But she was about to be disappointed.

Just before Alexander was to make his grand entrance, I intercepted him in a private study.

It was our first meeting. He stood a full head taller than me, his strikingly handsome face cold and unapproachable.

Tsk, so he really wasn't easy to approach.

I handed him a document. "I know you've acquired a new project but are unsure how to proceed. This is my proposal. I guarantee it will be profitable."

I may have grown up in an orphanage with only a high school education, but I possessed a sharp business mind. In my last life, Brad Moss became a tycoon precisely because I was the strategist behind the scenes.

"How did you know about this project?" he asked. He took the file and flipped through the pages.

In my last life, that project had been Brad's. He'd treated me well then, so I gave him the plan that secured the deal. This time, without me helping him, it had fallen into Alexander's lap.

"I did my research," I said with a faint smile. "Mr. Morland, I can prepare proposals like this for you regularly. On one condition: in public, we play the part of a family. In private, we lead separate lives."

Alexander was a businessman first. Profit was his ultimate motivator. If I could prove my usefulness, he would reassess my value.

Just as I expected him to agree, he raised an eyebrow. "I see. You want to trade your cooperation for a safe harbor."

Then his tone shifted, becoming almost teasing. "But didn't my mother tell you? She didn't adopt a daughter; she was shopping for a daughter-in-law."

"I'm aware. So... what's your point?" I asked, confused.

A faint smile touched his lips as he closed the folder. "This plan is excellent. Once you marry me, every idea you have will naturally belong to me anyway."

With that, he turned and walked away.

I stood frozen, his words echoing in my mind.

What did he mean by that?

Did he... actually want to marry me?

No. That was impossible.

He just wanted to secure a lifetime of free proposals. That had to be it.

…

When I entered the grand hall, Mrs. Morland immediately took my arm, proudly introducing me to the assembled elders.

"This is my future daughter-in-law. Isn't she lovely? So gentle and well-mannered."

A chorus of polite praise followed.

From across the room, I felt Hazel's gaze burning into me. Standing beside Brad, her eyes were dark pools of resentment.

Clutching her wine glass, she strode over and addressed Mrs. Morland with false concern.

"Mrs. Morland, Alexander has only just returned home. Has Carmen even met him? How can you be so sure he's agreed to this?"

She had already made a terrible impression at the orphanage. Now, hearing her audacious question, Mrs. Morland's eyes flashed with fury.

"How dare you! The Morland family's affairs are none of your concern. Who do you think you are?"

Brad’s face paled. "My apologies, Mrs. Morland. Please forgive my sister; she speaks without thinking."

But I saw it—the fleeting, dangerous shadow that crossed his eyes. I had seen that look countless times in my last life. It always signaled the beginning of a nightmare.

A cold dread seized me. I instinctively stepped backward, only to stumble against a solid, warm chest.

I turned, startled, and found myself looking up into Alexander's face. His arms steadied me.

"Careful," he murmured. A rare smile softened his typically cold eyes, and his voice was gentler than I thought possible.

Hazel, standing right in front of us, looked like she was about to explode. She must have been screaming inside, wondering why he was treating me with such tenderness.

"Alexander," she blurted, "do you really like Carmen? She's just an orphan! And she's... impure! She was assaulted!"

Her words silenced the entire hall.

She was referring to that night at the orphanage. A man had crept into my room while I slept, his hands tearing at my clothes. He tried to violate me.

But I had fought back. I smashed a flower vase over his head.

After the incident, Hazel had spread the vicious rumor far and wide, branding me as "soiled goods."

She’d even come to me, her eyes glittering with triumph. "Carmen, care to guess who sent that man to your room?"

In that moment, the final piece clicked into place. The entire ordeal had been her doing.

The memory sent a fresh wave of anger through me, my fists clenching. I was about to retort, but Alexander spoke first.

"Is that a fact?" His voice was dangerously quiet, his gaze locked on Hazel.

Mistaking his tone for curiosity, she preened. "It's true! Carmen was defiled by some filthy old—"

She never finished the sentence.

Without another word, Alexander's foot shot out, catching her squarely in the stomach and sending her crashing to the floor.

A collective gasp rippled through the hall. All conversation ceased.

Brad's face turned a sickly gray. "Mr. Morland, my deepest apologies! This is my failure. I have been too lax in disciplining my sister."

Alexander's voice was pure ice. "If I ever hear her slander my fiancée again, I’ll make sure she can’t stand another day in this city. In fact, your entire family can pack their bags and leave with her. I suggest you teach her some respect. Immediately."

Brad bowed his head in a panic. "Yes, sir. It will be done."

He strode over and delivered three sharp, brutal strikes to Hazel's face, left and right.

"Aah! Stop! It hurts!" she wailed, her screams piercing the stunned silence.

Mrs. Morland's voice cut through the commotion, calm yet absolute. "Let this be clear to everyone. This young woman is my daughter-in-law. Her name is Carmen Bingley. If I hear of anyone mistreating her, I will return the favor tenfold."

"Feel better now?" Alexander murmured, holding me close.

"It's exhilarating," I whispered, half laughing. Felt like clearing years of smoke from my lungs.

…

Hazel's public spectacle had an unexpected benefit: it fast-tracked my relationship with Alexander. Overnight, everyone knew I was the Morlands' chosen daughter-in-law, and the respect they showed me was entirely new.

As for Hazel, Brad had dragged her away, his face thunderous with humiliation. In my last life, he'd kept his vicious nature hidden much longer, but today's events had torn the mask off prematurely. I knew her nightmare was just beginning, and I wondered if she had the strength to survive it.

For a while, she left me alone, giving me the precious time I needed to make money and plan my escape from this gilded cage. Rebirth had taught me one undeniable truth: the only person you can truly rely on is yourself.

I was in the middle of my job search when Alexander contacted me.

His text was straightforward: [Come work at my company. Starting salary: 5,000 dollars a month, plus bonuses.]

It was perfect—the high-paying job I’d been looking for. I accepted immediately.

But on my way to the interview, a cloth was suddenly clamped over my mouth, smelling sickly sweet.

I woke up disoriented in a grimy public restroom. The floor was slick with water, the air thick with a nauseating stench. And standing over me was the same man who had attacked me at the orphanage.

His yellowed teeth were bared in a lewd grin. "After I'm done with you, you can forget about being the Morlands' daughter-in-law. Oh, and don't worry, I've already sent them an invitation to the show."

A cold smile touched my lips. "It seems the flower vase last time didn't teach you a strong enough lesson."

"What did you say?" he snarled.

Ignoring the filth, I pushed myself up from the wet tiles and pulled a knife from my pocket. The blade gleamed, sharpened to a fine edge.

"You really think I'd fall for the same trap twice?"

Before he could react, I slashed the blade across my own arm. Blood welled up instantly, and I smeared it over my clothes and skin.

Right on cue, the door burst open.

"Mr. Morland, please don't hurt Carmen! She's just... lonely, that's why she's meeting a man in a place like this—"

Hazel's plea died in her throat as she saw me, standing there, and covered in blood.