Wyatt's expression darkened instantly.

“Aubrey!”

He grabbed my wrist with a force so strong it hurt.

“She’s my cousin—your future family. Can’t you just be reasonable?”

I let out a cold laugh and yanked my hand free.

“Who said I’m family with any of you?”

His pupils dilated, as if struck by my words.

“You're throwing a tantrum over a hair clip? Olivia borrowed it, so what? Your jewelry fills an entire room—what’s the big deal if she wore one?”

Right on cue, Olivia began to sob.

Tears trembled at the edge of her lashes, threatening to fall.

“Wyatt, it’s fine... Miss Milton clearly looks down on me. I shouldn’t have asked—I never deserved it...”

I couldn’t be bothered to watch them act out their little play any longer.

“I said no, and I meant it.” With that, I turned and left.

Back in my room, I threw the covers over myself and tried to sleep.

The dizziness from being reborn still churned in my head, until a piercing phone ring startled me awake.

“Miss!” My assistant’s panicked voice came through, choking with tears.

“Sir Wyatt broke into the villa with Miss Smith! I tried to stop them, but the bodyguards all listened to him—”

I shot upright in bed.

The memory of my past kidnapping flashed before my eyes—those very same bodyguards had followed Wyatt’s orders without hesitation, leaving me alone in the hands of the kidnappers.

When I rushed to the villa, a bodyguard had the audacity to block my path.

“Miss Milton, Sir Wyatt said no one is allowed to disturb—”

SLAP!

My hand struck his face with a loud crack.

“You eat my food but take orders from someone else?” My body trembled with rage. “Get lost!”

I stormed into the inner chamber, and the sight before me froze my blood.

Steam curled around the hot spring.

Olivia leaned languidly against the edge of the pool, her skin was flushed unnaturally pink.

“Wyatt, I feel so dizzy...” she murmured.

Before she could finish, her body went limp and slipped under the water.

Without hesitation, Wyatt jumped in and scooped her up.

Droplets slid down his tense jawline, dripping onto her bare shoulder.

“Wyatt,” I said coldly, “I told you—you’re not welcome here.”

At that instant, he froze, while Olivia trembled faintly in his arms.

“Aubrey!” His voice wavered with panic, quickly replaced by anger. “Why are you being so aggressive? She nearly passed out! Must you be so cruel?”

Suddenly, Olivia wriggled free and dropped to her knees before me with a loud thud, her forehead hitting the floor hard.

“I’m sorry, Miss Milton! It’s all my fault!” Blood streaked down her pale face.

Then, she lunged forward and clung to my leg—only to suddenly flail backward and fall back into the water like she’d been pushed.

“Help! I’m cramping—help!” she screamed, thrashing in the water.

Once again, Wyatt jumped in and hauled her out.

When he looked at me, his eyes were filled with disgust. “Aubrey, you’ve gone too far.”

Then he shoved me hard—straight into the pool.

BANG!

My arm slammed into the edge of the pool, pain bursting through me in a wave of bruises.

“If you keep bullying Olivia,” he said icily, holding her trembling figure close, “I won’t marry you.”

I clawed my way out of the pool, soaked and humiliated.

Watching their retreating backs, I spat out, “Everyone who let them in today—you're all fired!”

As I changed out of my wet clothes, my assistant rushed in, breathless.

“Miss Milton! We found a lead on Aidan!”

That night, I left for Green Belt Village immediately.

The rain poured relentlessly, turning the washed-out mountain roads into a muddy trap.

Just as I settled down in the town, a pair of strong hands suddenly grabbed me, and I was yanked into a dark alley.

A warm, calloused palm clamped tightly over my mouth.

I looked up in alarm—and locked eyes with a gaze as bright as the stars.

“Aidan?!” I gasped.

He quickly let go of me, his face turning crimson under the mask.

“Miss Milton, what are you doing in a place like this...?”

“You’re supposed to be dead!” My voice trembled with disbelief.

He scratched the back of his head, revealing a charming little canine tooth as he smiled sheepishly.

“There was a mole in our operation here. I faked my death during the landslide to smoke him out.”

“You know how to pull stunts like that?” I was genuinely surprised.

But his smile dimmed in an instant. “Did I... disappoint you? Have you always thought I was just a fool?”

A sudden ache stabbed my heart.

I grabbed his hand urgently and said, “Listen! You must come back before the 8th—for the wedding.”

He froze, and his gaze darkened. “Of course. I’ll be there—for your wedding.”

“You idiot,” I stomped my foot in frustration, “I meant I want to marry you—”

“Boss! The mole’s on the run!” A shout came from the alley entrance.

Aidan quickly stepped back. “This place isn’t safe, Miss Milton. Go back for now. I promise—I’ll be there for the wedding.”

Then, without another word, he disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway.

I stood there, stunned, emotions surging in waves.

In my past life, he was the one I paid the least attention to among the eight “sons” my father raised.

Everyone said he was all brawn and no brain, spending his time in clubs and racetracks.

Unlike Wyatt, always calm and composed in tailored suits, gold-rimmed glasses framing his perfect strategies.

But now I realized—those “minor roles” and “dirty work” had always gone to Aidan.

The most dangerous dealings, the messiest connections—how could anyone manage those without real skill?

On the way back, I had a new digital wedding invitation made and sent it to him.

It wasn’t until the middle of the night that my phone lit up with a message.

[Miss Milton, you wrote the groom’s name wrong. Please fix it.]

The typing indicator blinked for a long time before he added.

[Don’t worry. I’ll definitely be at the wedding.]

I couldn’t help but laugh softly.

There was no way he’d believe me now. I’d explain everything in person when he returned.

Meanwhile, my phone buzzed nonstop with messages from Wyatt.

[Olivia deserves your apology.]

[Stop being so childish.]

I opened the thread and, without hesitation, deleted his contact.

Knowing Aidan was alive—and far more capable than anyone ever gave him credit for—filled me with a renewed sense of clarity.

I began preparing for the wedding in earnest.

That day, I pushed open the glass door of a bridal boutique—and was instantly hit by the overwhelming stench of cheap perfume.

“Wyatt~ do I look good in this?” Olivia’s sugary-sweet voice rang, making my skin crawl.

She was wearing my wedding dress—the custom gown my mother had commissioned for me—twirling in front of the mirror, admiring herself.

Wyatt stood beside her, gazing at her with gentle eyes. “Olivia, you look beautiful in anything.”

“Stop it~ You’re such a charmer, Wyatt~” She giggled, spinning again as her cheap perfume thickened the air.

I forced myself to swallow the fury rising in my chest and walked toward them.

The moment Wyatt saw me, his face stiffened.

He instinctively stepped in front of Olivia, his voice laced with forced calm. “Aubrey, don’t misunderstand. Olivia’s health isn’t good. She might not make it to see the wedding. She just wanted to experience what it felt like to wear a wedding dress—”

Olivia started coughing delicately.

I cut him off, my voice was like ice. “Take. It. Off.”

Her eyes immediately welled with tears. “I’m sorry, Miss Milton... I was just... so jealous of you.”

Olivia clung to Wyatt’s sleeve, trembling as tears streamed down her face. “It’s all my fault... Don’t be mad at Wyatt...”

Wyatt’s expression darkened. “You’re going to marry me sooner or later. So what if she tried on the dress? Can’t you just let her be happy for once?”

“I said—take it off,” I repeated, enunciating each word with icy clarity.

Then I turned to the nervous boutique staff. “Since when were my wedding dresses available for others to try on?”

The two shop assistants scrambled to undress Olivia. Red welts began forming on her pale arms from the rushed movements.

She wept like a pitiful flower in the rain. “I’m sorry... It’s my fault. I’m cheap... I don’t deserve something this beautiful...”

Suddenly, her knees gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.

Wyatt lunged forward to catch her, then turned and shouted at me, “Aubrey, are you happy now?!”

I sneered and wrinkled my nose in disgust. “Sanitize the dress three times. Don’t leave a trace of her stench on it.”

Covering her face, Olivia fled the store, sobbing.

Wyatt glared at me, his face livid, before storming out and slamming the door behind him.

That night, my assistant, Harper, leaned in close and whispered with a hint of mischief, practically bouncing with excitement. “Miss Milton, guess what? That fake little damsel Olivia—she got hit by a car today! Broke her leg, they say!”

She gestured dramatically. “If you ask me, it's karma! She knew Wyatt was your fiancé and still clung to him like a leech. Acting all innocent and delicate—gross!”

I swirled the wine in my glass, a cold smile tugging at my lips. “Who told you Wyatt was still my fiancé?”

Harper's eyes widened, nearly dropping the fruit platter in her hands. “Wait—Miss Milton, you mean...”

“Go contact the wedding planner,” I said, taking a slow sip of wine. “Change the groom’s name to Aidan.”

“That’s amazing!” she clapped with delight. “Miss Milton, honestly, Wyatt looks decent, but he’s got no boundaries. Always hanging around that fake little flower. He’s nothing but a walking air conditioner—cold to everyone!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Even my assistant could see what I couldn’t in my last life. Love really made people blind.

The realization made me sigh quietly.

The next morning, I had just stepped out of my office building when everything went dark—a burlap sack was suddenly yanked over my head!

“Who are you?! Let me go!” I thrashed wildly.

Rough hands shoved me into a vehicle. My back slammed into the doorframe, the pain sharp enough to knock the air from my lungs.

A familiar wave of terror surged through me—memories of the kidnapping in my past life crashing back like a tidal wave.

“I’ll pay—whatever you want, I’ll pay!” My voice shook uncontrollably as hot tears soaked through the blindfold.

But there was only suffocating silence in response.

Then that familiar scent drifted to the tip of my nose—Wyatt's cologne.

My heart sank to the depths of despair. “What... what is it that you really want?” I whispered.

His voice came low and cold as he responded, “Someone paid me to teach you a lesson.”

Even though I had already chosen not to marry him, the cruelty in his tone still tore something inside me.

Crack!

A metal rod slammed down on my leg. The searing pain made my vision blur.

My chest clenched as if someone had split it open, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to call out his name.

I curled into the corner of the van, silent tears soaking through the rough sack.

Just before I lost consciousness, I heard his cold and emotionless voice again.

“Remember this lesson.”

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The iron rod struck my leg with a dull thud—once, twice, three times...

By the fifteenth blow, I could hear my bones shatter.

Then, everything went black.

When I woke up again, I was lying, broken and bloodied, in front of the Milton family gates.