Rotten Rose

Synopsis

"Are you certain you wish to permanently erase all personal records? Once processed, you will vanish entirely from this world--no identity, no trace, no proof you ever existed." Staring at the woman in her early twenties submitting an identity erasure application, the clerk could hardly conceal his astonishment. Zoe Hart nodded, her voice soft yet unwavering. "I am certain." At her reply, the clerk stamped the documents. "The erasure process will take approximately fifteen days. Please wait patiently." She turned and left the Civic Identity Bureau without another word. Outside, she tapped a few commands into her phone; moments later, a flight confirmation arrived from the airline. With arrangements settled, she called a taxi back to the manor. The car wound toward the exclusive residential estates, stopping where taxis could go no further. She was not far from Jarin Voss's manor, so she stepped out and walked slowly forward. Before long, her gaze fixed on a Maybach parked along the roadside. The car shuddered violently with unmistakable, indecent movement. The window was rolled halfway down, revealing a man and a woman inside. The handsome man leaned back, lighting a cigarette, his suit jacket casually unbuttoned. One hand pressed the woman's waist in rhythmic motion; the other dangled out the window, stubbing out