Let's start the game

The sound echoes off the marble walls in all directions in the dim light of the X-ray machine. Mrs. Harmony is fitted with an oxygen mask that covers her mouth and nose. Slowly, she begins to regulate her breathing. All the necessary medical arrangements have been made at home.

Eden sits by Grandma's side, holding her hand, while attendants scurry around the room. He is not sure what to do at the moment. Will this kingdom, which Grandma worked hard to build, end in such a way? The significant investment made for this project may crumble as soon as the news reaches the media, causing panic among shareholders.

This morning, out of nowhere, they learned that Harmonia's meticulously crafted game's source code had been stolen. She understands the gravity of such a significant event occurring prior to the game's release. And, in the midst of this upheaval, Harlin is nowhere to be found. Since Harlin's identity remains concealed, seeking direct assistance from anyone becomes improbable.

The main system of the company has been hacked, and some of the company's data has been stolen. The entire IT department is working nonstop to figure out who is behind such location-tracking tactics. Eden does not want to tell Grandma, but she overhears her assistant on the phone, becomes distressed, and collapses.

Harlin stands in front of the mirror, staring at herself. In just a few days, a bit of brightness has faded from her face. Harlin's lips are tinged with a dry smirk. The human form is like the weather in that it changes from moment to moment. Her focus shifts to the clothing that is draping her figure in the mirror. The bottom of the mirror scribbled,

"There is a closet full of clothes; wear whatever you want."

Harlin is taken aback by the dress collection when he opens the closet. "Wow, so many clothes!" Harlin, too, has an abundance of clothing. But as she rummages through these clothes, she notices that they all belong to girls Harlin's age. And it appears that everything is brand new, having never been used before.

"For My Beloved Daughter," written in large letters above the closet.

Harlin wonders whether the woman has a daughter.

Harlin has been on the hunt for a simple gown. After a few minutes of searching, she settles on a puff-sleeve midi-dress. She's caressing the dress with her hands. What she loves the most is how the corset detailing accentuates her waist and silhouette, preventing the oversized sleeves from overwhelming her frame.

Harlin turns around as a sound reaches her ears. The sound on her phone says,

"Charging completed." She even left her phone charging!

She walked over to the phone and took it with a smile.

The interior of the villa looks even better in the morning light. Harlin is surprised, and she remarks, "The beauty of the villa is more splendid in the morning."

Its rare position allows it to fully absorb unobstructed beach views through massive edge-to-edge windows.

Inside the modern villa, a sofa set is pulled up to the retractable windows to take in the panorama and revel in the sea air. Matching ottomans break away to form a conversational seating layout. A live-edge coffee table is positioned centrally to hold cold drinks.

The TV stand is situated off to the side of the windows. The indoor lounge area stands open to a dining room. A loose arrangement of dining room pendant lights spans the length of the wooden table. The dining room doors can be drawn back fully to connect the dining space with the pool terrace for an alfresco dining experience that is not at the mercy of the elements

Harlin climbed down the wide staircase, which sweeps up through the house. A large and curvaceous freeform infinity-edge pool curls around the front of the property.

Great rocks protrude through the sides of the pool to further cement the property's relationship with its environment.

"Welcome. Come here, dear."

Two leathers take up prime positions beside the pool.

Harlin fixed her gaze at the woman tactfully. The middle-aged woman ahead of her greeted her with a sweet smile.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you? I haven't had coffee yet, let's have coffee together."

"I've already had a cup. No more for me." The woman's face turned dark.

"I'll have another cup with me. Talking over coffee can open up one's mind. Answers to questions can easily be found."

"Uff, this woman is quite like Rowen; she knows how to force someone."

Harlin couldn't refuse. It was incredible! Within moments, a person arrived with coffee. An old man was here, but Harlin didn't notice him.

"He was outside, so you can't see."

Harlin rolled her eyes. This woman was truly a mind reader. She needed to be careful.

Harlin, however, didn't have any coffee.

"Let's get down to brass tacks. Why did you save me?" Harlin asked, her gaze still fixed.

Upon hearing Harlin's straightforward question, the woman raised an eyebrow.

"I thought I was articulate myself, but it felt good to meet someone in the world who felt the same way. But when someone helps you, gratitude must be expressed towards them, and that gratitude is conveyed through a 'Thank you.' This simple common sense seems to be beyond your understanding, Hari," the woman said, gripping his teeth firmly.

Without her mother, no one called me by this name. How dare she? Harlin held herself composed, pecked her lips and take a sip in the coffee.

"Thank you for helping me. But according to my theory, no one in this world helps anyone without a motive. What were you doing there so late at night? And suddenly, why did you come to help me? How do you know my name?"

"Your heart beats fast, Hari," the woman said.

Harlin closed her eyes and raised her hands to her temples in frustration.

"My name is Harlin. Call me by my full name," Harlin said.

The woman continued, her lips curling into a faint smile as she gently touched his cheek.

"I am a doctor. After finishing the surgery that day, as I was heading home, I heard a commotion on the way. From inside the car, I could see a group of people surrounding a boy. And one of them had a gun pointed at the boy's head. I was panicked and preparing to call the police, but you came there before I could do anything else, and saved that boy. But within a moment, you got shot, and you came out of there. Seeing the mask on your face, I guessed, you didn't intend to confront anyone. So, I went there and saved you. About your name, is written on your ID Card.''

The woman handed over the id card

"As a doctor, I've done what I believe is right to save the patient at that moment. Now, if you still doubt me, then so be it."

Harlin's anger turned toward herself. She felt embarrassed for her words a few moments ago. After her father's death and her separation from Rowen, everyone became doubtful.

"I'm sorry." Harlin bowed her head.

"It's ok. By the way, I'm Lera." Harlin shook hands with Lera.

After a brief moment of silence between them, Lera asked,

"Do you love the boy?"

"No. As a human, I can't let someone die like that. So I helped," Harlin replied.

"The eyes of a person can't lie, right? Even in the fleeting moments of unconsciousness in the car, you called someone and said, Take care of the boy."

Harlin remained silent, turning his face towards the pool.

The villa's walls are built outward from the great rocks to form the unique villa. A waterfall gushes down from one of these exterior stone walls to make an eye-catching feature at the head of the pool and a relaxing soundtrack for the outdoor lounge areas.

Before Harlin could say anything, her cellphone buzzed to life. Eden was calling. The boy was clearly worried, even Grandpa. Harlin answered the call. Without giving Harlin a chance to speak, Eden blurted out,

"Harlin, where are you? Oh God! You have no idea how stressed Grandma and I are. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Rohan. Is everything okay there?" Harlin stroked down her voice.

"Nothing is okay, Harlin. It's all over." His voice is drifting.

"What do you mean?" Harlin panicked; she pursed her lips. Has something happened to Grandmom? No, no, she already lost her parents; she does not have that much courage to lose another one.

"Our source code has been leaked, and from this shocked grand…..grandma has fallen sick." Eden trifling.

"'What!'' Harlin shot up from her seat.

"'Yes, Harlin. I can't handle this alone. Please come back. Can you imagine what will happen if this news reaches the investors? And the most astonishing thing is that right at this moment, RM Group has published news about themselves. Just three days later, they are releasing their game in the market. But you know what I got the news from secret source that their game theme is like ours!"

With the words "I'm coming," Harlin hung up the phone. Even though Miss Lera couldn't hear the other side, she sensed that something had gone wrong.

"What happened?" Miss Lera asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Harlin arched her brazed and exhaled loudly.

"You know what Ms. Leena, your view provides perfect seclusion for reading, contemplation, or meditation in the peace and quiet.'' Harlin squeaked.

"Are you changing the topic? Fine, I won't ask."

"Have you ever fallen in love?" Lera huddled her lips and look at Harlin stiffly.

"Alright, let me ask you a slightly different question. Have you ever felt resentment towards someone you've loved?"

Lera shook her head. "No, I haven't."

"Then maybe you won't understand. When you both love and loath someone simultaneously, they become your dearest enemy. You might not let others harm them, nor would you harm them yourself. But keeping them safe comes and torcher day by day with a different kind of punishment is a another level peach."

Miss Lera looked at Harlin. Harlin's steps grew heavier as she moved away from there.

"Miss Harlin, when you inflict pain on someone you love, in turn, you yourself undergo pain," Lera said, looking in her direction.

Harlin paused, clenching her fists, looked at Lera, and sneered, saying,

"I'm willing to become a masochist in that pain. Now that the game has begun, it's my turn to step onto the field."