A Safe Full of Damnation

The queen of Hawthorne City, Aria Crestwood, the ice queen known as the "Black Widow," announced her engagement to my stepbrother, Spencer Sinclair.

Spencer was terrified, but I pulled him aside and calmly offered to take his place.

In exchange, he would have to spend three years at a remote family estate in Maine, guarding an old safe my father left me. He was forbidden from opening it until those three years were over.

Spencer, believing the safe held the immense fortune he dreamed of, greedily agreed.

A wave of greed and relief washed over his face, and I sneered to myself.

Little did he know, he was guarding the very key to his and his mother's damnation.

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1

"I'm sorry, Rhys," my mother, Genevieve Sinclair, said, her voice trembling. "But we have no other choice. We can't afford to offend the Crestwood family."

She pressed a lace handkerchief to the corner of her eye, squeezing out a few crocodile tears. The performance made my stomach turn.

Everyone in Hawthorne City knew who Aria Crestwood was—the city's uncrowned queen. A car accident claimed her parents' lives, leaving her colder and more ruthless than ever—a beautiful but lethal phantom.

And the man she was set to marry was none other than the heir to the Sinclair family, Spencer Sinclair.

But at this moment, I was the one being pushed forward.

As the Sinclair family's adopted son—the "counterfeit heir"—I was the natural sacrifice.

Spencer stood to the side, unable to hide the smug grin plastered across his face.

A lawyer's voice broke the silence. "Mr. Sinclair, once you sign this agreement, you will officially become Miss Crestwood's legal spouse. As compensation, the Sinclair family will provide a considerable sum."

I looked up at the three vile faces before me. The scene was all too familiar.

In my past life, I had clenched my fists and tearfully demanded to know why. The only response I received was Genevieve's bone-chilling mockery.

"You should be honored, you worthless freeloader! It's the chance of a lifetime to be connected to Miss Crestwood. Don't you dare act like you're above this!"

After that, they drugged me and sent me to Aria's mansion. There, she treated me like I was nothing more than air.

It wasn't until much later that I learned the truth. Aria wanted to marry into the Sinclair family because she suspected they were behind the car crash that killed her parents.

She planned to marry her enemy's son, torture him slowly, and lure out the true mastermind.

But the Sinclairs couldn't bear to part with their precious son. So, they sent me, the substitute.

Aria's plan fell through, and all her pent-up fury and hatred were unleashed on me.

In that vast, magnificent estate, she lifted my chin with a silver cane, her gaze cold enough to freeze blood.

"Did Genevieve send you to humiliate me?" she asked coldly. "Tell her—the game has just begun."

I died in the second winter of my marriage to Aria. By then, my mind had completely shattered. One snowy night, I fled the mansion and threw myself in front of a skidding truck.

My soul floated in the air, watching as Aria stood over my body for a long, long time. There was no vengeful satisfaction on her face, only a bottomless sorrow.

Meanwhile, the Sinclair family thrived, living off the vast inheritance they had stolen from my biological father.

It was that burning injustice that allowed me to be reborn. I had returned to this day, the day they forced me to sign this damned agreement.

"Fine," I said, my voice steady. "I'll sign."

I picked up the pen and wrote my name, Rhys Sinclair, on the document. My handwriting was firm, without a tremor.

All three of them froze, staring at me in disbelief. They had clearly expected tears or a total collapse.

Genevieve blinked, surprised, before a cold, satisfied smile spread across her face. The insincere smirk on my stepfather Philip Sinclair’s face deepened.

Only Spencer looked uneasy, his gloating expression slowly curdling into one of caution and suspicion.

After signing, I stood and turned to him.

"As we agreed, get ready to leave for the estate in Maine. Don't forget our deal."

"What are you trying to pull?" he asked, taking a wary step back.

I smiled faintly. "You've always been curious, haven't you? About why my father, that so-called 'bankrupt merchant,' left me that estate by the sea."

Spencer's eyes widened. This had always been a thorn in his side.

My biological father, Will Montgomery, was once a business genius on par with Aria's father, until he was framed by Genevieve and died young. Genevieve stole everything he left behind, spinning a tale that he was a bankrupt merchant and I was just his worthless son.

Only that seaside estate remained in my name.

She thought the dilapidated house was worthless. But later, when the land was zoned for a top-tier resort, her regret was palpable.

I leaned close to Spencer's ear and lowered my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "The truth is, my father wasn't who you think he was. He founded Montgomery Enterprises. And in the basement of that estate, there's a safe filled with bearer bonds he stashed away. We're talking an astronomical sum."