Bagel
On my twentieth birthday, my father presented me with courtship gifts from the heirs of allied families. I had grown up with these men, and he told me to choose one to marry.
I calmly shook my head and rejected them all.
In my previous life, I chose Gabriel, the man I loved the most.
Shortly after our wedding, I became pregnant with his child.
But from then on, Gabriel became a completely different person.
Whenever I handled family business, he publicly dismissed my decisions.
Whenever I secured control of crucial West Coast ports, he outright overturned my agreements.
Whenever I wanted to promote loyal members, he accused me of being too soft and a poor judge of character.
Gradually, everyone began to see me as just a fragile trophy wife who depended on a man.
Until one day, I walked in on him drinking and laughing with a few mafia heirs in an exclusive club.
"Gabriel took the biggest hit for us. He pretended to like Kiara all these years and had to humor her every day."
"It was worth it. Once she got pregnant, she had no energy left to run the family."
"Once her sister Mila wins over the capos, the entire family will belong to her."
Fueled by despair and anger, I went into premature labor and bled to death.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of my engagement.
My father placed those gifts representing power and marriage in front of me once again.
"Have you made up your mind? Which one will you choose?"
I looked at the diamond necklaces, custom gown catalogs, and limited-edition perfumes in the boxes, and smiled softly.
"None of them."
"I heard our business on the West Coast took a hit. I want to go there, expand our territory, and put our family back on top."
This time, I will personally take back everything that belongs to me.
I just did not expect that Gabriel had returned to the past too.