CHAPTER 21

"What did you do?" I asked him, confused.

My heart was pounding, and my palms were sweaty because of what was happening. The barrio where I came from—Vallosian—was small, so I'm sure my family had already heard the news that I was dead.

"I did that because you no longer need to use your identity as Sarah," he replied seriously.

"There are many other ways you could have done that. I'm sure my family has already heard the news," I said to him, on the verge of tears.

He should have at least told me about this plan instead of surprising me like this. At least I could have prepared myself. I could barely chew or swallow the food I was eating because of what I heard.

Atlas continued to watch the large TV until a different reporter began speaking. The woman had finished reporting on the burned Zevallos company.

"Don't worry, your mom won't find out that I'm the one sponsoring all the expenses for the funeral until the day of your burial, they won't have to spend any money. If you want to watch your own burial, I can accompany you."

I let out a sigh and fought back the tears that wanted to fall down my cheeks. It was over... He had declared me dead. I could no longer just leave because other people now knew I was no longer alive.

"I already planned this, Sarah. There's nothing you can do about it. You no longer need the identity of Sarah Dayanghirang. I didn't tell you my plan because I knew you wouldn't agree, but you don't have a choice because I'm going to do it anyway. Making it look like you're dead is the easiest thing I've done to quickly finish my plan. Once I make it seem like you're dead, after a few days, months, or years, they will eventually forget about you."

He stood up from his seat and turned off the TV. He went to the minibar near the hallway leading to his office and poured himself a drink. I just stared at him, speechless.

"There's nothing they can do once your family finds out you're dead. They will just have to accept that you're gone, that you're dead. There won't be any other explanation because your dead body will be the evidence," he took a sip from his glass while looking at me.

I quickly wiped away my tears and looked away from him. I filled my glass with iced tea and quickly drank from it to shift my attention to something else and not my emotions.

"And when something is lost, something else takes its place, right? That's how everything is, Sarah."

"W-what about the body you used? What happened to it?" I asked him while stuttering. My voice was hoarse from holding back tears.

"I paid the family of the owner of the body we used to make it look like it was you," he replied.

My jaw dropped at his answer. When I tried to look at him, I almost fell off my seat when I saw that he was already behind the sofa. He was looking down at me, still serious.

I couldn't hide my reaction to him anymore. I knew he saw it, so what was the point of hiding it?

"Nowadays, if you have a lot of money, you can do whatever you want in no time, Sarah. So don't be surprised by what we're going to do, especially now that you're working for me and for our organization."

I turned my gaze to my plate and tried to eat, but I felt like I had lost my appetite. Eventually, I returned the barely touched food to the center table.

I felt him put his hand on my shoulder and pat it gently a few times.

"Sarah Dayanghirang is already dead. The processing of your data in our organization's system is almost complete. My calculations about everything that's happening now are correct. Once your training has finished, I can say that your new identity has been created. When that happens, you'll be known as Valentina Imara Meadows and not Sarah Dayanghirang," he said, which made my ears ring.

"Valentina Imara Meadows?" I asked him unconsciously, turning to look up at him because he was still standing behind me with his hand still on my shoulder.

"Yes," he replied curtly.

I didn't know how to react. Valentina Imara Meadows... It sounded nice. The name gave off a clean, classy, and, above all, alluring vibe.

"Ria also mentioned to me that you want to change yourself... that you want to have plastic surgery. I can help you with what you want to do with yourself, Sarah."

I felt him cup my chin and turn me towards the full-length mirror in front of us. He leaned down, his face level with mine, as we both stared at our reflections.

"I will help you change yourself. You will get to decide what you want to do. Just let me know. Create Valentina Imara into what you want her to be, and she's all yours."

I don't know why I feel this way. It's as if there's a spark in my chest when I hear that he'll help me get plastic surgery. Why am I happy? Is this right? It feels like I'm so close to achieving my dream of getting a makeover.

When that happens, I think I'll be the most beautiful woman. I'll be beautiful... I won't be ugly anymore. I feel like I'll be the perfect woman once I get plastic surgery. There's something tickling my stomach because of that. I'm excited.

"Where will I train, Atlas?" I asked softly, still staring at the mirror, and so was he. "Here in the warehouse too?"

A smile crept onto his lips. He straightened up and patted my head lightly.

"We're going to Mexico."

I turned to him quickly at his words.

"M-Mexico?" I asked him, stuttering in surprise.

"Yes."

I've never been there. I have a passport, but if he had told me earlier, I might have already processed my visa for our trip—

"After they bury your dead body, we're going to Mexico. And if you're thinking about all the travel needs, that's all taken care of, so you don't need to worry about anything else," he replied, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

It's clear that everything here is illegal. I guess I'll just have to go with the flow.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

A few weeks later...

Atlas and I stood under a large tree, watching my family at my gravesite. My mom, Hernand, Hillary, and my youngest sibling, Hitsy. My fake body had been buried underground, and Atlas and I didn't approach any closer, and still remain in our spot. We were both dressed in black, wearing dark sunglasses. I wore a black puff-sleeve dress, while Atlas was in a black polo shirt tucked into black pants.

I watched a man pretending to be a lawyer hand over the first payment I'd earned from Atlas for my first mission. We had agreed to give it to my mother. The check was for a large amount of money. The sum was staggering, but I think it was enough to renovate our house. In fact, I think it might even be enough to build a small grocery store.

"Mrs. Pajarilla, please accept my deepest condolences on the loss of your daughter. Someone processed your daughter's money, and we discovered that your daughter had a huge sum of money. You can withdraw it from a bank near Austria City. They processed it since you are your daughter's beneficiary. Since she is no longer alive, the money she had will be transferred to you."

We could hear what Atlas' man was saying because we were wearing earpieces. I could also see what they were doing in front of my grave. I saw how my mother froze where she stood at the man's words.

"This is a lot of money?" my mother asked, her voice hoarse and filled with tears.

Unconsciously, I clutched my chest as it tightened. She cried? What did that mean? Did she love me? Wasn't she angry with me anymore? So many questions were flooding my mind, and I wanted to ask her everything.

"Yes, Mrs. Pajarilla."

They continued to talk until the man was about to leave. But my mother stopped him with another question.

"It's impossible for her to save up this much money. All she told me about her job was that she was an assistant, but that's all. Do you know anything about it?" my mother asked.

I felt like I was suffocating, struggling with what was happening. Her tone of voice now was different from when she used to see me or be with me at home. Why was her voice so soft?

"That's too confidential, Mrs. Pajarilla. I was only instructed to give this to you, and that's my job. I'll be going now. My condolences again," the man replied.

It was a good thing I was wearing shades so I could hide my tears as I watched my mother, who I now knew was crying again while looking at my grave. I could see her wiping her eyes.

We waited for a few hours, standing under the tree until my family left. Atlas and I were going to visit my own grave for the last time because we were leaving for Mexico.

"How are you feeling?" Atlas suddenly asked.

I sat down on my knees, stroking my own tombstone. I gave a bitter smile as I continued what I was doing.

"I don't know, Atlas. I feel numb," I replied.

The tears that wanted to fall from my cheeks had stopped. I was numb. Why was that? I couldn't understand myself. I was standing in front of my own grave, and I felt a strange sense of peace. At first, I was worried about my mother when I found out Atlas had faked my death, but now I felt nothing.

I knew they would be able to live comfortably with the money I left behind. And I would continue sending them money as long as I worked here.

"My emotions are all over the place right now," I said softly. "I'm really dead, and here's the proof right in front of us. There's no escape. So what else can I do?"

I looked up at him. He was standing there with his arms crossed while looking down at me.

"I hope you won't disappoint me with your promise to me. I'll do everything you want. I still owe you a lot because if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have graduated."

"I know you're obedient, Sarah."

I turned back to my tombstone. I stroked it and ran my finger along my name engraved on the marble headstone. Silence enveloped us as I stared at my own grave.

"It's already time. Let's go to the van," I heard Atlas say.

I simply nodded and stroked the tombstone one last time. This was the first and last time I would see my own grave.

Sarah Dayanghirang.

I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. You're dead, Sarah. You no longer exist in this world. Because the new you is about to arrive. In a short time, you'll be a different woman...

"And I'm glad this happened because a new version of you will be created soon, Sarah," I whispered to my own tombstone. "Thank you for not existing anymore, but don't worry, this is for us. This is for our dreams."

I blinked several times as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I stood up and adjusted my dress. Once again, I felt numb. Emotionlessly, I looked at my grave and turned away.

"Let's go, Atlas."

SHANGPU