Chapter 1: Betrayal and Rebirth

Rain poured mercilessly against the tall glass windows of the grand hotel, pattering like a thousand tiny drums. Inside the golden-lit ballroom, laughter and applause echoed, blending with the soft hum of a live orchestra.

Liya Shen stood frozen near the edge of the room, her champagne glass trembling in her hand. She had waited five long years for this night, dreaming of a perfect engagement, but reality crashed down harder than the storm outside. Every detail of the night—the lights, the music, the smell of expensive perfume—suddenly felt twisted and cruel.

On stage, her fiancé, the man she had loved with all her heart, smiled tenderly—not at her—but at her best friend, Mei Lin.

> “I never loved anyone else,” he announced into the microphone. “Mei, you’re the only woman in my heart.”

The crowd erupted into cheers. Liya’s heart splintered with each clap, each shout, each echo of betrayal. Her best friend’s face twisted into a mocking smile, as if to say: You were always the fool.

Memories of laughter and trust flooded her mind, now turned into jagged shards of pain. Tears blurred her vision, and her knees trembled. She stumbled toward the grand exit, heels clicking sharply on the marble floor, each step echoing her broken heart. Her thoughts raced: How could they do this? How could I have been so blind?

Minutes later, on the rooftop, the cold wind bit at her skin. Her phone buzzed with one last cruel message:

> Thank you for everything, Liya. You were just a stepping stone.

Lightning split the sky. The world tilted, and darkness swallowed her.

But death was not the end.

Liya opened her eyes to sunlight streaming through familiar curtains. Her hands flew to her face—soft, smooth, unscarred. She stared at the reflection in the mirror. She looked younger. Her heart raced. She could feel her pulse pounding in her ears, and every memory of her past life flooded back with sharp clarity.

Everything rushed back: the betrayal, the pain, the heartbreak. And then… a startling realization hit her. She was back. Three years in the past.

Her engagement hadn’t been announced. Her betrayal hadn’t happened. The worst was yet to come—but now, she could change it.

Her lips curled into a determined smile.

> This time, I won’t be the helpless girl I once was. I’ll rewrite my destiny.

She stepped out of her room, her mind racing with plans for revenge, for justice, for power. And then she collided with someone tall and imposing.

Xavier Mo. The untouchable CEO, rumored to be ruthless in business and life alike. His sharp eyes, cold as frost, locked onto hers.

> “Marry me,” he said quietly, yet with authority. “Sign the contract, and I’ll give you the power to destroy your enemies.”

Liya’s heartbeat stuttered. Fate had given her a second chance—but at what cost?

Her lips curved into a small, icy smile.

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