Chapter Four
Due to her increasing age and failing eyesight, the maid Emma accidentally knocks over a candlestick in the house, igniting the entire manor. Upon realizing the spread of the fire, everyone in the manor works together to salvage the property and belongings. In the moment the fire breaks out, Emma, flustered, instinctively focuses on protecting the most precious thing: the mistress's granddaughter. She immediately carries the mistress's granddaughter to an open space far from the manor.
However, due to her advancing age and increasing forgetfulness, when she returns to the manor to help fight the fire, she forgets that she has already rescued the mistress's granddaughter. Witnessing the uncontrollable spread of the flames, she charges back inside without hesitation. No one can stop her. In the end, she is tragically burned alive.
The young granddaughter, just learning to crawl, climbs onto the road and is struck into a pulp by a swiftly approaching car. When the mistress receives the frantic call about the manor being on fire and rushes back home, she thinks it is a hit-and-run involving a small dog. However, when she gets out of the car, she discovers the mangled remains of a baby, and the gold bracelet on the baby's arm allows her to recognize the child's identity.
Gazing at the burning manor in the distance, cradling the remains of her granddaughter, she succumbs to heartache and faints. After being taken to the hospital, her condition worsens day by day, and not long after, she departs from this world. Upon seeing the lifeless body of her daughter's daughter, the mistress's daughter also succumbs to mental illness.
But some things are ultimately good. On a cold snowy night, the mistress's sister Chloé takes stones to break the windows of her ex-boyfriend Victor's family and then throws the pregnancy ultrasound in front of their family. Victor's mother is not surprised by such actions, as the women in their family often assist the men in handling such dirty matters.
After settling on the price, they send Chloé away. Chloé is overjoyed to see the credited amount in her account, but her ambition doesn't stop there. Holding another set of ultrasound files with a clear pregnancy date, she has more plans in mind. The next morning, she finds her sister's husband, Mathieu, and hands him the files, informing him that she might be carrying his child. The two engage in a heated argument on the rooftop of the manor, leading to Chloé falling and having a miscarriage.
On the same day, Mathieu is arrested by the police on charges of attempted murder. The next day, Chloé's sister, with a team of lawyers, divorces Mathieu, and Chloé gets everything she wanted. The child indeed belongs to her ex-boyfriend, but it is also true that she had an affair with her sister's husband, Mathieu. Because both incidents bring disgrace to both families, the Victor family provides some compensation, and Chloé's sister also gives her a substantial sum to leave this place and start a new life elsewhere.
But the reason why the mistress of the manor can survive for decades after a life-and-death situation is that Chloé did her a great favor. If it weren't for the incident between Chloé and her brother-in-law, Juliette's marriage to her husband Mathieu would have been difficult to end. The mistress loved her husband so much that it turned Mathieu into a demon by her side, sucking her blood and devouring her flesh.
The Grim Reaper raises his glass and clinks it against the glass in front of Camille, producing a crisp and pleasant sound between the two glasses. "Is this really good for her? Perhaps it would have been better to have died last night," he remarks. Having said that, he takes a sip of the champagne, which is emitting delicate bubbles. Camille looks at the bubbles slowly rising in the clear glass, feeling some doubt in her heart. Is this really good for her?
If the maid Emma knew that her own forgetfulness due to aging caused the manor to catch fire, would she have left the mistress and the manor long ago? Perhaps she would have purchased a house in a small town and spent the latter part of her life without children, loved ones, or a partner.
If the mistress Juliette knew that in the end, she accidentally killed her own granddaughter and caused her daughter to suffer from a mental illness, would she regret not having died on that night over twenty years ago, right after giving birth to her daughter?
At this moment, the plane has landed on the roof of a massive mansion. The vast expanse atop the roof makes even the helicopter seem remarkably small.
At this moment, the employees of Camille's firm connect with her online. "Boss Camille, it's truly a pleasure to see you!" The person in the video is a young individual, the world's youngest and most capable hacker. Next to him, a somewhat reserved-looking girl possesses unique perceptual skills.
"Camille, this is your first time on a special mission. Is everything going smoothly?" The girl's voice is gentle and steady; she looks at Camille with a touch of concern. She possesses strong empathic abilities and can sense that Camille's emotions are a bit low and complex at the moment.
Camille feels a sense of relaxation in both her mind and body upon seeing them. She smiles slightly and says, "It's going relatively smoothly. What's the situation this time?"
The girl looks at Camille with some concern, "If you're feeling uncomfortable in any way, we can reconsider this mission."
The outgoing boy, Louis, looks a bit unwilling, "What! Give up?! The commission fee for this mission is one billion euros! We could build so many space bases with that."
The girl glances impatiently at the loud and somewhat rude-speaking boy, "One billion euros won't build any space bases. Stop talking nonsense."
Camille watches them playfully and gently says, "Don't mind him. Amélie, tell me about the details of this mission."
Amélie opens the confidential envelope, revealing a mysterious mission. Only the commissioner and the commissioned person know how to open the letter. If others attempt to open it without the correct method, they will see an entirely different message inside.
Opening this letter requires fresh blood. Without hesitation, she grabs a small knife from the table and cuts her own finger, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto the letter. Fresh blood drips from her fingertip onto the letter, and suddenly, ancient symbols appear on the surface of the envelope.
The girl presents the entire content of the letter to Camille. The ancient symbols are of a level that only Camille can comprehend.
However, it's not surprising, as those who are aware of Camille's firm are not ordinary or contemporary individuals.
The message in the letter roughly indicates an ancient prophecy, stating that within the closest five years from several centuries ago, a heir will be born who is destined to save the entire family and lead it towards prosperity.
Now, due to a global financial crisis and the deteriorating condition of their family, they are in an increasingly precarious situation. Now, their family urgently needs to locate this heir and ensure their protection to guarantee the family's transition from crisis to prosperity after weathering the current challenges.
The letter self-ignites after being read.
When Camille looks back at the Grim Reaper, he has replaced the champagne glass with a coffee cup. He leisurely flips through a long list with one hand while holding the coffee cup with the other.
"You all continue, don't mind me." Sensing Camille's gaze, he raises an eyebrow, takes another sip of coffee, and adds, "The workload these days is quite substantial."
The girl now reveals her concern, "I don't know why, but I have a strong sense of unease when you arrived in this domain."
Observing the girl's anxious expression, Camille glances again at the Grim Reaper casually sipping coffee, holding a thick list in his hand. Wherever he appears, there can't be anything good…
But the boy and the girl cannot see the Grim Reaper, and Camille doesn't feel inclined to explain too much. She can only reassure them, stating that she is immortal, having experienced everything over the centuries, and there is nothing to worry about.