As Casey said, getting to Rachel''s ce from here was a piece of cake, just a ten-minute drive tops.


    Casey owned a stack of properties in R City. Even though they were empty, they were fully furnished and ready to be sold off at any given time.


    But he''s not thinking about selling right now. R City was booming and had be one of the fastest-growing spots in the country this year, now giving Wye a run for its money.


    When Casey first bought the properties, they were only three grand per square foot. Now, they''re almost five grand.


    Izabe had Niki''s tag hanging on a red string around her wrist, and she stared at it whenever she had nothing to do. Rachel, Rachel, Rachel.


    She muttered the name, filled with resentment.


    Did Rachel know what she''d done? When she handed Niki over to Ariana, did she ever consider that it might cost Niki''s life?


    Even if she knew what would happen to Niki, she''d still hand her over. To her, her mom was everything, and Niki, a cat she looked after for a month or two, was just a cat, not hers, and not important. Nothingpared to her family.


    In her past life, Izabe once wished to be heartless in her next life.


    But they were not made of stone, right? Who could be heartless?


    Suddenly, she felt warmth. It turned out, it''s Casey''s hand on hers. She turned her head to see him, focused on the road.


    He wasforting her in his own way. Izabe''s heart fluttered, and she can feel iting back to life.


    "Keep your eyes on the road."


    Casey''s hand stiffened, and his ears turned red. After a while, he let out a small "hmm" and released her hand.


    Izabe''s face was expressionless. She''s suppressing all emotions, which worked fine for now. But if she kept this up, the emotions will only get stronger and might eventually harm her health. This was exactly what Casey was worried about. He''s afraid Izabe will close herself off and push people away.


    Rachel was locked up in the storage room in the yard. Although Casey had it renovated, the yard was seldom taken care of. Weeds were growing everywhere, and there''s a musty smell in the air. The door''s locked and didn''t need guarding. But Casey had informed them in advance. When they arrived, they saw two bodyguards at the door, keys in hand.


    Upon seeing Casey, the bodyguards respectfully greeted, "Mr. Dempsey."


    "Unlock the door."


    The storage room wasn''t soundproof. Izabe, standing next to Casey, watched as the bodyguard unlocks the door. She can clearly hear the sounds from inside.


    As the old wooden door was pushed open with a creak, Izabe gazed indifferently inside, spotting Rachel in the corner.


    The storage room was filled with all sorts of stuff, leftover tiles, shovels for weeding, cleaning buckets, brooms, mops, and so on.


    A small area in the corner has been cleared out. Obviously, Rachel spent the whole night therest night. She didn''t get up until she heard noises this morning. She looked pale, her sses nowhere to be found. Since she''s shortsighted, she can only squint or open her eyes wide to see.


    When she saw Izabe, she avoided eye contact. Her hands were clenched tightly by her thighs, seemingly anxious.


    Apart from that, she didn''t show any other reactions, not even a hint of surprise. She already expected Izabe to show up.


    "Izabe," Rachel stammered, her heart filled with fear. She tried to suppress the panic in her heart, her lips quivering, "I,"


    Izabe interrupts her, saying to Casey, "Can I talk to her alone?"


    "I''ll wait outside. We''ll keep the door open, just in case."


    "Okay." Izabe nodded and walked into the storage room.


    Due to the angle of her vision and her shortsightedness, coupled with her nervousness, Rachel only gave Izabe a quick nce. The sound of her voice seemed familiar, but she''s too anxious to think too much about it.


    As Izabe stepped closer to her, Rachel''s calling of "Izabe" still echoed in her ears. It''s just like always, only now there''s no warmth in it, only disgust.


    She''s not afraid of evil people. What she feared were the ones she once trusted betraying her. Their methods were sickening, their actions more hateful than those of evil people.


    Izabe had been betrayed by someone close to her for their own gain before. That feeling was like being the only person left in the world, alone and helpless.


    "Niki''s dead. Did you see the video online?"


    The mere mention of Niki made Rachel''s face stiffen. She hadn''t watched the video. She didn''t have the guts to finish it. She closed her phone after seeing Niki''s teeth pulled out by pliers. Every night, she had nightmares filled with bloody cats and Niki''s death.


    "Izabe, I''m sorry, it wasn''t intentional, I swear! I didn''t know Niki would die!" Rachel''s tears started to fall. She didn''t dare to look up at Izabe, but she can feel Izabe''s cold gaze and the pressure emanating from her.


    "Do you still have the right to call me that, Rachel? You know if it was intentional or not. Niki''s dead. Do you know how much it suffered?" Izabe''s clenched fists were shaking. She stepped closer to Rachel, who was now backed into a corner with nowhere to run. She raised her trembling head.


    "p!" Izabended a p on Rachel''s left cheek.


    The loud p sent Rachel''s face sharply to one side. She can taste blood in her mouth, and her ears were ringing.


    Before Rachel can react, another pnded on her right cheek.


    Izabe mustered all her strength and pped Rachel twice, almost knocking her senseless.


    "Those ps were for Niki."


    Rachel, stunned, looked up, questioning whether Izabe had just forgiven her with those two ps.


    But reality proved she was overthinking. There was no way Izabe would let her off easily. Rachel saw pure hatred in Izabe''s eyes.


    Rachel had expected Izabe to be angry but not to look at her with such a gaze.


    "Izabe, please forgive me, but I


    had no choice. They had my mom. If I didn''t take Niki out, my mom would be in danger. I was scared. Please forgive me, Izabe. I know I messed up. I don''t deserve your forgiveness, but can try my best to make it up to you. I''ve been looking at pet shopstely, thinking about getting you a cat."


    "You think getting me a cat could rece Niki? So, can I kill your family member and then find you a new one?" Izabe''s eyes were red, barely containing her rage. She grabbed Rachel''s cor tightly, forcing her down onto the ground, towering over her. "You knew how important Niki was to me. Why did you keep it from me? Rachel, didn''t I treat you well?"


    Rachel shook her head in fear, tears silently streaming down her face.


    "I gave you so many chances to tell me your problems. If you had told me before, I would have helped you. But you never gave me a chance." Izabe''s voice was low and husky, each word causing her more pain. Her grip on Rachel''s cor tightened.


    Rachel suddenly felt like a fish out of water, struggling to breathe.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    She didn''t give Izabe a chance because she didn''t believe Izabe could help her.


    What kind of person was Kristin? She had millions of fans, a powerful background, capability, connections, and apany backing her.


    What about Izabe? She had nothing. Even thepany was cyberbullying her. She had been cyberbullied for so long she couldn''t even afford a PR. How could she possibly help her?


    Rachel was deeply conflicted, and in the end, she sacrificed Izabe''s cat-Niki.


    Niki was significant to Izabe, but Niki was just a cat, and the vet had said Niki wouldn''t live long.


    Izabe seemed to read Rachel''s thoughts. "Aside from being threatened by Kristin, your mom also needs a lot of money for a kidney transnt, right?"


    Izabe''s expression was normal, but Rachel couldn''t help but shudder.


    How did Izabe know about her mom''s diagnosis?


    "How did you know?" Rachel asked.


    Izabe ignored her question. "Rachel, I look forward to the day your mother recovers."


    Rachel was so naive! If Kristin was really Kaley, no one knew her better than Izabe. Kaley was selfish and wicked. Rachel hadn''t handled this well, exposing Ariana to the public, getting Kristin involved, and even affecting X Entertainment.


    This was a loss for Kristin, no matter how they looked at it. $100,000 wasn''t a small sum, but it was enough to cover PR costs to make her a trending topic. Now Kristin needed money, and Rachel had indirectly exposed her identity. It was already good that she hadn''t retaliated against Rachel. Was she still going to give her the money?


    The money Rachel got in exchange for Niki''s life, didn''t she think it was dirty? Didn''t she think it was soaked with blood? Didn''t she feel scared and guilty?


    Rachel hadn''t yet realized the seriousness of the problem, and Izabe didn''t n to tell her everything. Since she was so sure Kristin could help her mom, let her keep believing.


    The most painful revenge was to give hope and then take it all away, plunging someone from heaven into hell, unable to escape.


    "You will pay for everything you''ve done." After saying this, Izabe let go of Rachel''s cor and turned to leave.


    She can''t get away with wrongdoing, or hurt someone''s feelings without someone making her pay. People should mind their words, actions, and conduct because karma wille.


    Rachel crumpled to the ground, watching Izabe walk out and disappear. Outside, the sun had risen, but the room was still dim and cold. For a moment, Rachel felt like she had lost something important, something she would never find again, a lifelong regret.


    Izabe didn''t need her apology and didn''t deserve to call her sister anymore.


    Her eyes were full of loss and pain. Rachel covered her face, falling to the ground, crying into her arms. She was heartbroken, her cries hoarse and followed by a gag reflex.


    She was dry heaving for a long time before she felt better. Rachel, holding her aching face, staggered to her feet and left the room.


    It was strange. When Izabe had left, it was sunny outside, but when she stepped out, the sky had turned cloudy.


    Izabe was already far away. Rachel leaned against the door, looking at the two bodyguards who had brought her.


    "You can go."


    Rachel lowered her head, wiping away the tears at the corner of her eyes, and walked out.


    It''s okay, and her mom would be


    getting a kidney transnt soon. The $100,000 from Kristin, minus medical expenses, still left some money. Adding the money she had saved over the years, she could take her mom and leave this ce, enjoy life, travel abroad, and see the pink seas and Northern Lights that only appear in TV documentaries.


    Her mom would be very happy.


    Rachel got into a car and headed to the hospital. At the entrance to the ICU, she ran into the attending doctor.


    "Dr. Zack."


    Dr. Zack turned around with a medical record in his hand. "Oh, it''s you. Where were youst night? Why did you leave your mom here alone?"


    "I had some issues."


    Dr. Zack didn''t beat around the bush, "Your mom''s got surgery in a couple of days, so stick around, don''t go gallivanting off. Also, a surgery consent form here needs your signature." Rachel nodded promptly, "Gotcha, Dr. Zack. Just how risky is the surgery?"


    "There''s always a risk with any surgery, I can''t promise you that your mom will pull through, but we can''t just chicken out because of the risk because this is her only shot."