: Rebirth

In my past life, our family went bankrupt. One of us—my older sister or me—had to be forced into an arranged marriage.

Rumor had it that Julian Valerius was a bad-tempered, spoiled heir. My older sister lied, claiming she was already in love with someone else, and begged me to go in her place.

Later, my older sister was scammed out of every penny by a man pretending to be rich and handsome—a classic pig-butchering scam—and ended up on the streets.

Meanwhile, Julian Valerius's company went public. His net worth skyrocketed, and he became a young, powerful, and wealthy tycoon. I became pregnant, and he doted on me, showering me with care and affection.

For a time, I was the object of envy among the circle of wealthy socialites.

My older sister chalked it all up to my good luck. Consumed by jealousy, she pushed me into oncoming traffic.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the time before the arranged marriage.

This time, my older sister snatched the opportunity to be Julian Valerius's fiancée, her face glowing with triumph.

"Sister, I'll be enjoying all the wealth and luxury of this lifetime on your behalf!"

As I watched her eagerly climb into the luxury car, I couldn't help but smile.

'To think someone would actually rush to embrace a pervert's abuse and be forced to give birth to his Supermale Son!'

1

When I opened my eyes, I found myself back on the very day my fate was sealed.

Mr. and Mrs. Langdon sat on the sofa. Their once proud postures were now slumped, stooped by the weight of bankruptcy.

"Autumn," Mr. Langdon began, "can you do your father and me one last favor? If you obediently marry him, our family can be saved. We're truly out of options. Your older sister is already seeing someone. When she was a child, we were just starting the business, and she suffered a great deal alongside us. Just think of this as you repaying us. Will you help us?"

I blinked, staring numbly at the parents in front of me, who were monologuing, trying to pressure me into agreeing to the arranged marriage.

They had both died in a car crash in my past life, so my memories of them had faded. But being thrown back into this situation still felt suffocating.

'Why should I be forced to marry a stranger I don't even like, just because I'm the younger daughter?'

'Why should my entire life be the price for your arrogance and business failure?'

I silently clenched my fists. Just as I was about to erupt, the front door was thrown open with a BANG.

My older sister, Seraphina Langdon, flung the door open. Without a word of explanation to our parents, she rushed forward and knelt impatiently before them.

"Mom, Dad, I've thought it through," she declared. "My sister just graduated from college. I can't let her sacrifice her entire life for an arranged marriage. Let me go instead. I'm willing to do it."

Seraphina Langdon's complete one-eighty left our parents flustered.

They rushed to help her up. Mrs. Langdon's brow furrowed. "Sera, have you really thought this through? An arranged marriage isn't a game. Once you agree, you can't back out. Besides, didn't you say you were already seeing someone suitable?"

From an angle our parents couldn't see, Seraphina Langdon shot me a triumphant look before turning back to Mrs. Langdon with tears in her eyes. "I've already broken up with him. For the sake of our family's company, I have no regrets. Mom and Dad, you've raised me for all these years. It's only right that I repay you."

With that, she straightened her clothes, opened the front door of the villa, and walked over to the luxury car, climbing inside without a moment's hesitation.

Our parents were clearly pleased. Seeing me still standing there in a daze, Mr. Langdon snorted. "Your older sister is the sensible one, after all. What have you ever done besides spend money?"

Having snatched the prize, Seraphina Langdon sat in the car, waving goodbye to us, her eyes shimmering with excitement.

I had to dig my nails into my thigh to keep from bursting out laughing, but a smile still crept onto my lips.

'So Seraphina Langdon was reborn, too.'

'And to think someone would actually be thrilled to take on a pervert's abuse and be forced to bear his Supermale Son!'

But I was in no hurry to warn Seraphina Langdon.

After all, I'm a vengeful spirit who clawed her way back from hell.

My new purpose is to cut off her every last escape route.

2

To be honest, in my previous life, as the car crushed my insides, besides the suffocating pain, I actually felt a flicker of relief.

Right before I was pushed into traffic, Seraphina Langdon's twisted expression, a mix of triumph and jealousy, matched the words she whispered in my ear: "Why did you get to have it so good? Everything you have was supposed to be mine. You stole what belonged to me. After enjoying it for so many years, it's time to give it back."

I knew she regretted it.

In my previous life, I graduated from one of the country's top universities.

I was full of ambition, determined to contribute to my family's company and help it go public quickly.

My parents got their start in that gold-rush era of endless opportunities, but by the time I came along, the market's pie had long since been carved up.

So my parents set their sights on the construction industry, a field they had never touched before.

One wrong move led to a lifetime of regret. They didn't just lose their entire investment; they nearly took the main business down with it.

Just when they were at their wit's end, the Valerius Family made an offer: if the Langdon Family was willing to marry off one of their daughters, the Valeriuses would help resolve the crisis.

My parents, who had been on the verge of taking out loans from loan sharks, heard that they could save the company for such a small price. They agreed on the spot and told us both over dinner.

They claimed it was a fair choice.

But it wasn't until after our parents passed away that I learned the truth from a drunk Seraphina Langdon. Apparently, Mrs. Langdon had secretly looked into the character of the Valerius family's eldest son long before.

He was hot-tempered, a spoiled scion—not a good person to marry.

So, my older sister lied in front of everyone, claiming she was already seeing someone and discussing marriage.

That left me as the only one to be forced into the marriage alliance.

A few years into the marriage, everyone thought I'd just gotten incredibly lucky—like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse. With his family's backing, Julian Valerius's company went public, and he became the hotshot CEO everyone fawned over. My own social standing skyrocketed in turn.

Everyone said I was lucky, but they had no idea what kind of torture I endured during those nights, locked away in the bedroom.

To satisfy his own sick desires, Julian Valerius took countless videos and photos, threatening that if I ever did anything to displease him, they would be all over the internet the very next day.

At first, I thought that was the worst it could possibly get. But with the birth of my Supermale Son, I truly understood why hell is called hell: just when you think you've hit rock bottom, reality always finds a way to deliver another crushing blow.

I fell into a severe depression and became suicidal, but every attempt failed because of Julian Valerius's obsessive surveillance.

It wasn't because he cared about me at all, but because he believed my suicide would tarnish the Valerius family's reputation.

As for Seraphina Langdon, after our parents died, she was scammed out of her heart and money by a man pretending to be a rich heir. Selfishly, she blamed me for her own tragic fate of ending up on the streets.

'My dear older sister, this time there's no one competing with you.'

'Go and experience this living hell for yourself.'

: Let Go

3

With their greatest worry resolved, my parents were finally able to relax. His confidence restored, Mr. Langdon sat up straight again.

"Raising you all this time has been completely useless. Get out."

"And to think I sent you to such an expensive school. In the end, you're not even as good as your older sister who went to a vocational college. If your grandparents hadn't begged me back then, I wouldn't have even bothered sending you."

Mr. Langdon spat as he spoke, as if he wasn't the same man who had boasted to all our relatives after I'd gotten into a prestigious university.

I calmly set down my cup. As they began to talk amongst themselves, I walked out of the house that had once pushed me into the abyss.

Sitting in my car, my fingers flew across my phone's screen as I forwarded all the Langdon Family data and software to my secretary.

She saw the series of files I'd sent and only had time to reply with a single question mark.

Then, unable to help herself, she called me.

I stared at my own fingers, listening to my secretary's frantic voice on the phone.

"As of today, I'm resigning from my position at the company, so of course, I have to hand everything over to you. Find someone suitable to carry on."

Hearing the despair in my secretary's voice, I laughed. "Mr. Langdon said it was useless raising me. Since I'm so worthless in his eyes, I might as well let everything go. Why waste my time and energy?"

With that, I hung up the phone and deleted her contact.

'I'd started managing the family's finances right after graduation. I had pitifully few days off.

'My single-minded devotion was my way of repaying them, yet in the end, I was still just a sacrifice for their failing business.

'Humans die in pursuit of wealth, just as birds die in pursuit of food.

'Even the closest family ties are ground to dust by money.

'From now on, I will live for myself.'