Chapter 1

Colette sat on the couch alone in the empty villa. She waited and waited until the villa doors finally flung open. James Zeller marched in. He visibly paused when he noticed her presence. His expression immediately fell. "Sophie is running a fever today. Why did you keep spamming me with calls?" Colette rose from the couch, still keeping her head low without a word. James stood there in silence. Moments later, Colette finally whispered, "I needed to reach you." "What was the matter? You look fine and dandy. What could have happened to you?" James refused to accept her explanation. Instead, his demeanor grew colder. "Didn't I tell you Sophie was unwell? I had to spend all day by her side. Why did you have to do this to me on purpose? Colette Anderson, I warned you not to have romantic feelings for me. I'm like an uncle to you; we can never be together! "You need to move out if you keep doing this to me!" After dressing her down, James stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door shut. Colette stood in the same spot, watching as he made his way upstairs. She whispered, "Uncle James, I'm sorry. But there won't be a next time because I'm dead." James missed her whisper, but she did not mind. She settled down on the couch and couldn't help thinking of the past. James was not her uncle; he was a friend of her dad. She loved hanging around James from a young age, and she treated him like an older brother. Every time, he had to patiently correct her, "Hey, I'm more like an uncle than a brother to you!" When Colette was eight years old, she lost her parents in a car accident. It was at that time she finally regarded James as her uncle. James took her in to live with him. He raised her with utmost care like growing a delicate rose, and he poured all his love into her. At first, when Colette felt anxious and lost sleep over her new living arrangements, James would patiently put her to sleep while working late into the night. As she was weak and frail, she had to take a lot of medicine. The Zellers were unhappy at James' decision to raise the sickly Colette, and they requested that he send her away. Refusing to send Colette away, James decided to leave his family and start a business of his own. His tense relationship with his family finally relaxed after the SQ Group that he founded rivaled the scale of Zeller Group's operations. When Colette was 15, she nearly lost her life in a landslide during a school trip. It was James who went deep into the dangerous mountains and rescued her. James would give her what she wanted without hesitation ever since she was a kid. A particular incident left a strong impression on Colette. The year her parents passed away, she was exceptionally weak and sick. Once, she ran a high fever and had to be hospitalized. It took her three days to regain consciousness. When she woke up, she hugged James in tears. Sobbing fearfully, she asked him, "Uncle James, am I dying?" He said to her, "Lettie, no one can take you away from me without my consent. Even if the Grim Reaper takes you, I'll fight him to get you back." James kept his word, as he protected Colette for ten long years until she turned legal at 18. He had never abandoned her no matter how tough his circumstances were. However, on this day when Colette was stabbed in a home robbery, she called James repeatedly for help, only to be hung up on. He was busy taking care of a feverish Sophie Egan. Sophie showed up in their lives three months ago. On one fateful day, Colette quietly kissed James in his sleep, waking him up in the process. He stirred awake and confronted her about it. Since James had found out about her feelings, she openly confessed her love to him. Bewildered, James sternly rejected her confession. He even went on multiple blind dates to force her into giving up. Finally, he brought Sophie Egan home and acted lovey-dovey with her in front of Colette. When Colette was dying, she recalled Sophie picking up one of her many calls to James. Before Colette could ask for help, Sophie cooed, "Hey, Colette. What's the matter? James is too busy making soup for me to take your calls." Without wasting time, Sophie ended the call. Colette took her last breath when Sophie hung up on her. After Colette passed, her soul was saddled with resentment. Sensing her aggrievement, the Grim Reaper approached her, and she struck a deal with him. In exchange for seven more days in the mortal realm to take care of funeral matters, she gave up on a chance to be reborn. Colette walked up to the calendar. If James had paid any attention to the calendar, he would find that there were only seven days printed on it. She tore a page off the calendar before whispering, "Uncle James, this is the first day of my farewell."