163: An unwilling marionette

An unwilling marionette

"What terrifies you isn't death, but life. But my husband won't let you die. Am I wrong? You should be flattered. He even funded the medical facility in this penitentiary, especially for you. Aren't you a special one?"1

Andrea ground her teeth, maintaining eye contact with Heaven. 

At first, Andrea thought prison was better than being on the run. But now, she didn't know anymore. Her life here was worse. People would just harass her and beat her up for no damn reason. She tried fighting back at first, but against countless inmates, the result was obvious.

What made things worse was that, no matter how terribly she was beaten to the point she was almost on the brink of death, the doctor kept reviving her back to life. It hadn't been a week since entering this hell, but with how many times she was rushed to the infirmary, Andrea felt like she had been here longer. 

"Hah…" A thin layer of tears covered Andrea's eyes, chuckling while shaking her head. "I'm so angry I feel like tearing up."

When she raised her head, she sneered at Heaven. "Are you happy to see how miserable I am now? Look at your heart's content. If you're wondering where I got this black eye, well, some dumb fuck thinks he's the shit. So, I splashed some toilet water on him. Damn… if you saw his face, the beating was very worth it."

Heaven listened to Andrea's story, which was said sarcastically. Though she didn't doubt Andrea, as that was likely something to happen inside the cell. Heaven was imprisoned once as Hera, though her stay was more like a vacation. Therefore, she had a clear idea of what could happen within this facility. 

"If you're done looking, can I go now, madam? I still need to go to the nurse's office for this." Andrea pointed at her bloodshot eye with her thumb. "Your husband really is amazing for hiring the best in this field. They should be treating more deserving patients, but they were stuck here just to keep me alive."

She ran her tongue across her inner cheek, laughing at Heaven. "You are right. What terrifies me more is living than dying. If I get a chance, I'll kill myself in a heartbeat. You should tell your husband to keep a close watch or I might not finish my time here."

"I'm not joking," she added sincerely. "I don't have any hopes anymore."

"Is that so?"

"Hah. What makes you think I have hopes of getting out of here? Do you think I'm that foolish?"

"No." Heaven shook her head. "I'd be very disappointed if you still didn't use your head after what happened. Still, I don't believe you."

"Believe whatever you want. I got no responsibility to prove anything to you."

"At the back of your head, you still cling on to a thin thread of hope," Heaven quickly pointed out in a knowing tone, making Andrea arch a brow. 

"Who are you to decide for me? Sure. I regret ever meeting you and dragging you into this mess. But you don't know me and thus, you don't have the right to tell me what to feel. Or are you that wicked to even want to control my emotions?"

"If you truly don't have hopes, then why didn't you snitch on me?" Heaven cocked her head to the side, intrigued. "If what you claim is true, then I will understand if you foolishly confessed. But I heard you kept your mouth shut even before you realized there was evidence against you."

Heaven slightly moved forward. "Good job. You're learning."

"Hah…" Andrea scoffed once again. "Do you think I need your praise? I kept my mouth shut because I know you already planned something to put a nail in my coffin. I don't want to make a fool out of myself."

"Very good."

"Shut it, will you?" Andrea clicked her tongue in irritation while Heaven chuckled.

"Anyway, it's true that I came here to make myself feel good in what state you are in. But there's another reason." Heaven cleared her throat, done with fooling around as she was entertained enough. "Do you want to have a better prison life?"

"Ha?"

"I am asking if you want to live a better life in this place," Heaven repeated in a knowing tone, watching how Andrea's eyes flickered with uncertainty. "Do you?"

Andrea held her breath as she looked at Heaven's meaningful gaze, telling herself not to fall to Heaven's tricks again. This might be another bluff. Something like giving her hope, only to take it away from her. At this point, Andrea learned how to be wary of Heaven and everything that would come out of the latter's mouth. 

But another part of her was telling why would Heaven do that? Just what would Heaven gain in bluffing? 

"Gosh. Look at you. Are you thinking I'm bluffing?" Heaven smiled subtly, giving whoever was watching her a different idea of what they were talking about. "Though I can be sick in the head and take pleasure in giving false hope, I had enough fun poking your nerves."

"What?" Andrea's face froze. "How did you…"

"It's written all over your face." Heaven shrugged. "But back to my question: do you want a better prison life? At this point, I don't think there's a need to doubt that I can't do that. My husband pampers me. All I need to do is massage him and whisper in his ear. He'll give me the moon if I only ask."

Andrea nervously held her hand, unable to look away from Heaven. She thought about it for a moment, considering her options, and she soon realized she had none. This opportunity might not come again and she had to live this hell until her last breath. 

"What's the catch?" Andrea huffed, a little calmer now. "I don't think you will offer something just because you feel like it."

"Come on, Miss Ng. You're making me look like a bad person."

"Stop playing." Andrea's face darkened. "What do you want in exchange? You already know all I want is to live a more tolerable life in this hell. I've learned my lesson and forgotten about revenge. I didn't even think about it for ages."

The corner of Heaven's lips curled up slightly. "That's what I want."

"Huh? What none sense are you spewing now?"

"For the past seventeen years, you didn't think of revenge for your parent's death," Heaven stressed, curious. "I'm curious about what truly pushed you to think of revenge. I doubt it's simply because your other foot is already in the grave and you think avenging your parents is the least you can do."

Her eyelids drooped as she dawdled over her next words. "If there's smoke, there's fire. And fire doesn't just start on its own. There is always a reason, a fuel... for instance?" 

"What fueled this idea? Or rather…" Heaven took a deliberate pause as she leaned forward. "Who fueled your delusions, Andrea Ng?"

Andrea stared at Heaven with wide eyes, thinking about Heaven's question. In all honesty, Andrea could confidently say she was all on her own. It was a one-man team. However, after hearing Heaven's questions, a memory resurfaced in her head, which was the last straw that pushed Andrea to come after Dominic Zhu. 

'I knew it.' Seeing Andrea's changing reaction, a layer of frost coated Heaven's eyes. Andrea didn't need to answer because Heaven already got it just by her reaction. 'Someone else was pulling the strings, and she… was nothing but an unwilling marionette, manipulated to do someone else's bidding.'

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