The Price of Truth

🖤 Previously on Reset My Life: The Billionaire's Broken Pawn

Rhea Lin unlocked secrets meant to stay buried—Project Cicada, offshore accounts, blackmail logs… and the name of the man she once promised forever.

Lucien Hale.

Now, revenge isn't just against her enemies—it's against her own past.

[System Notice]

🔓 Task Accepted: "The Lucien File"

📍 Location: Unknown

🧠 Emotional Corruption Threshold: 12%

💎 Bonus Objective: Survive What You Find

The following morning

Rhea wore silence like armor as she stepped into the elevator. Arden was already inside—polished, unreadable, holding two coffee cups.

He offered one without speaking.

She took it without smiling.

The numbers climbed.

"So," Arden said casually, "digging already?"

"I don't sleep well when skeletons whisper."

"Neither do they," he replied, sipping. "Especially not Lucien's."

Her hand clenched around the cup.

Ding. Floor 57.

Arden stepped out. Then paused.

"You're not ready for what's in the Level-3 files," he said, not looking back.

She didn't reply. But her jaw said otherwise.

Rhea's Office – 11:13 AM

She bypassed the usual security protocol. The CICADA RED folder pulsed like a wound waiting to be reopened.

She clicked deeper.

Found a subfolder marked: Hale.Foundation/

Inside: A document titled Proposal_07REV.

A private video file.

And a scanned letter in her own handwriting.

Her breath caught.

She didn't remember writing it.

Not even the pen she used.

But it was signed: For Lucien. Before everything breaks.

[System Notice]

🧠 Memory Trigger: "Hotel Elaris, April 23rd"

🔐 Locked.

Cost to recover: 5 Fragments

Warning: Subject Lucien Hale is linked to Core Trauma.

She hovered.

Clicked: Yes.

[Memory Recovery – Partial Playback]

Rain. Glass. A penthouse hotel room soaked in moonlight.

Lucien stood at the balcony, back to her, phone in hand.

Rhea: "You're lying to me."

Lucien (without turning): "I'm protecting you."

Rhea: "No. You're hiding something. About Kairo. About Arden. About—"

Lucien: "You're not ready."

The scene flickered. Sound warped.

Then—

Lucien (closer now): "When the time comes, you'll hate me. And I'll deserve it."

End of fragment.

Reality snapped back like a slap.

She gripped the desk, breath jagged. The memory didn't answer questions—it carved more of them into her.

Had Lucien betrayed her? Or tried to save her?

And which answer was worse?

Her inbox pinged.

Email: URGENT – FROM: Arden Blake

Stop. They're watching the logs. Close the file. Meet me in the archives. Alone.

The archives?

No cameras. No audio.

[System Alert]

⚠️ Live Surveillance Triggered – Tracking Rhea Lin

Recommended Action: Leave workstation within 90 seconds.

She shut the laptop. Grabbed her coat. And walked like a woman with nothing to hide—while the world around her started hunting for her secrets.

Underground Archives – Level -2

Dim. Cold. Rows of unmarked file drawers.

Arden waited, sleeves rolled, expression harder than usual.

He didn't waste time.

"You're in too deep."

Rhea: "You gave me access."

"I gave you a rope. You're using it to hang us both."

She stared at him.

"Then start talking."

Arden stepped forward, voice low and cutting.

"Project Cicada wasn't just about shareholders. It was about leverage. Over employees. Over partners. Over…" He hesitated.

"Over me?" she asked.

He didn't deny it.

Then a soft beep broke the tension.

Her phone buzzed.

Unknown Number:

You've gone too far.

Memory Lock: ENGAGED.

Next violation will cost you him.

[System Notice]

🚫 Critical Threat Detected

⛔ Memory Vault Compromised

💔 Relationship Stability with Lucien Hale: Deteriorating

Rhea met Arden's eyes.

"I'm not stopping."

He looked at her for a long second.

Then, quietly: "Then I hope you remember what you're willing to lose."

That Night

She sat alone on her balcony, city lights like embers beneath her.

She had power. She had access.

But now, every truth came with a price.

And someone was pulling strings she couldn't see.

Lucien. Kairo. Arden.

Maybe even herself.

She lifted her wine glass to the stars.

"To betrayal," she whispered.

"To remembering enough to destroy you all."

[To Be Continued...]