Chapter 1 The Sapphire Necklace
Someone gifted Ruth Sterling, the matriarch of the Sterling family, a sapphire necklace worth tens of millions of dollars. My sister, Chloe Sue, desperately wanted it but didn't have the nerve to ask. Instead, she shot a pitiful glance at Julian Vance, who knew the Sterling family owed me a favor. So, he gently coaxed me into cashing in that favor to get the million-dollar jewel for my sister.
In my previous life, I did exactly what they wanted, playing right into their hands and getting the necklace for Chloe.
But less than a month after wearing it, Chloe died. That was when everyone discovered the sapphire was highly radioactive.
But death is final. Unable to change the past, Julian fulfilled the strategic engagement and married me anyway. On our wedding night, just as I was unbuttoning my dress to consummate our marriage, he suddenly fixed me with a freezing, indifferent stare.
"If you hadn't asked for that necklace, Chloe wouldn't have died," he sneered. "Hannah Sue, I will make you pay for this."
He tortured me for the rest of my life.
When I opened my eyes again, I was right back at the private banquet where Ruth was showing off the jewel.
Julian coaxed me with a charming smile. "Hannah, go ask Mrs. Sterling to give that necklace to your sister, okay?"
*****
Just like in my previous life, Julian gestured toward the dazzling blue stone in Ruth's hands.
I felt completely dazed, my mind going entirely blank. Supposedly a private heirloom of a foreign monarchy, the necklace was worth tens of millions of dollars.
As soon as Ruth brought it out, the gem-obsessed girls in the room were utterly spellbound, unable to tear their eyes away.
Seeing their sheer admiration, the kind-hearted Ruth chuckled. "It's a precious piece, but my family isn't short on jewelry. If any of you girls fancy it, just say the word."
Hearing this, the heiresses from prominent families eagerly began dropping hints. Only Chloe hesitated, biting her lip.
She knew our family was just a minor player relying on Sterling Group for survival. If it weren't for her engagement to the Vance family, we wouldn't have even made the guest list.
She was terrified that asking for it would offend Ruth and ruin the prestigious engagement with the Vance family she had fought so hard to secure. But she was too obsessed with the necklace to let it go. So, she looked at her fiancé, Julian, with puppy-dog eyes.
Unfortunately, even as the heir to Vance Group, Julian wasn't about to fight a bunch of girls over a piece of jewelry.
"I'd be the laughingstock of the room if a grown man like me fought little girls for a necklace," Julian said.
His voice snapped me out of my horrific memories. Exactly as he had done in my previous life, he leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Think about it. What if I ask and she says no? Your sister would be utterly humiliated."
He was terrified of losing face and becoming the joke of our social circle. But wasn't I?
Actually, in my previous life, I voiced my doubts right then and there.
But Julian had manipulated me. "You saved Mrs. Sterling's life, and she promised you a favor. If you ask her, she definitely won't say no. Trust me."
I had been saving that favor for a critical moment, hoping it would be my ticket out of my toxic family.
In my previous life, I had whispered my escape plan to him.
Instead of supporting me, he scoffed, "Are you seriously going to waste Mrs. Sterling's promise on such trivial nonsense?"
He knew exactly how to prey on my insecurities. Provoked and belittled, I had gritted my teeth and begged the matriarch for the necklace.
But in this life, looking at his handsome yet hypocritical face, I simply shook my head and swallowed the bitter resentment.
I stood up, walked straight to Ruth, and looked her in the eye.
"Mrs. Sterling, there is actually one favor I'd like to ask of you," I uttered.
