Chapter 5: Nothing Left to Lose

"What does that mean exactly?" I asked, because I needed to know what kind of relationship he was expecting from me in return for his help.

"It means you work for me, you answer to me, and you don't make any important decisions without talking to me first," he explained.

"And in return, I get the power to destroy the people who hurt me?" I asked, just to make sure I understood the deal completely.

"In return, you get everything you need to make them pay for what they did to you," he said, his voice low and promising.

I looked down at the documents again, knowing that signing them would change my life forever and there would be no going back once I committed.

"What happens if I say no?" I asked, because I wanted to know if I actually had a choice in this matter or not.

"Then you go back to being a powerless little girl who lets people walk all over her until they eventually destroy her completely," he said brutally.

"And what happens if I say yes?" I asked, my hand hovering over the pen he had placed next to the documents.

"Then you become someone who has the strength to fight back and win," he said, his eyes never leaving my face as he waited for my decision.

I thought about Julian's hands on my wrist last night, about Clara's smile as she held the knife that killed me and my baby.

I thought about my stepmother's cruel words and my father's indifference to everything that happened to me in my previous life when I needed him most.

"If you want to survive in this world and get your revenge, you have to be willing to be ruthless when the situation calls for it," he said, trying to persuade me.

I stared at the documents one more time, knowing that this decision would determine everything that happened to me for the rest of my life.

"If I sign this, there's no backing out later?" I asked, just to be absolutely certain about what I was committing myself to with this agreement.

"No backing out," he confirmed, his voice firm and final in a way that left no room for doubt or second thoughts.

I picked up the pen and signed my name at the bottom of each document, my handwriting looking surprisingly steady despite how fast my heart was beating.

"Welcome to the real game, Eva," he said, collecting the papers and putting them back in his folder with a satisfied expression.

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed with a text message that made my blood run cold when I saw who it was from.

The message was from Clara, and when I opened it, her words hit me like a punch to the stomach that knocked all the air from my lungs.

"Dad's rewriting his will tonight," the text said, followed by a laughing emoji that made me want to throw my phone across the room.

"Guess who's getting absolutely nothing now?" the message continued, and I could practically hear her smug voice saying the words out loud.

"Hope your new job pays well, because you're going to need every penny you can get from now on," she finished with another emoji.

I clenched my fists so tight that my nails dug into my palms, but I didn't care about the pain because it was nothing compared to the rage building inside me.

"Problem?" Lucas asked, clearly noticing the change in my expression as I read the message from my stepsister who thought she had already won.

"My stepsister just informed me that my father is cutting me out of his will completely," I said, my voice surprisingly calm despite the anger burning in my chest.

"Perfect timing," he said, and I looked up at him in confusion because I couldn't understand how this could possibly be considered perfect.

“What do you mean?” I asked, even though losing my inheritance isn’t the most shocking thing my father would do to me. I’m sure of it, and I shouldn’t let it make me angry because they did worse in my past life.

"Now you have nothing left to lose," he said, his smile turning knowing in a way that made me realize he had probably been expecting this to happen.

"And people with nothing left to lose are the most dangerous opponents anyone can face," he continued, his eyes gleaming with something that looked almost like pride.

I looked back down at my phone, reading Clara's message one more time and feeling something cold and determined settle in my chest where the pain used to be.

"You're right," I said quietly, deleting the message and putting my phone away because I was done letting her words hurt me.

"The battle has officially begun," I said, meeting his eyes with a new kind of resolve that felt stronger than anything I had ever experienced before.

"Good," he said, standing up and walking around his desk to stand directly in front of me with an expression that promised interesting times ahead.

"Because I have a feeling this is going to be a very entertaining war to watch," he said, extending his hand to help me up from my chair.

I took his hand and stood, feeling like I was stepping into a completely different version of my life.

"What's our first move?" I asked, because I was ready to start fighting back against everyone who had hurt me in my first life.

"Patience," he said, still holding my hand and looking down at me with those dark eyes that seemed to see straight through to my soul.

"Good revenge takes time to plan properly," he continued, his thumb brushing across my knuckles in a way that sent electricity up my arm.

"But when we're ready to strike, they won't know what hit them," he finished, and I believed every word he said because I could see the same hunger for revenge in his eyes that I felt in my own heart.