She looked in the mirror, stretched her body, and smiled broadly.
"It turns out you are very beautiful… Even though you are not as beautiful as me, this is also okay," she continued praising her while holding her face, "But now it is all mine, so still leave Elena's old style and become Alice's cool style."
Elena began to dress up, coloring her face and styling her hair in a new style, far from the one her body owner usually showed her at home.
The very definition of waking from the dead, Elena's appearance now was one of bold, bold beauty.
"Everything is perfect, Elena. Beautiful face, popularity, perfect husband and son. Maybe this accident of yours is a blessing for me."
"I don't have to struggle to climb my career, find the love of a rich man, or give birth to a child. Everything is complete, I just have to fix the hole you always dig and cover it with good things,"
Elena smiled meaningfully at her new appearance. Along with fragments of the body owner's past, they automatically surfaced as she did each action. The memories stopped with poor Nathan, causing Elena's smile to fade.
"Poor child. How could a child be born for such a ridiculous reason? His father was obsessed with his mother's love, but his mother preferred her reputation. Damn. Your mom and dad are so selfish, son."
Alice felt pity for Elena' son, "But now everything will change, Nathan. Your mother will change because I am the one," she murmured again.
"And the first thing I will do is… go to the kitchen!"
***
"What the hell? What are you guys doing out here?" an old maid stood at a distance, frowning as she saw several of the kitchen cooks standing outside the kitchen as if watching something from their usual work area.
"Um, Madam…" one of the cooks scratched his head as the old woman called Madam Betty approached him, "That's because Mrs. Elena is in the kitchen. She is cooking."
"What?!" Madam Betty was shocked. The woman, older than Emma, was the head maid in this house.
All the servants had obeyed her orders, at least for the past five years, when Elena had paid no attention to the state of her household.
Hearing the mistress cook was like hearing the sun rise in the west. Her expression invited the chefs to make way for her, hinting at the kitchen situation where Elena was the only one present.
Madam Betty still couldn't believe it, so she rubbed her eyes, hoping she wasn't seeing things. But afterward, she found Elena still busy at the stove, even singing.
Madam Betty turned to the chefs, "This isn't a joke?" she asked ridiculously and of course all the chefs shook their heads quickly in equal astonishment.
The wrinkles on her forehead grew as she thought about something, "What is she thinking? Has she gone crazy from failing to die so often?"
The harsh murmurs weren't unusual, considering Elena's personality, which was never one to do anything in the kitchen. Forget about serving her husband and son, even Emma had to bring her food to the room and coax her mistress to eat.
"She must be planning something," Madam Betty thought, still suspicious. The butler began to slowly approach Elena. She had to know exactly what her mistress was up to.
In a cold, domineering tone, Madam Betty asked, "Mrs. Elena, what are you doing here?" she asked, which made Elena stop her movements of stirring the flour and chicken meat in the bowl.
"Then who are you? How dare you ask me questions like a boss?" Elena muttered angrily as she glared at Madam Betty. Seeing the old woman brought back memories of her.
"Your status is the same as Emma's, just different duties. But you're more arrogant, as if you're the master of the house," Elena's lips curled slightly as she looked at Madam Betty, "People like you are smart, but you're as cunning and slippery as an eel." She continued, sneering inwardly.
"Do I need two more eyes? Can't you see what I'm doing?" Elena asked, narrowing her eyes, "I'm making food for my son and husband," she said confidently.
Not only was Madam Betty shocked by Elena's pedantic remarks, but so were the chefs outside the kitchen. How could the diamond-like, cold, and indifferent mistress speak so long and sound so piercing?
However, for Madam Betty, Elena's words were an insult to her status as the maid. Her face tensed in annoyance, "But, Mrs. Elena, Mr. Luca and Nathan don't eat carelessly. So, let the chef do the cooking," she said firmly.
'Say that to Elena, not me!' Alice thought angrily.
She set her spatula down, making it clink against the bowl. "Okay." she said curtly.
'Is it that easy?' Mrs. Betty asked herself, confused. 'Yes, you are. You're just a worthless, expensive jewel.' she continued, sneering. But that sneer changed after hearing her mistress's words.
"I know my husband and son don't eat just anything, which is why Luca hires expensive chefs like them. But tell me, where is my fault for wanting to make food for my own husband and son? Who understands Luca and Nathan better than me?" Elena asked loudly.
Everyone's faces paled with fear. How could a woman who had been silent for the past five years be like this now? That was what everyone, including Madam Betty, was thinking.
"You are the ones who understand Mr. Luca and Nathan, Mrs. Elena," she replied, playing it safe, even though Elena could clearly see her reddened face from irritation.
"But I'm just afraid that you will hurt your soft hands. Since arriving here, you have never been to the kitchen, have you?" she continued, her tone scornful.
"Does that matter or is it mocking me?"
'Boom!'
One more sentence from Elena made everyone even more afraid. Like a bombshell of anger, everyone hoped to escape this situation. Madam Betty was speechless, unable to respond. Now the old woman lowered her head.
"Okay, I'm done here. You guys throw away the food I made for Luca and Nathan," she said as she walked past Madam Betty, "But I'll complain about this afternoon to my husband later," she continued, walking out of the kitchen with relaxed steps.
The hostess could feel Madam Betty's scornful and hateful gaze behind her, but again, she didn't care.
Alice Blackwell had lived for thirty years with many enemies' hatred until the end.
*
After leaving the kitchen, Alice went around the house. This was something she hadn't done since she married Luca Cole.
"This house is truly beautiful. That old lady really did a good job," she murmured, praising Madam Betty for her disciplined care of the house.
Well, at least that was the only good thing Elena's memory retained about the butler.
"But still, my house is bigger than this. It's just…" Alice smiled sincerely, "it's quieter here and I can call it home." She continued, savoring the memory of Elena preferring to stay at home.
She walked again, following where her feet and mind took her.
"Ah, what is this? A mini cinema?"
Again, she smiled as she recalled the memory of this unique room. The mini cinema had been their first wedding gift to Elena.
At that time, her husband said that he made the room especially for Elena so that his wife could watch films in peace, because he knew that Elena was friends with solitude.
"Even though your husband loves you this much, you still don't see a shred of good in him. You're such a jerk, Elena…" Alice complained to the owner of her body.
"Woah, what a huge collection of films! I definitely wouldn't be able to do it like this!" she exclaimed as her eyes lit up at the shelves of film cassettes Luca had provided.
Alice's soul was filled with joy. Watching movies had been her passion since childhood, but this enjoyable hobby wasn't always possible, given the constant presence of problems and enemies. She couldn't relax while watching the blockbusters of the day.
Aluce began using her fingers to sort out which movies to watch. Her fingers stopped on a row of shelves filled with discs of films her body had starred in.
"Come on, let me see how you act!" she exclaimed to herself and started playing the movie.
More than two hours had passed. Her tired eyes couldn't lie, as they were exhausted from witnessing the star's magnificent spectacle. A gentle smile spread across her face.
"You're a really cool actress. Your acting is great. If that's the case, I believe you were truly devastated after that steamy night with the man who became your husband."
"I'm sorry for judging your feelings, but at least your life was ruined by a good husband, Elena. It's a shame you didn't accept your fate and continued to ignore God's goodness through your husband."
"You don't understand the concept of life. When something doesn't go your way, it means God has a different path for you. So, be magnanimous. But you failed and hurt everyone along with you."