Chapter 11: Meeting an Old Friend Again

In the dim candlelight, I noticed Cedric's hand looked way better than before, and his voice sounded a lot stronger than it did on the phone.

I walked up to him and asked, "Who's in there?"

"Why don't you pull back the white cloth and see for yourself? She should wake up soon."

A wave of anxiety hit me, reminding me of the day my dad passed away.

I gently grabbed a corner of the white cloth and slowly pulled it back.

A familiar face appeared before me.

My head buzzed, and I almost lost my balance and fell to the ground.

Cedric reached out to steady me. "Don't worry, I told you, she's not dead."

The person in the glass coffin was Fiona, my sister from the orphanage.

"What happened to her?" I asked.

Cedric shook his head. "Someone brought her here, paid the fee, and then left. I just handle the cremations."

With those words, he laid his hand on Fiona's chest. "She is fine. Based on how she looks now, she should come to in roughly an hour. You stick around with her; I'll catch some rest."

I watched Cedric stand up and asked, "How did you know I knew her?"

Cedric seemed to remember something, stopped, and pulled a phone from his pocket, handing it to me. "This is her phone. The screensaver is a photo of you two at the orphanage, and the first contact in her phonebook is you."

I quickly took the phone and saw that it was true!

I couldn't help but feel a lump in my throat, and tears welled up in my eyes.

Cedric went back to his office to sleep, and I sat alone in front of the glass coffin, watching the insensible Fiona, and memories of the past few years in the orphanage kept flashing through my mind.

At some point, I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, I found the lights in the mourning hall were on, shining brightly and somewhat glaring.

I squinted at the glass coffin—Fiona was nowhere to be seen!

"Dennis, you're awake."

A familiar voice sounded behind me. I quickly stood up and saw her, now dressed in professional attire with black stockings, heels, and her hair neatly up. Her delicate, fair face was adorned with exquisite features, and those gem-like eyes sparkled with a star-like, captivating light.

It was the first time I realized how beautiful eighteen-year-old Fiona had become.

"Fiona!"

After more than a month apart, I felt a bit awkward.

Fiona affectionately patted my head. "I never thought we'd meet here."

"Fiona, what on earth is going on?"

"It's a long story." Fiona pulled me to sit down. "After I left the orphanage, I found a job at a karaoke bar due to my limited education. Unexpectedly, the boss there took a liking to me."

I immediately felt a surge of anger and interrupted, "He tried to force you, and you refused, so he hurt you, thought you were dead, and sent you here!"

Fiona chuckled. "Dennis, you've been watching too many TV dramas."

She pulled out a fancy pack of cigarettes from her bag, lit one up, and took a deep drag. "Dennis, you think too simply of society."

As she exhaled a cloud of smoke, I coughed.

"Do you know what kind of life the rich live? Back at the orphanage, we had to choose the cheapest ice cream in the summer. When I saw their extravagant lifestyle, I felt like my first eighteen years were wasted!"

For the first time, Fiona seemed a bit unfamiliar to me.

"Of course, I didn't want the boss to succeed, but I found that as long as I played hard to get, he'd be head over heels for me and willing to spend a lot of money on me, so much that I could hardly believe it."

"And then?"

Fiona took another deep drag. "Later, I wanted to get all his money, so I found a master. Together, we set up a scheme where I faked my death, and the boss ended up paying a huge sum."

I was silent.

Fiona was completely honest with me, but how was this different from being a con artist?

Fiona stubbed out her cigarette and patted my head. "Dennis, do you think I've become bad?"

I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say.

"Dennis, they were the ones who wronged me first. If I didn't fight back, I would be the one getting hurt! If I didn't teach the boss a lesson, he would harm others!"

I nodded, somewhat understanding. Fiona had taught me many things at the orphanage, so maybe she was right.

"Fiona, what are you planning to do next?"

Fiona lit another cigarette. "Back at the karaoke joint, I used a fake ID. But now, I plan to resume my real identity and open a voodoo clinic with that master."

"A voodoo clinic?" I smiled wryly. "Do you know anything about that?"

Fiona shook her head. "Silly Dennis, in today's world, being a know-it-all ain't as crucial as knowing how to rake in the dough, got it? And hey, remember my time learning from the orphanage head honcho, the voodoo pro?"

I understood. The voodoo clinic was just a front, she still wanted to make money through other means.

Fiona stood up and packed her things. "Cedric told me about your situation. Dennis, I'm happy to see you. If you want to join me, you can find me anytime."

She took out a piece of paper from her bag, wrote an address on it, and handed it to me. Then she said she had something to do and left in a hurry.

Cedric came in, fully recovered.

"She is your sister?" he asked.

I nodded. "My sister from the orphanage."

Cedric pulled up a stool and sat across from me. "She's not dead, not a creepy corpse. Can you guess why she could still affect my body?"