing had happened, pretending to know nothing. The only thing that truly affected him was his sister’s departure, which left him feeling a deep sadness. He forced himself to accept the notion that I had been subjected to insult and mistreatment before my death, despite his own turmoil.
A few days later, Patricia took the initiative to look for Elmore, telling him that she had found the killer who had hurt me and had brought him to justice.
This time, Elmore did not ignore her. He expressed his thanks to her and even took her to dinner.
With this one incident, these two strangers were brought slightly closer to one another.
Elmore's business had reached a new high. He received various business awards for his work and his name began to shine in Northern City.
Because of his remarkable achievements, Charles once again proposed to form a marriage alliance with him, wanting to marry his niece to him.
This time, however, Elmore had a change of heart. He acknowledged that while his career was important, family couldn't be overlooked. With that realization, he gladly agreed.
Elmore gave Patricia a grand wedding in Northern City. Patricia finally replaced my position as she wished, becoming Mrs. Gambon.
Some people remarked that it seemed Elmore was deeply in love with Patricia, and that she was incredibly fortunate.
What was even more ridiculous was that on the wedding day, Patricia performed a voodoo ritual against me. She used a needle to prick a doll with my name on it, declaring her claim over Elmore as Mrs. Gambon. Such a ritual seemed utterly laughable in the twenty-first century.
During the wedding, Elmore was so gentle to her. Patricia thought that it was because of her charm, but little did she know that she was slowly falling into Elmore's trap.
After the guests dispersed, Elmore brought Patricia home. Elmore suggested that since it was their wedding day—a happy day—he wanted to share a toast with his beautiful wife. Patricia agreed happily. She fantasized about Elmore being romantic and how the wine would set the mood for their intimate night.
As Patricia fantasized about the events she imagined would soon unfold with Elmore, he prepared a glass of spiked wine. He cunningly persuaded Patricia to drink it.
A few minutes later, Patricia was passed out on the sofa under the influence of the spiked wine.
The corner of Elmore's mouth twitched with ill-intent in a triumphant manner.
He had his personal assistant bring two small thugs, locking the three of them in a room. Then, he ordered the thugs to have their way with Patricia that day.
These two thugs had been dealt with by Elmore before, so when they saw him, they were as terrified as if they had encountered the Grim Reaper.
If Patricia were awake, she would certainly recognize these two. They were the two black-clothed bodyguards whom she had brought to pick on Naomi.
Once the bodyguards were brought into the room, they immediately knelt on the ground.
"Scared of me?" Elmore asked coldly.
The two bodyguards were already shaking with fear.
"Don't worry, I can't stand not being obeyed. As long as you do as asked, there will be no trouble. You two will look after her tonight. I'll send someone to check tomorrow." Once Elmore gave his instructions, he left.
The two bodyguards exchanged nervous glances. They recognized Patricia, but they were well aware of Elmore's methods. Weighing their options, they chose to prioritize their own lives and immediately set about attending Miss Yates without a moment's hesitation.
Patricia was dominated all night. She awoke the next morning feeling as though every bone in her body was broken. She began to question her life choices, staring at the cold and indifferent Elmore. She couldn't help but think that he was shockingly formidable in matters of intimacy.
Just as she was lost in her thoughts, she saw Elmore bringing over a bowl of soup for her.
"You're awake. You worked hard last night. Here, drink this to restore your strength. I've been up all night preparing it." He placed the bowl of soup gently on the windowsill in front of her.
Patricia's face flushed as she looked at Elmore in this state. She happily drank the soup.
In the following days, Elmore became increasingly affectionate toward Patricia. Whenever Patricia coughed, Elmore would show grave concern. Any time Patricia mentioned liking something, Elmore would oblige her—even if it cost him a fortune. He would prepare nutritious broth for her each day, not trusting the task to anyone else and insisting on doing it himself. After having prepared her broth, he would bring it to Patricia and watch as she gulped it down. He would tell her it was good for her health and hoped she would provide offspring for the Gambon family soon.
Society was envious of Patricia for marrying Elmore. He was undeniably a doting husband.
Eventually, Elmore claimed that he preferred a world of just the two of them without any disturbances. Thus, he dismissed all the servants.
Patricia found this to be quite romantic and took pride in having captured Elmore's heart in such a short period of time.
Patricia had always lived a life filled with love. She did not notice that despite Elmore's pampering and their intimate moments in the evening, an intangible distance still seemed to persist between them.
After getting married, Elmore cut back on his social obligations significantly and spent most of his time with her. He even took on the cooking duties himself.
Each night after dinner and consuming the soup prepared by Elmore, Patricia would fall into a deep sleep.
She would feel someone sharing a room with her every night, but when she awoke, she would not be able to recall any details from the previous evening.
Every morning, Patricia was immersed in Elmore's loving gaze which overlooked any subtle anomalies.
Unbeknownst to Patricia, the man sharing her bed was not Elmore but the thugs she had once sent to violate that woman in the warehouse. They were individuals who were subjected to unbearable torment by Elmore.
Elmore's behavior started turning erratic. One moment, he would allow a thug to sleep with Patricia as a reward, and the next, he was ordering that the thugs be brutally beaten and their tendons severed. The thugs cried out in pain, their voices low and muffled; they were too terrified to scream.
"Come beg. If you plead for mercy, I might spare you," Elmore mocked ominously, pressing his foot down hard on one of the thug’s fingers
Thus, his motives were inscrutable. Even as these thugs were already in agony, Elmore thought of more ways to torture them.
Finally, one of the thugs couldn’t take it anymore and chose to die by suicide in a desperate attempt to end his suffering. Just as he was on the brink of death, Elmore had a doctor revive him from the clutches of the Grim Reaper. He was then thrown into the dark, subterranean chamber of Elmore's villa, left to endure continued torment alongside the other thug. Extra guards were posted to ensure they wouldn’t die, forcing them to continue living in their misery.
It was only when the last thug was left breathing but incapacitated—his tendons severed—that their miserable utility came to an end. Meanwhile, Patricia's happy, blissful life also reached its climax.
Next, it was her turn.
