She didn't realise just how much she was hated, she merely wanted love, she begged for it but at the end, she was merely a stand in for the fake daughter. The man she loved hated her, her family disliked her, her adopted sister killed her. However, when she gets a second chance, she doesn't allow anyone to walk over her! "You'll sacrifice your position at the company for your adopted sister, Rhea!" "You're the older sister, stop acting so dramatic and give way for your younger sister!" Her brother's and parents say to her, but she fights back and instead, makes her cry! But why the heck did this CEO change? He didn't come close to her previously! "Rhea, marry me and I'll make sure that everyone who touches you regrets it." "I'm not in the mood for marriage right now!" "You don't have to worry, I'll give you everything you want, even my properties." "Maybe marriage isn't such a bad idea after all..."
View MoreRhea's POV
“I’m going to be late,” I muttered, checking my watch again — 9:40 AM. Twenty minutes until the appointment. Twenty minutes until I was supposed to legally tie my life to Kevin’s. The taxi crawled through downtown traffic, each inch forward feeling like a cruel joke. Today was the day that my fiancé and I were going to register our marriage. I was happy, really, however… I stared at the rear view mirror, frowning at my red rimmed eyes which I tried to cover with makeup, to no avail though. I glanced into the rearview mirror, frowning at my red-rimmed eyes. Concealer hadn’t done much to hide them. Kevin hadn’t come home last night. Again. Fifth night in a row. “Emergency merger negotiations. Don’t wait up.” His text had echoed in my head all morning. Business. It was always business. Maybe the first time, I believed him. Maybe even the second. But the fifth? And then there was Ginny. The five-second video she’d posted late last night — dim lights, clinking glasses, and in the corner of the frame, the unmistakable edge of Kevin’s navy shirt. The one I gave him for his birthday. I hadn’t confronted him. Not yet. What was the point? Every time I brought something up, he acted like I was losing my mind. “Are you accusing me? I love you, Rhea. Just you. Don’t act like some jealous woman — I hate that.” His voice would be full of gentle disbelief, laced with just enough warmth to make me second-guess myself. I looked away from the mirror, forcing my breathing to slow. Ginny. The girl who once followed me around with wide eyes and timid smiles. Who cried when she moved into our home, clinging to my mother like the only family she had left. I pitied her once. Protected her. Now? Now she was the one everyone looked at. My parents had adopted her four years ago. Since then, it was like she replaced me, piece by piece. My parents adored her. My little brother, the staff, everyone. She slipped into our lives like a stray cat that refused to leave — and somehow, stole more than just affection. The car jer-ked slightly at a red light, snapping me out of my thoughts. Ten minutes left. I adjusted the ring on my finger, a beautiful, custom-designed diamond Kevin had given me during our engagement. It felt heavy today. Heavier than usual. Maybe because it carried the weight of a promise that was starting to feel more like a lie. “Just one more chance,” I whispered, my fingers brushing the marriage license resting on my lap. We’d been together three years. He used to wait outside my law lectures with coffee, memorize my schedule just to “accidentally” bump into me. He proposed under the Brooklyn Bridge, hands trembling as he slid the ring onto my finger. But that Kevin… was gone. “Ma’am?” the driver said, cutting into my thoughts. “Yes?” “I think you should know… a van’s been following us for at least three intersections. Gray. Right by your side window. Might be a coincidence, but...” I froze. Slowly, I turned my head. My eyes immediately caught the man staring at me through the windshield at the driver's seat. He was wearing a baseball cap and a jagged scar ran down the side of his face. He stared at me, unblinking and a chill ran down my spine. There’d been news reports lately — a serial killer on the loose. Young women in their twenties, all found in alleyways. Cameras never caught his face. I shivered again, “There's no way it can be him, I'm sure something's just wrong.” I mumbled, my hands already shaking. I turned back again. He was still staring. “Danm it.” I fumbled with my phone, unlocking it quickly and dialing Kevin’s number. My heart pounded with every ring. Six rings later, he finally answered. “What is it?” Kevin questioned, he sounded annoyed. “K… Kevin, where are you? Someone's been following me for a while now, I'm at the third intersection west of the city hall, I…” “Don’t go to the registry,” Kevin cut in. “Something more important came up.” More important than our wedding? “What do you mean-” The line went dead. I stared at the screen, stunned. Then a message popped up. From Ginny. I tapped it open. My stomach dropped. A photo. Ginny, smiling, holding a cake. Kevin behind her — arms around her waist. His eyes soft. His smile genuine. He never looked at me like that. They were at that five-star restaurant I had always wanted to go to. The one I mentioned on our anniversary. My brother and parents were there too, seated at the same table. On the chair beside her sat the Chanel bag. The one I had begged Kevin for on our anniversary. The one he said was "too expensive" with my mother’s medical bills piling up. Squinting, I could see Kevin's signature handwriting on the receipt near the bag. My birthday was three days ago. No one had remembered. But here they were, celebrating hers? I hadn't even finished wrapping my head around it when Ginny sent me a message which read: ‘Sister, you didn't wish me a happy birthday but brother-in-law did, thank him for me!’ “Ha… Hahaha.” I laughed. A quiet, bitter laugh that rose slowly from my throat. “Miss?” the driver asked cautiously. “Turn around,” I said, sinking back into the seat. “There’s no need to go to the registry anymore.” “...Okay miss.”Rhea's Pov My eyes fluttered open, a groan escaping my lips as a dull ache throbbed beneath my forehead. My head felt heavy, and the world was swaying. I shook my head and blinked, trying to clear my blurry vision. Where was I? I looked around; it was dark. The only light that came in was through the small holes in the cracks and thankfully, they shone bright enough to make me see things a bit. I was in a moving vehicle, probably the truck that hit Marcus and I. Was it the stalker who hit us? Panic began to coil in my stomach. I tried to move, but a sharp pain shot through my side. "Marcus?" I whispered, my voice hoarse. No answer. I fumbled around, feeling for him. My hands touched his warm body. I felt for his pulse, my heart hammering. It was there, he was still breathing, though it was faint. Marcus was unconscious. “Oh God.” I muttered, trying to calm my breath so he wouldn't know that I was already awake. My hands, though still shaky, instinctively went to my pock
Rhea's Pov A Few Hours Ago “We've been on the lookout and here's what we found.” Marcus placed a picture on the table. It was face down and for some reason, I didn't want to open it. “This guy has been stalking you since the third day that those dead rats started appearing in front of the company. We think we might be the one placing them there.” Marcus explained.Someone was stalking me? My heart clenched at the thought. It was to be expected; someone stalking me, I mean. But it still brought back bad memories. “I think you should check out who he is.” Marcus drummed on the table, his eyes on me. I was trying to stall, it seems he noticed that. I sighed, gulped down some saliva to wet my dry throat and slowly turned the picture face up. The moment I saw the man in the picture, my breath froze, and I stilled. It was him! The man who killed me in my past life! My eyes were wide. I couldn't breathe. It felt like a huge stone was placed upon my chest, stopping the airflow. My hands
Alaric's Pov I practically jumped into the car, Laziel hot on my trail. I started the engine, pulling out sharply out of the garage. As I drove, I dialed a number on my phone. It rang twice before Nathan picked up. “Boss?” “That guy we were tracking down, the one I asked you to find for me, what's his status?!” I asked, avoiding an incoming car. The way I was driving, I was sure I would get a speeding ticket and probably land in jail for some time, but I didn't care. Rhea was in danger. “He's still under our watch? Why?” “Are you sure he’s under control? Check where he is right now!” I barked into the phone, my voice tight with an urgency that clearly startled Nathan. I gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white. The moment I had gone back home, after meeting Rhea at the hotel, I had tasked Nathan with one singular, relentless mission: find the man who had stabbed Rhea. We had found him, eventually, a ghost in the shadows, and had kept him under wraps, contained, away from the w
Alaric's Pov The office was meticulously organized, as always. Rhea’s taste for minimalism was evident in the modern furniture and the lack of clutter on her expansive desk. Yet, despite its orderliness, an unsettling quiet hung in the air, a stark contrast to the vibrant energy Rhea usually brought to the space.I walked further into the room, my eyes scanning every surface. A bitter wave of self-reproach washed over me. Fool. I had been so caught up in my own affairs, so confident in Rhea’s capabilities, that I hadn’t pressed her enough. When she said she could handle it, I believed her. When she claimed to be busy, I gave her space. I should have been more attentive. I should have insisted on helping her. My trust, usually a strength, felt like a gaping vulnerability now. This wasn't her usual "busy." This was something she was trying to keep hidden, something that had clearly overwhelmed her.“Anything?” Laziel’s voice cut through my thoughts. He was already checking the large, f
Alaric's Pov “I don't understand what you mean by ‘dead rats’! Explain clearly!” I slammed my hands on the table, glaring wide eyed at the receptionist who gulped. “A few days ago, we were all in the company when Miss Rhea came in with her bodyguard and saw a carton in front of the entrance. We had no idea who put it there, no one noticed. The entire scenario was strange but Miss Rhea asked a security guard to open the box. The box was filled to the brim with dead rats, as well as some illustrations that clearly implied that Miss Rhea was the rat, a prey while the predator was the person sending the rats. She had checked the cameras but found out that someone had deleted the footage of who kept the box and replaced it with a copied footage from some hours ago.” “So? After that day, more rats showed up at the company's doorstep?” The receptionist nodded, “Yes. It's been going on for a few days.” “Rhea came to the company yesterday, right? How was her behaviour like when she w
Alaric's Pov I clenched my fists against my phone, my heart was trembling. “Alaric! What happened?! What was that?!” Laziel’s voice cut through the fog of my panic, sharp and insistent. He was suddenly right in front of me, grabbing my shoulders, his face pale with alarm, “Where is she?! What did you hear?!”I looked at him, my breath catching in my throat. My mouth opened, but no words came out. The scream still echoed in my ears, a chilling testament to Rhea’s sudden, horrifying peril. I could only shake my head, a profound, gut-wrenching dread washing over me.“She… she was… they… they found her…” I stammered, the words barely coherent, “There was a crash… a killer… and then… she screamed, Laziel. She screamed.” The last word was a whisper, laced with an agony I hadn’t known myself capable of.Laziel’s grip on my shoulders tightened, his knuckles white. His face, usually so composed, was contorted with a mixture of shock and fury, “Who found her? Who are ‘they’?! What did she say
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