Upon reaching her spacious room, Aliana walked straight into her walk-in closet.

Placing her purse aside, she slipped off her heels and began shedding her clothes one by one as she made her way towards the bathroom, which featured floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the city and the river beyond.

She turned on the tap, letting hot water fill the massive white bathtub, and added a few drops of essential oil along with bath bombs before slowly lowering herself into it.

Her grey eyes drifted to the glittering city below, and gradually, the tension that had built up over weeks began to ease.

Releasing a soft sigh, she sank deeper into the tub, letting the warmth envelop her before fully submerging herself beneath the water, holding her breath.

Beneath the water, she let her mind drift... until it inevitably found its way back to those icy blue eyes.

The moment they surfaced in her thoughts, she rose abruptly, breaking through the water as her hands ran through her damp hair, pushing it back while she drew in a sharp, much-needed breath.

Leaning her head against the edge of the bathtub, her gaze lifted to the ceiling, to the soft glow of the chandelier above, but her thoughts were far from calm.

’Just who are you...?’

"I’m certain I’ve never met you... yet why do you haunt my dreams?" she whispered, her voice laced with quiet frustration.

"I don’t even remember your face when I wake up... so why?" Her fingers curled slightly against the edge of the tub. "Why do I still feel like I need to see you again?"

Her chest rose and fell unevenly.

A soft, almost incredulous breath escaped her lips.

"Am I... going insane, Mr. Icy Blue Eyes?"

The question lingered in the silence.

It was the first time Aliana had ever admitted such a thing to herself.

Just then, her heart skipped a beat as memories of the night of her accident came rushing back.

Her eyes widened in realisation.

She had seen those eyes before she passed out, but she never got the chance to ask the most basic question to Levi. Her chauffeur, Levi, had been sent away by her father for some work.

With her schedule packed, only Nigel had been driving her around all this while.

At that thought, she emerged from the bath. Draining the tub, she stepped into the shower before wrapping herself in a bathrobe and walking out to her walk-in closet.

Not even bothering to dry herself properly, she quickly reached for her purse on the counter and dialled Nigel.

He picked up on the first ring. "Boss? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I wanted to check when Levi will be returning to duty," Ali asked.

There was an urgency in her voice that did not escape Nigel. "Tomorrow, boss. Why? I mean, if there is anything urgent, I can always help," he offered.

"No, I just wanted to speak to him once. But it’s fine. You can get back to whatever you were doing. I’ll see you tomorrow."

With that, she ended the call. Walking out of her walk-in closet, she tossed her phone onto the bed before letting herself sink into the softness of the mattress.

Releasing a sigh, she closed her eyes and murmured, "Ah, it feels good to be back."

She spread her arms and legs like a snow fairy before moving them up and down against the sheets. A smile began to form on her lips after a long time, at her own silliness.

Just as Ali opened her eyes again, a woman was peeking at her, hovering right above her.

"Oh, God!" Ali yelled, her reflexes kicking in.

Before she knew it, a punch landed squarely on the woman’s ghostly face.

"Ow!" the woman cried out in pain before tumbling back onto the floor.

The contact shocked them both.

Ali quickly scrambled back against the headboard with her eyes wide open, her wet hair sticking to her face, her lips parted as she stared at the ghost lady who rubbed her nose before she began to rise.

As the reality of the moment sank in, they both raised shaky fingers, pointing at one another and exclaimed in unison:

"Did you just punch me?"

"Did I just punch you?"

Silence settled between them as Ali swallowed, trying to steady her racing heart.

"H-how..." she whispered, utterly baffled.

Until now, every ghost she had encountered had either screamed at her, begged to be released, or wailed endlessly, leaving her with splitting headaches before vanishing after a while.

But this...this had never happened before.

For the longest time, Aliana had believed that perhaps the accident had damaged her brain, making her conjure such disturbing entities. But now, as the faint tingle of that punch lingered on her knuckles, reality began to settle in.

’Hang on! This is not happening!’ she thought, her heart hammering.

’What does this mean? Does it mean I’ve actually been seeing actual ghosts this whole time? And... ’ she paled as the thought progressed, ’if I can touch her, does that mean she can touch me?’

As the terrifying realisation took hold, she felt like she was about to collapse again. A cold shiver ran down her spine at the possibility of them being able to touch her...or worse, harm her.

Shaking her head in disbelief, she noticed the lady doing the same. That was when it clicked for Ali... this ghost was nothing like the ones she had encountered before.

This one looked almost like a living human, just... unnaturally pale. She did not have hollow black eyes. Instead, her eyes were white with faint pupils, slightly sunken, and her lips were dark. Yet, when looked at closely, she was not as terrifying as the others.

She appeared to be in her mid-forties. Her clothes were a blood-stained pink gown, and her platinum blonde hair was tied into a messy bun, as though she had been on her way to a party but somehow ended up rolling in dirt and blood.

As Ali studied the ghostly woman, a thought slipped past her lips before she could stop herself.

"You... I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?"

The woman finally snapped out of her shock.

She scoffed before crossing her arms.

"Finally, someone remembers me... even after my death," she replied in a dry voice. Then, a flicker of intrigue passed through her pale eyes. "Not to mention... someone who can see me."

Aliana’s heart began to gallop in her chest again upon hearing the ghost acknowledge her, responding as though they were simply having a normal conversation.

Her breath came out shaky as she gathered the courage to ask, "Who... who are you? And... why are you here?"

The woman’s smirk widened as she answered, "So, the young heiress actually remembers me."