A few days later, Danielle announced that she was hosting a thank-you banquet for Talia.

She specifically mentioned that many single rich men from noble families would be invited.

She advised Talia to dress up well and said she might introduce Talia to suitable candidates.

Upon receiving the news, Talia likely thought of how I had been introduced to the wealthy heir Brodie Howell in my past life.

Determined to make the best impression, she hired an etiquette coach to ensure she would look her best in front of Brodie.

In this way, she could marry into a wealthy family and live the life of a high-society lady she had always dreamed of.

In that case, she would be no longer reliant on Danielle's favor.

When Talia arrived at the venue, she found that the banquet had already begun.

There was no grand welcoming ceremony as she had imagined.

Instead, a crowd had formed around a scene that was anything but pleasant.

She could somewhat hear the miserable sound.

Talia squeezed into the crowd. In the middle of the circle was a young man pinned to the wall, various numbers taped to his body.

Surrounding him were the rich men, each trying to compete to see who could throw a tennis ball more accurately.

The young man's eyes were bloodshot from the hits, and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.

His mouth was tightly gagged, and despite his struggles, only muffled whimpers escaped.

At that moment, Danielle held a tennis ball in her hand, contemplating which part of the man's body to aim for.

This was the true face of Danielle.

While these rich young men and girls appeared courteous on the surface, relying on their parents' powerful background.

Behind the scenes, they took pleasure in torturing those beneath them, feeling that calling the police was nothing more than just a little compensation money.

And this amount of money might not even be worth one of Danielle's casually discarded earrings.

In my past life, I had been Trevon's goddaughter, Danielle's nominal sister.

I was in a role that allowed her to vent her frustrations on me privately.

While others might have grown bored of such games.

Danielle's torment only intensified after public events where she and I attended together.

She saw me as a filthy woman unworthy of associating with her.

She used the threat of my adoptive parents' lives to let me stay and keep me silent.

I could only endure daily torments.

Talia, eager to attract attention, squeezed her way to Danielle's side and said in a high-pitched voice.

"Danielle, this game you're playing is so interesting."

Danielle chuckled lightly, "Do you want to play? Then come over here."

Talia attempted to take the tennis ball from Danielle's hand but found her wrist firmly grasped.

"I said, you come here and take over for him," Danielle said, her gaze fixed intently on Talia.

With her face paling, Talia didn't even have time to resist.

Then several bodyguards pinned her down, spreading her arms and legs out.

It was a pity that such a beautiful dress would be ruined.

Her mouth was gagged, and her eyes widened in terror.

But this was just the beginning of her nightmare.

Danielle, feeling the need for more excitement, switched the tennis ball for a knife.

Talia struggled desperately, her carefully styled hair becoming a mess.

But how could she escape? Everyone present was as merciless as wolves.

She watched helplessly as Danielle closed her eyes and threw the knife at her arm.

"Wow, it's so amazing. I hit the target perfectly on my first try."

Danielle squealed with excitement, her laughter mingling with Talia's screams.

Sitting down and shaking her champagne glass, Danielle asked, "Where should I stab next?"

"How about you, Brodie?"

Brodie? Brodie!

Talia and I both looked towards Brodie.

In my past life, I had only met Brodie after being introduced by Trevon, but this time, had the wheel of fate turned differently?

Talia's eyes widened in fury as she struggled to spit out the rag in her mouth.

She screamed desperately, "Brodie, save me."

In her mind, she was reborn and had exchanged lives.

Then everything should happen as it did in her previous life.

Brodie should fall for her at first sight and pursue her passionately.

Seeing Brodie now felt like destiny had arranged it.

After all, a prince would always save a suffering Cinderella at critical moments.

But Brodie merely lifted his gaze and glanced at her in confusion.

Then he walked straight towards me.

He handed me the knife.

"Why don't you let this young lady take over?"

Talia's face was full of disbelief. Her frantic curses made everyone uncomfortable.

Therefore, her mouth was soon gagged again.

I looked at Brodie, wondering if he was reborn too.

However, his gaze toward me was strange, showing no signs of recognition.

But why me?

Just as I was about to ask, Danielle's serious scolding came from behind.

Danielle and the wealthy heirs quickly brushed off the situation and dispersed.

Talia was helped into the hall.

As she passed by me, her eyes were filled with the same resentment as in my past life.

I slept deeply that night.

The nightmares of my past life repeated again and again.

I cried and begged Talia to spare my child.

But my baby still fell lifeless in a pool of blood.

I awoke gasping for breath, the dark surroundings feeling eerily familiar.

It looked like the abandoned warehouse from my past life.

Suddenly, a blinding light struck, making it impossible for me to open my eyes.

"Evelyn, you're reborn too, aren't you?"

Talia's eyes were bloodshot and fierce as she turned on the light.

"What are you talking about?" I stared at her blankly.

"Whether you've been reborn or not, I won't let you appear in front of Brodie again.

"Evelyn, it's been a long time since you saw your adoptive parents, hasn't it?

"In your past life, they were supported by your and Danielle's generous transfers every month, so they never bothered you.

"But this time, they are very poor."

Talia yanked my hair and slapped me twice heavily.

"Goodbye, Evelyn."

Under the influence of drugs, I had no time to think further and fell into a deep sleep again.

"Evelyn, you're awake. Come have some water." It was my adoptive parents and my brother.

It turned out that my brother had borrowed a lot of money online to invest in stocks and lost everything.

In that situation, Talia found him.

They decided to marry me off to a remote area in exchange for an amount of money.

Looking at these people, I felt my heart ached.

These were the people I had endured so much torment for in my past life.

My adoptive mother gently stroked my cheek.

"I pick this man for you. He's deaf, blind, and old, so he won't be much of a threat.

"If you don't like him, you can sneak away, and I'll find you another one."

She forced a fake smile, calculating how many times she could sell me off for a better price.

"But what if I can't escape?" I asked desperately.

"Then it's your fault. It's your fate!" She changed her tone, twisting my arm painfully.

"Ungrateful girl, we've raising you for so many years, and it's time for you to contribute to the Pruitt family."

"Stop wasting time with this little bitch. Since she's so ungrateful, there's no need to show her any mercy."

A sharp buzzing filled my ears, and my vision grew blurry and dizzy.

The scenes of my past torment blended with my current situation.

I stared vacantly at them.

My heart was filled with despair and dejection. Even breathing felt like a burden.

Once married off to the remote area, even if the old man was deaf and blind, escaping would be nearly impossible.

The dense forests offered no direction.

I would either be caught and beaten by villagers or killed by wild animals.

Could I still not escape the fate of a tragic end in this life?