Reincarnation

"Ivy... what's wrong with you? Ivy... Ivy?"

Beside the large bed, nearly ten people surrounded a girl who remained unconscious following a car accident in front of the mansion. It had been three days, and everyone appeared immensely anxious and worried, taking turns to watch over her.

"Ivy... Ivy, wake up!" Theo Kensington and Beatrice Vanderbilt spoke in unison, briefly locking eyes in surprise.

Ivy Belle felt her entire body aching and miserable. Awakened by the voices surrounding her, she struggled to slowly open her eyes. In her dazed state, she truly couldn't tell whether she was awake or still trapped in a dream—an utterly terrifying nightmare.

In that dream, she was bound helplessly while every inch of her flesh was slowly sliced away layer by layer by something sharp. Painful yet unable to struggle, she had closed her eyes in desperate rage.

"Ivy, wake up, please?" Theo knelt anxiously by the bed, gazing at Ivy Belle. He hadn't left her side for over a day; his face was gaunt and haggard, making it obvious to anyone just how worried he was.

"Theo, she can't even hear you! Stop acting, will you?" Valeria Sterling irritably tugged at Theo, pulling him to his feet as she yelled in frustration.

Terrified, Beatrice Vanderbilt rushed to the two of them, endlessly soothing her daughter's back as tears streamed down her face:

"My sweet Valeria, please don't be angry, okay? Look at her condition—if something happens to you too, how could I go on living? Be careful, or it will affect your heart. Be good and listen to me!"

She coaxed her beloved daughter, then turned a displeased glare toward Theo to drop a hint:

"She is your girlfriend, so you should pay more attention to her. Don't get absorbed in useless things. I've said my piece, and since you're a smart boy, you should understand!"

Being dragged away by Valeria had made Theo slightly uncomfortable. He only wanted to stay beside Ivy Belle to take care of her, but being constantly hindered and annoyed almost made him lose control and push Valeria away. Yet, seeing Beatrice standing beside her, his reason returned, and he simply lowered his head in silence.

"Everyone knows she is Valeria's lifeline, so it's not as if we aren't worried. Right now, the most important thing isn't sitting there anxiously waiting for her to wake up while forgetting to eat or drink. You'd best pay attention to comforting your actual fiancée, lest her worrying affects her health."

Reprimanded like that, he couldn't resist and could only admit his fault:

"I'm sorry. I didn't think things through properly and made everyone upset."

Having said that, Theo Kensington quickly turned to Valeria Sterling, taking her hand and gently tucking her loose hair behind her ear as he offered a soft, raspy smile:

"It's my fault. Shall we go outside? I'll take you for a walk."

Valeria's eyes welled with tears, and like a needy little bird getting a response, she snuggled into his chest, nodding coquettishly:

"Yes, I missed you so much!"

"Alright, I'll take you."

The two of them were being so sweet with each other inside the room that Victoria Sterling, who had walked in at an unknown moment, knitted her brows, her eyes overflowing with teasing amusement:

"You two should tone it down a bit; pay some attention to your big sister too!"

Valeria flinched slightly, wiped her tears, and looked at her sister, happily running over to hug her tight:

"Dearest sister, when did you come back?"

"Just this morning. As soon as I arrived, I rushed over here to check on the situation. Who would have thought I'd get stuffed with so much eye candy that it's sickeningly sweet!"

Pouting with embarrassment, she hugged Victoria tightly, refusing to back down without a retort:

"How could we ever compare to you? You already have the Beijing tycoon wrapped around your finger. If anyone deserves admiration, it's you and brother-in-law. You're just good at making fun of me."

Beatrice Vanderbilt looked at her two daughters, her face beaming with evident pride. The eldest was married to the crown prince of the Cross family—Ethan Cross, a tycoon in the business circles of Beijing and Hong Kong whose name everyone had heard, a golden bachelor lusted after by thousands of women. Incomprehensibly lucky, her daughter had managed to catch his eye, becoming the most powerful young mistress in high society and filling Beatrice with pride wherever she went.

Valeria was slightly less fortunate, being born frail and suffering from congenital heart disease that was difficult to treat. She had nearly died more times than anyone could count, but fortunately, they now had Ivy Belle. Once the right time came, she could undergo surgery to be cured and soon form a marital alliance with the only young master of the Kensington family, spending the rest of her life immersed in wealth.

"Oh, Victoria, you're back? Why did your honeymoon end so quickly? Hasn't it only been a week?"

The expression on Victoria Sterling's face stiffened slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, cheerfully running over to her mother as she replied:

"He has tons of work to handle, so how could we delay things just for that? Besides, isn't there still plenty of time? It's fine to make it up to each other later!"

Richard Sterling stood behind them, frowning in reprimand as he sternly lectured his still overly naive daughter:

"You foolish girl, you have to know how to hold onto a man, especially a good one. Besides, I don't think anyone in this world besides Ethan Cross truly deserves those words! That being said, don't trust him blindly either. You should quickly give birth to a son to secure your position, or else one day you might be stripped of everything with nothing left!"

Victoria Sterling nodded in acceptance, promising the two of them that she would not disappoint them. After that, the group began chatting lively again, completely forgetting the main reason they had entered the room in the first place. Except for Theo Kensington, everyone felt entirely at ease catching up with one another, particularly with the newly officially recognized "young mistress" of the Cross family.

"Ugh..."

"Ivy! Are you awake?" Seeing from afar that Ivy Belle was exhausted and struggling to push herself up, Theo Kensington rushed over to support her, moving so fast he nearly tripped.

"Theo... where is this?" Ivy Belle squeezed her eyes shut, weakly forcing out the words. Her face was pale, sickly, and utterly haggard, looking so dazed that everyone anxiously crowded around to check on her.

"Ivy, do you remember who I am?" Seeing her awake, Victoria Sterling instantly shifted her demeanor, displaying a worried expression that would move anyone to tears.

Beatrice Vanderbilt didn't ask questions; she simply pressed her ear against Ivy Belle's chest, endlessly muttering under her breath:

"It's still beating! It's alright... it's alright, that's good then!"

Feeling miserable, her eyelashes matted together, Ivy Belle looked vaguely toward Valeria Sterling:

"Who... are you people?"