Chapter 1: Rebirth

At the company annual meeting.

I won the first prize of 50,000 and a ticket to Verlune.

Meanwhile, my good friend Emily won the grand prize of soul-cleansing—a one-hour conversation with the boss.

She cried and begged me to exchange prizes with her.

As a result, after returning from Verlune, she received a dismissal letter.

While I got a promotion and a raise, and even got engaged to the boss's son.

Jealousy consumed her, and in a fit of rage, she stabbed me to death.

In this new life, she is particularly calm, even a bit excited about the grand prize.

I know, she's been reborn too...

1.

At the company annual meeting, I won the first prize of 50k and a ticket to Verlune. I took a deep breath to calm myself, but I couldn't suppress the smile creeping up on my lips.

My good friend Emily leaned in close to me.

"Vivian, what did you get?" Without any defense, I showed her the prize results, but she just nodded calmly, not as shocked as I had imagined.

"Emily, what about you?" I asked curiously.

Emily stuffed the raffle paper into her pocket, avoiding the question, "Nothing, nothing."

I raised an eyebrow and didn't say any more.

The team leader announced the prizes on stage one by one, and when he mentioned the grand prize, he spoke mysteriously, "Please come to the stage if you have the grand prize."

Emily pushed her hair behind her ear and confidently walked onto the stage.

"The grand prize is soul-cleansing—a one-hour conversation with the boss."

As the words fell, the audience erupted in chatter.

"What kind of grand prize is that? It's pure torture."

"The boss is really fierce when he scolds people. She's in for it."

"Poor little Emily."

...

Some people felt sorry for Emily in the audience, while others looked forward to seeing a desperate expression on her face, but Emily appeared at ease, as if victory was within her grasp.

I picked up the red wine glass from the stage, slowly lowered my head, and my shoulders trembled slightly. I was afraid she would see my uncontrollable mirth.

So that's it, willing to accept the chance to interact with the boss because she's been reborn too.

In the previous life, I won the 50k and the ticket; she got the conversation with the boss. She cried and begged for the exchange, and my soft heart agreed.

But after she returned from Verlune, she received the dismissal letter from the company.

After losing her job, her life worsened: rent increased, her boyfriend cheated on her, she got hit by a car. During her hospital stay, I not only got promoted and paid better but was also mentored by the boss to participate in a multimillion-dollar project and got engaged to the boss's son, Brian Knight, achieving a social leap.

Driven mad by jealousy, she stabbed me to death at my engagement party and was sentenced to death herself.

This time around, she's determined to seize her chance firmly.

Seeing her appearing so confident, I felt unexpectedly joyful; the memory of being stabbed still vividly haunts me.

This time, let her experience my life.

And that demon, I will personally send him to hell.

2.

I went home, packed my luggage briefly, and prepared to inform the landlord of my move-out.

Emily stepped out of the elevator in high heels, a spring-like breeze on her face.

"Vivian, where are you heading?"

I gave a smile that didn't reach my eyes.

"Going on vacation."

A trace of disdain flashed in Emily's eyes, but she still feigned concern, "Have fun, after all, you might not get such a good chance again."

I pretended I didn't understand the hint in her words and left with my luggage.

On the plane, I saw Emily impatiently posting on social media. Aaron Knight had already involved her in the "Wisdom" project and promoted her to assistant manager.

I pressed my lips to stop myself from laughing too wildly.

Since she's so proud to take on that multimillion-dollar debt, then I wish her luck.

"Miss, are you alright?"

Only then did I notice that I was barely containing my laughter, my shoulders shaking uncontrollably. The thought of what Emily was about to face made it impossible to hold back my mirth.

But as I looked up at the person speaking, the smile froze on my face, and my body couldn't stop trembling, fear and dread gripping me.

Brian Knight, dressed casually, smiled gently, radiating a comforting presence like a breeze.

If it weren't for what he did to me in the last life, I might be captivated by him at this moment.

"Miss?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Miss, you look familiar. Have we met somewhere?" Brian's words instantly sent my heart racing.

"Perhaps I just have a common face."

Brian Knight let out a low chuckle but didn't say more.

During the entire vacation in Verlune, I didn't dare leave the hotel, afraid of encountering that demon again.

Yet, when I went downstairs to pick up my meal, I encountered another demon.

This time, I didn't avoid.

By the pool,

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," I looked guiltily at the man in front of me whom I had "accidentally" splashed red wine on.

Kevin Raynor's icy face showed no emotion; he merely glanced at my face and brushed past me.

But when I took a step into the pool,

instinctively I shouted, "Brother, save me!"

Kevin's body jolted as if electrified, immediately jumping into the water to scoop me into his arms.

I clung tightly to his waist, firm and muscular, not an ounce of excess flesh, feeling quite nice to the touch.

Before I could enjoy it any longer, Kevin expressionlessly pulled me out of the water. When his gaze passed over my now sheer water-soaked clothes, his breath hitched, and he led me away from there.

In the room, Kevin, without a shred of pity, grabbed my neck.

"Who sent you here?"

I shook my head with difficulty, "It's not, no..."

Kevin snorted coldly, about to toss me out the door when I twisted my body, revealing the birthmark on my shoulder.

Sure enough, upon seeing it, Kevin's hand stopped immediately, some confusion as he lightly touched my birthmark.

"Are you Erica?"

I bit my lip, looking stubbornly and aggrievedly up at him.

After all, Brian Knight once said that from this angle, with this look, I resemble Kevin's late sister by about seventy percent.

In the past life, Brian Knight, to please Kevin, didn't hesitate to deliver me, fresh from a miscarriage, to Kevin's bed.

Kevin threw me, naked, onto the street, amidst the passing pedestrians and vehicles, countless flashing cameras. That humiliation, I still remember.

Kevin's eyes filled with heartache, his fingers caressing my birthmark, the air becoming eerily silent.

3.

After returning from Verlune, I indeed received a dismissal letter.

While packing my things back at the company, I coincidentally ran into Emily Forrest, who had just emerged from Aaron Knight's office. Her hair was a bit disheveled, her steps hurried, clearly having encountered something unsavory.

But upon seeing me, she regained her pride.

"Yo, Vivian, how was Verlune? Why not stay a few more days, seeing as you won't have the chance in the future."

I glanced languidly at her thigh-high pencil skirt, smirking slightly, "You should keep that opportunity for yourself."

Emily, not pleased with my indifferent attitude, "For old times' sake, if you beg me, I might make an exception and let you in as a cleaner, at least you'd have some income."

As more colleagues gathered around to watch the scene, I curled my lips in a faint smile, "No need to trouble yourself, enjoy the job, Manager Forrest?"

Emily's face twisted, for only she knows the price of becoming a manager.

I chuckled; someone as foolish as Emily isn't even worth dealing with. She's highly envious, easily irritable, lacks reason. If she had the brains to find out how I lived at the Knight Family, she wouldn't be so envious.

But what does that have to do with me?

Kevin took me in as his adopted sister and brought me back to the Raynor Family.

Almost no one knew Kevin once had a sister. Brian Knight, somehow got wind of it, thinking merely getting me a tattoo of a birthmark and some minor surgery would let him capture Kevin. What a fool he was.

All Kevin needs is to check, and he would have known how my birthmark came to be. But I didn't expect that reincarnation would bring the birthmark with it, leaving Kevin unable to trace, thus increasing his care and guilt towards me.

I lay leisurely on the Raynor Family's sofa, casually eating fruit and browsing through Emily Forrest's social circles, while Kevin worked on documents nearby.

Seeing Emily all dolled up for the "Zhiming" project launch, I couldn't help but laugh. Today at the launch, she would meet Brian Knight, the CEO's son.

Brian may not fancy her, but she definitely won't pass up the chance to marry into a wealthy family.

Thinking about how she's about to go through what I suffered in a past life, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Do you want to join this project?" Kevin skimmed over my phone and gently asked.

I cling to his arm, coquettishly saying, "Brother, can you bring more investors to this project? It's the first one my good friend is involved in."

This project is inherently a trap; the company's financial chain had long had issues and wanted to use this project as a comeback, fearing risks, so they desperately sought a scapegoat. In my last life, I was that scapegoat.

Today is different; instead, I intend to give this project a little more push.

4.

The next day, Emily happily flaunted her dinner with Brian Knight on her social media.

She even privately found me

"Vivian Snow, did you see? Everything here is mine now."

I turned off my phone, bringing freshly brewed coffee into Kevin's office, tenderly massaging his temples.

He held my hand in his, pulling me into his embrace, his gaze gradually becoming ambiguous.

Who could have imagined that the seemingly cold and ascetic Kevin harbored such feelings for his own sister?

As Kevin's hand gradually moved into my nightgown, tears welled in my eyes, I whimpered softly, and he suddenly woke up, stopping what was about to happen.

Kevin felt guilty; he feared I would distance myself from him, hence his increasing efforts to please and comply with me.

In this game of replacements, he's already hooked, but it's still not enough.