She is a natural disaster.

Chapter 35 Ghostly Rumors

Theaters are often accident hotspots.

Half a century ago, the mayor who was trying to maintain the unity of the new and old city was assassinated in a theater box, shot eight times.

During the period when duels were prevalent, the theater also experienced its fair share of bloodshed, with the sons of the powerful and wealthy frequently engaging in duels after performances to display their prowess.

In addition, murders frequently occur in theaters, some of which remain unsolved cases. The police and even the security bureau are helpless, unable to find any clues about the murderers, let alone catch them.

Despite the theater's bad reputation and ominous signs, Anastasia and Mike decided to go to the theater to see the performance.

Since we've decided to go out, the more high-profile the better, and the theater just happens to be a high-profile place.

The tram stopped at a station near the Vanessa Theatre. Anastasia and her two companions got off the tram, turned the corner, and headed towards the neon-lit theatre across the street.

At this time, there was still some time before the performance started, but the theater entrance was already crowded with audience members who came to watch the show.

Young Master Montague naturally didn't have to wait in line like ordinary people. He had his own private box at the Vanessa Grand Theatre and could directly enter the theatre through the VIP entrance.

As soon as Mike stepped onto the stone steps in front of the theater, a waiter came up to greet him and led the three of them into the theater.

The Vanessa Theatre is extremely luxurious, both in its exterior architecture and interior decoration; even the air smells of gold crowns.

"Anatasia, do you know who Vanessa is?" Mike asked.

Anastasia shook her head, a rare occurrence for her.

"Vanessa was once Gloria’s most dazzling soprano, and this theater is named after her."

Seeing that Anastasia didn't know who Vanessa was, Mike quickly started showing off, as he had suffered quite a few setbacks at Anastasia's hands recently.

"It's said," Mike continued, showing off, "that the person who taught Vanessa singing techniques was her manservant, who was madly in love with Vanessa and wanted to help her become the most famous singer."

Anastasia didn't respond or offer any comment; she felt a sense of familiarity with the beginning of the story.

At this point, Jolina took over and continued telling Vanessa's story.

"Although Vanessa became the most dazzling soprano with the help of her male servant, Vanessa didn't like her male servant at all because he was poor and ugly."

Anastasia nodded. Vanessa's actions were understandable. There were many ways to repay a man's kindness, and repaying him with one's body was just one of them.

"Vanessa fell hopelessly in love with a nobleman who could give her everything she wanted," Jolina continued. "Just as Vanessa and the nobleman were falling in love, the man who taught Vanessa to sing died."

Jolina stopped talking and looked at Anastasia, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Miss Angel, guess how that man died?" Jolina asked.

"Vanessa killed her man," Anastasia said decisively, without even thinking.

Mike, feeling bored, complained, "Why do you always think the worst of people? Couldn't that man have died of natural causes? Did Vanessa have to be the one to kill him?"

"When you assume the worst about a person or an event, you won't be disappointed no matter how things turn out," Anastasia said, who always assumes the worst about people and things.

If you have no expectations, you won't be disappointed.

Anastasia's twisted logic left Mike stunned, convinced that Anastasia must have suffered unspeakable trauma in the past.

Driven by emotion rather than reason, Jolena remained silent. She looked at Anastasia, who appeared calm and composed. Jolena and Mike shared the same thought: she also felt that Anastasia must have experienced tremendous trauma.

In fact, Anastasia was not sure if she had experienced any unspeakable harm; she was just habitually on guard against everything.

After all, the City of Glory was a completely unfamiliar place to her.

Led by a waiter, the three of them ascended the stairs leading to the private room. The floor where the private room was located was even more extravagant; words like "golden and magnificent" were insufficient to describe its opulence.

"Vanessa's story isn't finished yet," Anastasia said casually, looking around. "Telling a story only halfway through isn't a good habit; it's cursed."

Urged on by Anastasia, Mike had no choice but to finish telling Vanessa's story.

"After the manservant died, the nobleman funded the construction of a theater for Vanessa in the new city, which is the theater we are in now."

The waiter leading the way acted as if he hadn't heard anything, showing no reaction whatsoever, and let Mike continue telling the story of Vanessa and the Vanessa Grand Theatre.

"On the day the theater opened, it was a huge success, with tickets in high demand. Vanessa's performance was supposed to be a great success—"

At this point, Jolena interrupted Mike's narration once again. She seemed to have no liking for Vanessa in the story, and could even be described as disgust.

"Vanessa's performance was very good, but she didn't finish," Jolena said. "The chandelier on stage suddenly fell and killed Vanessa on the spot."

The story did indeed feel familiar to Anastasia; it was as if she had heard a similar story somewhere before.

“Since then,” Mike continued, “there have been rumors of Vanessa’s theater being haunted, with people saying they’ve seen Vanessa’s ghost on stage at midnight.”

Only then did the waiter who was leading the way finally react. He swayed slightly, but only for a moment, and then continued to lead the way.

On the surface, the Vanessa Theatre doesn't seem to mind guests discussing Vanessa's death or the ghost stories circulating in the theatre.

“What’s even more horrifying,” Mike continued, “is that since Vanessa’s death, there have been frequent stage accidents at the theater, killing several actresses, including opera singers and ballet dancers… in short, all of them were women.”

The most dazzling soprano, Vanessa, died in a stage accident, and opera and ballet actresses also frequently died in stage accidents. As a result, the rumors of the Vanessa Grand Theatre being haunted intensified, and people believed that the ghosts of the male servants had returned to take revenge and kill those snobbish actresses.

As Anastasia listened to the story, she gradually realized that the direction the story was taking was exactly as people expected.

A materialistic actress, a wealthy young man who steals her love, and a male servant who dies a violent death—the love, hate, and grudges between these three fulfill all the needs of the story. Add to that the universally loved element of revenge, and it's no wonder that the rumors of the Vanessa Theatre being haunted have endured for so long.

"Mr. Montague, ladies, your private box has arrived."

The waiter leading the way stopped in front of the private room, bowed, and extended an arm in a "please" gesture.

Mike's private box looked much like the other boxes. A luxurious velvet curtain hung in front of the box, and inside there were sofas and tables, with all the necessary amenities.

The private booth was right in front of them, but Mike didn't go in. Instead, he gave the waiter a wink, and the waiter immediately understood.

The waiter looked respectfully at Anastasia and said, "If this beautiful lady would like, Box Seven in the theater is available, and the view from that box is just as good."

Anastasia glanced at Mike. She didn't know much about the Vanessa Theatre, but she knew Mike fairly well. This kid was definitely up to no good.

"No need, thank you for your recommendation." Anastasia declined Mike's prank.

Mike, whose perverse sense of humor had not been satisfied, waved to the waiter, who bowed again and left.

"Although there were frequent stage accidents in the early days of the theater, those actresses didn't actually die; they were just injured," Mike said. "Only in Box Seven did someone actually die."

With that, Mike lifted the curtain and went into the private room first.

Young Master Montague's private box offered an excellent view, with an unobstructed view of the stage below. A pair of binoculars, adjusted to the correct distance, were placed in the window facing the stage.

"What about Vanessa?" Anastasia chose a seat. "Vanessa didn't die either?"

"Vanessa did indeed die in a stage accident, that's true, but she died before that manservant," Mike said. "That manservant wasn't actually a manservant, but the young nobleman who funded the construction of the theater."

This means that the male servant and the nobleman in the story are actually the same person, and the story of Vanessa killing the male servant is a fabricated plot.

Anastasia and the other two took their seats in the private box one after another, with some time still to go before the performance.

Mike was really excited tonight, his mouth never stopped, and he started telling Vanessa's story again, a version that was closer to the truth.

Vanessa was initially just an unknown actress, only able to play minor roles on stage. After one performance, a disheartened Vanessa met an unremarkable young man.

The young man claimed to be a new maintenance worker at the theater. Although he was ugly, he was kind-hearted and often took care of Vanessa, who had come to Gloria alone to make a living.

More importantly, the young man had excellent singing skills, and with his help, Vanessa's singing level improved more and more, gradually becoming the protagonist on stage and the most dazzling soprano in Gloria.

Vanessa, who had achieved great success, did not abandon the friends who had helped her as in the story. She resolutely chose the man who was just a theater repairman, even though this choice would make her lose everything she had worked so hard to achieve.

The merciful God seemed to be very fond of Vanessa, and her lover—the theater repairman—revealed his true identity to her at this time.

It turns out that the unassuming young man was not a theater repairman, but a nobleman from a prestigious family. He decided to disregard worldly opinions and marry his beloved Vanessa.

This is a happy ending; lovers are finally united, and only birth, aging, sickness, and death can separate two people who love each other.

But life isn't a story; it doesn't end at its most beautiful moment.

Vanessa died on the day the theater named after her opened, on the stage she loved.

The young nobleman, born into a prestigious family, could not accept the sudden departure of his lover. Heartbroken, he returned to the theater and entered Box Seven, which offered the best view of the performance.

When the theater staff found him, he had already followed his lover in death, leaving this world with blood streaming down his wrists and staining Box No. 7 crimson.

"When people found him, he was still wearing his wedding ring with Vanessa," Mike said. "This is the real Vanessa story, without ingratitude, without ghostly revenge, and even Vanessa's death was just an accident."

At this moment, Jolina's emotions once again triumphed over her reason. She sighed softly and continued, "They flew across death on the wings of love, and the boundary between life and death could not sever their love."

"But, Miss Joyce..."

Anastasia spoke softly, "You know, suicide is an unforgivable sin, a crime that leads to hell."

Upon hearing this, Jolina took a deep breath. She had never seen Anastasia so good at ruining the atmosphere. How had this person grown up without being beaten to death?

Anastasia Angel, the atmosphere destroyer, continued, "Also, I don't think Vanessa died in a stage accident. My gut feeling tells me that Vanessa was murdered, that she died in a deliberately staged accident."

Mike dismissed these conspiracy theories and didn't take them too seriously.

Vanessa's death happened decades ago, and the Vanessa Theatre has changed owners several times. Even if Vanessa was indeed murdered, the truth has probably been buried by time.

Jolina, standing to the side, looked up at the ceiling of the private room, as if there were words on the red ceiling.

Just last night, the beautiful detective who was disciplined by the police department reviewed many old case files, including the official record of Vanessa's accidental death.

"Oh, right, and the man who funded the construction of the theater, who died for love."

Anastasia seems to want to destroy Vanessa's poignant love story, first denying that Vanessa died in an accident, and then commenting on the man who died for love.

"I have to admit that their love story is somewhat touching, but life is one's own, and I completely disagree with the idea of ​​dying for love or ending one's life."

Anastasia stood up. She had finished listening to Vanessa's story, and now it was time to learn about the Vanessa Grand Theatre.