"I hid it in the locker at xx station."
She closes her eyes and waits for her death.
Morikawa takes a long look at her face. Even in the face of death, Hashimoto Chisa looks beautiful. For the last eight years, he has been with her. He admired her. She was promising. He saw her grow into a beautiful and capable woman. However, she had one flaw - her obsession with Umezaki Rie and Kamiyama Kiyohira.
Love, obsession, and her overconfidence have been the reason behind her demise.
On the other hand, Hashimoto Chisa doesn't regret her action. She had no one. She is still alone. Even her secretary has betrayed her. The man she loved also betrayed her. Does she care about living now? What is the use of power if Rie could have something that she can't?
A snicker escapes her mouth. She won't beg for life. She will meet her end gracefully.
"Morikawa, I don't have any regret."
"I will give you a proper burial." She hears him say emotionlessly.
Should she thank him for that?
"Pfft!" A woman snorts. "No regrets, huh?"
Chisa widens her eyes and looks at the third person in the room. When did she come inside like a ghost? Is it her ghost?
Morikawa is also shocked. Umezaki Rie is standing near the door. There's not a single wound on her body. The news about the fire at Kamiyama Mansion is still playing on the channel. How? The assassins should have got her.
He doesn't wait for her to respond. He turns the gun toward her. Before he can pull the trigger, a needle pierces his throat. Morikawa's body drops to the floor lifelessly. His eyes are still open, containing the shock of seeing Umezaki Rie.
Chisa opens her mouth wide. Morikawa is dead. Rie saunters toward her. "You must have regrets now."
"Rie!" Chisa tries to break free. She wants to kill Rie by her hands. "It's good that you didn't die. I will kill you now."
"Tsuchiya San, leave us alone."
"You want to kill me." Hashimoto Chisa sneers at her. "Kill me then. I have nothing to lose anymore."
"Nothing?" Rie walks to her. "Are you sure, Hashimoto Chisa? I guess you became like this after losing Kiyohira. His death isn't announced though."
She throws a glance at the TV screen with an unfeeling gaze. "He must have arrived after I left. I guess that he really cared about his younger brother and grandmother. You sent the assassins to kill me, but your lover might be possibly dead because of you. That must be painful."
Chisa looks at her with confusion. It flickers away in a second. Rie doesn't see it. Her eyes are fixed on the television.
Could it be that Umezaki Rie doesn't know? She gets the gist of the situation. Kiyohira must have acted alone. Umezaki Rie doesn't know anything.
"I wanted to remove you completely." Hashimoto Chisa smiles at her proudly. "It was his plan actually. We have had enough of you. So, he raised the security and made it look like he was protecting you. I sent those assassins. The original plan was to kill you only. Things went wrong. However, I didn't think that I would get betrayed by Morikawa. My empire is destroyed by Morikawa and he changed my orders too. Then, Morikawa brought me here to kill me. I am ready to die. Because of you, Kiyohira might be dead."
Even until the end, she will make Rie think that Kiyohira chose her over Rie.
"Such deep love," Rie mumbles with bored eyes. Chisa is surprised to see that she's not hurt or disturbed by her words. There's no shock or doubt. It's like it got nothing to do with her.
"Kill me. I want to unite with my Kiyohira." Chisa is aware that death is waiting for her in one way or another. The people from the underground world might find her and kill her. The cops are looking for her and there's only death penalty waiting for her. Then, she would rather die here. "Don't you want revenge for what we did to you? You should kill me anyway."
"I was thinking of sending both of you to the grave." Rie's voice is light as if she's talking about the weather. "Then, I was planning to kill myself. It was typical. The wife killed the mistress and her husband. So, I changed my mind. I don't think that Kamiyama Kiyohira loved anyone. He's a type of man who would tell you that he loved you and leave home to f.u.c.k another woman. Maybe he did want you as his wife since both of you are good at keeping the facade. I admit that you would have been perfect his wife for him. Both of you belong to the same dump."
Chisa is laughing internally. Kiyohira is most likely dead. Even if he isn't, he will never get to be with Rie. In one way or another, she will be the winner.
"You are different, Hashimoto Chisa." Rie suddenly smiles. "You do not fear death. You would rather die in my hands than live in humiliation. That makes me sad. If you feared death, you would not be going through what I have planned for you now."
"What are you going to do?" Chisa looks afraid. "Rie, you still hold kindness in your heart after what I did to you? Pick that gun and shoot me. I dare you to shoot me."
Rie picks up the gun. The cold metal is soothing. It feels good to hold it. The power to take away life is in her hands.
"I don't think that you have the ability to shoot me." Chisa mocks her. "Kill me. Show me that you are not the same miserable girl you used to be."
Not blinking her eyes once, Rie pulls the trigger.