The Devil You Know
🖤 Previously on Reset My Life: The Billionaire's Broken Pawn
Lucien is barely alive. Arden is lying.
And someone is watching Rhea's every move.
She could stop.
She could play safe.
But she just texted back: Then let's burn together.
[System Warning]
⚠️ You are being actively monitored.
🛡 Protective Protocol: Disabled
🎯 Current Threat Level: CRITICAL
📍 Location Trace Attempt: Failed
Rhea's Apartment – Midnight
She locked the doors.
Not that it mattered.
If they wanted her gone, they'd already tried once—with Lucien.
Now she knew the rules:
Truth costs.
Love is leverage.
And the real enemy is the one who knows your past better than you do.
She poured black coffee. No sugar. No sleep.
Her laptop booted. The screen flickered.
A new folder had appeared.
Marked: "THE FALL."
Inside: A single video file.
She clicked. The footage was grainy. Old. Security camera angle.
It was her.
Five years ago.
Standing beside Arden Blake.
But that wasn't the problem.
The problem was what she was handing him:
—A flash drive.
—Marked Project Cicada.
[System Notice]
🧠 Memory Trigger: "Trade of Trust"
Recovery Cost: 4 Fragments
⚠️ Emotional Risk: HIGH
Do you want to remember?
YES
NO
She clicked YES.
[Memory Playback Begins]
Late night. Corporate rooftop.
Rhea's hands trembled as she passed the drive to Arden.
Rhea: "If this gets out, we're both ruined."
Arden: "Only if you talk."
Rhea: "Promise me you'll protect Lucien. He doesn't know."
Arden: "You really think he's innocent?"
Rhea: "He's the only thing I'm sure of."
Arden took the drive.
Smiled like a man sealing someone's fate.
"Then pray I stay loyal."
[Memory Ends]
Rhea backed away from the laptop like it had bitten her.
Arden had the drive.
All those years ago.
He didn't protect Lucien. He'd framed him.
And now he was framing her—again.
[System Alert]
📂 Priority Task Unlocked: "Expose Arden Blake"
Reward: Full Memory Restoration + Control Override Access
Cost: Total System Trust (Warning: Cannot be undone)
6:02 AM – Seirin Medical Center
Lucien was still unconscious.
But she spoke anyway.
"I didn't forget you. Even when they took the memories, the fragments… the truth."
She brushed a strand of hair from his forehead.
"I remember now."
His eyelids flickered.
A soft sound—barely a breath.
"...Rhea?"
Her throat caught fire.
He was waking up.
He was still hers.
Boardroom – Noon
Arden sat at the head of the conference table. Calm. Calculated.
Until the screens behind him lit up.
Rhea's voice echoed through the room—live broadcast.
"Let's talk about Project Cicada. And how a certain advisor kept the real data."
Gasps. Shuffling.
Kairo raised a brow from the far end of the table.
Arden stood slowly. "You don't know what you're doing."
She stepped into the room.
"No, Arden. I finally do."
She dropped a folder on the table.
Inside: a signed letter.
From Kairo Alden.
Confirming Arden's override breach.
Authorizing his silent termination.
Kairo sipped his drink.
"I did say she intrigued me."
[System Notice]
✅ Task Complete: "Expose Arden Blake"
💾 Memory Fragments Restored: +12
🔥 Core Override Gained: SYSTEM ADMIN PRIVILEGES ENABLED
🔐 Next Chapter Unlocked: "The Original Betrayal"
Later That Night
Lucien stood on her balcony, arms crossed.
"You remember now," he said quietly.
Rhea nodded.
"Every piece. Every lie. Every time I begged you to trust me... and didn't."
He turned.
"So what now?"
She stepped closer. Brushed his fingers with hers.
"Now," she whispered, "we burn the rest of them."
[To Be Continued...]