At twenty-one, Molly was a third-year student at Capital University, with 60 million followers on Country A's most popular video app. Her voice was melodious, and her singing was praised as divine. However, she wasn't content with just being an internet sensation. Leveraging Malik's connections, she actively engaged in charity work, persuading corporations to donate money and goods. While she hadn't graduated yet, her positive image was already widely recognized.
Next, her goal was to marry a man who matched her beauty-a man like Enrico, the top figure of the first conglomerate. Malik had introduced her to several scions of wealthy families, but she found none to her liking. She insisted on marrying the strongest man in the country-Enrico.
"Nicely done," Malik nodded approvingly.
Sitting nearby, Kathy looked at Molly with some curiosity. "Molly, aren't you dating Bryan?"
Molly looked disdainful, playing with her newly manicured nails. "How can Bryan be compared to Enrico? The Gustin Group is the first conglomerate."
When she was eighteen, she had liked Bryan. However, when Bryan confessed to Paige, it infuriated her, she then immediately had her father sell Paige to an old man. She pursued Bryan for a while, using every means to win him over, until Bryan finally agreed to date her.
Initially, she had been quite happy, but three years had passed, and she had grown tired of him.
Frowning, Kathy asked, "How dare you set your sights on Enrico?"
"Mum," Molly replied impatiently, "I don't have the means to know Enrico yet, but once I do, I'm sure I can win him over."
"He's not someone a little girl like you can easily control. Even though your father is a senator, I've heard that even the president has to watch his step around him. Do you know how ruthless and insane he's been these past few years?"
"Isn't that just a necessary measure to eliminate dissent? I'm not going against him, so why would he treat me like that?"
"You're being naive," Kathy said uneasily.
"Come on, she's so talented and beautiful, what's wrong with her having ambition? What's wrong with aiming high?" Malik, always ambitious himself, fully supported Molly. If Molly could become Enrico's wife, he'd be the most famous father-in-law in the country.
"Yeah, Mom, you never encourage me." Molly pouted. "Whatever, I'm going to take a shower."
With that, Molly turned and went upstairs.
Not long after, a scream echoed from upstairs.
"Ah-!" The sound came from the bathroom.
Malik and Kathy exchanged a glance, then stood up and hurried upstairs.
Inside the bathroom, Molly, wrapped in a towel, stood trembling beside it, pointing at the floor. "Mom, Dad, look!"
They saw blood footprints appearing on the previously clean floor, leading out of the bathroom.
Molly was so frightened she jumped into Kathy's arms, and even Kathy was visibly shaken.
Malik remained composed. He walked outside and saw footprints forming in Molly's room as well, one after another, gradually appearing as if someone were walking.
The footprints led all the way to the wall.
Several of Molly's portraits hung there, suddenly, there was a loud "bang," and the glass of one of the frames shattered.
The face in the photograph seemed to be split into countless pieces.
"Ah!" Molly and Kathy clung to each other in fear.
"Quiet!" Malik barked in annoyance. The blood footprints started multiplying again, extending outward.
He followed them downstairs, tracking them to the doghouse.
Malik pushed open the door with force.
A large dog was crouched in front of the dog tent, and mist began to form on the floor in front of it.
This time, it wasn't footprints; it was a string of words -I'm back!
...
In the brightly lit hall, all the servants were summoned.
"Did anyone come today?" Malik sat in the center of the sofa, his face grim.
"No, sir, we've been here all day," the servants replied in unison, shaking their heads.
"Has anything out of the ordinary happened at all?"
"Nothing, everything's been normal."
Malik coldly dismissed them with, "Alright, you can all go."
The family of three sat in the living room.
Trembling, Kathy picked up a glass of water and took a sip. "The doghouse used to be Paige's room. Could it be...?"
"Mom, why are you bringing up that name?" Molly interrupted sharply.
As soon as Paige's name was mentioned, Molly's fear seemed to vanish, replaced only by annoyance. "It's been three years; she should've died in the slums long ago."
"And what if she's back?" Malik scoffed. "She's always been a coward, only capable of petty tricks."
In Malik's memory, Paige had always been submissive and tearful, always kneeling in fear whenever he got angry.
...