Chapter 1: The Mansion Under Siege

The thunderous crash of the heavy iron gates being forced open at our estate jolted me back to reality from my near-death experience.

I grabbed my panic-stricken mother, who was about to rush out to see what was happening, and pulled her into my bedroom.

After locking the door, I gasped for breath and urged Mom to help me push the heavy oak wardrobe against the door.

"Mia, what are you doing? We have security guards, what are you afraid of?" My mother, Marianne, looked at me in confusion, though she couldn't hide the terror in her eyes.

She didn't know yet that my brother, James, had taken all the bodyguards with him for his beloved girlfriend.

"Mom, James took all the security with him. It's just the two of us in the house now!" I gritted my teeth, using every ounce of strength to push the wardrobe.

The heavy oak made a spine-chilling scraping sound as it left deep scratches across the hardwood floor.

Marianne froze, unable to believe that my usually responsible brother would do something so reckless.

Given our family's wealth, security had always been a top priority. How could all the guards possibly leave at once?

But seeing my pale face, she had no choice but to believe me.

"Quick! Call your brother and tell him to come back immediately!" Marianne urged, her voice shaking.

I remained silent, eyes fixed on the door barely blocked by the wardrobe.

With trembling fingers, I dialed 911, briefly explaining our situation and address.

I couldn't trust James to be our first line of rescue, especially since in my previous life, he had returned too late, causing my mother to miss the critical treatment window and die.

After hanging up, my heart sank.

Recent heavy snowfall had blocked the roads, and our hillside estate was quite a distance from the nearest police station.

I dreaded to imagine what might happen before the police arrived...

"BANG!" A violent crash shook the door. I instinctively pressed my body against the wardrobe as fear rushed through me.

Just then, Marianne's call to James connected.

"James, come home quickly, there are... there are intruders in the house!" Marianne's voice broke with tears.

James's impatient voice came through the speaker, "Come on, Mom, stop making things up. I'm still waiting for the meteor shower with Michelle. I'll be back tomorrow."

"I'm not lying! There really are intruders! Come back quickly, or you'll be collecting our bodies!" Marianne practically screamed.

James's tone grew even colder, "I know you don't like Michelle, but there's no need to make up such stories to scare me."