My eyes flew open, heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. This wasn't just a nightmare; it was a horrifying memory-a visceral replay of my own brutal death. My inherited room was familiar, luxurious, yet the images flickering behind my eyelids were stark and terrifyingly real: a twisted metal car wreck, my own choked screams echoing in a silent void. Before that, the faces of those who had meticulously orchestrated my demise flashed into view. Izzy Vance, my father's "charity case," who wore my family's legacy and my triumphs like her own skin. Channing "Chad" Astor III, my indifferent fiancé, his eyes dismissing me as a mere stepping stone. Even my own brother, Harrison, looking right through me, his ruthless ambition a cold, sharp blade that cut me down. They hadn't just killed me; they had systematically dismantled my life, piece by hateful piece, before ending it all in a fiery crash that was no accident, but a calculated murder. And now, inexplicably, I was back. 21 again. On the precise day my public downfall began in that wretched past life. The day of the infamous "Starlight Seraph" necklace incident, the manufactured tantrum, and tailored narrative that branded me as jealous and unstable. The memory of their insidious treachery, of being utterly played, burned with an acidic clarity. Why was I sent back to this cruel inflection point? How could I have been so blind? The injustice was a suffocating shroud, but beneath it, a freezing rage began to ignite. But no. Not this time. This time, there would be no tears, no agonizing screams. This time, I would not just survive. This time, I would utterly win.
My eyes flew open, heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs.
This wasn't just a nightmare; it was a horrifying memory-a visceral replay of my own brutal death.
My inherited room was familiar, luxurious, yet the images flickering behind my eyelids were stark and terrifyingly real: a twisted metal car wreck, my own choked screams echoing in a silent void.
Before that, the faces of those who had meticulously orchestrated my demise flashed into view.
Izzy Vance, my father's "charity case," who wore my family's legacy and my triumphs like her own skin.
Channing "Chad" Astor III, my indifferent fiancé, his eyes dismissing me as a mere stepping stone.
Even my own brother, Harrison, looking right through me, his ruthless ambition a cold, sharp blade that cut me down.
They hadn't just killed me; they had systematically dismantled my life, piece by hateful piece, before ending it all in a fiery crash that was no accident, but a calculated murder.
And now, inexplicably, I was back.
21 again.
On the precise day my public downfall began in that wretched past life.
The day of the infamous "Starlight Seraph" necklace incident, the manufactured tantrum, and tailored narrative that branded me as jealous and unstable.
The memory of their insidious treachery, of being utterly played, burned with an acidic clarity.
Why was I sent back to this cruel inflection point?
How could I have been so blind?
The injustice was a suffocating shroud, but beneath it, a freezing rage began to ignite.
But no.
Not this time.
This time, there would be no tears, no agonizing screams.
This time, I would not just survive.
This time, I would utterly win.
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