"Fine, I'll go. I want to see what tricks she's up to!" Yoel stormed off, heading back to the basement.

My soul floated behind him, following his steps. Back in that dark, damp room, I shivered. Even as a soul, the fear of being imprisoned was still deeply ingrained in my mind.

Yoel covered his nose in disgust, squinting from the unbearable stench of the corpse. He kicked the wooden box a few times, cursing angrily. "Julianna! Get out here! What's your problem? You ruined Elaine's birthday, and you're not going to get away with it! I'm counting to three. If you don't come out, don't blame me for making things worse for you!"

I let out a pained laugh and thought, ‘Yoel, I'm already dead. How else could you make anything worse for me? What are you going to do—dig up my corpse and parade it around just to please Elaine?’

Obviously, Yoel could not hear what I wanted to say. "One, two, three!" he counted, teeth gritted. The box remained still, the blood I had shed a week ago now dark and crusted.

Yoel's face twisted with rage. "Julianna, how dare you defy me! You're dead meat!" He lunged for the box lid, determination blazing in his eyes.

Just then, Elaine stepped into the room. "Yoel!" she shouted, and he jerked his hand back as if burned.

"Elaine, what are you doing here?" He quickly moved to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist and guiding her towards the door. "This place is filthy. You shouldn't be here."

Elaine, calm as ever, shook her head. "Yoel, you're being too harsh. Maybe that's why Julianna doesn't want to come out." She glanced at the box. "How about you go back to the banquet hall and let me talk to her?"

Yoel tightened his grip on her. "No way! She's dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt again."

Elaine sighed, exasperated. "It won't happen. She's had time to reflect. She knows she was wrong."

Reluctantly, Yoel nodded. "Fine, but if she gives you any trouble, I swear I'll make her regret it." He shot the box a venomous look before storming out.

I laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. Wasn't my death ugly enough already?

Elaine approached the box, pinching her nose against the stench. When she lifted the lid, her eyes widened in shock, and she staggered back.

After a moment, she steadied herself, pulling out her phone.

In no time, two men dressed in black appeared beside her.

"Get rid of the body. Take it out through the back door and bury it," Elaine commanded, her voice icy and resolute.

Panic surged through me. ‘This is really bad! She is going to bury me, and I will never get a chance to clear my name!’

I screamed and shouted, but it was useless. They could not hear me, and my soul had no power over them. I watched helplessly as they carried my lifeless body away.

The basement's back door led straight to the villa's backyard. I knew this place well; it was my family's old home. My parents had lived here before they passed away. After they were gone, I could not bear to leave. Yoel moved in with me to keep me company. Who would've thought that would be the beginning of my nightmares?

Elaine had been eyeing this mansion for a long time and often visited, so she knew the layout well.

"Find a spot and bury her," she directed the men, her tone devoid of any emotion.

I screamed again. No! Please, no!

Elaine remained oblivious to my desperate cries. The three of them quickly picked a spot in the backyard. Elaine pointed to a big oak tree. "Bury her under the tree and make it quick."

The men took out shovels and began digging. My heart sank. They had even brought tools. They were prepared for this. What if I wasn't really dead? Was Elaine planning to bury me alive?

In less than half an hour, they had dug a pit that was deep enough. They threw my body in and were about to start covering it with dirt when Yoel's assistant burst onto the scene.

"Wait!" the assistant shouted, panting heavily.

Seeing the horrifying scene, he froze in shock. "What the hell are you doing? Mr. Dalton will get mad if he knows this."

Elaine did not even flinch. "Cleaning up the mess. What, you want Mr. Dalton to turn himself in? If he goes to jail, you'll go down with him. Her blood is on your hands as well, got it?"

The assistant's hands shook as he tried to distance himself. "I just... I just bought the tools. It was all Mr. Dalton's orders. I didn't kill her!"

Elaine stepped closer, her voice like ice. "You bought the tools and didn't report anything. You knew she'd die locked in that basement. The cops won't care about your excuses."

He backed away, collapsing in despair. Elaine saw the opportunity and pounced. "Keep your mouth shut if you want to stay out of trouble. Your job's the least of your worries."

Defeated, he muttered, "Fine. I'll pretend I never saw this." Before leaving, he added, "But hurry. Mr. Dalton is looking for you."

Elaine waved him off. "Tell him I'm helping Julianna with her bath. That should buy us time."

He nodded and hurried back to the banquet hall, where Yoel's face twisted in fury when he heard the excuse. "What? That jealous woman Julianna wants Elaine to help her bathe?"

The assistant, drenched in sweat and guilt, fumbled for words, trying to come up with a believable response.

"Mrs. Dalton is injured, and she can't move her limbs easily..."

Yoel's eyes narrowed. "Injured? You think I'm that gullible? She gets hurt after being locked up for a few days? Where's she injured? Are her limbs broken? Can't she take care of herself?"

I could not help but scoff. ‘Not just broken limbs, Yoel. I'm dead. If you don't act quickly, you won't even be able to see my corpse.’

I leaned in closer, blowing cold air on the back of his neck. Yoel shivered and swatted at the air, missing me completely, his frustration mounting.

"I'm going to see just how damaged her limbs are," he growled. "Is she so desperate that she's troubling Elaine now?"

Ignoring the assistant's attempt to hold him back, Yoel charged toward the bathroom. "Mr. Dalton, it's really not a good time!" the assistant pleaded.

"Not a good time? What, is Julianna sneaking around with some guy?" Yoel snapped, pushing past and throwing the bathroom door open. Empty. Not a soul in sight.

His face darkened as he turned on the assistant. "Where are they? If you don't tell me the truth right now, you're done!"

The assistant's eyes darted nervously toward the backyard. I kept up my cold breath act, feeling anxious, desperately trying to keep the tension high.

Speak, dang it! If you don't, they'll bury my body for good!