At the back alley of a remote area of the city, chimneys coughed out black smokes that permeated the street with pollution. Several beggars lay by the alley side, snuggled in a comfortable position to escape the cold chilling night in vain.

While few stray cats and dogs fought with rats to get a midnight snack, however, in this world, only the powerful people get the biggest share, while the poor get tossed away like plagues.

Auriane White watched as a stray cat limped away from the other cat's attack. Its frail body shivered from the cold, seeming to have lost all it's strength, but it struggled not to fall. Suddenly it was stoped by a figured clad in black from head to toe. A black hoodie almost covering it's face and making it look like a black angel. The cat's body shivered and it took a defensive position, ready to attack with it's last bit of strength. It was frail and almost at the point of death, still it was ready to fight with its last strength and die with dignity.

' Dying with dignity.'

Auriane White thought with a smile as she bent towards the offensive cats, catching it the moment it pounced on her. She didn't mind it scratching her, but she had a warm smile that seemed to have forced out her life's energy.

"You and I are thesame."

The stray cat soon calmed down and blinked curiously at Auriane White who had most part of he face covered by the black hoodie.

"... Ready to die with dignity.", She added

Not feeling as spending more time with the cat, lest it was affected by her jinx fate, Auriane White laid it back on its feet and broke a piece of bread into two. She gave one to the cat and took a bite of the other, walking further away from the stray cat without looking back.

Sinking her teeth into the bread, she took the last bite and only chewed for a while before her last meal became a history. She looked up to the sky with a bitter expression, recalling her glorious days when she didn't have to suffer from hunger, but then she realized that her past self was still pitiful to a certain extent. Although she didn't need to be worried about what to eat, she had always lived in the shadow of Angel White and relied on the crumbs of affection left by her father, while her step mother made her life miserable.

Today she wandered in the street clad in a tattered suite to cover her hideous appearance, with not even a single soul ready to offer her a white collar job. Today she only had a piece of bread to keep her body alive, but tomorrow.

Auriane White shook her head, not wanting to think about tomorrow yet. She had lived for thirty odd years, but hadn't been able to achieve anything to her name. Both her struggles and achievements were both stolen and she was tossed away like a piece of trash.

She was once a laboratory scientist, researching on many drugs and medecines that gave her a lot of fame and recognition, little did she know that she was merely a stepping stone for Angel White, the one who landed her into misery. Even her father whom she longed for shot her a look of disdain and completely crumpled her hope of ever rising, they made her a fugitive and sent assassins to track her down, giving her no opportunity to create a new life for herself.

Even her sister who was the only one to show her sincere love died in a miserable state and a tainted name. And she... had unknowingly caused her sister's death...

Auriane White clenched her fist into a ball, sinking her nails deeply into her still tender flesh to the point of causing it to bleed profusely. But she didn't mind, only by bleeding would she be able to remind herself that she was  alive and not death yet.

Even if it had to cost her life, she was definitely never going to let Angel White and the White family to achieve their ultimate goal.

Eliminate her.

However, at this state she was rendered helpless and even if her wandering life had blessed her with some skills, she was still no match to the White Family who had gained a lot of fame and wealth thanks to her efforts. They stood high above her like a mountain, while she had to crawl under their feet and live a clandestine life in order to survive.

What an irony, she thought.

As soon as Auriane White took a reluctant step out of the alley, she was welcomed by several black figures who immediately dashed towards her. Her heart skipped a beat and she knew that Angel White's connection had caught her. She had travelled and concealed her presence with painstaking efforts but was still found at the end.

Auriane White gritted her teeth and took a defensive posture, not ready to concede. Just like the frail cat who tried to fight against her for its life, she was determined to fight back. She had lived with top notch fighters for a year, in order to survive. Bringing this group of people down would be a piece of cake for her. However, her body was extremely frail, not able to hold up for more than ten minutes.

She was finally caught and brought to an underground base with a bag covering her face and her body almost drained of all its energy.

She had no strength to fight back, but wait for her doom.

The base had a cold smell of humidity, slightly overwhelmed with mocking sounds of men that suddenly ceased and was overcome by the clicking sound of a shoe. The crisp sound soon came to a halt and a soft delicate voice was heard.

"Take the bag off her face ."

Withoutany further ardo, the men quickly took off the bag that was hiding Auriane's face. Finally able to see, Auriane looked ahead of her to see a beautiful girl, clad in red one arm gown that reached down to her toe, at the left side there was a beautiful tear, exposing her long slender legs. Her legs were white and milky,of which Auriane guessed she probably took a lot of time and effort to nurse. She had a beautiful side profile, oval face and thin lips that was accentuated with a red crimson lipstick. Her lovely black silk hair cascaded down her 34C ****** and her long eye lashes fluttered slowly. She was doned with exquisite jewelries that shouldn't cause less than $10million, not forgetting her lovely dress and fur scarf that hung on her neck.

Her ring finger was doned with an exquisite blue diamond ring. She barely heard that Angel had been engaged into a wealthy family, but she wasn't sure who it was. However, her said fiancee had enormous power to destroy a whole city if he wished, reason why Angel was able to track her down with ease.

Auriane finally realized that she was already no match for Whites at this extent and no matter how indignant she felt, she could only swallow it.

Angel White smiled with pride and walked towards Auriane with elegance and poise, she stretch out her hand and slightly pinched Auriane's chin. Looking straight into Auriane's ever green green eyes that had still kept its enchanting beauty and light no matter how disfigured she was. Angel frowned, realising that her fake lentils still paled in comparison to Auriane's beautiful pupils that seemed to carry the world's beauty in it.

However, she concealed her displeasure, not wanting to let Auriane have any reason to smile at her flaws.

"Long time no see sister, you really gave me a hard time over these years."

Auriane looked at Angel with burning anger, but she didn't say anything.

"Why do you look so angry, shouldn't you be happy to see me?"

"Why, should I be happy to see a white lotus like you who won't even spare my life after sending me deep into the abyss."

"How can you say that about me, haven't we always been best sisters ever?"

Auriane White's  expression turned cold and she stared at Angel White with a piercing gaze.

' Best sisters, what an irony.'

'Best sisters, what an irony.'

   It was an irony, indeed, but a painful truth that she dared not accept, how could she accept that she once took Angel White as a sister and a soul mate. It reminded Auriane White that she once had a sister who deeply loved her. She gave her an unconditional love, but because of bad influence from her cousin who was in a team with Angel. Because of this team she lost her sister with her own hands thinking she was saving her.

"Don't insult that sacred tittle, you don't deserve to be called a sister."

   Auriane boldly said with a heavy heart, because though Angel White didn't deserve a sister title, what more of her, she didn't deserve it either.

"You're right, I might not deserve to be called your sister,afterall, we are not even sisters to begin with."

"I already have a sister and a brother, why would I lower myself to have a sister who abandoned her elder sister."

   Auriane knew that she couldn't deny that painful fact, she had indeed abandoned her elder sister who cared for her after her mother's death. Her sister cared for her like a mother, but she never saw it, just like she never saw Angel White's schemes.

If she had seen that Angel White was infact a devil who only used her to achieve her goal, she wouldn't have neglected the world to please her. She wouldn't have felt painful to see her tears when she rejected a single request of hers no matter how extreme it was. If only she had known who Angel White was, she wouldn't have trusted her with her laboratory research work.

But it was needless to regret at the moment when the truth had burnt her flesh and her guilts as well as her regrets were eating her flesh like termites.

"You should be happy,at least you spent some glorious moments of your life and helped me trace a path for my future."

Shameful

There was only one thing Auriane could say at that moment, but her throat was too dry to shout it out. Even if she did, it surely wouldn't change much. Her thirty years body was no longer in it's strongest youth. And there was no more to hope for again even if she was able to escape from Angel's grip. Where else would she go where she wasn't wanted and who else would remember her even if she died.

   She didn't wish for such an ending, but she was given no choice. At most, she had lost the freedom of choice long ago when she became a fugitive and Angel White's hunting prey.

"Considering that you've contributed to my success, I can let you walk out of here and never bother you."

Let her walk out in peace?

    It sounded like a promise, but from her years of experience and years of being Angel White's prey, Auriane White had learned that nothing good came from her. If she gave you a stick, then she would retrieve two legs from you. 

She was a devil, standing on her grounds and making the worst choice in her territory.She was smart, hence she was able to decide others fate, but she let her fate stand above others in an outstanding view.

"I don't believe that you're so kind, what do you want?"

Angel White curled her lips, drawing it to the right proportion to reveal an extremely angelic smile, but this angelic smile was what Auriane would consider today as.

'poissonous smile.'

"What a smart thought, you're right, every good deed needs a payment."

    As expected, Angel White had no intention of granting her freedom without any payment in advance. But there was just no guarantee that after payment she would let her leave. 

"I just need one thing from you, the research notes on the IV virus."

   Her research results?

   Auriane's eyes widened the moment she heard Angel mention her hard earned work, the only treasure she still owned. Although she hadn't been able to complete her research and gotten a complete antidote for the IV virus that menaced the world today, compared to others, she had done a lot of progress. Angel had taken everything from her, so how could she just give up her last treasure.

"You wish!"

   Angel frowned at Auriane's respond, but she immediately calmed down, as if she had been expected that answer.

"Such a stubborn fellow, anyway, I would have been bored if it was too easy."

''Bored?'

   Her sentence looked like a simple reply of one who hadn't been able to reach her expectations. But Auriane knew that Angel wasn't expecting anything, she would have been surprised if she hadn't already thought of her exact reply. She was calculative and time gave off the feeling that she knew everything, but she didn't. It was just years of training and she could learning of human psychology. In order to escape Angel for the past ten years, Auriane also learned a lot about human psychology. 

She could tell from Angel's words that she had the intention of torturing her for truth. But Auriane was sure of herself, there was no way she would comply.

"You can chose not to comply and I can chose to torture you, but no matter how good you are, you can't fight against the truth serum."

The truth serum!

    When did Angel come up with a truth serum, no one could tell, but Auriane knew where it came from and she could only lower her head in regret. A smile curled her pale lips, but there was no happiness in her smile.

"You already took so much from me, ain't you satisfied, why do you want to keep pushing me into the abyss."

"When? Till the moment I'm sure that you only have dead as an option."

Death as option was indeed one of the ideas that had crossed Auriane'sthoughts. But she had a stubborn habit of never giving up even when there was no way out.

She couldn't give up, but she definitely wasn't going to give Angel the pleasure to see her chose death as an option.

Auriane looked at Angel with a smile and for some reasons, Angel took a step back. The smile that Auriane gave off was cold, but it shot her like daggers, as if telling her that it was the end of her reign. Her face turned pale as she gazed at Auriane's beautiful pair of cold eyes that seemed to pierce her soul. But she still tried to keep a calm composure.

"What are you thinking about, are you still hoping for an escape?"

   Auriane didn't nod, nor did she deny, because she wasn't hoping for an escape. She just clearly reminded Angel that time had taught her how to predict. She knew from the start that Angel would come for her.

"You probably didn't see this coming?"

    With the last strength she had, Auriane kicked away the men holding her and pulled a container from her pocket. A smile of contempt filled the underground basement, but Angel froze with a widened eye when she saw what was coming.

"You dare and you won't survive either."

   Why wouldn't she dare at this last moment when she could finally appease her broken heart with a smile and embrace death wholeheartedly.

Boom

An explosion carried the whole building, killing every single life, but even at that last moment, Auriane regretted. The White still went Scott free, she couldn't accept it...

*~*........*~*

   Chirp chirp

   Auriane White was awakened by the soft melody of the birds. She felt the wind blowing her slowly as it went it's way and the smell of a green environment kissed her nose. 

"Was she in heaven?

   She had thought, but the bright light above her forced her eyes open, causing her to realize that she was lying on the grass. She woke up with an immense pain kicking her head, but compared to the other pains, this was nothing.

"Little girl, you're finally awake, you scared me?"

   An elderly voice woke Auriane from her stance. This elderly wasn't a stranger to her, but as she had known, this elderly person died fourteen years ago when she barely graduated from junior high school.

"What's wrong, do you feel pain anywhere?"

   The elderly asked and her slightly wrinkled brows furrowed. But she was angry, she revealed a sort of tenderness that an elderly would reveal to her grandchild.

'Why did this scene look so familiar?'

However, 'Why did this scene look so familiar?'

   It wasn't just it being familiar, but the fact that she had already witnessed this day clear and fair. The familiar trees that had covered the environment, exuding a green environment. It represented hope, a hope for a new day.

Compared to the dark allies and the dark ceiling that had to serve as a refuge for her, the sky was extremely bright, a beautiful blue slightly covered by the white clouds moving far above her. 

Only the mountains side of the Central city could still preserve such a fruitful environment, green and full of colours of the rainbow. How she had missed the splendour of her country home.

 The familiarity of this bright day happened seventeen years ago, in those times when she had been Angel's shadow, following and obeying her like a lackey. If her memory served right, she left the house to search for wild mangoes for Angel but the moment she had climbed the tall tree, her body trembled due to her fear of height and she fell down and blacked out for quite while. 

   Apart from the slight head knock, she didn't have any major injuries. However, the casualties would have been serious and she would have died from the fall, luckily she survived.

   As for the reason why Angel sent her on such an errand, it was certainly not to kill, but a benefit for her. But she wasn't ignorant of her fear for height, yet she still obliged her to leave and get the fruitful mangoes at the height of the mount where tree were two times taller than Goliath.

If not for the elder lady who had passed by the forest for her routine errands, no one knew if she would have survived.

"Are you really okay?", The old lady asked again, noticing that Auriane hadn't said a single phrase since she woke up. But it wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but her throat was dry, burning as if it was inflamed.

"Here, little girl, drink some water, your throat must be dry."

   Auriane stretch out her hand and took the little gourde from the elder's hand, quenching her taste. She drank as if it had been centuries that she didn't drink a drop of water. Others would think she woke up from a few minutes comas, but she actually returned to seventeen years back. 

   Back to the days when she was just a thirteen year old teenager who hadn't seen the far end of life. No one would guess that she had at least a knowledge and experience of thirty years with her.

As for how she came back during this exact period when things had yet to escalate,she wouldn't be able to tell, she had never believed in psychic revelations. But today life had shown her that the world was indeed still a mystery.

Though perplexed about the current situation and how there was a sudden change of her fate, she couldn't care less. She was just happy to be back before the time when Angel had yet to ruin her life. Maybe God took pity on her and sent her back, then she could only thank him.

"Thank you mama Ben."

   Auriane thanked the elder woman who had yet to recover from the shock of finding an unconscious little girl in the woods.

"Don't thank me, thank fate for bringing me here."

Fate, was it?

   Could she thank fate for her past misfortune or thank fate for bringing her back and letting her remember that she had once experienced death.

"Then I should thank your fate?", Auriane said, revealing a dazzling smile, as bright as the sun that had yet to set.

   Thanking her fate was equal to declaring that she carried a lucky fate with her. She didn't deny the fact that it was fate that had brought her, but she also believed that it was her luck to meet her. The girl in front of her was not only charming, but she was tacit in her words. But her skinny body broke Mama Ben's heart, causing her to wonder how she was treated. Yet, she didn't probe any further, because she didn't like talking into other family member's problem.

"Do you feel any pain on your body, it shouldn't have been quite comfortable to lay on the ground for long... sigh...I am too old to even carry a skinny little girl as you."

  Mama Ben sighed helplessly, when she looked at the skinny girl in front of her. She wasn't much acquaintanted to the girl in front of her, the last time she came in contact with her was during her mother's funerals. The little baby that she was stood out amongst her family members, her ever green eyes seems to holding the universe itself and an impressive exotic charm in it. 

Today she was thirteen, no longer the little baby who was ignorant about life and death, but her lively self seemed to have been lost. Maybe a child without a mother was just bound to suffer and feel the lost compared to others who still had one.

"Thanks mama Ben, I feel much better now, I must have bothered you due to my mischieves. Please accept my sincere apologies."

 Auriane apologized, but she wasn't just apologizing to mama Ben, she wanted to apologize for her ungrateful nature towards the woman that saved her in her past life and still ended up saving her once again. But she was also apologizing for her past misunderstanding of the old lady who had helped. In her past life she had been arrogant and barely thanked mama Ben. 

When she met her the next day on the street, she pretended not to know her. Now she realises how it had been extremely rude. But she wasn't all at fault, this time it was another advice from Angel White. It was indeed true that everyone took mama Ben was feared by children in their quad, but that was just because she wasn't too sociable.

However, she was a good person, others just thought too much because she spent time in the forest. Who would have known that this secretive woman was versed in medicinal plants and most likely a master of poison.

'Don't go near her, she's a witch?'

   Angel had once warned her, but as for who was the witch, Auriane was fully aware of this. Mama Ben who was considered a witch was actually her savior, while Angel ruined her life.

"Fine, no need to apologize, it's normal for everyone to make mistakes, just be careful next time. Don't always let others lead you astray."

   The words that she had told her was a simple advice from an elderly, but it seemed to be hinting towards something. It was as if she knew that she came to the forest not on her own accord, but she was enticed to do so.

It was strange how she had been deaf in the past, she didn't pay attention to Mama Ben's words, words that could have saved her from ruin. But now that she was back, she definitely wouldn't miss that advice.

"I sure, I'll listen to your advice."

   Mama Ben released a warm smile at her with a relief. She was happy because if the spark in Auriane's eyes, it was a spark of life, determination and a will to change.

"Now take care yourself, I still have things to do in the forest, you should go back and rest."

    Mama Ben waved her hand, not wasting any more time to get lost in the forest. It is exactly as in her past life, Mama Ben left, advising her to go back home. But in her past life, she didn't go back home, she stayed behind to search for mangoes, but she didn't dare climb the tree any longer. Neither did she dare go back to Angel with the fear of disappointing her.

 But what she never knew that, at that same moment of her hesitation, her sister was being oppressed by her step mother who exposed her to shame. She was defamed and accused of adultery, ruining her image in the eyes of everyone.

  But the truth was that her sister had been framed by Cindy, her elder cousin, everything was planned not only to destroy her sister's image. But it was precisely because she was jealous of her sister and wanted to stop her from going to the university.

   Unfortunately, in her past life when she came back home at a late hour, giving the wicked people enough time to humiliate her sister and destroy her dignity, crushing it with their feet. That single day destroyed not only her sister's life, but hers as well. How couldcould she sit behind and let the White successful ruin the life and reputation of her only family.

No

   Even if she couldn't go back to before her sister had been taken advantage of by a stranger, she still had to avoid the next casualties and clear her image.