Chapter 2

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**Chapter 1**

We usually ate in the main hall. The five of us girls came from different parts of the country, each with our own unique tastes. The manor had top-notch chefs, and fresh seafood from various regions was flown in daily. Our three meals a day were always a delightful mix of flavors.

Among the five of us, Cathleen loved cooking the most, and she also loved eating. Late at night, she would often go to the kitchen to make exotic snacks to go with her drinks. I was a night owl and often passed by the kitchen after my bath, always hearing the sound of chopping and slicing. That was Cathleen making her marinated dishes, humming a tune and sipping on some wine.

Sometimes, I would join her in the kitchen for a chat. As we grew closer, she shared some of her past with me. Before coming to the manor, Cathleen had been the lover and secretary of a Taiwanese businessman, oppressed by his wife for many years. When the businessman's business failed, he blamed the debts on her. If it weren't for Jerald, she would still be living a life of hiding from debt collectors. For Cathleen, life in the manor was like a paradise. She was the happiest among us.

That night, I returned from the bath with a basin and some body wash. As I passed the kitchen, I heard the sound of bones being chopped. The chopping was louder than usual, but I was too tired to go in and chat with Cathleen as I usually did. I went straight to my room and fell asleep.

The next morning, the manor was filled with cries of despair. Cathleen was dead.

**Chapter 2**

Cathleen's death was horrifying. Her body was found in a gruesome state, with blood staining the floor, already turning dark. The butler opened the surveillance footage, showing Cathleen chopping off her own limbs, with no one else around and no signs of her crying out in pain. The coroner examined her body and found no traces of drugs, only noting her history of mental illness. The case was quickly closed, attributing her death to her mental illness.

Cathleen had no living relatives, so her body was prepared and buried on the hill behind the manor. The remaining three sisters were terrified, recalling all the rumors about the troupe. Jerald said that anyone who was scared could leave at any time. The troupe offered excellent benefits, and there were plenty of girls eager to join. Cathleen's spot would soon be filled by someone else. So, no one mentioned leaving.

That night, Jerald tried to calm us by ordering the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous dessert spread and transferring a large sum of money to each of our bank accounts. While eating the desserts, the three sisters shared their backgrounds, and I realized they were not ordinary at all.

Second sister, YuanYuan, used to work at a nightclub as the star performer. One night, she was harassed by a client and stabbed him in self-defense, losing her job. She was grateful to be chosen by Jerald; otherwise, she would have ended up getting involved in illegal activities in Southeast Asia with her friends. She was extremely agitated about Cathleen's death, constantly talking about it. YuanYuan and Cathleen had been the closest, and she couldn't accept the official cause of death, believing Cathleen had been murdered. She was also very unhappy about Cathleen's hasty burial.

Third sister, QinQin, had been a female prisoner. She didn't elaborate on her crime, and no one dared to ask. Fourth sister, FangFang, smoked silently throughout the conversation, listening quietly without saying a word. They asked about my background, and I only said I was a dance teacher with a plain and unremarkable resume.

That night, everyone went back to their rooms with their own thoughts. Lying on my ornate bed, I couldn't shake the feeling that the smell of blood from the kitchen still lingered.

In the middle of the night, I was awakened by someone shouting and running outside. It was YuanYuan. She was yelling, "I dreamed of Cathleen! She said she's waiting for me on the hill behind the manor to tell me the truth!"

I threw on a coat and rushed out, seeing YuanYuan running frantically, half-naked. She kept calling out, as if she were in a frenzy. Several servants tried to grab her arms, but she shook them off one by one. As she ran, she stripped off her clothes until she was completely naked. Under the moonlight, her pale body looked like a ghostly figure as she ran towards the hill behind the manor.