Chapter one - Death, Rebirth and the Bodyguard

The boardroom lights glared harshly against polished glass and steel, almost too bright for Emily Hart. She sat at the far end of the long table, her hands folded in her lap, trying not to let them shake. Her chest was tight, her throat dry. She had been here before, always on the defensive, always shrinking into herself as others made decisions for her.

Tonight was no different.

Her stepsister, Stephanie Hart, lounged near the head of the table, her white silk blouse and perfect hair shining like she had already claimed victory. Beside her sat Damien Louis, Emily’s ex-boyfriend, his arm casually draped along the chair, his smile sharp with cruelty.

“Emily,” Stephanie’s voice was sweet, but her eyes glittered like knives, “you’re just not strong enough to run Hart Enterprises. You’ve failed our father, failed the shareholders, and failed this company. It’s time you stepped aside.”

Damien leaned forward, gaze sliding over Emily like she was something pitiful. “Sign the transfer papers, Emily. It’s for the best. You’ve tried, but… let’s face it. You were never meant for this.”

Emily’s chest tightened. Words stuck in her throat. She wanted to fight back, to scream that they were liars, thieves, traitors. But all she managed was a weak whisper:

“This is… my company…”

Stephanie’s laugh rang through the room like broken glass. “Not for long.”

A wine glass slid across the table toward Emily. She hesitated, but Damien’s smirk dared her to refuse. Her trembling fingers lifted it. She drank.

The burn hit her throat first. Then the rush. Her pulse skyrocketed, then crashed. Emily gasped, clutching her chest. The glass slipped from her hand, shattering against the floor.

“W-What… did you…..” Her words choked off as her knees buckled.

Damien caught her before she fell, but his grip was steady, cold. He wasn’t saving her. He was watching her die.

“Pathetic,” he whispered, his lips curling.

Emily’s vision blurred. She heard Stephanie’s voice, distant and cruel: “You should’ve stayed in your little corner, sister. Weaklings like you don’t deserve empires.”

Her last thought, as darkness closed in, was bitter despair:

I was never enough…

And then, silence.

⸻—————————————————————————

A breath.

Sharp. Violent. New.

Emily’s chest rose again but something inside her had changed. Her eyes snapped open, not timid and tear filled but blazing with a fire they had never carried before.

Her gaze darted around the room a cracked ceiling fan spinning, a dimly lit bedroom she recognized faintly. Her hands gripped the sheets. Smaller. Softer. This body was weak… but her mind was not.

She rose, unsteady, and stumbled toward a mirror on the wall.

The reflection staring back at her was Emily Hart pale skin, delicate features, eyes still wide with fragility. But when she smiled, it wasn’t Emily’s timid smile.

It was sharp. Dangerous. Confident.

“Hmm,” she murmured, running a finger along the mirror’s edge. “So this is the body I’ve been given.”

Memories not her own slammed into her mind Emily’s memories. Years of humiliation. Stephanie mocking her. Damien cheating, then betraying her. The board stripping her of power. A lifetime of weakness, all crashing down until her heart broke.

But Raven for that was who she was, in soul and spirit only laughed, low and dark.

“They wanted you broken, little lamb. But instead… they’ve given you me.”

Her lips curved into a smirk, her amber eyes blazing in Emily’s reflection.

“Emily Hart is dead. From her ashes, I rise. I am Raven… and I will make them all pay.”

The door opened suddenly.

“Miss Hart?” The voice was deep, steady, protective.

Luguard Jones stepped into the room, his tall frame filling the doorway. His black suit fit his broad shoulders perfectly, his jaw rough with stubble, his dark eyes scanning the space with quiet authority.

He paused, studying her. Something about her was different. Stronger. Sharper.

“You fainted earlier,” he said carefully. “I was worried.”

Raven turned to him, her smile slow and deliberate. She stepped closer, her new body fragile but her presence commanding. “Why are you here, Luguard?” she asked softly, her tone wrapping around his name like silk.

His jaw tightened, his gaze flicking away for the briefest second before locking back on hers. “It’s my job to be.”

“No.” She tilted her head, eyes narrowing in satisfaction. “It’s more than that. You’ll protect me… with your life.”

The words were half command, half promise.

Luguard’s fists flexed at his sides, but his voice was steady. “Always.”

For a moment, silence thickened between them. She let it hang, savoring the tension, the way his eyes lingered just a fraction too long. Weak Emily had never noticed it but Raven did.

And she would use it.

⸻—————————————————————-

Later, alone again, Raven stood before the mirror, tracing Emily’s delicate face with her fingertip.

“Stephanie. Damien. Everyone who laughed at you, Emily… they won’t laugh for long.”

Her smile sharpened, glowing with cruel delight.

“This life won’t be wasted. I’ll take your revenge for you. And when I’m done, I’ll rule this empire in heels sharp enough to cut throats.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper, filled with fire.

“Emily Hart is gone. Raven has returned.”

The night outside seemed to bow in agreement.

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