357: Live, Paula.

Live, Paula.

Paula's name never made such noise until the news of her attempted murder went out to the public. The internet exploded about the news and in only a few hours, her 'abuse' of drugs was also revealed. People were hungry and thus, they jumped on this scandal like hungry piranhas.1

It was like a circus, just as everyone expected. 

Reporters camped out of the police station and the entertainment agency that was handling Paula Shen. Some went to people who were previously associated with Paula Shen, asking for their comments regarding the scandal.

Meanwhile, on the internet, Paula's pictures and articles were scattered everywhere. 

Threads were created with Paula's pictures and clips linking her addiction. Her already existing haters happily jumped on every thread. One of those happy haters was Assistant Lyn. However, aside from all of this happening, one mystery remained in the publics mind. 

Who was the victim?

Who was the person Paula Shen tried to kill?

They were already aware she had tried framing her manager, yet the public didn't spare even Manager Chu. People said she was just as guilty and they didn't buy the excuse that she knew nothing. Being Paula's manager, everyone assumed Manager Chu knew what Paula was doing, but did nothing until Paula harmed others. There were also anonymous accounts, telling their stories about Paula Shen. Some were true people who had an unpleasant experience with Paula, while other accounts were simply there for clout. 

This continued for days and then weeks, even when the date of her trial was set. 

Every new information regarding Paula had shaken the masses. Some clips of the trial were shown to the public, especially when Manager Chu took the stand and told her side of the story and the victim of the attempted murder. Although the latter's face was censored for her own security. Hearing what Paula did to them and her plans to put the victim in a suitcase enraged the public. 

Initially, Paula claimed to be innocent until the evidence against her started to pile up. Thus, her defense changed their strategy and eventually negotiated a plea bargain for a lighter sentence.

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Two months later...

Paula dragged her feet inside the visitation room, glaring at the female officer who shoved her inside. However, she didn't say anything as she moved her gaze to the person outside the transparent glass. 

"Hah..." A scoff escaped her chapped lips, turning around to leave. However, the female officer had already shut the door, so she banged on it. "Hey! I'm going back! I don't need to be here!"

Paula slammed the metal door while yelling, but the echoes of her voice didn't penetrate the door. Or rather, the female guard pretended to be deaf. 

As Paula knocked on the door loudly while yelling, Heaven, who was sitting on the other side of the glass that was separating her and Paula kept her eyes on the latter. Her expression was icy, studying Paula up and down. Paula's naturally beautiful and silky hair was cut short unevenly, making it appear frizzy. 

Heaven detected a few bruises on Paula's arms and neck, and the side of her lips were swollen a bit. She didn't need more than one glance to know Paula's appearance gradually changed. 

'It's only been a week since receiving her sentence, but look at her.'A shallow breath slipped past Heaven's, not surprised at this change. After all, Paula already looked distressed during the entire trial. 'I bet she can't act like a queen inside.'

"Damn it!" Paula kicked the door, wincing in bitterness as she realized they wouldn't open the door. She glanced over her shoulder before turning on her heel, dragging her feet toward the chair across from her visitor. 

"What?" her question was dry, resting her arms over the surface before her. "What do you want? Keep it short, will you?"

"Why?" Heaven tilted her head to the side. "It's not like you are in a rush or had any prior commitment. You're in prison and time is the only thing you have."

"You bitch..." Paula ground her teeth, balling her hands into a fist until her trimmed nails dug into her palms. She moved closer, stressing her inquiry through her gritted teeth. "What... do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want to see you."

"For what?" Paula scowled. "To mock?"

"Obviously?"

"Hah! Hahaha!" Paula let out a loud ridiculing laugh, eyes burning as she looked at the woman across from her. "I should've made sure you were dead."

"That's right." Heaven didn't flinch at Paula's aggressiveness, which only took the latter off guard. "I mean, you'll still end up behind bars if you successfully killed me. So, you might as well kill me. In that case, even if you serve your time, you finished the job."

Heaven lifted her foot, resting it over the other as she leaned forward. "Sadly, you didn't do a good job, Paula. I'm alive and... you're still there. How sad."

"You, bitch!" Paula jumped from her seat, slamming the transparent window between them. "I'm going to kill you! You're just like that because of this glass between us, but I'll see what a damn coward you are once I get out of here!" 

"Oh, so scary..." Heaven smirked, covering her mouth as she leaned back lazily. "Paula, you shouldn't be like that to your victim, you know? I came here because, at the end of the day, we had good memories together."

"As if!" Paula growled, palms still on the glass. "Heaven Liu, you might have tricked everyone, but not me. I know this was all your plan! You framed me!"

"How sad, Paula. I thought you will reflect on what you had done to your sister while inside. But it seemed I was wrong." Heaven slowly rose from her seat, planting her hand on where Paula's palms were. "I shouldn't be surprised that until now, you blame others for how your life turned out. But don't worry, I moved on. Trying to."

Her eyelids drooped as the corner of her lips curled up. "Don't worry, Paula. Even if things turned out like this and you're ruined, I will still love you. So I asked someone to give you a proper cell. You'll have a cellmate, though. Her name is Andrea. He used to be in the men's cell, but he had behaved himself, so I asked the warden if he can take care of my dearest Paula."

"You won't feel lonely now." Heaven's smile stretched while the fire in Paula's eyes blazed until her face was red in anger. She moved her face closer as she dawdled her next words. 

"Live, Paula. Live as long as you can and don't even dare take your life. Andrea will make sure you'll wake up every single morning. You'll have to face the reality of how you ruined your life."

Paula's face had turned beet red as she watched Heaven smirk before the latter drew away.

"You bitch!! I'm going to kill you!!"

A piercing scream echoed inside the visitation room as Paula slammed the transparent window aggressively. However, Heaven didn't flinch as she walked away without looking back at the reminder of the original Heaven's tragic past, named Paula Shen. 

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