THE VILLAINESS REBORN

I MARRIED THE CRIPPLED BILLIONAIRE INSTEAD!

“Isabella, please do not make this more difficult than it already is. Alexander has made his decision, and you need to accept it.”

The unfamiliar woman’s trembling voice came through my phone, but I was too distracted by the unfamiliar bedroom to respond immediately.

I sat on the edge of an enormous king-sized bed, my fingers gripping the expensive silk sheets beneath me. Everything around me looked as though it belonged in a luxury hotel. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, expensive paintings decorated the cream-coloured walls, and a magnificent bouquet of white roses occupied the bedside table.

Across the room, an elaborate wedding gown hung beside a full-length mirror.

I stared at the dress before slowly turning towards the mirror.

The beautiful young woman staring back at me had long, dark hair cascading over her shoulders, delicate facial features and flawless skin. She wore an expensive silk nightdress that probably cost more than everything I had owned in my previous life.

Unfortunately, I had absolutely no idea who she was.

My last memory was of sitting on my bed with my phone in my hand, reading a billionaire romance novel. I remembered being particularly irritated by the female antagonist, whose ridiculous obsession with a man who clearly did not love her had ruined her entire life.

I had even complained about her foolish decisions before continuing to read.

Now, I was sitting in an unfamiliar bedroom, wearing someone else’s face, while a woman on the phone spoke to me as though we had known each other for years.

“Isabella, are you listening to me?”

Her voice pulled my attention back to the phone.

I glanced at the screen.

Sophia Sinclair.

The name immediately stirred something in my memory. Before I could question it, unfamiliar memories flooded my mind, leaving me pressing my fingers against my temples.

Isabella Sinclair.

Twenty-four years old. Daughter of Richard Sinclair, a wealthy businessman. Engaged to Alexander Sterling, heir to Sterling Enterprises.

And the most hated female character in the novel I had been reading.

The memories became clearer with every passing second. I remembered the story, the characters and the miserable fate awaiting the woman whose body I now occupied.

I had transmigrated into a fictional world.

More precisely, I had become Isabella Sinclair, the story’s infamous villainess.

She was introduced as a spoiled heiress who believed her wealth entitled her to everything she wanted. She was obsessed with Alexander Sterling and constantly made life difficult for her stepsister, Sophia, who was portrayed as the innocent young woman enduring her cruelty.

According to the original storyline, Alexander had never genuinely loved Isabella. Their engagement was a business arrangement between two wealthy families, and he had secretly fallen in love with Sophia.

On the morning of their wedding, he would abandon Isabella and choose her stepsister instead.

“Isabella, I know you’re upset,” Sophia continued, her voice becoming softer. “But Alexander and I never intended for things to happen this way. He told me that he has never been happy in your relationship, and I couldn’t bring myself to reject him after everything he told me.”

I slowly lowered my hand from my forehead.

There was something almost impressive about Sophia’s ability to sound genuinely heartbroken while explaining how she had stolen her stepsister’s fiancé.

“What exactly are you expecting me to say?” I asked.

Sophia hesitated.

“I just wanted you to hear it from me before the news becomes public. I don’t want you to misunderstand my intentions.”

“Your intentions are quite clear, Sophia. You want Alexander, and apparently, he’s willing to leave me for you.”

“Please don’t say it like that. You’re making me feel terrible.”

I almost laughed at her response.

She had called to inform me that my fiancé was choosing her, yet somehow, she wanted me to comfort her about the situation.

The original Isabella would have started screaming by now. She would have accused Sophia of seducing her fiancé, threatened to destroy their relationship and spent the next several hours desperately trying to contact Alexander.

But I had no intention of wasting my energy on a man who had already demonstrated where his loyalty belonged.

“Congratulations, Sophia. You can have him.”

Her breathing seemed to change.

“Isabella, what do you mean?”

“I mean that I’m no longer interested in marrying Alexander. Since the two of you are so deeply in love, I sincerely hope you enjoy your relationship.”

“But the wedding is supposed to happen today,” she protested. “What are you going to do?”

I glanced at the wedding gown hanging beside the wardrobe.

“That is no longer my concern.”

I ended the call before she could manufacture another emotional speech.

For several seconds, I remained seated, staring at the phone in my hand. Although I remembered the original storyline, experiencing Isabella’s betrayal through her memories was considerably more painful than reading about it.

She had loved Alexander desperately, convinced that if she endured his indifference long enough, he would eventually choose her. Instead, he would humiliate her, and her refusal to accept the rejection would lead to the destruction of her reputation, her inheritance and her relationship with her family.

Her ending was even worse.

She would lose everything and eventually die alone.

I slowly rose from the bed and walked towards the mirror. The woman staring back at me was beautiful, wealthy and young, but none of those advantages would matter if I repeated the mistakes that had ruined her life.

I had been given another chance, even if it had come under the strangest circumstances imaginable.

I was not going to waste it chasing a man who did not want me.

Alexander Sterling could marry Sophia. They could have their love story, their grand wedding and whatever future they had imagined together.

I had a future of my own to build.

A firm knock suddenly came from the bedroom door.

“Isabella?” a man’s voice called from outside.

I turned towards it.

“It’s your father. Open the door. We need to discuss what happens next.”

I frowned, wondering what Richard Sinclair could possibly want from me after his future son-in-law had abandoned his daughter.

Then his next words made me straighten.

“The Blackwood family has already been informed about the situation. We need to talk about your marriage.”

My fingers tightened around the phone.

Marriage?

I had barely escaped one disaster. What other trouble was waiting for me?