Chapter 1

In my past life, my best friend wanted to marry my grandfather.

I fiercely opposed it, and she didn't succeed.

Later, my grandfather married a woman close to her age, and they had a lavish wedding.

My best friend harbored deep resentment.

She lured me hiking, then on the mountain peak, she stabbed me 18 times before pushing me off a cliff.

"This is all your fault for stopping me from marrying into the Thorne family! Everything should have been mine!"

Reborn, I smiled as I sent her off to marry my grandfather.

What she didn't know was that in the past decade, my grandfather had married eight other brides.

She was the ninth, and the previous eight had all met untimely ends.

Since she was so desperate to marry him, I would grant her wish.

"I saw your grandfather at the charity gala yesterday. He even complimented me, saying I reminded him of his first love when he was young."

Genevieve said, clutching her coffee cup, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

She grabbed my hand, her gaze filled with calculation.

"I want to pursue your grandfather."

I was utterly stunned.

"Are you insane? He's forty years older than you!"

"Age is just a number! Besides, he doesn't look a day over forty, not even close to his sixties."

In my last life, this was where I stopped her, sternly warning her to stay away from my grandfather.

She’d flashed a twisted smile.

"Cassidy Thorne, who do you think you are? Why are you blocking my path?"

Later, my grandfather married someone around our age, and they had a grand wedding.

Full of hatred, Genevieve pushed me off a cliff.

"This is all your fault for stopping me from marrying into the Thorne family! Everything should have been mine!"

But now, I just watched her, silently observing the undisguised greed in her eyes.

My grandfather, Sterling Thorne, was the patriarch of Thorne Enterprises, worth billions.

"You don't object?"

Genevieve seemed surprised by my silence.

I picked up my coffee, a meaningful smile playing on my lips.

"Why would I object?"

"Everyone has the right to pursue happiness, and love shouldn't be limited by age, right?"

Her eyes lit up; she clearly hadn't expected it to go so smoothly.

Genevieve excitedly hugged me.

"That's great! I knew you'd understand me!"

"Don't worry, once I become your grandmother, I won't treat you unfairly!"

Where she couldn't see, my smile completely vanished.

I softly murmured,

"I wish you success."

Grandfather had already married eight other women in the past ten years, and she was about to become the ninth.

Only, she didn't know that all eight previous brides had met untimely ends.

As I stepped out of the coffee shop, I stood by the curb, waiting for my driver.

A black Mercedes-Benz pulled up slowly in front of me.

The window rolled down, revealing Mr. Jenkins, the butler.

"Miss Cassidy, Mr. Thorne requests your presence for dinner tonight."

"Alright."

I opened the car door and slid inside.

"Mr. Jenkins," I suddenly said,

"How has Grandfather's health been lately?"

The old butler glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

"Mr. Thorne is in excellent health. Last week's check-up showed all his vital signs were twenty years younger than his actual age."

My fists clenched. In my last life, I had never doubted my grandfather.

Now, looking back, many things seemed highly suspicious.

The most unsettling part was that whenever a bride died, Grandfather was always away on a business trip, with a perfect alibi.

He always seemed strangely indifferent after their deaths.

During dinner, I observed Grandfather.

He did indeed look much younger than his actual age.

"I heard you met the Miller girl today?"

My body tensed. How did Grandfather know? Unless he had been monitoring me, or Genevieve.

"Yes, Genevieve, she's my best friend."

A slight smile played on Grandfather's lips.

"She's a very vibrant girl. My birthday celebration is in two days. You can invite her to come over tomorrow and stay until the party ends."

In my last life, I had tried everything to keep Genevieve away from Grandfather, so she never received a formal invitation from the Thorne family.

"Of course," I replied sweetly.

After dinner, Grandfather always took a stroll in the garden.

I used this opportunity to find the secret compartment in his study.

My mother had told me about it before she died, but I had never opened it.

Behind a copy of the Bible on the third shelf, there was a hidden button.

Pressing it revealed a small secret room.

On a desk inside the room lay a notebook and a safe.

My hands trembling, I opened the notebook. What I saw almost made me scream.