Chapter 1

At the hospital entrance, two men in loungewear stepped forward and blocked my path.

"Are you Ms. Cynthia Lawson?"

When I nodded, Andre Walker, the country's richest man, looked so shaken that he could hardly get the words out. "Ms. Lawson, my wife is an older expectant mother. Something went wrong during the surgery, and she urgently needs blood. You must already know about the situation!"

As he spoke of his wife struggling through a difficult delivery, his eyes turned red.

His eldest son, Sean Walker, also looked at me with gratitude. "Ms. Lawson, thank you so much for coming. We're counting on you to save my mother."

I immediately rolled up my sleeve. "Where do I donate blood? Take me there right away."

Just as we were about to leave, a sharp, piercing shout exploded from behind us.

"Stop! None of you are going anywhere!"

Vera Hawthorn rushed over in three quick strides and planted herself right in front of me. She glared at me like I was a hopeless case. "Have you lost your mind? Do you even realize what you're doing? Donating blood for them is no different from selling yourself! Have you no shame?"

Those familiar words sent a chill down my spine. Only then did I realize that I had been reborn.

In my previous life, she had stopped me the exact same way. At the time, all I could think about was that someone's life was on the line. Besides, I had already come here prepared to donate blood voluntarily.

I didn't agree with anything she said, so I followed the doctor to the blood donation room anyway.

What I never expected was for Andre to give me 30 million dollars and a villa as compensation after the donation.

When Vera found out, she cursed me out for being shameless, saying I had thrown myself at rich people and disgraced modern women. Under her relentless emotional manipulation, I rejected the Walker family's offer.

That careless decision eventually cost me my life.

The memory made my chest burn with anger.

"Vera, what are you talking about? I came here to save someone!"

She clearly didn't expect me to talk back, given that I was usually timid. Surprise flashed across her face.

Since everyone's attention had shifted to her, Vera lifted her chin slightly and looked ahead with a self-righteous expression. "Save someone? Don't make it sound so noble. This is all just a trap set by rich people!"

She sighed dramatically and whispered, "Cynthia, I'm saying this for your own good. Don't you know your blood type is rare? If you're not careful, these rich people will treat you like a walking blood bank!"

Andre immediately panicked when he heard that. He raised four fingers solemnly. "No, no, that would never happen! If Cynthia saves my wife, she will be our family's benefactor. How could we possibly harm the person who saved us?"

Sean quickly added, "If you don't trust us, we can sign an agreement. If this kind of situation comes up in the future, we will respect Ms. Lawson's decision if she chooses to refuse."

Vera let out a mocking laugh. "Do you really think we'd believe that? Let me tell you something. We might be poor students, but we still have dignity! Do you really think we'd sell ourselves to rich people like you? Dream on!"

With that, she grabbed my arm and tried to drag me away.

Fortunately, this time, I reacted quickly and shook her off.

"Mr. Walker, what I do with my body is my choice. Where do I donate? Take me there."

Sean immediately understood what I meant and signaled the nearby doctor to lead me inside.

Vera refused to give up and screamed furiously, "Cynthia, you're beyond saving! If your parents find out you're selling yourself like this, they'll die of anger!"

When I ignored her, she planted her hands on her hips and sneered at Sean. "Let me make this clear. Cynthia might be spineless enough to sell herself to you people, but I won't! I, Vera Hawthorn, live with pride. I would never do something so cheap!"

Sean and Andre had no interest in arguing with her. They had already turned and headed toward the operating room.

A few minutes later, I walked out, pressing a hand over the small wound where the needle had been inserted.