I was still shocked trying to process what I had seen. I turned around and the women around me were still unsettling, their faces expressionless. They looked perfectly still, except for the occasional twitch that sent a shiver down my spine.

I adjusted my lingerie, feeling the fabric cling to my damp skin, and turned slightly, hoping to start a conversation with one of the girls.

"Hi, I am Ara Henderson." I sat beside her.

The girl didn't speak. She glanced at me once, quickly, and then turned her gaze forward, rigid and distant. It was as if her body existed in the bus but her mind had vanished.

A pit of doubt formed in my stomach.

I tried to push the thought away. I reminded myself of why I was here. I needed the money. Soon I would be at the hotel, meeting with my client, and all of this would be over.

I rested my head against the window and closed my eyes for a brief moment, trying to block out everything else, but a sudden jolt in the bus shook me awake, dragging me from any semblance of calm.

"What's going on?" I groaned, my voice barely above a whisper.

Outside, traffic congestion stretched endlessly. Car horns blared like sirens, echoing through my chest and stirring memories I wanted buried. My stomach twisted, and I clutched my lingerie tighter.

The driver turned sharply down a narrow street, and a whisper traveled from the front, close enough that I could hear it because where I sat was really close to the driver's corner.

"That road is blocked. It's dangerous."one of the drivers said.

"We can't be late. Miss Pepero would kill us if we arrive at the airport late." the other replied his voice laced with fear I've never heard before.

"But this could endanger their lives." the driver said.

"They were never useful, just money-making tools." the other said slowly as though we meant nothing, like we weren't humans.

I froze. Airport? Money-making tools? My mind raced, connecting the dots to the warning from the bathroom girl. Could it all be true?

Fear gripped me like ice. I needed to know more. I turned to a nearby girl, my voice urgent.

"Where is this bus headed?"

She ignored me. I hissed under my breath and ran to another.

"Where is this bus headed?"

This girl, finally, responded with a scoff.

"Our destination is Zingo. We meet our clients, do whatever they want, and we get paid by Miss Pepero." Mona said.

I gasped softly.

"Zingo? That's in another continent! I wasn't told about that."

She looked at me venomously.

"Miss Pepero would never tell you anything. You're new. You'll get used to it. All our money goes to that... psycho." Mona clenched her teeth.

My stomach sank. This was worse than I imagined. I began to panic, I needed a way out. This must have been a mistake and I guess the bathroom girl was right.

A sudden idea came.

"I need to pee," I whispered.

The men hissed at my words.

"It's always the new ones who are troublesome. Pee on the floor and get out of my sight," one snapped.

I clenched my fists and forced my courage. "I have to pee." I said, and let out a sound that would draw every eye. A horrible, explosive fart tore through the confined space of the bus.

The stench spread instantly, suffocating, making everyone recoil. The girls gagged. The men shouted, their faces contorted in disgust.

I was satisfied with the mess I had created.

"Her intestines are rotten! Get her out!" the driver screamed.

I seized the moment. The bus screeched to a stop beside a bush. The doors flung open. I leapt out, heart hammering and I saw Mona past me, silent and quick.

"I need to pee," Mona muttered, glancing around nervously.

Branches clawed at our arms as we ran deeper into the woods. Twigs snapped under our foot. The cold night air bit my skin, but I ignored it, focused on moving forward.

"Why did you come?" I whispered, breath shaky.

"I knew you wanted to escape. I also wanted to see Miss Pepero's reaction," she replied.

"So she transports people without their consent?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Yes," she said, eyes sharp.

I pulled out a small phone from my lingerie.

"You brought a phone?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Always keep it hidden," I replied.

Her expression softened slightly. "I feel you might be the salvation of others." She sat on a mossy rock, taking slow puffs from a cigarette she took out of her lingerie.

"What about the other girls?" I asked, worry gnawing at me.

"You want to rescue them? You can't if those men are still alive. We need a plan," she said, leaning closer and whispering urgently.

I knew the plan was dangerous but I just couldn't escape without taking those girls along. Their faces still hunt me and I could see them everywhere.

We went back to the bus, hoping our plan would work out perfectly and we would be able to save everyone from this money hungry freaks.

"What took you so long?" the driver barked.

Mona hissed back.

We moved with careful precision and sat inside the bus. Few minutes later, I clutched my stomach instantly and feigned pain, screaming in agony.

"Help! Help me!" I shouted, letting the chaos inside the bus explode.

Mona ran to the driver.

"She's dying!" she yelled.

One of the men lunged toward me, and I reacted instinctively, throwing sand into his eyes. He screamed, stumbling back.

The other men scrambled, confused, and Mona fought with strength and precision. As Mona and I tried to fight for freedom, the other girls just sat still watching with no hope.

In the commotion, no one noticed the cliff ahead. The bus hurtled toward it, red warning signs flashing in the moonlight.

Screams filled the night as the bus tumbled down the cliff, rolling violently before crashing into a lake.

Parts of the bus became damaged and disfigured. I cried out, unconscious for a heartbeat.

When I awoke, flames licked the edges of the wreckage. Blood, bodies, and smoke filled the scene. Everyone was still, except Mona whose body was covered with blood and sharp wounds. She kept groaning in pain.

"Hey" I screamed, shaking her gently.

"We escaped," she whispered, tears streaking her face.

"This is all my fault. No one's waking up!" I sobbed.

Her leg was trapped beneath twisted metal. Smoke and fire thickened around us. I began to cough violently.

"You have to go. The bus will explode!" she warned.

"I won't leave without you," I cried.

She pushed me toward safety.

"Go. There is no hope for me. You set me free from my hell. Thank you." She held my hands, kissed them softly, then let go.

I ran out. Moments later, the bus exploded behind me.

Pain seared through my body. Every step was agony. I stumbled onto the highway, barely able to walk. Darkness and shock blurred my vision.

Headlights flashed towards me. A black Rolls Royce approached at impossible speed.

Everything was too blurry that I didn't even notice the car and suddenly there was a huge impact. Before I knew it, the car had ran into me and I was laying on the floor.

"I am sorry, mother. I failed," were the last words I whispered as the world slipped from me.

I saw a tall shadow came down from the car, I couldn't see the face well, all I knew was he was hovering over me like a Hawk. Then I whispered.

"Help me," I cried before darkness claimed me.

Raisem's POV

Luck had never been on my side. Not once, not ever.

From the day I was born, people whispered that I was cursed. They said I swallowed my mother, that my birth was the reason she died. I never saw her face, never heard her voice, never felt her arms around me. Just stories, blame and silence that devoured me for years.

Few years later, my father died in a car accident.

Just like that, I was alone. Except for my grandmother. She was the only one who stayed. The only one who looked at me and didn't see death trailing behind.

She raised me with trembling hands and a strong spine, teaching me how to survive when the world clearly didn't want me to.

She stood by me while I built my empire from nothing. Watched me turn pain into ambition, grief into fire. Now, I owned the biggest company in the world, Mavo Groups.

My name moved markets. My decisions shaped futures.Yet, the bad luck never left.

It clung to me like a shadow, like a shield I never asked for.

Last night, it struck again. I found out I had Cancer. Brain cancer and just nine months left.

That was all the doctor said. No surgery, no miracle treatment and no false hope. Chemotherapy wouldn't save me, so I didn't bother.

I didn't want my last months filled with hospital smells and needles. I chose acceptance.

But then I thought about my grandmother.

The image of her sitting alone in that quiet house crushed something in my chest. I wanted to stay. I wanted to protect her from another loss. Still, I refused treatment. It wouldn't work anyway. The doctor made that very clear. It was too late for me, Raisem Hargrave.

That night, I drank more than usual. The alcohol burned my throat, numbed my thoughts and blurred my judgment. I picked up my car keys, something I should never have done.

And then... everything happened too fast. I lost control, I didn't see the girl.

The impact was brutal. At that moment, I felt suffocated as I saw the girl's body on the ground.

The sound haunted me even now. My hands were shaking as I sat in the hospital chair. I sucked in deep breaths trying to calm myself but the lingering terror clung to me. What made it worse, was the blood on my hands.

Not mine but the innocent girl I ran into.

My stomach twisted violently as the reality sank deeper, hitting me like a punch in the gut.

My breathing came out shallow. What have I done? The question echoed endlessly in my mind as guilt dragged me down like quicksand.

The doctor's voice suddenly cut through, his gentle voice rang out startling me as I looked over.

"Are you with the victim?"

I lifted my head slowly and nodded.

"Can I have a word?" Austin asked.

Another nod. I felt like a puppet, responding without thinking.

"What were you thinking drunk driving? what if someone saw you that would ruin your whole life and not forget the company you've spent all your life on."

He scolded me like a careless child. I could barely focus on his words. My jaw tightened. I hissed softly and nodded again, swallowing the anger and shame clawing at my throat.

"The patient was lucky to survive we were able to help but I'm afraid she sustained a huge injury in her brain and this could make her lose a few part of her memory especially the recent ones."

My chest tightened.

"Brain damage?" The words slipped out, stunned.

"Yeah, from the looks of it, it seems she was involved in an accident before you ran into her like a bulldozer."

I froze.

Everything around me went silent. The beeping machines, the footsteps in the hallway. Even my thoughts stalled.

"Is she going to die?" My voice came out calm, too calm for the chaos tearing through me.

"I can't say but the surgery was successful, we can only pray and hope. Then look for a way to reach out to her family." Austin placed his hands on my shoulders but nothing could stop the collapse happening inside.

I scoffed and dropped back into the chair. My head fell into my palms. It felt like my entire world was crumbling piece by piece.

Why did she have to get me into so much trouble and ran into my car. I hissed bitterly, trying and failing to push the blame away from myself.

Austin slid into the seat beside me. "How about you, how are you?"

I let out a breathless laugh, empty and forced.

"Apart from the fact the doctor told me, I had nine months left to live I'm good I can't wait to die." I stretched my lips into something that resembled a smile.

"Dude!!!" He hit my shoulder playfully, trying to lighten the moment, but a nurse rushed toward us.

"Dr Austin, you're needed in the emergency ward" she said softly.

He ran his hand through my hair like he used to when things got heavy. I slapped it away gently, not in the mood. He rushed off without another word.

I sat there, lost, until some movements caught my eye. It was my grandmother.

She ran toward me, fear written plainly on her face. Her breath was uneven as she reached me, her hands trembling when she pulled me into a tight hug.

She grabbed my cheeks gently, inspecting my face like I might disappear.

She was shaking.

"Are you okay? what would I tell your mother if anything happened to you? " Her voice broke as she sobbed.

"I am fine grandma, I was the one who almost killed a freak who ran into my car" The words tasted bitter, but I said them anyway.

"Is she okay?" Her eyes searched mine desperately.

I nodded, choosing silence over truth.

"I am just happy you are okay." She pulled me into her chest again, holding me like I was still a child. She was always worried about everything. I never blamed her.

As she held my face between her palms and clasped my bloody hands, something shattered inside me. I wanted to tell her about the cancer. I wanted to tell her the truth.

But I couldn't.

It would destroy her. Everyone had already left her. Her husband, her child, her family. I was all she had left.

And she was all I had left.

"Once the girl wakes up we should compensate her." her voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded slowly, holding her hands tightly in mine.

I couldn't leave her. Not ever. And I couldn't tell her about the cancer either.

Then a thought crossed my mind, dark, desperate, and insane.

What if I impregnate someone and within the nine months I have left, the child would be born, a replica of me so grandma would never be alone. She will have the child instead...?

The idea settled in my chest, heavy but strangely comforting.

It sounded crazy, but it sounded... possible.

The only question was,

Who would be qualified enough to carry the heir to Mavo Groups?