VENGEANCE I

Back to the present...

Ceres finally arrived at Arayat Village and found how bustling the place was despite the late evening. It didn't look like the village that she had imagined. For a place to be this far from the city, it was really surprising that there was a hospital, a school, a café, and other establishments which you would mostly see downtown.

Nevertheless, Ceres went on since most people didn't really pay attention to her presence. Relying upon the direction and address that Tristan sent her after a thorough investigation, Ceres reached the place that she was looking for.

It was quite some distance from the heart of the village and not many houses could be found surrounding it. If the woman decides to scream for help, it would take time for her neighbors to come and rescue her – not that she would give her time to scream though.

Emilia Berkins brought out her dinner to the small table in the dining area which was only good for two adults to fit. She had a faint smile on her face like she always did in the past. Her fake smile became a part of her already that even when no one was looking at her, it came out naturally.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The sound of knocking on the door stopped her for a moment and she listened to any noise outside. Silence. She went back to the kitchen to get her utensils when the sound of knocking came again.

"Who's there?"

Her question was answered with silence but she wasn't the least bit afraid of whatever or whoever was at her door. She pulled a sharp knife from the kitchen drawer and held onto it tightly. She would never allow anyone to hurt her.

Outside the house, Belle confirmed to Ceres that it was indeed Emilia living inside and a creepy smile slowly blossomed on Ceres' face. She could finally do something for Belle in return for letting her take this body.

Instead of going through the door, Ceres circled the house to find a window. Surely, Emilia would be guarding herself in front of the door but she would never guess that Ceres would come in another way. Besides, she could not call the police for help because Belle already told the police about her. She didn't file a case yet but she told them to catch her if they ever find her or someone tells them about her – just; they didn't have to find her themselves.

Of course, she thought about it thoroughly. She made sure to contact those incompetent officers. If she contacted the station where Lucian Seville works as the new Police Chief Inspector, she would not be able to exact her revenge because Lucian would tell his officers to work their best in locating the woman. Ceres only reported Emilia because of Eli. She didn't want him to become suspicious of her.

Ceres found a window in the backyard but it was quite high for her to climb. She can't make too much noise either, lest Emilia would find her.

(There's a small window in the kitchen. Why don't we use it to get inside? My small body can easily fit into that hole.)

[We can't. She can easily take us down if she has the advantage.]

(How about using the tranquilizing gas you brought?)

[As much as possible, I want to avoid using it because it will linger in the room for a little while. It may affect us, too. Let me just find something to climb this wall.]

Belle didn't contradict Ceres anymore. The woman is better at doing this compared to her and she learned to trust her. There was no point in making things complicated with her since they shared the same body.

Looking around, Ceres found dried thick branches lying on the ground with an ax next to them. Firewood was piled close to the house with empty sacks covering them; probably storing them for cooking.

Ceres carried the dried branch over her shoulder and slowly placed it on the wall just below the window. The height was just enough to help her climb onto the window but she wasn't sure if it was sturdy enough to support her weight.

(I'm not heavy.) Belle told Ceres when she read the woman's thoughts. (It should be fine.)

[We'll see that.]

Ceres gave the branch a light kick to see if it would break or not – it didn't. Slowly, she stepped onto the wood and made her way up with a shaking body as the wood creaked under her weight. She could only pray it wouldn't break and make a noise that would catch Emilia's attention.

Left. Right. Left. Right. With her arms spread open to balance herself, she finally made it to the top and she held onto the edge of the windowsill.

The windowpane was made of Capiz shells but it was a sliding window which made it easier for her to get inside the room. Emilia could be considered brave but she could be considered careless as well. She didn't even bother locking the window to her room. It must be because she never thought that Belle would come back to hunt her down.

Ceres threw her backpack first before getting herself inside. Belle's anger rose from the bottom of her heart as she looked around and found so many things that belonged to her and Neon. She can't believe that this woman really emptied the previous house. It was rare for her to buy expensive items for Neon and she worked so hard for each of them. Now, the woman took them all. Neon had to borrow clothes from Andrei because of this woman!

[Calm down. I'll make sure to give you the sweetest revenge.] Ceres reminded Belle whose emotions were getting haywire.

Since she didn't have the chance to disguise herself because she lacks cosmetic materials, Ceres opted for something ordinary and that was to use a bonnet mask to hide her face.

Emilia could hear the faint sound of footsteps from her bedroom but she didn't want to get out of the house either because she wasn't sure if someone was waiting for her to come out. She could only choose to defend herself inside the house.

"Bring it on! I am not afraid of you!" She shouted while pointing her knife outwardly. She could easily thrust it to the person who would come at her.

As an assassin, there was no way Ceres would fail against this weak woman. She could sense the twisted malice in her but it wasn't enough to deter her thirst for revenge.

Ceres came out of the bedroom and found Emilia pointing the knife toward her while always looking warily at the door. "Sorry for the intrusion," she said ironically since she wasn't really apologetic and raised her hand with a gun.

Emilia's eyes widened while she stood there like a statue and waited for the bullet to hit her. She felt the pain in her thigh and her arm, and slowly, she felt numb until darkness enveloped her. She wasn't even able to put up a fight.