Chapter 5

Ever since Skylar had been young, Viola had warned her that she shouldn't put the skills Viola had taught her to use before she got married. That was the case for the knowledge Skylar had learned from Viola's books as well. Viola had also told her not to disclose what she had learned to Janine. Otherwise, she would be in deep trouble. Back in Skylar's previous life, Christopher's mother, Amelia Campbell, had needed roughly one million dollars to cover the expenses for her kidney transplant. Unable to bear the sight of Christopher being distraught, Skylar had secretly helped someone restore a painting. She had gotten exactly one million dollars in return. A few days after that, she had gone shopping with Sadie. When she had seen a truck speeding toward them, she had shoved Sadie aside without thinking twice. That was how Skylar had ended up being paralyzed from the waist down. Fortunately, none of those events had yet to happen in Skylar's current life. She had not seen Viola again, not even before she had died in her past life. As Skylar read the letter Viola had left for her, she couldn't contain her emotions any longer. The sense of familiarity in Viola's handwriting made the flood of tears give way. Skylar learned from the letter that Viola had made one last divination. Viola had given the last of her fortune to Skylar, having predicted that Skylar would encounter a calamity in her life so great that it would probably kill her. She might not even live past three years. In the letter, Viola also said that if Skylar were reading this letter, it meant that she had survived that calamity, akin to the rebirth of a phoenix. Now, Skylar knew no limits but the skies. Finally, Viola told her that they would eventually meet someday. Their reunion wasn't supposed to be forced. When Skylar was young, she had wanted to learn divinations from Viola. Viola had turned her down, saying that it wasn't a gift to be able to read divinations. Though Skylar wasn't as skilled as Viola was, she could still sense whether certain antiques were auspicious or inauspicious. Later, she had focused more on Viola's books instead. "Oh, dear, Skye! Why are you crying? Is something wrong?" The sight of Skylar crying made Gloria's heart ache. For some reason, she felt awash in anguish whenever she saw Skylar's tears. Noting how aggrieved Skylar seemed, she was suddenly reminded of something. "Grandma, I'm fine. I just miss Grandma Viola too much." Skylar's tears subsided, and she smiled. She didn't want Gloria to worry. After a while, Gloria called Joe in secret while Skylar was in the bathroom. "You brat, did you give Skye a hard time at the courthouse today?" Joe was about to leave after completing his work. He was stunned by Gloria's question. "What did she tell you?" Gloria snorted. "She didn't say a thing. Have you forgotten how perceptive I am? I could tell she's upset." "It wasn't me." Joe strode toward the elevator, pressing his temples. What was Skylar trying to gain from Gloria? He thought she would abide by the terms of their agreement when they had registered for their marriage earlier. Now, it appeared that she was quite shrewd. A cold glint flashed across Joe's eyes. "It's better not be you! Come over and pick her up tonight. Remember the task I gave you—I need a great-grandchild as soon as possible," Gloria ordered before hanging up. Joe felt utterly helpless. Just as the elevator arrived, he noticed that Paul seemed disoriented. He had been distracted ever since he had dropped Skylar off at Pearlhall Residence. "What's wrong with you?" Joe asked. Sullenly, Paul produced the emerald charm, which was still on his neck. He told Joe about everything Skylar had said in front of the mansion. They were the only ones in the elevator. Paul asked, "Did I offend Ms. Williams in any sort? That would explain why she spooked me out. Such superstitiousness is absurd." It was just an emerald charm. How could Skylar possibly tell if it was looted from a dead person? Joe raised his eyebrows, and his expression hardened. He felt like Gloria had been tricked by Skylar. "Just ignore her," he said coldly. Paul nodded fervently. "Alright." He finally felt at ease after being in turmoil for an hour or two. Now that Joe had told him to ignore Skylar, he figured Skylar must have intended to frighten him. As he marveled at how valuable the charm was, he thought it would serve as a great family heirloom. He planned to pass it down through the generations of his family. The elevator descended to the first floor rapidly. Just as it reached the 30th floor, it suddenly shook violently. The lights in the elevator flickered thrice before returning to normal. They figured it was just a minor malfunction, but the elevator suddenly plummeted downward at an alarming speed. Even Joe, who was usually composed, seemed slightly perturbed. Paul's eyes widened. "Holy crap!" Was he going to die here today? The lights in the elevator completely died down. "Mr. Martin!" Paul shrieked in terror. Eerily, the elevator came to a sudden halt just as it was about to crash to the ground. The lights that had gone out earlier illuminated the entire elevator again, as if their earlier predicament had just been an illusion. Paul gulped. He belatedly realized he was sitting in the corner in a sorry state, whereas Joe seemed unscathed. His gaze seemed more intense than usual. After surviving the ordeal, he instinctively glanced down at the emerald charm resting on his neck. Damn, this was creepy! Pulling the charm off his neck, Paul scrutinized it. "Why do I feel like Ms. Williams wasn't joking with me?" Joe arched his brows. Not once had he ever indulged in such superstitious beliefs. He glanced up at the ceiling of the elevator and said, "Call the technicians over and have them thoroughly inspect and repair all the elevators in the building. The elevators must be usable tomorrow." "Alright!" As Joe strode out of the elevator, Paul remarked nervously, "Mr. Martin, could you help me ask Ms. WIlliams whether she was joking or not? Can I still wear this thing?" Paul would never have been this conflicted if it hadn't been for the incident earlier. Glancing over at the exquisite emerald charm in Paul's hands, Joe replied, "Wear it. It was just an accident earlier." He implied that Paul shouldn't give much heed to Skylar's advice. Paul thought Joe made a lot of sense. "I'll call the technicians now." He figured the entire technical support team would seemingly lose their bonuses. How could they trap Joe in the elevator and have him experience a terrifying ordeal? It seemed like they would have to pull an all-nighter to inspect all the elevators now. … When Joe arrived at Pearlhall Residence, he noted how delighted Gloria looked. She hadn't been particularly warm to him for the past few years, but she was now laughing heartily with Skylar as they watched a dating variety show on television.