Renee always wondered how her life had changed dramatically over the years since her rebirth. She was not a typical modern girl, rather, she was nothing more than a servant girl who worked in the royal palace thousands of years ago, only to be faced with a death as tragic as murder.
She was murdered brutally in her previous life, but rather than moving on to the afterlife where she was told was a place for the dead, she was unexpectedly given a second chance at life. She was reborn into a peculiar world– a world where this 'technology' thingy had dominated and impacted the people.
She was still striving to understand this new world, and it took her whole Twenty-two years of living to finally adapt to the system…errr… not fully.
Cyrus was her older brother in this world, and she loved him dearly, including her now-late parents cause they took much care of her, and showed her what it felt like to be loved by a real family.
Her brother always told her while they were growing up that he would work hard and become successful, just so he could spoil her rotten. He would tease her sometimes that one day, the tech company where he worked might even create a brain specially for her, as she was his 'dummy' – quite typical of him, but she wasn't as skilled as her brother when it came to electronics.
She was actually well-versed with plants and herbal nutrients. She had been an apothecary to the royal family in her previous life, after she cured the sickly prince from a serious ailment. Her good deed had heightened her rank from a mere servant to an apothecary, but evil eyes never seemed to leave her side.
Thankfully, she was reborn with her knowledge still intact, and she had pushed her thirst for medicine through the university. Her life has changed so much after being here, and she has come to know and understand a lot more than she once did in her own world. Who knew something called a phone would exist and be used to contact people and watch movies? In her previous world, they either visited a story theater, or listened to old tales under the moonlight.
"Why aren't you eating?" Cyrus noticed her table was empty, and she was presently busy, dialing a number on her phone with full concentration. He noticed how her expression dropped each time the call never went through, and in order to dismiss whatever sadness was about to take a toll on her, he snatched her phone.
"Hey!"
"Caden?" Her brother's eyebrows narrowed into a deep frown after seeing who she was so busy trying to contact all day, "I thought you broke up with this idiot already? Why do you still have his number?"
"We haven't spoken about that yet." She retrieved her phone back from her brother's grip, but even if she tried to mask it, she knew Cyrus was the only person capable of reading her thoughts like an open book.
"He hasn't called me so I wanted to check–"
"Check my ass." He scoffed in disdain, "if that motherfucker cared one bit, he should be the one calling you. He knew how important his presence today was for you, but he didn't show up at the funeral, not even his shadow was present."
Cyrus shook his head in disappointment, "I never liked that he-goat since the day you introduced him to me, and I knew something like this was bound to happen eventually. You should dump him and find someone better cause I personally, won't allow you to stay trapped with someone who doesn't value your importance and the things that matter to you."
Renee opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out of it. She felt a sharp sting in her heart, and she knew her brother would say all these things to her if she contacted her boyfriend again. Caden has been her boyfriend since college, but her brother never liked him one bit. He was also the first friend she had asides her family, and from friends, their relationship grew into something deeper, a relationship she has sacrificed so much to stay loyal to, but for a month now, she felt a distance between her relationship with Caden.
He's been out of the country for business, but he returned two weeks ago. He doesn't pick up her calls, and when she texted him for a meetup, he used his meetings as an excuse to avoid her. Even though she wished not to view their relationship as the type heading down the titanic sea, she would be foolish to not read the signs, but still, she wanted to meet with him so they could have a talk and know where they stand.
She's been to his house three times, despite the incident with her parents. She needed his comfort, she longed for the embrace he occasionally gave her when they were still together, but each time she went, either he was never at home, or he was too busy to see her.
"Do you think–" Renee glanced at her brother hesitantly, the heaviness in her heart elevating as she asked, "do you think he's found another woman after his trip overseas?"
"I feel so sad for that woman, whoever she is." Was Cyrus's response instead, "this is why I call you a dummy sometimes. He won't make you happy, best to realize it now rather than later when you wear his wedding ring and become a bondage to a trapped marriage."
Renee would be lying if she said she wasn't deeply hurt by this. However, her brother was right, and she has given him more than enough chances already. Her initial plan was to meet with him and end things, if after listening to his explanation and things still don't satisfy her, but since he's been refusing to meet her after his return, she would leave a breakup message instead.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Changing the subject, Renee had lost more than enough appetite for the night. She shook her head, managing a smile that conveyed she was fine, but Cyrus was a difficult brother.
"Open up." He prompted, intending to feed her instead from his plate, and Renee was left with no choice but to eat what he served her. Together, they shared a meal, and when they were done, Renee took the plates to the sink to wash them.
"Any luck contacting the government agencies our parents worked for?" She asked, and she could hear the old gremlin sigh behind her.
"Nah. Those snakes are secretive agencies, one can't easily tell what's going on." He took out his phone and scrolled through the webpage, taking note of the Quantum Dominion and how powerfully structured the buildings are.
"Even if I somehow manage to plant a spy cam, I'd be uncovered in less than a minute. They don't only share partnership with the BRC site, but other Technotropolis authorities too, probably more." His thick eyebrows furrowed into a thoughtful frown, his enchanting green eyes concentrated on his phone screen.
"Hmm…" Renee pursed her lips and leaned against the sink. For reasons unknown to her, the masked stranger's comments were helplessly stuck in her head. No matter how hard she tries to brush off his strange question, including his comments on the BRC, she couldn't, but maybe that's why she couldn't let it go, cause she also suspects foul play somewhere… and her parent's death couldn't possibly be natural.
The BRC site was far too advanced for that.
A sudden knock on the door gained both siblings attention.