Chapter 1: Rebirth

"If you don't let Emma marry into the Forrest Family, I'll die right in front of you."

Looking at my stepmother's resolute expression, I realized that just like me, she had been reborn.

She wanted Emma Miller to replace me and marry into the Forrest Family, becoming the Young Madam.

But she didn't know how complicated marrying into a wealthy family could be. Every step in my past life was like walking on thin ice.

1

In my previous life, I was killed by my stepmother.

As the Young Madam of the Forrest Family, on a certain weekend, I brought my husband back home. The Bentley smoothly parked in the community parking lot, instantly attracting envious gazes from the surroundings.

The neighborhood aunties warmly welcomed me back, inquiring about my well-being. Seeing my elegant and luxurious attire, they treated me with even more deference.

"Look, Olivia is surely living well in the Forrest Family, adorned with gold and silver, chauffeured in a luxury car. Indeed, heaven must be something like this."

Instantly, people began to chime in.

"Yes, speaking of which, Emma Miller's life must be really pitiful."

Emma Miller is my stepsister. After my father remarried, my stepmother brought Emma, who is younger than me by a year, into our home.

Unlike me, Emma married a local man who was neither industrious nor ambitious, and even had tendencies towards domestic violence. Several times, I saw scars of varying depths on Emma's face.

Later, when Emma wanted to divorce him, she was severely punished once again. Truly, her life was indeed miserable.

Upon hearing this, I realized that since I entered the house, I had not seen Emma.

Instead, my stepmother was in the kitchen cutting fruit, looking at me with jealousy and hatred.

Just when I was about to leave, my stepmother called me, saying she wanted to go to the supermarket and asked me to take her there and come back afterward.

I nodded, took the car keys, and drove her away.

Just as the car was about to reach an intersection, a large truck came crashing straight towards us.

With a loud bang, the car flipped, glass shards piercing into my arm, and I felt as if I were soaked in a pool of blood.

Enduring the heavy pain, I tried to open my eyes to call for help.

Yet at that moment, I heard my stepmother speaking by my ear.

"Olivia, as long as you die, everything you have can be Emma's."

"Why should you enjoy wealth and luxury while our Emma can only live like this? It's not fair."

"So, you go die!"

I felt another heavy blow on my head and then lost consciousness.

——

When I opened my eyes again, the surroundings felt unfamiliar and disorienting.

"Let Emma marry into the Forrest Family, or I'll die right in front of you!"

The sound of my stepmother's frenzied yelling came from the living room downstairs, while I sat calmly at the dressing table, looking at myself.

The date on the calendar told me I had been reborn.

I walked to the second-floor staircase and saw my stepmother, who was furiously screaming in the living room. In my memory, ever since she married into the Miller Family, she had never raised her voice at home, let alone daring to confront my father like now.

At that moment, I understood that my stepmother had been reborn like me.

In my previous life, she had been jealous of my happy married life and orchestrated a car accident to kill me.

In this life, she wanted Emma to replace me, marry into the Forrest Family, and become the Young Madam.

"Preposterous!"

My father angrily walked up to my stepmother and snatched away the fruit knife in her hand, throwing it forcefully into the trash bin.

Emma, seeing this, quickly ran to her mother's side, their hands tightly clasped together.

Apparently, Emma still didn't understand why her mother had suddenly made this decision.

"Regardless of your agreement, only Emma can marry into the Forrest Family!"

"You only care about arranging a good marriage for Olivia, but what about Emma? They are both your daughters; they are both flesh and blood. How can you be so biased?"

I stood at the staircase, coldly watching my stepmother place herself on a moral high ground, trying to morally blackmail my father.

All that talk about flesh and blood, did she really think marrying into our family made her a true part of the Miller Family?

What a way to gild herself.

Back then, my stepmother married into the Miller Family because she saw my father had founded a small company. She knew as a divorced woman with a daughter, she would not find a better man than my father.

So, when my father proposed marriage, she naturally agreed.

After marrying into the Miller Family, my stepmother never cared about me; even when I married into the Forrest Family, my father managed everything. After I left the Miller Family, she thought that with me gone, her life would improve.

But she hadn't expected that after becoming the Young Madam of the Forrest Family, my life not only got better but also overshadowed Emma's.

She grew more discontent with me, but with the support I had from the Forrests, there was nothing she could do.

Reborn in this life, she realized it was a great opportunity to not only trample me underfoot but also let her daughter live a life of wealth and luxury.

So, she immediately pestered my father, wanting Emma to marry into the Forrest Family.

However, she was too impatient, as neither family had even mentioned marriage; it was only a thought in my father's mind.

My father disliked others guessing his thoughts, so he felt some resentment towards her.

"This matter is not decided yet; let's discuss it later."

My father wanted to temporarily set aside the issue, but my stepmother knew that once raised, this matter could not be let go; otherwise, it would be much harder to bring it up again later.

"In that case, how about giving Olivia and Emma a fair chance to compete? If the Forrest Family falls in love with Emma, then the position of Young Madam must belong to her!"

My stepmother looked at my father with determination and confidence.

The naive and foolish look in her eyes made me snicker.

2

Seeing that my father still wouldn't relent after her suggestion, my stepmother began changing tactics, whispering sweetly to my father.

She must have known well that my father couldn't resist gentle persuasion.

"Patrick, marrying into your family all these years, I may not have done much, but I've worked hard. As parents, I understand your thoughts. You want Olivia to marry into a good family; I naturally hope the same for Emma."

"Though the Forrest Family hasn't mentioned it yet, how about letting both girls meet the Forrests? Regardless of whom the Forrests choose, I promise not to interfere."

Upon hearing this, my father relented and agreed to my stepmother's proposal.

I could predict my father would agree to my stepmother's demands, for if she wasn't shrewd, how could she have married into the Miller Family initially?

In my stepmother's eyes, interests had always taken precedence.

Otherwise, in my previous life, she wouldn't have hidden all the family's money when my father fell ill and needed urgent treatment, leaving nothing for my father.

If not for my help later, my father might have been gone.

Seeing my father finally agree, she suppressed her inner joy, then helped my father upstairs to rest.

As they got up to go upstairs, I turned and returned to my own bedroom.

When I closed the bedroom door, I heard my stepmother hypocritically telling my father.

"Once they both get married, it'll just be the two of us at home. We'll need to support each other; don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

I closed the door, blocking everything out.

After washing up, I went downstairs to the kitchen to get some water, only to see my stepmother sitting on the sofa, holding a tablet displaying the latest series of dresses and bags.

The scene hadn't even started, yet she was already so eager.

Holding a cup, I appeared behind her, and my sudden presence startled her out of her beautiful daydreams.

"Are you really planning to let your daughter join the Forrest Family? There's a lot of drama in wealthy families, and the position of Young Madam Forrest isn't easy to hold."

I genuinely wanted to warn her, but I didn't expect her to think I was sarcastically implying that Emma Miller didn't have the destiny to be a Young Madam.

The stepmother angrily threw the tablet on the sofa, then stood up, turned around, and looked at me with a venomous glare.

"Olivia Miller, let me tell you, the happiness you enjoyed in the previous life was all because I let you have it. In this life, the happiness that should belong to our Emma, I absolutely will not just hand it over to you again!"

"If you dare to stop me or say things you shouldn't, you'd better watch your back."

I held the cup of water, smiling slightly as I looked at her.

It's just the status of Young Madam Forrest. If they want it, I can give it to them.

However, whether they can actually get it is another matter.

She picked up the tablet from the sofa, then grandly bought all the clothes she fancied.

And she flaunted them in front of me.

"Look, when the time comes, the young master of the Forrest Family will definitely choose our Emma. Only someone like her with unmatched beauty is worthy."

"And you..."

With a disdainful look, she scanned me from head to toe.

"Even if you're living well now, when your father is bedridden for a longer period, everything you have will likely become nothing."

She laughed wildly beside me, then walked past me towards the second floor.

Watching her self-satisfied demeanor, a hint of mockery flashed in my eyes.

Shallow people always see others' outward glamour.

Does she think stepping into the door of the Forrest Family is that easy?

Wealthy families are not that simple.

3

The stepmother dressed Emma Miller up very glamorously. Although she was a college student, the outfit her stepmother bought for her was at least five figures.

Moreover, to show off, Emma Miller even asked her stepmother to take many photos and post them on social media, quickly getting many likes from her classmates.

I packed up my things, ready to leave for school, and ran into my stepmother just as she sent Emma out the door.

She walked over to me, then leaned in to my ear with a gentle warning.

"Olivia Miller, I warn you, don't secretly trip Emma up. The position of Young Madam Forrest is hers alone."

I nodded, gladly accepting her warning.

Why would I secretly trip Emma up? Since someone is willing to take my place in enduring all that pain, why not?

On the way to school, I silently made up my mind that in this life, I must become my own support.

Recalling the past life, my father was left exhausted and ill from the company's affairs, and later designed for me to marry into the Forrest Family to save the company. That bitterness, only I understand.

Now that I've been given the chance to live again, I naturally need to make the most of it. So, once seated in the university classroom, I resolved to live an extraordinary life.

"Olivia Miller, I heard you're getting a new deskmate. The teacher arranged for a transfer student to sit with you."

I frowned, intending to ask who the transfer student was, but then saw the homeroom teacher enter the classroom, followed by a familiar face.

My breath hitched. I never expected to reunite with Samuel Forrest in this lifetime in such a manner.

Yes, Samuel Forrest was my husband in the previous life and the eldest young master of the Forrest Family.

Just like the presumptuous figure in my memory, Samuel glanced at the class indifferently, then stepped over to the seat next to mine, his Gucci attire intimidating the entire class into not daring to breathe.

After all, who would have thought that such a young master would show up in this ordinary classroom?

As soon as Samuel sat down, I saw Emma Miller standing at the classroom door, looking at me with an alert gaze and signaling me to check my phone.

With a nonchalant expression, I pulled out my phone and saw the text message she sent me.

"Stay away from Samuel, he's mine!"

I chuckled coldly, locked my phone, and put it back in my pocket. It seemed she was truly brainwashed by my stepmother. Both mother and daughter were obsessed with marrying into the Forrest Family.

——

When the bell rang, Emma Miller appeared at the classroom door and rushed in front of Samuel. I thought she was going to take him out, but she unexpectedly started screaming at me like a madwoman.

"Olivia Miller, tell me! What despicable methods did you use to make Brother Samuel your deskmate? Your tactics are truly disgusting!"

I raised my eyebrow and gave her a slight glance, truly at a loss for words.

Sitting at his desk, Samuel watched the two of us with interest, after all, being fought over by women was, to him, very satisfying.

Seeing that Samuel was interested in her, she became even bolder, snatching the pen I was writing with and hurling it to the floor. Not satisfied, she then stomped on it.

That pen was a gift from my father on my eighteenth birthday. Now it was truly a pity.

My friend couldn't stand it any longer, stood up, and walked over to push her away.

"Emma Miller, if you're going to be crazy, take it elsewhere. What did Olivia ever do to you? It was the homeroom teacher who assigned the seating. If you have a problem, go find him. Should I tell you which office he's in? If you still don't know, I don't mind taking you there."

As she spoke, my friend went to grab Emma's hand to take her outside the classroom.

Emma pushed her away immediately.

"Is it your place to butt into our affairs? Olivia Miller, let me tell you, I've already confessed to Samuel, and he's accepted my confession. If you know what's good for you, you'll get lost. Don't knowingly be a third wheel."

With that, Emma sat onto Samuel's lap, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, attempting to assert her claim over him in front of me.

Seeing that Samuel didn't reject her intimate actions, she became even bolder, coquettishly asking Samuel not to pay attention to a promiscuous woman like me.

I didn't mind how Emma insulted me, but the term "promiscuous" truly made me uncomfortable. Feeling uneasy, I naturally didn't plan to let her off easily.

But I knew now wasn't the right time to deal with her, so I could only endure.

Seeing me stay silent, Emma left the classroom with Samuel in tow.

Once they were gone, I finally breathed a sigh of relief and stood to pick up the broken pen.

My friend, feeling indignant, rolled up her sleeves and prepared to confront Emma, but I stopped her.

"You're too kind-hearted, that's why she walks all over you! I really don't think it's worth it for you."

I smiled slightly, throwing the pen into the trash.

Kind-hearted?

Not at all. I've never been kind-hearted. On the contrary, I bear grudges. Whether it's Emma or my stepmother, every word and action they've directed at me, I've noted in my heart. One day, I'll return it all to them.

But not now.

Because if I fight back now, it will draw Samuel's attention. He never liked weak-willed women, so I could only wear a facade in front of him.

Even if this makes me very uncomfortable, I prefer enduring for a moment over enduring a lifetime.

After marrying Samuel in my past life, I understood his peculiar behaviors, such as his preference for women with personalities. A woman who simply complies with him can't pique his curiosity or desire to conquer.

And now, Emma just happened to present herself in front of him as part of his daily amusement. Why should I stop them?

After all, being someone else's accessory isn't what I want.

Taking down the Miller Family is my real aim.

Not until the class bell rang did Emma slowly walk Samuel back to the classroom, her face showing reluctance. I almost rolled my eyes at her on the spot.

In her eyes, Samuel was a treasure.

But in my eyes, Samuel was just a straw.

Presumably, my stepmother told her that life would be so blissful if she married into the Forrest Family, which is why all her attention was on Samuel.

But little did they know, the more Emma acted this way, the less likely she was to win Samuel's heart.