Chapter 1

At first glance, Florence Lowell captivates all with her beauty.

Her unique allure stems from her mixed heritage. Her father, a Japanese immigrant to the U.S., was a man of classic Eastern handsomeness, while her mother, an American with blonde hair and brown eyes, bore her from their international love. Florence's fair skin, jet-black hair, dark brown eyes, and delicate features blend the classical beauty of the East with the sculpted contours of the West.

Born in California, Florence holds a medical doctorate from Northwestern University and serves as a forensic anthropologist at the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. She is also a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and stands as one of the youngest and most beautiful among the fifteen board-certified forensic pathologists in the U.S.

Men who meet her can't help but be drawn to her beauty and seek her affection, but those who get to know her are often deterred. Despite her impressive academic credentials, her suitors are scared off by her icy demeanor and her grim profession as a medical examiner, a job that is far from ordinary.

Imagine a date where the conversation goes like this:

"Sorry I'm late, have you been waiting long?" a man asks.

"Not really."

"What's on your mind? You seem distant."

"Just thinking about a corpse," she replies calmly.

"Just two days apart and you're this eager to see me?" the man says, heart swelling with hope, mistaking her cold exterior for hidden passion.

"No, I'm literally thinking about a corpse."

"Uh?"

"There was a homicide yesterday. The victim's condition was... peculiar. Most of his organs were exposed."

"Ah..." he's taken aback.

"It looked like a hit-and-run at first, but the way the organs were spilled... it's unusual."

"Um..."

"It's as if someone had gutted him beforehand. The liver and stomach were ruptured, and his intestines were strewn beneath the seat. Oddly enough, his kidneys were discolored. I did a serology test before dinner and need to run more tests on hair, semen, and dental records after we eat. Speaking of, what do you want for dinner? This place is known for its sirloin steaks. I'll have mine medium-rare. What about you?"

"..." His appetite vanishes, replaced by a cold sweat.

And so, within a month, her first boyfriend was swiftly "dispatched," scared off by her job and her approach to it. Subsequent relationships fared no better, ending before they could truly begin, under similar circumstances. Yet, Florence's beauty and grace continue to attract many, including those more tolerant of her "bloody" job. However, even these more resilient suitors find it hard to cope with the thrilling dangers that come with being involved with her, such as the following:

"Are you reading a letter? Who's it from?" a man asks gently.

"An anonymous letter."

"A love letter?"

"No."

He sighs in relief, not keen on having rivals, only to be taken aback by her next words:

"It's a threat."

"Excuse me?"

"They're warning me not to exhume a body."

"What?!" he's shocked.

"To 'exhume' means to dig up a body that's already been buried, usually because there's something questionable about the case that requires re-examining the—"

He cuts her off, trying to suppress the nausea, "No, I mean... you said it's a threat?"

"Yes, clearly someone with a guilty conscience fears what the truth might reveal. This just confirms my suspicions; there's more to the case."