Is this the Afterlife?

Moving her body felt like a chore. A seatbelt is draped over her chest.

Morgan has her head tilted to the side. Blood rolled down the side of her face.

It happened in a matter of seconds, but it felt like over three years had passed. 

Something was wrong. Pain shot through her body, and her breaths were ragged. She could hear the faded voices in the background. 

"Oh my goodness, what just happened?" 

"What's wrong with her?'

"Call the ambulance."

They were still speaking, but she couldn't hear them anymore. Soon, the voice faded completely, and she embraced the darkness that hit her. 

A crowd was beginning to form around her car. Some had witnessed the truck ramming straight into the girl's car. 

It was hard to tell if it was accidental or intentional, since the truck driver had come down and shot himself after confirming the girl's condition.

Two minutes later, an ambulance arrived, but it was too late. Morgan had lost consciousness. 

**

[Ding! System binding in progress… Beep! Beep!! Beep!!!]

[Host detected: Morgan Ivanna Blake.]

[System message: Welcome, Host to Villainess Core Upgrade. Your trash life ends here. Now let's make you the cold ass bitch you wanna be.]

[First task, wake up. Rewards, 5VP + partial memory.]

Morgan's eyes slowly fluttered open, her vision was blurry, and she couldn't make out those in the room. 

The heavy smell of antiseptic hangs in the air. A man in a white coat was in front of her. A file in his hand. He handed the file to the nurse standing beside him and leaned over to check on the girl. 

Morgan could feel his touch, she felt his breath fall on her when he leaned over. He then muttered something she couldn't fully make out to the nurse. 

[Ping! System notification: Host is in critical condition, task will be completed when she's fully recovered. Host, stay alive!]

The next time she woke up, she heard distant voices. She could hear a bit clearly this time, hence, she could tell that there were men close to her bed, speaking with the doctor, but who were they?

She tried to open her eyes, but couldn't. 

Was this the afterlife?

Then, she shouldn't be confined to her bed. 

[Ding! Host, keep fighting, healing boosts will be activated after the mission is completed.]

Huh? And what is the sound she keeps hearing? Is something broken?

She drifted off into unconsciousness again. It continued for the next three days. And during those times, she made out the voice of strangers. 

On the fifth day, Morgan could finally open her eyes. 

[Ding! Yay! First mission completed: Host didn't die. Welcome back, host! Reward: 5VP, + partial memory recovery.]

[Ding! Next task, observe the surroundings. Reward: Identity Reveal.]

She blinked rapidly. Her vision was blurry. She could make out shapes, but couldn't tell what they were. Her head felt heavy. She wants to hold it and shake the voice away. 

She remained that way for the next few minutes, trying so hard to stay conscious. 

When her vision started to clear, the light felt too bright for her eyes. Making her squint, the star design on the ceiling crunched. 

She heard a shuffling. A moment later, her bed was surrounded. Her eyes moved around them lazily, all in their suits. 

Who were these men?

"She's awake, I'll go get the doctor." A voice said before hurrying out of her room.

"Ivanna, can you hear me, Ivy?"

Huh? Morgan was puzzled. A large warm hand wrapped her small soft one in his, covering it and then bringing it close to his face. 

He is seated on the stool close to her bed. 

Why is this strange man calling her Ivanna?

She slowly moved her head to the side, her mind spiralling with different thoughts. Seeing tears gathering in the side of the man's eyes, she felt her chest tighten. 

"I'm so glad you are awake. I thought we lost you again." Another said, holding on to her other free hand. 

Is this part of being in the afterlife? Having handsome men who were at her feet and worrying about her?

"Why isn't the doctor here?" Something rushed down her spine when she heard the deep voice. She had not noticed him. He was standing at the foot of her bed, half of his face hidden behind a silver mask.

He emitted an air of superiority. His shoulders were squared and proud. 

When her eyes met his, she was surprised to find out they were soft. 

"W…ho- a…re yo…ou?" Her words came out as a stutter. 

"Oh, her voice is cute too," one of the men holding on to her left hand said, "little sister, why is everything about you so cute?" He scooted over to brush some strands of hair away from her face.

Little sister?

Morgan's head was beginning to spin.

She was an orphan. What did he mean by little sister? And why are you whispering in my head? You'd better come right out. Do it one more time, and I'll rip you to pieces. She threatened.

[Ivanna, you shouldn't be speaking to me in such a tone. Besides, you'll need me to survive, sweetheart.]

It just responded to her, the voice just responded to her thoughts, and it seemed no one heard but her. But she's not Ivanna.

She wanted to ask questions, but her voice was stuck in the back of her throat. She couldn't think straight right now.

The doctor came in at that moment. 

The four men in the room stood at the side, glaring at the man who trembled as he checked on the girl, knowing that one wrong move might end his career. 

"Doctor, how is my wife?" 

Morgan stiffened as the man behind the silver mask moved forward to stand beside the doctor, "When can she return home with me?"

"We didn't agree you'd take her home." Jeremy, who had gone to fetch the doctor, said. 

The doctor tensed; he wasn't sure he wanted to be here when these men got into another argument over the girl on the bed. 

"We'll take her home with us when she's fully recovered to get sufficient rest." 

"She is my wife, and she can rest at home." 

Both men stared down at each other, neither ready to back down. 

The air in the room shifted. Tension rose so thick that a knife could cut through it.

The doctor, whose legs were almost wobbling, cleared his throat, breaking the ice in the room.

"She will have to stay for some days, I'm not sure when she will be going home. For now, she will be under my close supervision." The doctor fled the room afterwards, leaving them behind. 

Morgan closed her eyes and pinched herself. If this were a dream, it would be best if she woke up. She didn't want to spend another minute with them.

She opened her eyes only to find herself in the same room. 

A glint caught her eye. 

She raised her hand. The men were all around her one more time, but she forced herself to ignore them. At this point, she was more curious about the silver wedding band on her left middle finger. 

"Wifey, do you like your wedding band?" She looked to the side, Slade held his hand up, and was showing her the same ring on his finger. 

Morgan lowered her eyes. For the first time since she regained consciousness, she allowed her gaze to roam through their faces and took their features in. 

Three of them had the same blond hair and green eyes. They had striking facial features which were so similar that she could barely tell them apart. 

The only man who was different was the masked man. His ginger hair stopped on his shoulders, and though he wore a mask, she could make out his hazel eyes. 

She lowered her gaze to her finger. 

This doesn't make sense. There was no way she had a brother and a husband.

[Ding! Hidden background unlocked. Family ties revealed. Heiress, sister, and wife.]

Was this another curve ball life was throwing at her? 

Her mind reverted to the beginning, when her life started crumbling.