MY SECOND LIFE: B0UND TO THE RUTHLESS ONE

WAKING IN ANOTHER WORLD

[DING!]

[REBIRTH COMPLETE. WELCOME BACK, HOST.]

The voice was unlike anything I had ever heard. It wasn't the voice of Heaven or Hell. It wasn't Chase's, Liora's, or Father's. It was cold, mechanical, and almost annoyed.

[SYSTEM ACTIVATED.]

[HOST, YOU ARE ALIVE AGAIN. YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR A SECOND CHANCE.]

I tried to move, but the moment I did, an explosion of pain ripped through my head. It was sharp, brutal, and white-hot, starting from my temple and traveling all the way down to my neck. I gasped as my eyes flew open, my throat burning, my stomach aching, and my entire body feeling unbearably heavy.

I looked down at myself, expecting to see blood.

Nothing.

I was alive.

But—

Where was I?

I stared at the ceiling above me. It wasn't the ceiling of my apartment, nor was it Father's house. In fact, it wasn't anywhere I recognized. A massive crystal chandelier hung above me, its glittering crystals reflecting the cold white light of the room. It looked ridiculously expensive, far too expensive for a third-rate heiress like me.

The room was freezing, almost too cold to feel alive. Then there was the smell. It wasn't blood, my favorite perfume, the comforting smell of food, or even my ginger tea. It was disinfectant mixed with the strong, suffocating scent of roses.

Where am I?

I tried to sit up, but something tugged at my arm. Looking down, I saw an IV attached to my wrist.

A hospital.

My eyes widened.

A hospital?

No.

Not just any hospital. Judging from the luxurious room, private medical equipment, and expensive furnishings, this was the kind of hospital only billionaires and dignitaries could afford.

My breathing became uneven.

Slowly, I lifted my hand. My fingers were slender, and my skin was pale. But not just pale. My skin was so fair and flawless that it almost looked unreal, like fresh snow beneath sunlight.

I turned my wrist.

There it was—a small crescent-moon birthmark. Beside it was the faint scar I had gotten after falling off my bicycle when I was seven.

My hand.

My real hand.

I stared at it in disbelief, but then my eyes moved to my finger.

There was no ring.

Chase's ring was gone.

The engagement ring that had once felt like a promise was nowhere to be found. A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Maybe this really was another life.

"Oh my God! She's awake!"

A nurse dressed in pink rushed into the room and immediately pressed a button.

"Miss Vale! Miss Vale, can you hear me?"

Miss Vale?

My heart skipped.

Was she talking to me?

Of course she was.

That's what everyone called me.

Elysienne Vale.

My name.

The same name.

The same face.

The same identity.

But before I could process it, the door burst open.

A woman stormed inside. She was in her mid-forties, dressed in an expensive Chanel suit, with perfectly styled hair and flawless makeup.

I froze.

That face.

It was the same face as my father's wife.

My stepmother.

Anger immediately rose inside me, but I forced myself to stop.

No.

This wasn't my world.

So who was she here?

"Elysienne!" she screamed. "You ungrateful bastard! Do you know what you've done?"

A sharp slap landed across my face, snapping my head to the side. Pain exploded through my skull again, and for a moment, everything went black.

Then memories slammed into my mind.

Not mine.

Yet somehow—

They belonged to me.

It felt as though someone had poured boiling water directly into my skull. I clenched my teeth as images flashed through my mind: Elysienne Vale, twenty years old, first daughter of the Vale family in City Veyrion. Spoiled. Arrogant. Troublesome. Sent abroad after a scandal involving drunk driving and a car accident. Her father had cut her off financially, while her stepmother despised her.

And yesterday—

She had attempted to take her own life after her fiancé broke up with her at a gala party proposing to her stepsister.

I sucked in a breath.

Suicide.

Again.

I had died from poison.

She had died from pills.

Different worlds, different lives, different circumstances.

Yet somehow—

The same stupid ending.

The original Elysienne had been spoiled until she was ruined. My life had been destroyed deliberately. Calculated.

I wasn't spoiled delibrately to be ruined.

I was manipulated.

And both of us had ended up dead because of the people we trusted.

[NEW WORLD INFORMATION LOADED.]

The mechanical voice returned.

[YOU ARE ELYSIENNE VALE. SPOILED DAUGHTER. BROKEN. HATED. PERFECT FOR MY MISSION.]

I swallowed.

The system.

That voice again.

"Who are you...?"

My voice came out hoarse, my throat feeling like sandpaper.

The woman grabbed the IV stand beside me.

"Who am I?" she snapped. "You ask who I am?"

Her eyes were filled with disgust.

"Your sister, Liora Vale, is crying at home! You embarrassed the entire family at the Kensington Gala last night by throwing yourself at Chase Kensington!"

My heart stopped.

"And he doesn't even want you!"

Her voice became sharper.

"We already know you're an embarrassment, but did you have to shame the entire family too?"

The name hit me like another slap.

Chase Kensington.

My fingers curled against the bedsheet.

Then another name surfaced.

Liora Vale.

Same names.

Same enemies.

Different world.

Same hell.

My blood ran cold.

In this world, Liora was also my half-sister.

And Chase—

He was also my ex-fiancé.

They were together here too.

I closed my eyes as the memories became clearer. This world's Elysienne had loved Chase. She had loved him desperately, but Chase had left her for Liora after she went abroad for three years.

The car accident scandal wasn't even her fault. It had been fabricated to cover up Chase's mistake.

And last night—the day Elysienne returned from abroad—Liora had lured her to the Kensington Gala under the excuse of a welcome-back celebration.

But it wasn't a welcome party.

It was Chase's proposal party.

His proposal to Liora.

Elysienne had witnessed the man she loved proposing to her own sister. She couldn't handle it. She swallowed a bottle of pills.

And died.

I opened my eyes.

A dry laugh escaped my lips, followed by another. Soon, I couldn't stop laughing.

The woman stared at me as if I had completely lost my mind.

"Elysienne," she snapped. "Have you lost your mind?"

She stepped closer.

"Listen to me carefully. Chase is now Liora's fiancé. Stay away from him."

I looked at her.

Same face as one of the people who had destroyed me in my previous life.

But this time, I wasn't going to cry on a cold floor. I wasn't going to beg. I wasn't going to ask why.

"No," I whispered.

My laughter faded.

"I just found it."

"What did you say?"

I stared straight into her eyes.

"I haven't lost my mind."

My voice was cold.

"I've finally found it."

[DETECTED.]

[HOST RESENTMENT LEVEL: 99,999 POINTS. GOOD. KEEP IT. YOU WILL NEED IT.]

I frowned.

What do you mean?

Before I could ask, the system continued.

[PRIMARY MISSION: MAKE HIM FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU.]

I froze.

What?

[FAILURE WILL RESULT IN HOST'S SECOND AND FINAL DEATH.]

I stared blankly at the ceiling.

Make who fall in love with me?

Then I realized something.

The system wasn't speaking aloud. It was communicating directly with my mind.

I can talk to it with my thoughts.

As if it had heard me, the system answered.

[CORRECT.]

I narrowed my eyes.

Who?

The hospital television mounted on the wall suddenly flickered. Although it had been muted, the screen changed, and breaking news appeared.

A man stepped out of a black Rolls-Royce. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and cold, with a jaw sharp enough to cut glass. His expression was devoid of emotion, and his eyes were like ice.

Reporters immediately stepped backward as he walked past them. Even the camera seemed to shake.

A headline flashed across the screen.

KAELRIC DRAVEN VEYR RETURNS TO CITY VEYRAIN

VEYR GROUP CEO — NET WORTH UNKNOWN

According to rumored sources, his wealth was estimated at 178 billion—a figure so enormous that even the media admitted it could not be accurately measured.

My breath caught.

Kaelric Draven Veyr.

The ruthless one.

The man everyone feared.

The man who seemed untouchable.

The man from my past life.

Margaret followed my gaze toward the television and scoffed.

"Don't even dream."

She folded her arms.

"That's Kaelric Veyr. The devil himself."

Her lips curled.

"He would never look at a disgraced girl like you."

She paused.

"And he hates the Vales."

My eyes remained fixed on the television.

Kaelric.

The name alone felt dangerous.

Then the system spoke again.

But this time, there was something almost amused in its mechanical voice.

[TARGET IDENTIFIED. KAELRIC DRAVEN VEYR. AGE: 25. STATUS: UNTOUCHABLE. EMOTIONAL RESPONSE: NONE. DIFFICULTY LEVEL: HELL MODE.]

I stared at the screen.

You can't be serious.

[MISSION ACCEPTANCE REQUIRED.]

Do I have a choice?

There was a brief silence.

Then—

[NO.]

I nearly laughed.

Of course.

Of course I didn't.

[MISSION 1 ACTIVATED.]

[OBJECTIVE: MAKE KAELRIC VEYR LOOK AT YOU. TIME LIMIT: 7 DAYS. REWARD: SURVIVAL. FAILURE: CARDIAC ARREST.]

My fingers tightened around the hospital sheet.

Seven days.

Seven days to make a man who hated my family notice me.

Is the system insane?

Or was I?

In my first life, I had begged Chase to look at me. I had begged him to love me. I bought him a house. I bought him a car. I gave him everything I had. I loved him until there was nothing left of me.

And he still killed me.

This life would be different.

I would not beg any man for love. I would not sacrifice myself for anyone. I would rule my own life. I would never again place my survival in the hands of a man.

[MISSION 1 ACTIVATED.]

[OBJECTIVE: MAKE KAELRIC VEYR LOOK AT YOU. TIME LIMIT: 7 DAYS. REWARD: SURVIVAL. FAILURE: CARDIAC ARREST.]

The system repeated itself.

I slowly lay back against the pillow.

Can you just give me the cardiac arrest now?

There was silence.

Then—

[SYSTEM: ARE YOU REFUSING THE MISSION AND CHOOSING PUNISHMENT INSTEAD?]

Yes.

I closed my eyes.

Why should I complete a mission that offers nothing except punishment? Why should I have a time limit?

My jaw tightened.

And why love?

My voice inside my head became colder.

Both the owner of this body and I were betrayed by love.

So why can't the mission be about revenge?

Why can't it be about making us stronger?

For the first time, the system didn't immediately answer.

I opened my eyes.

Then the hospital door opened.

A doctor entered carrying a chart. Behind him was a girl dressed in white.

My breathing stopped.

Liora.

The same sweet face. The same innocent expression. The same fake smile.

Her hair was longer in this world, but those eyes—

I knew those eyes.

They were the same eyes I had seen while she stole everything that belonged to me. The same eyes that had watched me suffer.

"Sister!"

Liora rushed toward my bed.

"You're awake!"

She grabbed my hand.

"I was so worried about you!"

Her voice was soft, sweet, concerned.

Perfect.

Her hand was cold.

I stared at her fingers wrapped around mine.

The same hand that had held the poison cup in my previous life. The same hand that had written my suicide note. The same hand that had fed me poison without trembling.

My stomach twisted.

Then the system screamed inside my head.

[WARNING!]

[HIGH-THREAT ENTITY DETECTED! LIORA VALE. SHE IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ORIGINAL HOST'S ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.]

I looked at her.

I didn't pull my hand away.

Instead, I smiled.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Liora's smile remained frozen.

In my first life, I had collapsed. I had cried. I had asked why.

But in this second life—

I smiled back.

"Don't worry, little sister."

My voice was still hoarse, but every word was clear.

"I'm not dying again."

Liora's smile faltered.

"Not today."

I tightened my fingers around hers.

"And not anytime soon."

Her eyes flickered, just for a second.

Surprise.

Because this Elysienne wasn't supposed to behave like this. She was supposed to cry. She was supposed to throw a tantrum, scream, curse, and fight. She was supposed to be weak.

But I wasn't her anymore.

I squeezed Liora's hand harder, hard enough to hurt.

Her smile finally became strained.

And behind her, the television screen changed again.

Kaelric Draven Veyr was still there.

His cold face filled the screen, his icy eyes staring directly into the camera. For one strange second, it felt as though he wasn't looking at the camera.

It felt as though he was looking directly at me.

Cold.

Ruthless.

Untouchable.

The system's target.

My new beginning.

My second life.

And perhaps—

My greatest revenge.

[GOOD, HOST.]

The system's voice sounded almost pleased.

[YOU FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO SMILE WHEN YOU WANT TO KILL.]