Chapter 1

Grant, the heir to the Bennett family, had been my protector for over a decade.

He taught me how to fire my first shot and saved me from every attempt on my life.

After someone slipped drugs into Grant's drink at the family gathering, he stumbled into my room, and his icy control shattered.

His hands found my waist as he pulled me close, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered my name.

A single night of drugged passion left me pregnant with his child.

When my twin sister, Claire, found out, she left a note and disappeared, heartbroken.

After that, I was cast as the cold-hearted villain who drove her own sister away.

Grant personally forced the contraceptive potion down my throat and exiled me to the lawless territories beyond our family's control.

To make me atone, he abandoned me to fend for myself in that desolate land. I was eventually killed in the crossfire of a mob war.

As I lay dying, my mind was flooded with memories of Grant.

The troublemaker he always called me was finally gone. He must have been relieved.

When I next opened my eyes, I had returned to the morning after that disastrous night.

This time, without hesitation, I drank the contraceptive potion myself.

...

Grant woke up just after I finished the potion.

A night of passion. The marks I had left still stained his skin.

But his eyes were terrifyingly cold, his expression murderous.

"Aria, you're a Ricci. Have you no shame?"

"Resorting to cheap tricks like drugging my drink? I never thought you would sink so low. You disgust me."

Even though I had heard these words once before, they still felt like a bullet tearing through my chest, the pain suffocating.

Unlike last time, I didn't try to defend myself. I just answered softly,

"I'm sorry, Grant. It was my fault."

Seeing me back down so quickly, Grant froze. A smirk then curled his lips, the sarcasm in his eyes impossible to hide.

"If you were truly sorry, you wouldn't have pulled a stunt like this."

I fought back the feeling of my heart tearing apart. "If you can't stand the sight of me, I'll disappear from your life for good."

I already knew my fate was to die. There was no need to beg for this man's mercy anymore.

Grant threw me a sideways glance. "Aria, it's a shame you're not an actress."

I had known Grant for over a decade. He grew up with me and was once the person I depended on most, the one I held closest.

There was a time he cherished me, always at my side. He used to say I was his to protect.

But for some reason, ever since Claire came back, everything changed.

I remained silent, keeping my head down to hide the redness in my eyes.

But he would never protect me like that again.

Grant didn't notice my distress at all. His gaze fell on the empty potion bottle by the bed.

He quickly got out of bed and bent over to pick it up.

When he saw that it was an abortifacient, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

"You drank it?"

I gave a scornful laugh. "What else?"

"Did our great Underboss hope I'd give him a bastard heir after one night?"

Grant crushed the glass bottle in his hand. Beads of blood seeped from between his fingers as he threw the shards into the trash can with a clatter.

"You know if you had dared to give birth to it, I would have strangled it with my own hands."

In my last life, that was exactly what he did.

That tiny life, snuffed out before it could even draw a breath. Grant had pinned my jaw, forcing the bitter potion down my throat.

The memory alone was a sharp blade twisting in my heart.

So this time, I severed the blood tie between us myself. I wouldn't make him go to the trouble.

"Aria, at least you have some sense. You took care of the problem yourself."

Grant was always this cruel, this heartless with me.

A frantic knock rattled the door. "Boss, we've got a lead on Claire at the docks."

Grant's sharp gaze vanished instantly, replaced by unconcealed worry and tension.

"I'm on my way."

Any news about Claire could change his entire demeanor in a second. With me, he had long since run out of patience.

The only thing left was a thin veil of civility for the sake of our families.

The man outside asked, "Is Miss Aria not home? Where did she go?"

At the mention of my name, Grant's voice turned cold.

"She's stewing in her room, probably drowning in regret."

The man tried to smooth things over.

"Miss Aria is still young. It was probably a lapse in judgment. Don't be too hard on her, Boss."

The man knocked lightly on the door. "Boss, can we come in?"

Grant quickly threw on his clothes and stood blocking the doorway.

Before leaving, Grant shot me a final, warning glance. It was a clear message: behave, and don't cause any more trouble.

I smiled bitterly. Not this time. He would be rid of his troublemaker soon enough.

Back in my room, I decided to take three days to say goodbye to everything in this world.

I gathered all of my things, leaving the room in disarray.

The first bullet casing Grant ever gave me, the custom gown from my debutante ball, the first necklace he ever fastened around my neck... I threw it all, along with the photos, into the fireplace.

The roaring flames burned relentlessly, and those memories soon turned to ash.

A deep, questioning voice came from behind me.

"What are you doing? What are you burning?"

He stepped closer for a better look and his expression grew tense. He kicked over a box of photos I hadn't yet thrown in.

Ignoring the searing heat, Grant reached into the flames, his voice trembling.

"Why burn it all?"

The warm glow of the fire illuminated my cold face. I hadn't expected him to be back so soon.

"Because they're tainted. Just like our past."

Grant rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking weary. I wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but I didn't move.

His voice was tight with anger. "Even so, you didn't have to destroy it all! These were our memories!"

But before he could finish, another call about Claire tore him away.

Claire and I. Grant would always choose Claire, without hesitation.

That evening, I returned to the Bennett family estate.

My maternal grandpa and Don Bennett were brothers who fought their way up from the bottom together.

During a shootout, it was my grandpa who had sacrificed himself to save the Don's life.

Because of that, my mother and I had lived well under the Bennett family's protection for years.

The only real misfortune was my father's affair and betrayal. He left my mother and took my twin sister, Claire, with him.

"Aria, you're here."

"Did Grant give you trouble again? You tell me, and I'll go set him straight."

Don William doted on me, treating me like his own granddaughter. Hearing his voice, an overwhelming bitterness washed over me.

"Grant treats me well, Grandpa. He does. It's just... I need a change. I need to be somewhere else for a while."

The old Don was confused. "Why? Are you not happy here? Tell me, my darling."

I couldn't stop my body from trembling, and I was on the verge of tears.

"No, it's not that. I just feel I'm grown now. I should be able to stand on my own two feet."

But the old Don, a veteran of countless conflicts, saw through it in an instant.

He flew into a rage. "Get Grant! Tell him to get his ass back here!"

I quickly grabbed his sleeve, my voice pleading through my tears.

"Please don't tell Grant. I don't want to make things difficult for him anymore."

"Grandpa William, I don't love Grant anymore. I just want to leave, please?"

The old Don let out a heavy sigh.

"You've all grown up. An old man like me can't control you anymore."

"Aria, remember this. I will always be your grandpa. If you're wronged out there, you can always come back."

"Grandpa's got your back."

I managed a smile through my tears and replied, "Okay."

I had just stepped out of the Don's study.

Grant blocked my path, radiating pure menace.