I Spat Out the Coin and Won My Freedom

Nearly everyone in the Family knew I had a crush on Clark.

Every eye in the room settled on me, and the noisy party fell into a brief silence.

Clark let out a sudden laugh. "Leave her alone, everyone."

He played it well, as if he were covering for me.

But the moment our eyes met, I caught the disgust in his gaze.

That one look told me everything. He had been reborn too.

A chorus of boos followed, but the crowd wouldn't let it go.

"So did you find the coin or not?"

"Speak up, or Clark will end up as someone else's boyfriend!"

I swallowed the storm churning inside me and discreetly spat the coin into the trash.

Then I pushed the cherry pie forward and shook my head. "I didn't find it."

My father, Vincent Reed, was one of Clark's most trusted men and one of the Family's top assassins.

When I turned eighteen, Dad had already retired. He placed me under Clark's command. That was five years ago.

During that time, we were completely in sync. We'd each saved the other's life.

Even Dominic Russo, the Don himself, would occasionally tease Clark about me.

Everyone assumed we were together in all but name, that it was only a matter of time before one of us made it official.

I thought so too, until two years ago, when I suddenly gained a half-sister.

Everything changed.

This party was a perfect example. I'd only managed to get in by shamelessly tagging along with a friend.

Meanwhile, my sister, Caroline Reed, had arrived in Clark's car.

In my previous life, I had done something stupid because I was desperate to win Clark back.

Clark narrowed his eyes, studying my blank expression. He repeated, "You didn't find it?"

I met his gaze, picked up my fork, and crushed the pie to a pulp. The blood-red filling sprawled across the snow-white bone china.

He examined it carefully before finally looking away.

By then, Caroline was the only one who hadn't eaten yet.

The excitement on her face was impossible to hide. Before she could even pick up her slice, Clark raised a finger, and a servant quickly cleared the mess from the table.

"No need. The coin is obviously in Caroline's pie.

"Starting today, she's my girlfriend for a month."

As he said this, his gaze drifted toward me, almost imperceptibly.

The sync between us told me exactly what that look meant. He was afraid I'd say something and ruin everything.

But I stayed quiet.

Even as the two of them kissed while everyone cheered, I kept my expression perfectly still.

Clark was young and successful. His private party was nothing short of extravagant.

When it ended, he sent a fleet of luxury cars to take his friends home.

I had already decided that in this life, I wanted nothing to do with Clark. I certainly wasn't going to ride in his car.

I headed toward the street alone, but Caroline stopped me.

She put on a look of tender concern.

"Nelly, are you upset? Are you mad that I took Clark from you?"

Her eyes turned red. "But it's just a game..."

Before she could finish, Clark immediately took her hand, his tone firm.

"Game or not, you're my girlfriend now."

He didn't raise his voice, but he spoke loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear.

Caroline couldn't contain her triumph any longer and subtly arched a smug eyebrow at me.

I said nothing, but walked away on my own.

It was hard to find a cab at that hour. By the time Clark's fleet of luxury cars had driven away, the taxi I'd called still hadn't arrived.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned around. It was Clark.

He lowered his head to light a cigar, then got straight to the point. "Nelly, I know you've been reborn too.

"You know I love Caroline. As long as you behave and don't try to take her place, I'll make sure you live a comfortable life."

In our previous life, Clark had risen to become the Family's underboss, second in power only to the Don.

I knew he meant every word.

But I had no interest in taking something that wasn't mine.

"Clark, I'll resign tomorrow and find other work within the Family. I promise to stay far away from you."

I meant it. But he laughed.

"You're only saying that because you're angry. You're a soldier. You know exactly how much trouble you'd have without my protection.

"Besides, you're still paying for your father's dialysis.

"In this life, as long as you promise not to get pregnant, I'll let you stay by my side."

In our previous life, my sister had spiraled into depression after learning I was pregnant.

She had tried to kill herself multiple times. Clark saved her every time.

Just then, my taxi arrived. Before I got in, I left him with one last word.

"Don't trouble yourself, boss. I can figure out how to survive on my own."

He scoffed and clearly didn't believe me.

Back home, I knocked on the door to my father's study.

"Dad, you said last week that the Don's second son just came back and needs people to fill some positions. I want to work for him."