Chapter 9: The Mask Begins to Crack
1121 Words
The hospital room fell into complete silence.
Amber stared at the tiny glass vial hidden beneath the bouquet of white lilies. Her fingers went numb.
She knew that bottle.
Even after dying and being reborn, she could never forget it.
Her breathing became uneven.
In her first life...
A prison guard had placed a tray of food in front of her.
The poison had been colorless.
Odorless.
Almost impossible to detect.
And a few minutes later...
She had died.
Her vision blurred as memories of the prison cell flooded back.
"The poison is working faster than I expected."
Bliss's cruel laughter echoed in her mind.
"Dead women can't reclaim their inheritance."
"Amber!"
Adrian's voice snapped her back to reality.
She realized she had unconsciously backed herself against the headboard.
Her face had turned pale.
He immediately walked to her side.
"Look at me."
She slowly lifted her eyes.
His usually calm face was filled with worry.
"You're safe."
Amber swallowed hard.
"No..."
She whispered.
"They found me."
Adrian took the poison bottle from her trembling hand.
His expression darkened.
"They're trying to scare you."
"No."
She shook her head.
"They're reminding me."
He frowned.
"Reminding you of what?"
Amber couldn't tell him.
She couldn't explain that she had already died once.
Instead, she took a deep breath.
"They're reminding me that they'll never stop until I'm dead."
Adrian was silent for several seconds.
Then he did something unexpected.
He reached for her hand.
His fingers wrapped gently around hers.
Warm.
Steady.
Comforting.
"You won't die."
Amber looked at their joined hands.
Her heartbeat became strangely uneven.
"I won't let anyone touch you."
His voice wasn't loud.
It wasn't dramatic.
It was simply... certain.
For some reason...
Amber believed him.
Later That Evening
Lucas Hayes stood in his office studying the hospital's security footage.
Something wasn't right.
The flowers had been delivered under a fake name.
The delivery man never appeared on any outside cameras.
It was as though he had appeared out of nowhere.
Lucas rubbed his forehead.
He had only met Amber a few hours ago.
Yet something about her stayed in his mind.
The sadness in her eyes...
The fear she tried so hard to hide...
And the way Adrian looked at her.
Lucas smiled to himself.
"So the Ice King can actually worry about someone."
His assistant knocked on the door.
"Doctor Hayes?"
"Yes?"
"We checked the poison."
Lucas's smile disappeared.
"What did the lab find?"
The nurse hesitated.
"It isn't ordinary poison."
Lucas frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"It was specially manufactured."
His eyes narrowed.
"Someone spent a lot of money to obtain it."
Lucas immediately picked up his phone.
He had to warn Adrian.
Sterling Mansion
That night...
Amber stood alone on the balcony outside her bedroom.
The city lights stretched endlessly beneath the night sky.
Normally, she loved this view.
Tonight...
It felt lonely.
Cold.
She wrapped her arms around herself.
The wind played with her hair.
"So this is where you're hiding."
Amber turned.
Adrian walked onto the balcony carrying two steaming cups of coffee.
"I thought you might not be sleeping tonight."
She accepted one.
"Thank you."
They stood quietly beside each other.
Neither spoke.
The silence wasn't awkward.
It was peaceful.
After several minutes...
Amber finally asked,
"Why are you helping me?"
Adrian looked at the stars.
"Do you really want the answer?"
"Yes."
He took a slow sip of coffee.
"When I was eighteen..."
"My family lost everything."
Amber listened carefully.
"My father was accused of fraud."
"He committed suicide before the investigation ended."
Amber gasped softly.
"My mother became seriously ill."
"We had nothing."
His expression remained calm.
"But your father believed in me."
Amber smiled faintly.
"He gave you a job."
"He gave me hope."
For the first time...
Adrian smiled.
A genuine smile.
It transformed his entire face.
"You know..."
"What?"
"He used to talk about you."
Amber blinked.
"Me?"
"You were twelve."
"You insisted on making me a birthday cake."
Amber laughed.
"I did?"
"It was terrible."
She playfully hit his arm.
"Hey!"
He chuckled.
"There was salt instead of sugar."
Amber covered her face.
"Oh no..."
"But you cried because you thought I'd hate it."
"So..."
"What happened?"
Adrian looked at her.
"I ate every bite."
Amber stared at him.
"You did?"
"I didn't want you to cry."
For a moment...
They simply looked at each other.
Then both laughed.
The heavy atmosphere disappeared.
For the first time since her rebirth...
Amber genuinely smiled.
Not a fake smile.
Not one hiding pain.
A real one.
Adrian couldn't take his eyes off her.
She's beautiful...
The thought slipped into his mind before he could stop it.
He quickly looked away.
Across the City
Ethan slammed his fist onto his desk.
"She survived?"
Bliss stood beside him.
"I told you we should've acted sooner."
Ethan glared at her.
"Shut up."
Bliss crossed her arms.
"You're blaming me?"
"I'm blaming your stupidity."
She scoffed.
"My stupidity?"
"You couldn't even finish one simple job."
Bliss's face darkened.
"It wasn't my fault."
Ethan suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Hard.
"Listen carefully."
His voice became dangerously cold.
"If Amber remembers anything..."
"We're finished."
Bliss swallowed nervously.
For the first time...
She looked afraid of Ethan.
Not angry.
Afraid.
He slowly released her.
"We move tomorrow."
"What about Adrian?"
Ethan's eyes became icy.
"I'll handle him."
The Next Morning
Amber walked into Sterling Group headquarters for the first time since her rebirth.
Employees immediately stood.
"Good morning, Miss Sterling."
"Welcome back, Miss Sterling."
She smiled politely.
In her previous life...
She had ignored the business.
Leaving everything to Ethan.
Not anymore.
This company belonged to her father.
And she intended to protect it.
As she stepped into the executive elevator...
A familiar voice stopped her.
"Mrs. Carter."
Amber turned.
A handsome young lawyer in a navy suit approached her.
He bowed respectfully.
"My name is Daniel Brooks."
"I'm your father's former legal adviser."
Amber frowned.
"I thought you retired."
Daniel smiled slightly.
"I did."
"Then why are you here?"
He handed her a sealed envelope.
"Because your father told me..."
"...to give you this only if you ever returned to the company before your twenty-fifth birthday."
Amber's heart skipped.
Another secret?
She opened the envelope.
Inside was a single keycard.
And a handwritten note.
Amber, trust no one in the boardroom... because one of them helped betray our family.
Amber slowly looked up.
The board meeting was scheduled to begin in ten minutes.
She suddenly realized something terrifying.
The traitor wasn't just Ethan.
Someone inside Sterling Group had been working against her family all along.
And in less than ten minutes...
She would be sitting in the same room with them.
to be continued
- Writer
