Chapter 1

Reborn as the long-lost Rogers heir, missing for fifteen years, I avoided every chance to bond with my two brothers in this family.

When they decided to let my adopted sister, Vivi, take over the family's legitimate businesses, I applied for a top medical research program in Europe.

When they planned a lavish debut for Vivi, formally introducing her to the other major families, I volunteered for a closed-door medical training camp.

They encouraged Vivi to pursue her own happiness, while I was expected to marry a drug addict for the so-called honor of the family. I refused them on the spot.

This was all because in my past life, I had spent my entire life desperate for my brothers' approval, only to end up despised by everyone for it.

When I died in the crossfire of a gangland shootout, my own son pushed my body away in disgust.

"Mom, did you really waste your whole life on such a petty fight with Aunt Vivi? Dying for the family would have been a more dignified end. At least then you wouldn't have disgraced our name."

I left this world filled with resentment, only to open my eyes and find myself back at the moment I first set foot in the Rogers estate.

This time, I'm done fighting.

The power, the name, the honor. I'm letting them have it all.

...

The confirmation glowed on my screen: "Application Submitted." I stared at the words for a moment before calmly closing the page.

No one knew that this was the second time I had stood at this crossroads of fate.

In my past life, to please my eldest brother Bryan, the Don of the Family, I had torn up that acceptance letter. I forced myself to stay in New York, begging for a chance to learn the family business.

All so I could follow their dinner table conversations about territory disputes, laundering money, and arms deals.

After all, as the youngest Rogers daughter, lost for fifteen years in a gang war and raised in the countryside, they had looked down on me since the day I returned.

I thought if I could just become "useful" enough, I could become a true Rogers.

But in the end, they never gave me a second glance.

So this time, I spoke up before they could even suggest letting Vivi take over the family businesses.

"Brothers, I've applied for a medical research program in Europe. As for the family business, you can hand it over to Vivi."

At the head of the long table, my eldest brother, Bryan, who was cutting into a bloody, rare steak, stopped abruptly.

He set down his fork, his brow furrowed.

My second brother, Fred, sat to his left, pouring Vivi some juice. He looked at me, confused.

"Helena, this is no time for jokes. Haven't you always wanted to be groomed for the family business?"

I had been back in this home for nearly half a month.

They all treated me like a country bumpkin, never letting me participate in their high-stakes business negotiations. No one had ever even offered me the chance to be trained in the family business.

"I've already spoken to the Thomson family," Bryan said, not looking at me this time. "Helena, you'll accompany Vivi to the charity gala next week. Learn some etiquette. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Apparently, they failed to realize that this was a highly classified, closed-door project located thousands of miles away.

It required total isolation, which means once I left, I wouldn't be seeing any of them for a very long time.

In my last life, I had eagerly accepted Bryan's arrangement for the charity gala.

Not only because I thought it was a sign of my brothers' trust, but also because I'd heard that the Thomson family's younger son, Johnathan, would be there.

And I had been secretly in love with him for a long time.

I put on my most beautiful dress, meticulously prepared myself, and went to the ball, only to be met with the sight of Vivi and Johnathan dancing together.

Vivi pushed me toward Johnathan's older brother, Marc, the Thomson family's notorious junkie.

Marc used the threat of our families' alliance to force me to marry him, and what awaited me was decades of a miserable, torturous marriage.

Only then did I realize that Vivi had orchestrated the whole thing. This time, I wasn't going to walk into that trap.

"Thank you, Bryan, but I won't be going this time."

I pulled out a chair and sat down, my voice quiet.

Bryan's knife scraped across the plate with a piercing shriek. He finally lifted his eyes and glared at me. "What did you say?"

"I shouldn't risk the family's reputation at such an important event."

"I've applied to the medical school at the University of Zurich. I leave next month." I met his gaze and repeated myself, forcing a smile.

"Medicine? In Europe?" Bryan put down his knife and scoffed, as if he'd just heard the most absurd joke.

"The women of the Rogers family don't study medicine just to change bedpans. Do you have any idea what a rare opportunity this gala is?"

Vivi, who had been silent, suddenly let out a soft sigh.

"Helena, I know you've just come back and might not be used to the family's rules."

"Bryan just wants you to become part of the family, to truly become one of us. If you don't feel ready yet, I can help you."

There it was again.

In my past life, she used this same understanding act to push me into the abyss, making me look like an ungrateful country girl.

But this time, I wouldn't fall into that trap again.

"I won't cause any trouble for you all," I said, lowering my head, my voice devoid of emotion. "The application has been submitted. It can't be changed."

Bryan didn't say anything more, just let out a cold laugh. "Helena, this is a one-time opportunity. Don't come to regret this."

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Fred grabbed the glass of golden-orange juice from beside Vivi and handed it to me.

"Alright, alright, let's eat first. Here, Helena, have some juice. These are the best mangoes, flown in just for us."

I stared at the thick mango juice.

I'm severely allergic to mangoes.

I had mentioned this on my very first day back. But in this house, no one remembered, or rather, no one bothered to remember.

Because Vivi loved mangoes, they were a permanent fixture on the dining table.

I didn't take the juice. I stood up and went straight to my room.

Back in my room, I opened my calendar: 30 days until Zurich.

I picked up a red marker and drew a heavy, crimson X over today's date.

Every day, I was one step closer to freedom, and to being myself.

I looked around the room. Every piece of furniture was priceless, yet it felt as cold as an exquisite cage.

To me, it couldn't compare to my adoptive parents' small, simple cottage, a place that had been filled with warmth.

In my past life, I spent fifteen years in this place, begging like a dog.

I tried to wash the country dirt off of me, learning the etiquette of high society, giving up my beloved field of study, even my own marriage.

All of it, just for a sliver of warmth from my "family."

But what did I get in the end?

It was Bryan, waving his hand impatiently. "Helena, besides your blood, what about you is a Rogers?"

It was Fred, playing the peacemaker with his empty words. "Don, don't blame our sister. She just cares about us too much."

It was my husband, his hands around my neck. "You're just a piece of scrap the Rogers family threw out."

The suffocating feeling of my heart stopping in that moment still catches in my throat.

Your criminal empire, your picture-perfect family act, your noble bloodline. I want none of it.

I just want to live my own life. A clean one.