The Manor Was On Fire

Rebecca's gaze sweeps the entire room, which has become her prison in the past five years.

The room was cleaned despite being filled with old furniture Lina had discarded.

The Ferrero patriarch showered Yelena with expensive gifts. However, only Lina benefited from them while she—who pretended to be Yelena—lived in the attic without a proper bed.

"Uncle Ruslan, please!" Rebecca sobbed, slumped on the floor, gasping for air. The attic has no heater system; hence, she was shivering with too little clothes on.

Rebecca just wanted to tease the guest and annoy Lina. She didn't expect that the person who paid a surprise visit was Aleckin himself. She aimed to sabotage Lina, but what happened instead was that she had a taste of her own medicine.

"Tsk." Rebecca pursed her lips and then grinned. "Oopsie…"

She almost forgot she was in the middle of her act. She squeezed out more tears and continued making noise in the door.

"I am exhausted," Rebecca whined internally. She grabbed the blanket folded on top of the bed and wrapped herself with it. But its slight warmth wasn't enough to relieve the chill that seeped into her entire body.

Lina didn't care if she got sick. The middle-aged lady even wished she had developed an illness so that she could receive additional funds.

Lina has committed more schemes than anyone could imagine, gaining more fortune from Aleksandr Ferrero. Surprisingly, the old man never raised suspicion. However, it appears that Aleckin suspected Herbert's expenses. If he weren't, he would not personally come and get her to sign the divorce papers, but Aleckin could send his actual lawyer.

Having this assumption, Rebecca looked up and stared at the French windows with a glare. The snowfall was becoming intense, just like her heart growing wary. 

"I'm sick of here. Again, I have to sleep in a frozen bed tonight."

Rebecca walked to the window and watched Aleckin's convoy disappear into the forest.

The manor, which occupied a thousand acres, was surrounded by forests and rivers. Hence, all the roads here are private, and no one passes except the farm workers. 

Aleksandr Ferrero is surprisingly a very generous old man. When he bought this manor, he also purchased the neighborhood lands, which Lina later put in the lease as she had no patience in managing a farm. Lina makes a profit considerably each year. Hence, she does not need to work but live a good life.

Rebecca was lost in thought when the attic door was pushed open. Then Lina Herbert stepped into the room; her face displayed disgust. Lina loathes visiting this awful place.

Rebecca snorts when she sees Lina's countenance. Lina ironically hates the attic, the very place where her mother gave birth to her. 

But now that the older lady came despite her hatred of this place, Rebecca dropped her complacent countenance and softened her gaze like a helpless prisoner.

"Aunt Lina, please let me go. I am not useful to you anymore." Rebecca scurried toward the middle-aged woman and kneeled on the floor as she begged.

Pah!

Lina's heavy palm landed on Rebecca's left cheek. She reached for her face and covered it with her hand.

"How dare you make a scene! And what the hell are you wearing?" Lina barked. Though Rebecca had already seen it coming, she was still surprised by the slap. Instantly, her eyes brimmed with tears, and Lina sneered at how weak she was. "Tsk. How embarrassed I was! You were sent to a prestigious school to learn proper etiquette! But what have you done?"

Rebecca lowered her head and squeezed some more tears…

Seeing the tears rolling down his niece's red face because of the slap, Ruslan couldn't help but step in. "That's enough, Lina…"

"Shut up!" she cut him off before he could utter half his speech.

Ruslan overlooked Lina's anger. He grinned and asked her, "What else do you want from her? The alimony you receive is a total of hundred million euros. You have enough money in the bank and the lease in the commercial building. You'll receive a rent of a million each year. Even the farm earns well. Now, she's not useful to you, isn't she?"

Lina glared at him.

"Have you forgotten? Even though the whole town knew that my daughter was not in good health but had a frail body, the reason it was rare for her to go out. The whole town would still inquire about her. Besides, who else would clean this manor and prepare our meals if we let her leave? We cannot let outsiders learn that my dear daughter is long dead even before the marriage!"

Ruslan pondered Lina's explanation. On the contrary, Lina had a point. He looked at Rebecca and then grinned.

"Then, I'm sorry, niece. We cannot let you leave or allow you to get out of the house."

Rebecca feigns a total shock reaction. She said, "But you promised me, Uncle!"

"Enough whining! I don't want to hear your voice anymore!" Lina snaps, glaring in her direction before turning around and heading to the door. "Let's go, Ruslan! Don't forget to lock the door! Let that woman starve to death!"

 Ruslan Henson looked meaningfully at his niece before shutting the door and lock. Then, he follows Lina without a word.

Rebecca stared at the door for several minutes, sitting still on the floor. Her eyes burned with resentment. Exhausted, she gradually composed herself and steadied her breathing. Then, elegantly, she wiped her swollen eyes.

Crying while acting can be incredibly exhausting for someone, she mused.

Rebecca sprang to her feet when she heard the red Ferrero, her alimony car startup. She walked toward the French window and watched as her Uncle Ruslan drove the car around the fountain, drifting it like a professional race car driver—which he was.

Six years ago, Ruslan Henson ended his career. He was involved in an accident in his last race and was forced to retire, but he enjoyed the hefty money he received. After all, he is an outstanding racing driver. The company thinks they lost a treasure.

"Go on. Enjoy it all while you can, Madam Herbert," Rebecca tugged the corner of her lips and muttered this.

Soon, the car sped away, vanishing from her sight almost instantly.

Now that she was alone in the manor, Rebecca walked to a corner and kicked the secret door she had covered with black curtains.

Inside is a set of computers and advanced gadgets she uses for her work.

She grabbed a stack of old and new notebooks, including her tablet, and shoved them into a brown backpack. 

After ensuring she packed all her important belongings, Rebecca changed into black jeans, a shirt, and a sweatshirt before putting on a thick, long-sleeved knitted dress that reached her ankles. She also tied a brown apron around her waist and a bonnet on her head.

Now, she looked like an abandoned married woman entrusted with all the house chores.

"Not anymore…"

Rebecca walked to the table and opened the drawer where she had hidden her cell phone. Lina had not given her a cell phone, so she had not communicated with the outside world. 

But unbeknownst to Lina, in the five years she had imprisoned her, the middle-aged lady didn't know she owned not only one but two phones to communicate with particular people.

Rebecca picks the simpler cellphone and turned it on the gadget. She then dialed a particular number that was answered immediately.

"Hey, milady…"

"Report to me where Uncle Ruslan and Lina headed to."

"All right, I am tailing them now..." the other line replied.

"Great… By the way, book me a train ticket for tomorrow night's departure."

"Got it…"

The call ended… Not long after, Rebecca received a text message she deleted in a heartbeat. Lina and her uncle were headed to Mirth City, which meant they would be gone for a few days. 

Rebecca does not need to guess. Lina will try to transfer the money to her personal account.

"Let's see if you can do that, Madam Herbert," Rebecca smirked, then hummed happily.

The following day, Rebecca woke up early. She washed up and had breakfast in the grand kitchen of the manor. How did she do that when she was locked up in the attic?

Lina didn't know that this manor had secret passages. Even though Lina would lock her up, she could still leave the house whenever she wanted.

Rebecca looked around the attic for the last time, which had become her secret haven for five years. And today was the perfect time to leave this place, which she would not miss.

Before she headed toward the secret door, she wore winter gloves and walked to the hidden room to get her backpack. She peered at her computers for a while before pouring kerosene into them.

With a smile, Rebecca took out a lighter and pressed the button. For a while, she held it and let the fire reflect on her eyes.

"Goodbye…"

***

Mirth City, BELLARUSIAN BANK

"What did you say?" Lina had an outburst in front of the bank manager, who refused to transfer the money to her personal account. "Yelena is my daughter! Why can't I make a transaction on her behalf?"

The bank manager sized up Lina. She looks elegant in her branded clothes, but she acts uneducated. 

"Madam Herbert, it was the bank policy. It is the same policy when you transact with the other bank. Your daughter's presence was necessary. Or at least an authorization letter with her signature and ID card."

"Whatever! I have the documents to prove that Yelena is my daughter! Then why can't I claim it? It's just a bank card!" 

"That's not the way it is, Madam. We aren't talking here with just a few hundred."

Lina had just realized that Aleckin Ferrero was a sly fox like his grandfather. Aleckin could actually request the bank to issue the bank card and hand it to her yesterday so that she would not waste her time visiting the bank to withdraw the money!

On the side, Ruslan stays silent and lets Lina talk. Lost in his thoughts, his phone vibrated upon receiving a call. Ruslan answered the call just to feel dread after he listened to the report.

"What did you say? The manor was on fire!?"