Beyond the Billionaire's Shadow

Beyond the Billionaire's Shadow

Gavin

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The air in the small living room was thick, heavy, mirroring the cold dread gripping my stomach. My father, Richard, cleared his throat, his eyes avoiding mine, avoiding my mother' s. "Emily, the papers are signed," he said, his voice flat. "It's done." He then looked at me and my younger sister, Jessica. "Girls, you need to decide. Who you want to live with." I was Sarah, and this was my second chance, my second life. The memories of the first one were branded into me. Jessica, beside me, shifted, her eyes holding a greedy flicker I recognized from before-she remembered a life she called poor, a life she hated. "I choose Dad," Jessica said, her voice far too quick, too eager. "Victoria will be pleased," Richard affirmed, a thin smile on his face. Victoria Sterling. The tech billionaire, my future stepmother, her name a scar. In my first life, she had chosen me. I remembered the endless lessons, the cold praise, the constant pressure to be perfect. She broke me down, piece by piece, until Jessica, twisted by Victoria' s influence, ended my life. No. Not again. My father urged me to be "sensible," to consider the "opportunities" Victoria offered. Jessica scoffed, "You're an idiot, Sarah. You want to stay in this dump? With her?" She chose the fire, thinking it was gold, unaware of the torment that awaited her. But I knew the price. I looked at my mother, her eyes full of pain, but also a quiet strength I hadn't truly seen before. This time, I would protect her. I would protect myself. "I choose Mom," I declared, my voice clear and firm, irrevocably altering the script of my reborn life.

Introduction

The air in the small living room was thick, heavy, mirroring the cold dread gripping my stomach.

My father, Richard, cleared his throat, his eyes avoiding mine, avoiding my mother' s.

"Emily, the papers are signed," he said, his voice flat.

"It's done."

He then looked at me and my younger sister, Jessica.

"Girls, you need to decide. Who you want to live with."

I was Sarah, and this was my second chance, my second life.

The memories of the first one were branded into me.

Jessica, beside me, shifted, her eyes holding a greedy flicker I recognized from before-she remembered a life she called poor, a life she hated.

"I choose Dad," Jessica said, her voice far too quick, too eager.

"Victoria will be pleased," Richard affirmed, a thin smile on his face.

Victoria Sterling.

The tech billionaire, my future stepmother, her name a scar.

In my first life, she had chosen me.

I remembered the endless lessons, the cold praise, the constant pressure to be perfect.

She broke me down, piece by piece, until Jessica, twisted by Victoria' s influence, ended my life.

No.

Not again.

My father urged me to be "sensible," to consider the "opportunities" Victoria offered.

Jessica scoffed, "You're an idiot, Sarah. You want to stay in this dump? With her?"

She chose the fire, thinking it was gold, unaware of the torment that awaited her.

But I knew the price.

I looked at my mother, her eyes full of pain, but also a quiet strength I hadn't truly seen before.

This time, I would protect her.

I would protect myself.

"I choose Mom," I declared, my voice clear and firm, irrevocably altering the script of my reborn life.

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My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.

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