Chapter 2: Rebirth’s Whisper

The sun had barely risen when Vivienne stepped into the hallway of the Rothsford estate once again, but it felt like a lifetime had passed. The familiar marble floors gleamed under the light filtering through the towering windows, and the grand portraits of her ancestors looked down at her, silent witnesses to her return. They had always seemed so distant, so untouchable, but now, they felt like shadows of a life she was determined to reclaim.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she walked down the corridor, each step echoing through the empty hall. The house was as quiet as it had always been at this hour—silent, pristine, as though frozen in time. Yet, everything felt different now. The air was thick with the weight of possibility, a sense of power that she hadn’t known in her first life. The Vivienne who had once walked these halls with a hopeful heart, constantly striving to earn the love of her parents, was gone. In her place stood a woman who had nothing left to lose, and everything to gain.

She had been given a second chance. A rare gift, one that she would not squander.

Vivienne reached the grand staircase and paused, looking up at the sweeping staircase that spiraled upward toward the bedrooms. Her gaze flickered to the end of the hallway, where the door to her father’s study stood ajar. The door that had once felt so intimidating, so imposing, now seemed like the gateway to her future.

Father. The man who had raised her, molded her into a businesswoman worthy of inheriting the Rothsford empire. The man who had cast her aside when it became convenient, when Ivy had reappeared, the biological daughter he had abandoned for years.

“I will make them remember,” Vivienne murmured to herself. Her voice sounded strange—foreign—but it was firm, unyielding.

A soft sound broke her from her thoughts. A footstep. She froze, her heart skipping a beat. Was someone else awake already?

Her gaze darted down the hall toward the source of the sound, but there was no one in sight. Just the shadows stretching across the floor.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing pulse. Whoever it was, they wouldn’t interfere with her plans. Not now. Not when everything was so close.

Her fingers grazed the polished banister as she ascended the stairs, each step bringing her closer to her goal. She could almost taste the victory, could feel the power of the empire slipping through her fingers—her fingers, not Ivy’s. She had been the one they had trained. She had been the one they had trusted. And if Ivy thought she could take it all from her, she was sorely mistaken.

The footsteps sounded again, this time more deliberate, more certain. Someone was approaching.

Vivienne’s pulse quickened, and she turned toward the top of the stairs just as Ivy’s figure emerged from the shadows.

There she was.

Ivy, the golden child, the daughter who had been brought back into the fold with the grace of royalty. Ivy, with her perfect smile and calculating eyes. Ivy, who had betrayed her without a second thought.

Vivienne’s lips tightened into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“I didn’t expect to see you so early,” Ivy said, her voice smooth and sweet, as always. Her long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her expensive gown shimmered in the soft light of the hallway. She looked every bit the princess she had once been, the one the Rothsford family had always preferred.

“I could say the same to you,” Vivienne replied, her voice cool but laced with an edge. “What brings you out so early?”

Ivy’s smile faltered for a moment, but only for a moment. She was nothing if not composed. “I was just… taking a walk,” she said, her eyes glinting with something unreadable. “Trying to clear my head.”

Vivienne couldn’t help but laugh, the sound sharp and unsettling. “Clear your head? Or make sure no one else is making moves behind your back?”

Ivy stiffened at the insinuation, but she recovered quickly, her lips curling into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Is that how you see me, Vivienne? As someone who would use underhanded methods to get what they want?”

Vivienne’s gaze darkened. “Isn’t that exactly what you did?” she replied, her voice low and dangerous. “You framed me, Ivy. You manipulated the entire situation and made sure I was the one who took the fall. Don’t pretend it was an accident.”

Ivy’s expression flickered for just a second before she regained control. “You’re paranoid,” she said lightly, her tone smooth. “The only person responsible for your downfall is you.”

Vivienne took a step forward, her voice a whisper but filled with venom. “You may have fooled everyone else, Ivy. But not me. Not this time.”

Ivy’s smile faltered, but she quickly masked her discomfort with a soft, almost pitying laugh. “You’ve changed, Vivienne. I used to think you were weak. But now, I see you're just bitter. You always were, weren’t you? Jealous of me.”

Vivienne’s gaze hardened, her fists clenching at her sides. She could feel the heat rising in her chest, the fire that had been building for years now beginning to burn brightly.

“I’m not jealous,” Vivienne said, her voice steady, though there was an edge to it. “I’m not angry either. Not anymore.”

Ivy raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a sly smile. “Then what are you, Vivienne? What’s all this for? Revenge? What’s left for you to gain?”

Vivienne’s eyes narrowed as she stepped closer, her voice a whisper in the silence of the hallway. “I’m here to take back what’s mine. The Rothsford empire. And if you think you can stop me, Ivy, you’re mistaken.”

The two women stood there for a moment, locked in a silent battle of wills. Ivy’s eyes flickered, but she said nothing.

Vivienne turned on her heel and began walking down the hallway toward her father’s study. She didn’t need to look back to know that Ivy was watching her, her gaze filled with doubt and uncertainty.

She had no more time to waste on Ivy’s games. There was a larger battle to fight now, one that would require every ounce of her cunning, every shred of strength she had.

But this time, Vivienne Rothsford wouldn’t be fighting for a place in the family’s heart. She was going to take their empire, and no one—least of all Ivy—was going to stop her.

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