All Chapters of REVENGE AFTER REBIRTH-THE LORD'S FORSAKEN BRIBE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The banquet pressed on, the air growing thicker with perfume, candle heat, and whispers that coiled like smoke. Crystal glasses clinked. Silver forks scraped porcelain. Beneath it all, the sound of shifting loyalties the softest, most dangerous music of all.I stood by a side table laden with sugared almonds and candied pears, the wine in my hand glowing deep red under the golden lights. I let my gaze drift across the hall as if bored, but I was mapping the room every ally, every rival, every snake hiding under silk.Damien moved through the crowd with practiced ease, greeting lords and ladies, clasping hands, bending his head just so when speaking to women. My husband-to-be, the charming predator. I knew every flicker of his smile, every tilt of his head and I knew exactly which were genuine, and which were bait.In my first life, I had been caught on that hook.Not tonight.I tasted the wine dry, with a faint bitterness, and imagined how easily such a flavor could hide something let

Morning came with a pale light that bled across the velvet drapes, casting my chamber in cold silver. I lay awake long before my maid arrived, tracing the plan in my mind.Revenge wasn’t one great blow not at the start. The first strike was always small, almost invisible.Like the first cut in a silk gown, it went unnoticed until the whole thing unraveled in your hands.I rose from bed and crossed to my vanity. My reflection stared back unmarked, flawless. Not the bloodied woman gasping her last on the cold marble floor ten years from now.Lira, my maid, entered with her usual quiet tread, carrying a tray of tea and fresh bread. “Good morning, my lady.”I poured the tea myself, letting the steam curl into my face. “Lira,” I said, “I need you to send word to the Duke of Veyra’s creditors. Tell them their debts are to be settled in full… anonymously.”She froze mid-step. “My lady… that’s a fortune.”“It’s an investment,” I said, sipping my tea. “One day, they’ll repay me in blood or se

The estate was unnervingly quiet when I returned from the Winter Auction.Snow had begun to fall, muting the crunch of carriage wheels and the soft creak of the front gates. Inside, the air carried the faint tang of wine and ash from the drawing room’s dying fire.I had barely removed my gloves before Damien’s voice cut through the silence.“Enjoy your evening?”He was waiting in the shadowed corner of the hall, still in his navy coat, his hair slightly mussed not from wind, but from the way he’d been running a hand through it. A sure sign of restraint barely holding.I met his gaze evenly. “Immensely.”He stepped forward, the candlelight catching in his eyes. “Do you know how many tongues you set wagging tonight?”“Yes. That was the point.”“Cassian Veyra made a fool of me in front of the entire capital.”“Correction,” I said, removing my cloak with deliberate calm. “You made a fool of yourself by overpaying for a relic you didn’t win.”The air between us tightened.“You’re playing a

The Chancellor’s Winter Banquet was the most politically charged event of the season the kind where alliances were forged over wine and destroyed before dessert.It was also the perfect stage for what I intended to do.By the time my carriage rolled up the marble steps of the Chancellor’s estate, the snow had turned to glittering frost. Light from a thousand chandeliers spilled from the arched windows, music and laughter drifting into the night.Cassian was already inside, surrounded by a small circle of military officers. His eyes flicked toward me as I entered, and the faintest nod told me he knew exactly why I was here.Damien stood near the head table with Aria, his arm draped protectively over hers. He looked every bit the untouchable lord, charming dignitaries and nobles alike. But I knew thanks to Cassian that the man had been bleeding coin into a secret shipping enterprise, one that wasn’t quite… legal.And tonight, I would peel that secret wide open.The opportunity came midw

The city slept under a heavy quilt of snow, but my mind burned too hot for rest.After the Chancellor’s banquet, Damien had barely spoken to me in the carriage home, his silence heavier than any shouted anger.It was the quiet of a man sharpening his next blade.I knew he would strike soon.So I decided to strike first.The note from Cassian arrived just after midnight.Come to the East Tower. Alone.The handwriting was as sharp and deliberate as the man himself. I should have ignored it, visiting him so soon after publicly humiliating Damien was reckless. But something in the invitation, the unspoken dare, drew me like a moth to flame.The East Tower of House Veyra overlooked the frozen river, its windows glowing faintly in the night. Cassian was waiting at the top of the stairs, leaning against the stone archway, a decanter of dark wine in one hand.“You came,” he said simply.“You asked,” I replied, stepping into the warm glow of the firelight.He poured me a glass and handed it ov