Lina had sohow discovered that Ivy was being constantly beaten by her sister and decided to confront Ivy’s adopted sister, Isla.
The mont Lina t Isla, everything changed. Isla’s words were poisonous, dripping with manipulation, twisting reality until Lina genuinely believed that beating Ivy was justified.
And so, Lina changed.
She began tornting Ivy instead. Sotis, she deliberately handed Ivy food infested with worms, watching with cold indifference as Ivy forced herself to swallow it just to survive.
Ivy, isolated and powerless, resisted as much as she could, but there was only so much a child could endure.
That was when Ivy truly understood human nature.
’People only act kindly when they think soone is watching.’
The mont they realized no one was paying attention, their cruelty crawled out shalessly.
Lina was exactly that kind of person. Her initial sympathy toward Ivy had never been pure.
It was fueled by the belief that she would gain sothing in return: praise, recognition, a good na.
Once she realized no one would ever acknowledge her kindness, she discarded it without hesitation.
At first, Ivy found the change strange and even tried to talk to Lina, clinging to the hope that things could return to how they were.
But ti passed, and understanding settled in. Ivy stopped trying.
After transferring schools, she never saw Lina again.
Now, hearing Lina’s na once more, Ivy could only think one thing.
’Life is truly unpredictable.’
She had never t Lina again in her previous life, yet here they were in this one.
The mont Ivy entered the prison block and reached Lina’s cell, Lina rushed toward the iron bars.
Her face lit up with excitent as she slamd her palms against the cold tal.
"You’re finally here!" Lina’s voice rang out eagerly. "Ivy, get out of here!"
She barely paused to breathe before launching into complaints.
"This place is unbearable. It’s so hot I can’t sleep at all, and the food is disgusting. I can’t stay here another day."
Then she leaned closer to the bars, eyes shining. "You rember , right?"
Ivy offered a faint smile, her gaze calm and distant. "I rember a girl who used to give food when we were children."
Lina’s eyes brightened instantly, hope blooming across her face.
But Ivy continued, her voice steady and emotionless.
"I also rember that sa girl torturing later, once she realized there was nothing to gain from helping ."
The color drained from Lina’s face.
For a long mont, she stood there, staring at Ivy blankly, as if the mories had struck her all at once.
Perhaps she had buried those monts deep inside, clinging only to the fragnts of kindness that suited her narrative.
Now that everything resurfaced, sha crept in. She clenched her fists, her expression twisted with embarrassnt.
Ivy watched quietly, then smiled softly. "If that’s everything, can I leave now?"
Lina shook her head frantically. "No, wait!" Her voice wavered.
"I’m sorry... I’m sorry for everything I did to Martha. I’m willing to apologize properly. Just get out of here."
Her desperation grew. "I never thought I’d end up behind bars just for trying to kidnap her."
Ivy let out a short laugh. "What exactly were you expecting?"
Lina hesitated, lips pressed tightly together.
’So that’s what she thought,’ Ivy realized.
She shook her head slowly and turned away.
Behind her, Lina’s voice rose in panic.
"At least give so kindness in return! Don’t forget what I did for you when we were kids! Even if I turned bad later, I helped you once, didn’t I?"
The words kept spilling out, one argunt after another, but Ivy didn’t stop.
None of it interested her anymore.
She had far more important things to focus on.
Recently, her base required further expansion.
Its area was already nearing forty thousand square ters, yet it still wasn’t enough.
Even with new apartnts and buildings going up constantly, there were endless lines of people waiting to get in.
The extre heat was approaching its peak, suffocating and relentless.
Worry settled heavily in Ivy’s chest.
The base was stable for now, but she knew better than to relax.
After extre heat would co another natural disaster. And before that, she wanted to resolve the zombie virus crisis.
Yet a bitter thought surfaced.
’I can’t just magically eliminate a zombie virus.’
For now, all those hopes remained dreams.
Dreams she could only chase one step at a ti.
Just as those thoughts were forming, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.
A subordinate ca rushing toward Ivy, his face drained of color, panic written clearly in his eyes.
His breathing was uneven, his chest rising and falling rapidly, as if he had sprinted without stopping.
"Miss Ivy..." his voice trembled before he could finish.
Ivy frowned slightly, instinctively rubbing her temple as a familiar headache threatened to surface.
"Calm down. What happened?"
He swallowed hard and forced out the words between deep breaths.
"There’s a fight at the entrance of the base. Two people... no, two groups are clashing."
Ivy let out a quiet sigh, fingers pressing against her forehead.
"That’s what the disciplinary team is for. Minor disputes don’t require my attention." Her tone carried mild irritation.
"You shouldn’t rush in here and worry over sothing so small."
The subordinate shook his head vigorously, sweat beading along his hairline.
"This ti, it’s different." He hesitated, then spoke carefully. "The people involved are... very close to you."
Ivy blinked.
’Close to ?’
Without another word, she straightened and followed him, her footsteps quickening as unease crept into her chest.
A strange premonition tugged at her senses, whispering that this was not going to be simple.
The mont she reached the entrance, she almost wanted to bang her head against the wall.
On one side stood mbers of her own family, the Nightbane family, their expressions tense and defensive.
On the other side were mbers of Silas’s family, their auras sharp and hostile, the air between them crackling with unspoken resentnt.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Voices overlapped, sharp and angry, until...
"Ivy!"
Several voices called out at once.
The Nightbane waved at her urgently, their eyes lighting up as if they had just spotted a savior descending from the heavens.
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