Chapter 5
1137 Words
Isabelle could hardly believe it.
Messages from w******p popped up one after another.
The people in the class group were discussing Emily's death.
Isabelle glanced at it casually.
A: [I heard she used witchcraft to keep a ghost...]
Isabelle's heart abruptly sank, and her whole body went cold.
She hurriedly tapped into the group chat and scrolled up through the chat history.
B: [No wonder she was always going to Thailand!]
C: [In that case, didn't she seem to have gotten pregnant recently? Was it because of this that she made that thing unhappy...]
Isabelle gripped her phone tightly, her eyes falling on the wooden doll on the table that had already broken into several pieces. Her lips trembled slightly.
Even if she were slow to react, she understood now.
The ghost baby from last night was probably the little ghost Emily had been keeping.
And Emily had given the wooden doll to her because she wanted Isabelle to bear the backlash for her.
No wonder Emily had helped her out of that situation.
So beneath that gentle mask, what was hidden was actually a knife meant to kill.
Isabelle felt as if she had narrowly escaped death and let out a deep breath.
If not for that man, the person who died at home last night would probably have been her.
Not knowing whether he was there or not, Isabelle still spoke seriously.
"Thank you..."
The empty room was very quiet.
No one responded to her.
Just then, her phone vibrated again.
It was a notification that her water and electricity bills had been deducted.
Thinking of the balance in her account, Isabelle sighed in frustration and said in a low voice, "I don't have any jobs right now... Sometimes I really envy ghosts like you. You don't need to eat, and you don't need to pay rent..."
At that point, Isabelle suddenly stopped.
She was a little dazed.
Because she suddenly realized that she was actually starting to get somewhat used to that man's presence.
She even felt a little safer because he was staying by her side.
*****
The next day.
Her agent suddenly called Isabelle.
"Isabelle, come to the company. I got you an audition opportunity."
Isabelle's heart filled with joy, and she immediately rushed to the company.
The audition ended very quickly.
Isabelle was very nervous as she stood in front of the elevator, waiting.
When the elevator doors opened, there was still a man inside.
After Isabelle walked in, she glanced at him unintentionally.
When she saw his face clearly, she froze for a moment.
This man actually looked seventy percent similar to Elijah.
It was just that his face was very pale, and he did not look very healthy.
After Isabelle came back to herself, she immediately looked away.
But that man kept staring at her.
Fortunately, the elevator soon reached the first floor.
Isabelle breathed a sigh of relief and immediately quickened her pace to leave.
On the way home, Isabelle saw a funeral supply shop, and her steps suddenly stopped.
She hesitated for a while, but in the end, she still walked in and bought some offerings.
After returning home with the things in hand, Isabelle felt inexplicably nervous.
Clearly, she had hated that man very much before.
But now, she had actually bought things to bring back because she wanted to thank him.
She took a deep breath and asked softly, "Are you there?"
No one answered.
In the quiet room, only her own voice echoed.
Isabelle pressed her lips together and did not ask again.
She took the things from the bag one by one and placed them on the table.
"What is this?"
Just then, his voice, carrying a trace of amusement, suddenly sounded beside her.
Isabelle was already nervous, and the sudden voice frightened her so much that her body trembled.
The offerings on the table floated into the air out of nowhere.
It was as if an invisible hand had picked them up.
Isabelle lowered her eyes, not knowing where she should look.
"I heard people say ghosts all like these. Do you want to try them? See if they suit your taste."
His deep, hoarse voice came from beside her ear.
"Who told you that?"
Isabelle only felt a tingling numbness in her ear and couldn't help shrinking back slightly.
"Everyone says that. I'll light them for you."
She lowered her head and pretended to be calm as she took a lighter from her pocket.
But her fingertips were trembling slightly.
The next second, the lights suddenly went out.
An icy hand locked around her wrist and pulled hard.
Isabelle was forced against a cold chest.
His low voice sounded right beside her ear.
"Then haven't you heard that ghosts prefer absorbing people's life essence?"
"No..."
Isabelle immediately denied it, but her voice did not sound very convincing.
In the darkness, her heartbeat alone was as clear as drumbeats.
Isabelle's cheeks burned, and she suddenly felt a little grateful that the lights had gone out.
He let out a low laugh, his tone sounding very pleased.
"Now you have."
Isabelle opened her mouth, just about to speak.
But the next second, her words were blocked back.
Her whole body softened slightly at once, as if an electric current had swept through her.
The hands she pressed against the man's body looked more like a half-hearted refusal.
A large hand held her waist firmly.
And the culprit used his icy fingertips to undo the buttons of her shirt, one by one...
Two days later.
Isabelle received a call from her agent.
"Isabelle, you passed the audition! Come to the company this afternoon to sign the contract, and meet the investor and director while you're here."
After the call ended, Isabelle was still a little stunned.
She really could play the second female lead?
Was this what they meant by good fortune follows after surviving disaster?
That afternoon, in the conference room.
Isabelle sat down nervously.
Her agent asked her in a low voice, "Isabelle, do you know the investor?"
Isabelle froze, then shook her head blankly.
"No..."
Her agent clearly did not believe her.
"Then why did he specifically ask for you to play the second female lead?"
Isabelle did not understand what was going on either.
Just then, the director walked in, chatting and laughing with a man.
Isabelle and the other actors stood up together to greet them.
But the instant she saw that man, her eyes widened.
It was that strange man she had seen in the elevator that day!
The director was the first to introduce him to everyone.
"This is the largest investor in our shoot this time, Mr. Corbin Inglewood."
Isabelle's pupils contracted.
She had once heard Elijah mention this name.
He was... Elijah's illegitimate younger brother!
- Writer
