A Kiss Before Chaos
🖤 Previously on Reset My Life: The Billionaire's Broken Pawn
Rhea Lin uncovered a hidden letter, a partial memory… and something worse:
A message threatening Lucien's life.
Now the rules are clearer.
If she pushes too far, she won't just lose herself—she'll lose him.
[System Status Update]
💔 Memory Vault: Locked
🔐 Risk Level: Escalated
💀 Warning: Memory Wipe Contingency Now Active
📍 Location Ping: Lucien Hale — Offline
6:17 AM – The Morning After
Rhea hadn't slept. Her wineglass was still half full. The city kept moving. She didn't.
Until her phone lit up.
New Message – Unknown Number
You were warned.
Access terminated.
Goodbye, Rhea.
She stood, heart pounding.
Then her system interface glitched.
[System Error]
⛔ ACCESS DENIED
🔍 Searching… Searching…
🛑 File: Arden.Blake/Override — DELETED
📍 Emergency Ping: Lucien Hale – Last known location: SEIRIN MEDICAL CENTER
She didn't think. She moved.
Seirin Medical Center – East Wing
The hallway was silent.
A nurse blinked at Rhea's ID, but didn't stop her. Wealth and rage made a convincing mask.
Room 407.
The door opened—and there he was.
Lucien Hale.
Alive. Barely.
Bandaged. Asleep. A monitor beeping too slowly.
Arden stood near the window, arms crossed.
"You're late," he said.
Rhea's voice shook. "What happened?"
Arden: "Car brake failure. Funny how those happen right after someone starts poking through Level-3 files."
She stared at Lucien's pale face.
"I thought…" she stopped herself. "He said I'd hate him."
Arden turned, eyes sharp.
"Rhea, he never stopped protecting you. Even after everything."
[System Notice]
🧠 Memory Unlock Opportunity Detected
Trigger: Physical Contact with Subject Lucien Hale
Cost: -6 Fragments
Warning: This will overwrite a memory of personal significance.
Do you wish to continue?
YES
NO
She reached for his hand.
Clicked YES.
[Memory Recovery – Playback in Progress]
Rain. Again.
But this time, they were in her apartment.
Lucien had burst in, soaked, eyes wild.
"You think I don't know what they're planning?" he shouted.
Rhea: "Then tell me! Tell me before it's too late."
Lucien: "I signed the nondisclosure. If I talk, I lose everything—my job, my name… you."
Rhea: "Then lose it."
Silence.
Then—
Lucien crossed the room.
Kissed her.
Fierce. Desperate. Final.
"If I lose you anyway, let it be on my terms."
Memory Ends.
Rhea blinked tears away.
Lucien shifted slightly, lips parting.
"Rhea…"
His voice, rasped and real.
She leaned close.
"You protected me," she whispered. "Now let me return the favor."
Later That Night — Kairo's Penthouse
He poured bourbon into a crystal glass like a man rehearsing a scene.
"You've been busy," he said, not looking up.
Rhea: "Try harder to stop me."
Kairo smirked.
"Oh, I'm not stopping you. I'm testing you."
She stepped closer.
"Then let me pass."
He caught her wrist.
"Be careful, Miss Lin. I might start liking the way you play."
"You should be afraid of the way I win."
She walked out without flinching.
Behind her, Kairo stared at the glass and whispered, "Checkmate's coming too fast."
[System Notice]
🔓 New Task: "Unravel Arden's Loyalty"
🧩 Side Objective: Discover who deleted the override
⚠️ Emotional Interference Level: 47%
💬 Hidden Reward: The Last Message Lucien Tried to Send
That Night – Rhea's Apartment
She opened her phone.
Saw a draft message from Lucien. Never sent.
If you're reading this, it means I failed.
But don't stop. They deserve to fall.
Start with Arden.
The phone buzzed in her hand.
Unknown Number:
Wrong move, Rhea.
One more step, and Lucien won't wake up again.
Her blood went cold.
But her eyes blazed fire.
She typed back.
Then let's burn together.
[To Be Continued...]