“So you knew?” - Ace is sitting on the ground beside Lin, stroking her hair, as she lies in her lap – “Well, I figured you knew when you vanished a year ago. You have no idea how furious I was with you.”

“I got scared. I apologize for my weakness,” - Lin tries to extend her arm and touch her face, still smiling. - “Who else could a hitman be fooled by? An absolutely charming killer.” - with tears building up in her eyes, she murmurs her final words, speaking barely loud enough for Ace to hear, - “I love you, Hanako.” – Lin's hand falls away never reaching Ace.

"I love you too, Lin. You were my favorite." - She kisses Lin's lips that are no longer moving, - "But not favorite enough.”

“Hanako, don't stand by the side of the road; it's dangerous.” - A woman in an asphalt-colored dress is standing at the entrance to a mudhouse with her hand outstretched to beckon for Hanako to come in.

“Of course, mother.” — a seven-year-old agrees. Hanako is wearing a dress that isn't very nice but isn't terrible. She's holding a rabbit with two mismatching buttons instead of eyes and looking over the partially obscuring view bridge at a steam metropolis lit by tall buildings shining in the night air. She turns around and rushes toward her mother.

“It was just a dream. Wait, where's Lin?” - gets up from the bed and checks the bathroom and kitchen before stopping in the living room: “Where are all of the screens and equipment? And... The bike is missing... Don't tell me she knows about me..." - Pacing slowly back to the bedroom, she drops full body weight on the mattress. Crumpling the only remaining note in her hand: “Stop dating jerks,” Ace furiously comments - “Argh! Seriously! I AM the jerk! Why do you have to defend me? Especially if you discovered the truth about me?"

"Oof... That's inconvenient. Lin, you are my favorite toy and I can't just let you go like that.” – She rolls from side to side on the bed as an idea lights up her mood - “Bingo! There is a guy out there who is even more insane when it comes to ownership issues than I am. He should be quite helpful!” – leaps off the bed and onto the floor – “Okay, I'll need a laptop. There's a work to be done, and only a few closed parties invite to be hacked.”

Ace glances at her reflection as she passes a mirror on the way to the private party for the upper echelons of society. The stunning woman in a silver-colored, glittering dress with a scandalous split that reveals most of her nearly naked body looks back at her from the mirror. On purpose, she has draped an expensive white fur scarf over her shoulders, providing a provocative peek at the exposed back. She’s looking at that woman and can barely recognize Hanako in herself. In fact, Hanako no longer exists; all that remains is Ace. The one who lost her parents in a vehicle accident. The one who has no recollection of her past life before the accident. The one who had the opportunity to study, dress, and eat whatever she wanted. The one who swims in attention while changing partners as shoes to match her evening dress for the night. However, can it all be Hanako’s doing? That starving little Hanako? So hungry that she can't get enough of the world's riches? So hungry that all she feels is a bottomless pit demanding more. More money, more affection, more emotions, more adrenaline, more of everything else that others have. It must be taken. It must be hers.

The hungry Hanako was born into a family that was lacking in resources. Her family had endured centuries of poverty, which was consuming her too. She gazed at the bridge that separated her from a more prosperous and leisure life for hours on end. Then, when a vehicle smashed down that bridge one night, she ran to it instantly. The pitch-black car, as the night was that day, was severely damaged upon inspection. It's evident no one could survive such an impact. Little Hanako couldn't resist curiosity, so she took a corpse of a girl out of the car. When her mother got to the scene, Hanako had already put on the blood-soaked girl's dress. She appeared delighted to wear the blue raggedy garment. A little girl's body was left lying next to the wrecked vehicle, covered in mud. Hanako's mother searched for survivors; unaware, she found documents belonging to her employers' family - a family of mother, father, and a daughter who had perished together in their car.

“Mother,” said Hanako grabbing her hand – “you know these people, right?”

The young woman still couldn't decide how to react to Hanako's doing and responded simply – "Yes, I know. They are the owners of the factory where I work."

“So, there are other children in this family who were not in the car?” - asked Hanako.

"No," - she replied starting to walk toward home - "I don't believe so —"

“Then I have a plan, but I need your help, mother. Would you help me?” Hanako interrupted pulling her hand back again.

Her mother was startled in fear by what Hanako was about to say. Whether she wanted to accept it or not, she knew her daughter. She knew how obsessed Hanako was with the notion of living another life. She seldom referred to her as "mummy" and directed her by name in public to conceal the relationship between them. Nonetheless, despite the fact that her mother adored her with all of her heart, this love wasn't enough for Hanako, and she recognized it.

“Mother, that girl looks almost like me. I am actually a better version of her. I need your help to remain a better version of her!” - She gazed at her mother with bright eyes brimming with hope - “Mother, they're all gone. If I take her place, nothing will happen, right? Nobody would notice if I did it.”

“No! People may find out and this is nonsense! I am not going to do it!”

Hanako tugged her mother's sleeve, forcing her to bend over and make eye contact with the youngster. The forgotten valley's unexpected clang of a not-childish slap rang out - "Pull yourself together, mother! I'm not going to miss my chance because of your silly feelings. You are with me in this and, it's not a request; otherwise, I'd inform the cops that your daughter died as a result of the accident under the bridge. I'll tell them you tried to conceal me from the authorities and kept referring to me as your daughter. ” - She released her mother's arm - "I need your assistance in burning this car and hiding that girl's body someplace. There should be no reason for anyone to raise an eyebrow."

Her mother watched the departing little girl. The child she loved and feared. Her bright and avaricious little girl. She was certain that Hanako had it in her power to do so. She was sure if she didn't assist, Hanako would take matters into her own hands, and she would most certainly have few plans in her brilliant little head on how to make it happen the way she desired it to be done. Despite always knowing that Hanako would depart one day, it happened much sooner than anticipated. The mother made peace with this notion and went after a gasoline canister they'd kept for burning rubbish to keep warm during the winter months.

The couple burned the car and hid the remains of the girl beneath their home. Hanako played her role as the survivor with lost memories when cops arrived. The same facts were supplied by the unknown woman identified as Hanako's mother. Ace, who was previously known as Hanako, had wounds that matched the blood on her apparel, scratches on her face, and a dislocated shoulder. Everything was meticulously planned by Hanako herself. After the police played a critical role as witnesses, she could now start her being an orphan in a wealthy-enough family where she might fulfill her aspirations. Or so she believed.

The girl, Hanako, died from a fatal disease just a week after the accident. Nobody suspected anything since Hanako didn't have any identification papers. They were too costly. It was regular practice to get identification documents for children once they started school since the government was waiving some documentation fees in favor of hefty tuition bills. Furthermore, hunger, illness, cold, and poverty caused half of the children born after the bridge to pass away. Those children are destined to follow in their parents' footsteps and transmit the same fate as them as a legacy. Therefore, nobody ever asked why Hanako died.

As she sits at the bar, Ace is playing with the rose at the bottom of her glass. She understands that everyone stares at her, but the person of interest has not yet arrived. She takes out a cigarette as someone beside her lights it up right away. She doesn't look at him; she isn't interested. When she looks back over, murmuring "Annoying," she sees a huge splash of a figure sitting on the sofa at the opposite end of the room.

“Excuse me,” says a young man in his 30s, attempting to divert her attention - “Are you waiting for someone?” - he signs a bartender to serve them drinks.

Ace skips a glance at the guy reclining on the seat next to her, apparently missing out on his appearance - “Perhaps.” - then directs her attention back to the guy at the other end of the room.

“Perhaps?” - the man next to her doesn't give up hope - “Could it be me?” - he muses out loud.

A man in a black suit approaches Ace and invites her to join the other party at their table. - “Perhaps not.” - She replies with a soft smile, and after that leaves with the man in black.

The object of her interest is a famous businessman who owns a chain of hotels all over the world. It's not, however, what makes him wealthy. In the region, he sponsors a criminal gang that among other things operates in human trafficking. He always receives the greatest "specimens," as he calls them, in return. He is as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside, and too possessive for his looks. He considers his 'specimens' to be slaves in the owner's hands. If he perceives some behavior as unappealing, he will not allow them to eat or drink for days. He may lock them in a dark room for days before getting tired of playing with them and then discard them. Discard as in the "disappear permanently" term.

Ace knew how possessive he was and knew that he wouldn't be able to tell the little gang of his to kill her. Because of her family connections, he wouldn't be able to get away with murdering her using any lead tracing back to him. He'd need to hire the finest assassin available in order to do it. The one who fled from her grasp and left her feeling empty inside.

Ace needed this toad. He was a key piece on her chessboard. He had a lot of money. People are frequently careless around her. They trust in the performance she puts on and immediately fall into her web. Toad was no different. He wasn't expecting Ace to be a skilled hacker, so it was simple to gain access to all of his accounts, and passwords, and change them simultaneously at the moment of his death, even though everything appeared to be perfect. One thing was still lacking, despite the fact that everything appeared fine.

“Argh! How can I get a new ID?” - Ace is walking back and forth in the room. “I tried everything imaginable, but hacking the system would take too long; before I could obtain the new ID, I'd be dead by the gang.” - She throws herself down on the bed. “He will contact Lin soon. I need an answer for a new identity as quickly as possible— ”

"Ace, honey," the toad's voice comes from the other side of the door.

"I'm almost done, sweetie. You may go down and join in the fun. I'll come in a minute." - She replies with a voice as soft as butter.

Every other week, the toad throws a closed gathering in one of his hotels. Those parties attract a broad range of people, many of whom are unpleasant. Ace is roaming among the crowd while playing the part of the host, mistakenly overhearing a solution to her long-standing concern.

"I went to all lengths I could. You know it can't go back to me in any way," - an irritated man's voice murmured quietly. - "I must acquire this firm. I am the rightful heir of it. He's just my cousin, a nobody."

"That's true, but you can't refuse that he's a young genius," - said the voice of another man whom Ace can't recognize. - "After he started working there, your family business skyrocketed."

"If he wants to start his own business, he can do so," - said the man. - "I busted my ass to own this business for the past 10 years, not for Gail."

“Shh. People might hear you,” - the guy warned.

"Wait, Gail? You're referring to Gail from "Gail Corporation"? This can't be a coincidence. I've heard of a young talent who created an ultimate virtual assistant and is doing very well in the new technology area. Ah, yes. He was thinking of leaving the firm and starting his own, but the owners of the company persuaded him to stay by renaming 'Eleven Corporation' to 'Gail Corporation.'" - Ace is talking to herself. - "Wait! Isn't it he who created the new system for the identification department? And his cousin is in need of an assassin, right?" - Smirking, she enters the room where the two men were having their conversation and joins in.

Ace is standing next to the road, smoking a cigarette and looking at the burning house. She is wearing Lin's clothing and leaning on Lin's motorbike. Looking at the fire causes one tear to fall and dry halfway down her cheek. For some reason, she remembers the time when she and Lin were together.

“Hm. This is new.” - removes the helmet from the handle - “I didn't know I was capable of feeling grief. It appears that I cared about you more than I thought, Lin.” - She gets on the bike, puts out her cigarette in the fire, and places the helmet on - “Only time will tell if I've made a mistake, Lin.”