A life debt

Heavy downpour consumed the whole town of Beaver Heaves, threatening to destroy everything in its path. The weather forecast predicted it to be so severe that all activities were ceased till further notice. 

A huge storm was coming from the sea, and the heavy rain was reported to be the mere beginning. 

It was just too dangerous to be out tonight, so the whole town was placed on lockdown.

Amidst the current violent storms that accompanied the heavy downpour, three flashy black SUVs packed in front of an apartment complex that housed numerous middle-class citizens.

No vehicles were supposed to be out and about in the stormy night. However, the people in this car didn't mind at all, as they deemed their mission more important than whatever rainstorm the others were hiding from. 

"Are you sure this is the place?" A luxuriously dressed young lady flippantly asked the man sitting beside her. She didn't even bother to spare him a glance, even though his worshipping gaze was fixed on her. 

"Yes, boss. Everything was double-checked. She's in unit 202. She lives alone, but is good friends with the neighbour in unit 204…" The young man got carried away, but it only took a glare for him to regain his composure and zip his mouth. 

"Fine. Let's go." The young lady's words reeked of finality, and the young man didn't dare to question her, even though he felt they were taking a huge risk by driving around in the storm. 

Soon, a few men in black lined up in front of this SUV, all holding up umbrellas for the occupants. 

The young man quickly got down and rushed to the young lady's side, holding up the umbrella for her, so she would be shielded from the rain. He didn't even care about how his suit was getting soaked. 

With her chin held up high, the young lady motioned for the man to lead the way. 

[Knock!] [Knock!!] [Knock!!!] 

The door of unit 202 was knocked continuously, until the occupant felt certain that she wasn't hearing things. 

"Phyllis, don't tell me you placed an order in this storm! Someone's knocking at the door." A voice sounded from the kitchen, and the young lady called Phyllis, rushed out to open the door. 

Even though she was accused of stressing a delivery man in the storm, she knew she was innocent of such allegations. 

"Y…es…" Phyllis' words got hitched in her throat, as she became mortified at the sight before her. She wanted to scream, but knew it would be in vain.

"You must be at the wrong address. Please check unit 204. Bye…" She attempted to throw the uninvited guests off-guard. All Phyllis needed was an opportunity to shut the door, and she almost did, until a loud "bam" sent her flying into the room. 

One of the men in black knocked the door with his foot, and Phyllis was violently thrown back with it. 

"Do we look stupid to you? You're seriously directing us to your doorstep? Tsk!" Though she was almost knocked out on the floor, Phyllis could still hear what the intruder just said. 

'Roxy… They're here for Roxy. She's in trouble…' With that conviction sinking in, a rush of adrenaline coursed through her body, and Phyllis managed to stand on all fours, took in a deep breath, and screamed, "Roxy!!! Runnnn!!!" 

Phyllis was still screaming her lungs out when the young lady gave one of the men the coldest stares she could muster. 

In the next instant, all Phyllis felt was more pain. 

Roxanne rushed out of the kitchen, and what met her was her friend's throat being slit in a single strike. 

Phyllis fell into a pool of her own blood, her widely opened eyes showing how shocking everything has been for her. 

"Bertha, Lambert… What are you two doing here? How… How did you find me?" Even though those were Roxanne's trembling words, her mind was swirling with a whole lot of speculation. 

'No. No. Don't tell me he sent them to get me. He even told them to kill Phyllis. Doesn't that mean they're here to kill me as well? But, Phyllis… She had nothing to do with this. Why her?'

When she regained her senses, Roxanne screamed in anger, "She had nothing to do with my messed up life. Why did you have to kill her? What did Phyllis ever do to offend you, snake?" 

When Roxanne's words fell, she finally noticed that her apartment looked so cramped up, because of the numerous men in black. This sight confirmed to her that it could only be that person's doing. No one else had the capability to control such seasoned men. 

[Pa!!!] 

A resounding slap sent Roxanne flying from her spot, and she surprisingly fell beside Phyllis' lifeless body. 

"I'm sorry, Phyllis. I brought this upon you. I'm so sorry..." Her cheeks stung from the slap Bertha had just delivered, but that pain was nothing compared to the despair in Roxanne's heart. Roxanne couldn't forgive herself for dragging the innocent Phyllis into her dangerous circle. 

"Oh, Roxy, my sweet cousin. You think her death is painful, huh? Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Take a look around you." Bertha waved her index finger across the room, showing the men in black. 

"They are here to have a good taste of that body that caused someone to go crazy for so many years. Not to worry… We'll send out a video on your behalf. No need to thank me, though." 

"Bertha Winslow! Why are you so cruel? Even if he sent you, must you stoop so low?" Roxanne forced out the words in anguish. She knew there was no way out, hence, she could only ask why. 

"What? You think I'm someone's errand girl? Well, I think you're right. Even when you come back as a ghost, you won't blame me." 

Bertha snapped her fingers, and two men swiftly moved towards Roxy. Within a few seconds, her clothes were a scattered mess on the floor.

"Leave me alone! Let go! I curse you all. I curse you to die a slow and miserable death…" 

Roxanne didn't expect her words to affect Bertha, but the latter caught onto what she tried to do. Her cousin was smart, and Bertha knew that for a fact. 

[Breaking news: Billionaire CEO Sebastian Sinclair dead from a warehouse explosion…] 

The television volume was suddenly tuned so high that Roxanne's voice was drowned out, and no one would be able to hear now. 

However, she caught onto the news and looked confusingly at Bertha Winslow. Her mind was filled with so many questions, but she could only ask one defeatedly. 

"He didn't send you, did he?" It was more of an affirmation than a question. 

Bertha winked at her before responding giddily,

"Bingo! You know, he went to the abandoned warehouse because my dear Lambert here sent him an SOS message about you being kidnapped. Even after divorcing you, the fool still tried to protect you. What is it about you that messes with his head so much? Why must it always be you, Roxy? Why?" 

As Bertha got lost in her rantings, the men let go of Roxanne, as they eagerly awaited her orders to ravage Roxanne's body. 

However, before they could all recover from the shock, Roxanne's blood suddenly formed a pool under her feet. She slit her wrist and stabbed her chest afterwards, her consciousness slowly slipping away.

Roxanne Winslow spent her whole life hating her ex-husband, wishing him a miserable end, but never imagined he would die trying to save her. 

Everything she thought she knew about him got challenged at that moment. 

Bertha's words, "...the fool still tried to protect you…" only meant that he had been doing it for a long time, but she was just too blind to see it. 

Finally, to eliminate her, they had to kill him first. What did that mean? Roxanne didn't understand, but one thing she felt was raw regret. 

At that moment, a smiling face that was always reserved for her, despite her venomous words appeared in her mind. 

In her last moments, she had his smile to accompany her.

"If I ever get another chance, I will pay this life debt to you, Sebastian Sinclair…"