Chapter 1

The day Yancy Shepherd died, Benedict Page poisoned our dinner. His eyes were wild, and bloodshot, as he watched me writhe in agony. There was a madness in his gaze, but worse was the hatred, a disgust so deep it twisted his face into something unrecognizable.

"If it weren't for you forcing your way into our lives, Yancy wouldn’t have died from heartbreak. You ruined us! It’s all your fault!"

A photo slipped from his trembling hand and landed at my feet—Yancy at twenty, looking radiant, her smile as bright as a blooming flower.

I collapsed to the ground, my strength fading fast like a rose withering in the final grasp of winter. Helpless, I waited for the darkness to claim me, consumed by despair and bitter regret.

Why hadn’t I listened to the system and killed him when I had the chance?

But when I opened my eyes again, everything was different. I stood watching Benedict flee our engagement ceremony. My brother moved to chase after him, but I quietly raised a hand, stopping him. This time, things would be different.

Chapter 1

As I clutched my chest and fell to the ground, Benedict Page's twisted smile was maddening, the blood at the corner of his mouth making him look like a vengeful demon.

"Lucia! You should have died a long time ago! From the moment you forced me to marry you, I wanted nothing more than to tear you apart! Yancy is dead, and you’re going to join her."

I opened my mouth to speak, but a sudden gush of blood spilled out instead. I didn't understand. He was the one who begged me to save him back then.

Why?

I watched as Benedict's trembling hand pulled out a ring made from a soda can tab. He collapsed to the ground, unable to hold himself up, yet his grip on that makeshift ring remained firm. His dark eyes were filled with tenderness.

I saw him shakily slide the cheap ring onto his middle finger.

"Yancy, I’ve avenged you. I’m coming to you with the ring you gave me."

With that, he closed his eyes, utterly content.

From beginning to end, he refused to give me even a glance.

The wedding rings we exchanged lay desolate in a pool of blood.

Blood and tears mingled, etching crimson trails down my face. What had my three decades amounted to?

Pain engulfed me, and overwhelming hatred made everything go black.

As I lost consciousness, only one thought remained.

“I was wrong, system. Villains... don’t deserve redemption. He should die!”

…

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing on the stage in a formal dress, facing Benedict, whose body trembled before he abruptly shoved me away.

Caught off guard, I stumbled and fell to the ground.

My brother, Lucas Howard, hurried forward to help me up, his voice cold.

"How dare Benedict push you!"

I bit down hard, forcing myself to suppress the hatred rising within. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Benedict had said as he turned to leave.

"Get lost! Don’t think you can stop me from going to Yancy."

So, he had been reborn too.

Even better. This would make my revenge all the more satisfying.

I lowered my gaze, silently stopping Lucas from running after him.

Lucas, growing anxious, spoke up.

"Lucia, Benedict ran off! That bastard!"

I looked up at his retreating figure, disappearing without a second thought, and slowly clenched my fists.

I knew he was in a rush to save Yancy Shepherd, who was being abused by her adoptive mother.

In our previous life, during our engagement, he had tried to run off to rescue her too, but I had stopped him. I had gently persuaded him to wait until after the engagement. That was the opportunity he used to climb the social ladder, leveraging my family's connections to become the rising star of the elite circle.

But this time, I will strip away every bit of that power I gave him, piece by piece.

I walked slowly to the center of the stage, gazing down at the curious onlookers, and spoke coldly.

"Today, I, Lucia Howard, am officially calling off my engagement to Benedict Page. The partnership between our families is also officially canceled. Thank you all for coming."

As I turned to leave, I caught a glimpse of Benedict's father, Benjamin Page, his face contorted with rage. Next to him stood Miles Page, his expression unreadable. A faint smile played at my lips.

For once, I wasn't the one who needed to worry.

Chapter 2

"Let's see how you manage this time, Benedict, without me pulling strings. How will you, a mere bastard, claw your way to billions? How will you escape that madman, Miles? This life, I'll personally drag you to hell to atone for my past mistakes," I vowed silently.

---

Despite all the broken contracts from various parties, Benedict somehow managed to secure two deals, quickly stabilizing his company.

It was just as I expected.

Otherwise, living two lifetimes would have been a waste.

I thought that with this second chance, he wouldn’t have anything more to do with me. Turns out, I underestimated just how shameless he could be.

When Benedict barged into my office with Yancy in tow, I frowned.

"Lucia, I know you’ve recently invested in two of Mr. Thomas’ films and a variety show. Replace the female lead with Yancy."

His entitled attitude made me laugh out of sheer anger.

I tossed my pen aside, stood up, and gave him a mocking look.

"What did you just say?"

There was a flicker of irritation in Benedict's eyes, but he repeated himself.

"Replace the female lead in Mr. Thomas’ films with—"

Before he could finish, I grabbed a handful of dirt from the flowerpot on my desk, yanked him by the hair, and shoved it into his mouth.

"Ah! Benedict!" Yancy screamed in terror, rushing forward to shield him, glaring at me angrily.

"What are you doing, Ms. Howard?! I know you don’t like me, but there’s no need to take it out on Benedict! Hasn’t he tolerated you enough?"

Her eyes welled up with tears, a few drops falling as if I were the one bullying her.

That trick of hers never failed.

Sure enough, Benedict, spitting out dirt and leaning against the wall, looked at me furiously, his face twisted in rage.

"Lucia! You've gone too far! Enough is enough!"

I rolled my eyes and shrugged innocently.

"I thought you were possessed or something, just trying to exorcise the stupidity out of you. How else could you say something so ridiculous?"

"You!" Benedict's face turned red, the veins in his forehead bulging with anger.

The door and curtains of the office were wide open, and with such a commotion, the employees couldn’t help but sneak glances every now and then.

Benedict, whom I had propped up for decades, had never endured such humiliation, much less been embarrassed by me in front of others. His face darkened instantly as he gritted his teeth and warned me.

"Lucia, even if you’re throwing a tantrum, you need to know when to stop! If you keep this up, our engagement really won’t happen!"

I smirked, a mocking curl to my lips.

He still thought I was the same Lucia who once tried to save him.

From the start, he was wrong.

My task wasn’t to save him.

It was to kill him.

In my past life, I was too foolish, pitying him and wanting to help.

I reached into the flowerpot and grabbed another handful of dirt. Benedict’s eyes widened in fear, and he pulled Yancy back a step, watching me warily.

I laughed, tossing the dirt aside, and stepped forward, gently patting his face with an amused expression.

"Benedict, you're nothing but a bastard, hidden in the shadows. What right do you have to be engaged to me? Remember this—you’ll always be a bastard who belongs in the dirt."

With that, I pointed to the door.

"Get out!"

Benedict’s eyes were filled with malice as he glared at me, grinding his teeth.

"Think carefully, Lucia!"

I calmly pulled out my phone.

“Send security up to escort these two out. And next time, make sure there’s a sign at the entrance that says ‘No dogs or bitches allowed.’"

Benedict and Yancy were practically dragged out by security, both looking more humiliated than ever. Benedict had never been so thoroughly disgraced in his life.

Chapter 3

It seemed that after getting humiliated, Benedict hadn’t shown up again.

Still, high society was a small world, and whispers of Benedict and Yancy kept reaching my ears.

After Benedict fled the engagement, Benjamin initially wanted to give up on him. But Benedict seized the opportunities from his previous life, developing several new tech products that sparked a trend in the business world.

Many companies scrambled to invest.

He thrived in the corporate world, and with the production of these new products, Page Corporation's stocks skyrocketed.

Benjamin reinstated him in the company.

Benedict even spent millions to push Yancy into the entertainment industry. The two were frequently trending on social media.

For example:

"The CEO of Page Corporation splurges on a luxury yacht for rising star Yancy Shepherd."

"CEO treats the entire film crew to dinner at Blue Sky Hotel for Yancy."

"Yancy receives a limited-edition sports car for her birthday."

The two were the talk of the town for a while.

I sat comfortably under the sun, squinting my eyes, calculating how much money he still had left.

Benedict seemed to have forgotten that, in our previous life, I was the one who controlled all the production steps and details of those products. All he did was make decisions. He was merely imitating what I had done.

A dream too long must eventually end.

But what I hadn’t expected was that before Benedict’s downfall, I would encounter an unexpected visitor—Miles.

I had always kept my distance from him because, in my last life, I knew he was a complete madman.

If Benedict was a madman who played by society's rules, Miles was the type who followed only the laws of the underworld.

"Ms. Howard, let’s work together. I want Benedict. What do you want?"

On the outside, I appeared calm, but inside, I couldn’t help but sigh—what a lunatic.

I leaned back in my chair, glancing casually at Miles, who remained as composed as ever.

I smiled and asked, "And what makes you think I'd want to work with you, Mr. Page?"

"Because you want Benedict dead."

My hands, resting on my lap, tightened involuntarily.

I met Miles' gaze and smiled slowly. "Alright, my new partner."

It wasn't until Miles left the room that I exhaled a long breath, my forehead breaking out in a thin layer of cold sweat.

A memory from childhood resurfaced.

Back then, under my protection, Benedict, despite his awkward position, never faced any real hardship. Except for one time—when I searched for him all morning and couldn't find a trace of him.

A servant from the Page family eventually whispered to me, "I saw Mr. Miles take Mr. Benedict away.”

When I asked the servant to take me to find Miles, she reacted as if she'd seen a ghost and ran off in a panic.

The scene I walked into when I reached Miles' room was something I’d never forget for the rest of my life.

The walls were covered with eerie, grotesque paintings. The room was dimly lit by a few flickering lamps, and the floor was littered with the bodies of dead animals. Even the carpet was stained with blood.

Benedict was tied to a cross in the center of the room, his body covered by nothing but a few scraps of cloth to hide his modesty.

The overwhelming stench of blood made me nauseous.

That was the first time I felt true, deep fear.

But my concern for Benedict outweighed my terror.

As I approached, I noticed the whip marks covering his body. His face was deathly pale, his hair a mess, and his lips cracked as if he were clinging to life by a thread.

It took him more than three months to recover enough to even stand.

After much pressure and coercion, the Page family finally forced Miles to apologize to Benedict.

That day was also the first time I saw the all-consuming hatred and terror in Benedict's eyes.

Chapter 4

After that day, I never mentioned the name “Miles” in front of him again. But it didn’t change the fact that Miles remained a demon haunting Benedict’s mind.

Before long, the first batch of Page Corporation's products hit the market, and it was a disaster. Over half the buyers demanded refunds. Some even sent the products to quality control agencies, where tests proved they didn’t meet Benedict's claims.

Investors began pressing the Page family for an explanation of where their money had gone. Facing public outrage and media scrutiny, the family wasted no time in pushing Benedict into the spotlight to take the blame.

Benedict had no defense.

He hadn’t managed the product budget properly, but he couldn’t very well admit that he had spent the investors' money trying to fulfill the romantic regrets of his previous life.

When I arrived at the Page family estate, I witnessed the scene firsthand.

Benedict stood outside, watching as the servants tossed his belongings onto the ground with disdain.

"Get lost! Mr. Page said you’re no longer part of this family."

With that, the servant slammed the door shut with force.

Benedict stood there, fists clenched tightly, his face dark and brooding.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned around. When he saw me, a flash of resentment and embarrassment crossed his eyes, his gaze icy.

"Lucia, are you satisfied with what I’ve become?"

I smiled casually.

"How is your stupidity any of my concern? Besides, this is the life of a bastard. What makes you think you’re above it?"

I watched as his face darkened further, and I couldn’t help but laugh, covering my mouth.

"I just wonder, now that you’ve fallen so low, will Yancy still want to stay with you?"

Benedict immediately snapped back, "Yancy isn’t like you, a woman who approaches others with ulterior motives! You’re not even worthy to say her name."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes, and nodded mockingly.

"Ah, yes, of course. Only you’re worthy. Sure."

Seeing me arrive, the servant who had thrown out Benedict’s things quickly ushered me inside and, with a disgusted look, kicked Benedict’s luggage.

"Why are you still here? Get lost already!"

Benedict’s expression was frighteningly dark.

I smiled as I brushed past him, whispering softly, "How does it feel to fall from heaven to hell?"

Without another glance at Benedict’s shocked eyes, I strode into the Page family estate.

In his last life, this was the life he should’ve had.

---

With Benedict out of the picture, I agreed to resume the collaboration with the Page family.

I heard that Benedict had used what little money he had left to start a small company, promising both his customers and investors that he’d pay them back within two months.

The moment I heard that, I knew he was betting everything on the upcoming land auction in North Suburb, scheduled for two weeks from now.

In our previous life, it was this very auction that catapulted Benedict into the top three of the billionaire rankings.

Now, with his back against the wall, I was certain he wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

That weekend, I had my usual appointment with the doctor for insomnia. As I approached the office, I heard the sound of a fight coming from the emergency stairwell nearby.

I hesitated for a moment, but eventually opened the door and shouted, "The police are here!"

At the sound of my voice, the group scattered like startled animals, leaving behind a single man lying on the ground, his back turned to me.

Out of courtesy, I asked, "Are you alright?"

The man’s body stiffened, and he staggered to his feet. When he turned around, his eyes were filled with mockery as he looked at me.

"Lucia. I knew it. Just like in our past life, you’re here, pretending to save me with that fake kindness of yours."

Chapter 5

The moment I saw him, I regretted meddling in this mess.

It didn’t surprise me that he guessed I had been reborn—after all, I never intended to hide it. Only by confronting him head-on could I constantly remind myself of how foolish I had been in my previous life.

But even so, I tightened my grip on my bag, my knuckles turning white, yet I said nothing to interrupt him.

Benedict wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face twisted in disgust.

"Lucia, I really hate you. You think you're so noble, pitying me. I don’t need your pity! How are you any different from the rest of the Page family scum? Hiding behind a mask of compassion, looking down on me from your high horse."

His words cut deep.

I pressed my lips together, my gaze hardening as it fixed on him.

Even though I had prepared myself, the ache in my chest was unavoidable.

I had stood by his side for over thirty years, giving him everything I had. When he had stomach problems, I learned how to cook for him. When he complained about not having time for lunch, I delivered meals to his office for over a decade, rain or shine.

He found it troublesome to match his clothes, so I arranged his outfits the night before. He hated socializing, so I swallowed my pride and befriended all the wives and elites, securing the information he needed.

And yet, in his eyes, I was nothing more than a hypocrite.

Swallowing the bitterness in my heart, I let out a cold laugh, anger boiling over.

"Benedict, you truly deserve to die."

He sneered. "You’re the one who—"

Before he could finish, I slapped him hard across the face.

Then, in a rage, I swung my bag wildly at him.

Already bruised and beaten, with barely any strength left, he tried to dodge while shouting curses.

"Lucia, you’ve lost your mind! Stop!"

Seizing an opening, I kicked him square in the chest, and Benedict, unable to control his body, tumbled down the stairs, rolling helplessly.

His face twisted in pain, and despite several attempts, he couldn’t manage to stand up.

I looked down at him, my voice cold and steady. "Benedict, saving you depends solely on whether I feel like it. But you— you should have died a long time ago."

Without sparing another glance at his shocked expression, I turned and walked away.

I threw myself into negotiations, securing one partnership after another.

In our circles, people were now mocking Benedict, wondering how much chaos an abandoned illegitimate child of the Page family could really cause.

I even heard from a friend that one night, he ran into Benedict and Yancy having dinner at a restaurant.

Apparently, Benedict was short on cash, and Yancy furiously berated him before storming off. My friend had to pay their bill, and Benedict’s face was livid with humiliation.

I merely treated it as a joke and moved on, focused on my work.

After all, the North Suburb land auction was fast approaching.

...

Everyone was preparing for the auction, set to take place in just two weeks.

Coincidentally, after I’d just treated the auction organizers to dinner one evening, I walked out of the restaurant and ran straight into Benedict.

I cursed inwardly at the bad luck.

I was about to brush past him when he blocked my path.

Benedict glanced at the organizers getting into their car, a hint of disdain flickering in his eyes.

"Lucia, don’t waste your time. Last life, this piece of land was mine, and it’ll be mine again this time. You spent your whole life as a housewife—don’t embarrass yourself. The only reason you were ever respected was because you carried the title of Mrs. Page."

I folded my arms and smiled, the warmth never reaching my eyes. "Go brush your teeth. Your breath stinks."

His expression darkened, teeth clenched as he glared at me with hatred before turning and storming off.

I narrowed my eyes, watching his retreating figure.

Benedict certainly had some tricks up his sleeve. I couldn’t imagine what method he had used to get some kind of guarantee from the Page family.