"Lisa?" I croaked, barely able to form words, my voice hoarse and weak. My heart had leapt at the sight of her, a moment of hope flickering through the haze of fear. "What's going on? Why... why are you here?" But the look in her eyes, the cold amusement that twisted her lips into a smirk, had stopped me short. It wasn’t concern. “Why am I here?” she had repeated, laughing softly, as if the very question was absurd. “Oh, Anna, sweet, naive Anna. You still don’t get it, do you?” I had stared, my mind unable to keep up, still too clouded with hunger and exhaustion. “What... what are you talking about?” And then, her voice had changed, hardened. “I’m the reason for all of this. The reason your father’s company collapsed, the reason your family is dead, the reason Josh betrayed you. Me.” After discovering that her best friend, Lisa, isn't the person she thought she was and is the reason for most of the disasters in her life, Anna dies, only to wake up five years in the past. With a second chance, Anna is determined to protect her loved ones and take revenge for the pain Lisa caused.
Lihat lebih banyakAfter that sleepover, my friends’ words refused to leave me. They kept repeating in my mind at every quiet moment, forcing me to confront something I had been too hurt to even consider. What if Alaric was being coerced? My own heartbreak had consumed me, and I so sure of my betrayal that I never once stopped to question the way it all happened. I had taken his cold, detached words at face value—because believing them was easier than searching for a truth that might just be my mind trying to rationalise the whole thing. But now, I decide to look. Really look.At first, the signs are subtle. Celeste is always the one reaching for him, her hands constantly finding his arm, his shoulder, his chest. She talks endlessly, filling silences he doesn’t seem interested in breaking. And then there’s Alaric—rigid, detached. His responses are clipped, his eyes never quite meeting hers. And then I see it—the barely-there tick of his jaw, the quiet tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers cu
Its been a few days since the party, and I plan on telling the girls what happened with Alaric. I feel warm as laughter echoes through the space. Blankets and pillows are strewn across the floor, abandoned snacks littering the coffee table while we lounge in various positions ready for the sleepover I had planned.Ellie wipes tears from her eyes, still giggling. “I can’t believe Damian actually thought he could stay.”Ciara snorts. “The man really thought he was going to crash our sleepover just because he dropped you off.”I shake my head, still trying to catch my breath from laughing. “He even gave me that serious ‘I’m an exception to the rule’ look.”Ellie sighs dramatically. “It’s the delusion. But I will say, he gave it a good effort.”Ciara grins. “At least he made himself useful before leaving. I’ve never seen Brian warm up to a guy so fast.”I huff. “That’s because they bonded over their collective trauma with sisters.”Ellie rolls onto her stomach, propping her chin in her ha
That night, I lie in bed staring at the ceiling, the events of the day replaying again and again in my head like a broken record. Every sharp word, every dismissive glance, every moment I felt like I was being pushed aside.I let myself wallow in it just for a little while, until something inside me shifts.I don’t want to keep feeling like this.I don’t want to spend another day letting Alaric and Celeste affect me, waiting for their actions to dictate my mood. I’ve been stuck in this cycle of frustration and hurt for weeks and I’m done.It’s time to take back my control.Tomorrow, there’s nothing scheduled until the evening. A society ball, one of those extravagant, high-profile events Alaric has to attend as CEO. And, of course, Celeste would be there as his partner, glued to his side like she belonged there.The thought should make me feel miserable. But tonight, it doesn’t.Because tomorrow, I choose how I feel.And I choose not to let them ruin my night.I sit up and reach for m
Anna's POVI take a steadying breath before walking fully into the office, the tablet in my hand cool against my palm. I’ve barely crossed the threshold when Celeste’s sharp gaze lands on me, her lips already curling in irritation.Alaric is at his desk, flipping through some documents, his attention only half on us.“Sir, you have a board meeting in—” I start, but Celeste cuts me off with a dismissive wave of her manicured hand.“He doesn’t need to hear that from you,” she says coolly. “I’ll be handling his schedule from now on.”My fingers tighten around the tablet. “That’s my job.”Celeste tilts her head, amusement flickering in her ice-blue eyes. “Not anymore. Surely, you don’t think you’ll be sticking around for long?”My jaw clenches. “I wasn’t aware my position was up for discussion.”“It isn’t,” Alaric says, not looking up from his paperwork. For a brief moment, relief floods me. At least he isn’t entertaining her games.But Celeste isn’t finished, her eyes flamed with disgust
Anna’s POV "Good morning, sweetheart. You need to get up now, or you'll be late for work." My mom's voice drifted through the door, gentle but insistent. I groaned, burying my face deeper into the pillow. My body protested as I forced my eyes open, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on me. A quick glance at the time had my stomach dropping—I had overslept. Damn it. I had spent the night tossing and turning, my thoughts replaying everything that had happened, every moment leading up to the betrayal that still haunted me. I had gone to bed late, and at some point, I must have slept through my alarm. "Thanks mom," I call out as I hear her leave. Now, I had barely any time to get ready. For a moment, I debated just staying in bed. Calling in sick. Pretending the world outside didn’t exist. But that wasn’t an option. With another groan, I threw the blankets off and forced myself up. Time to face another day. The moment I stepped into the office, the air around me
3 months later I wiped the sweat from my forehead and let out a dramatic sigh. “Alright, whose idea was it to have so much stuff?” “I believe that would be yours, sweetheart,” Dad called from across the living room to my mom, grinning as he struggled to push a particularly heavy box toward the hallway. “If I remember correctly, you’re the one who kept saying, ‘Oh, we’ll need this! We can’t leave this behind!’” she huffes, plopping onto the nearest couch cushion. “Okay, but in my defense, we do need all of it.” “Really?” Brian arched a skeptical brow as he held up a box labeled Kitchen Stuff #5. “Explain to me why we need five whole boxes of just kitchen stuff.” Mom ruffled his hair as he passed by. “Because we actually cook, Brian. Unlike you, who seems to survive solely on energy drinks and microwave meals.” He groaned, batting her hand away. “I do not.....” Dad snorted. “Son, you literally texted us last week asking how to boil an egg.” Laughter filled the room as he
Anna's POV The adrenaline lasted just long enough to get me through the press conference, but the moment I stepped out of that suffocating room full of reporters, everything hit me all at once. it was a little overwhelming to be honest.p I barely remembered the drive back to Sinclair Enterprises, only that the moment I walked into the building, the weight of everything I had just done settled on my shoulders. Exposing the Drummonds, standing in front of the press, defending Alaric and his family—it was a lot. And yet, I had done it. I still couldn't believe it. That I was strong enough to do that on my own, and like a bad bitch too. The realization filled me with something warm, something almost foreign. Confidence. I didn’t want to dwell on it too much, though. There was still work to do. So instead of collapsing into a chair and letting the exhaustion swallow me whole like I wanted, I kept moving. I buried myself in paperwork, answering emails, reviewing reports, g
Alaric's povI watched as their mouths hung open, struggling to process what had just happened. Some looked downright terrified, probably recalling the treacherous words they had uttered moments ago. Others appeared relieved, sensing a shift in the tide and being happy they had kept their mouths shut.Not that I cared for their reactions. I had already marked every single one of them. Their actions during this crisis would not be forgotten. Drax Industries was long overdue for a complete overhaul, and this only solidified my decision.I turned my attention to Vincent Crowe. Unlike the others, his expression remained neutral, a small, almost amused smile tugging at his lips.“Well,” he said, his tone light, almost mocking. “That was a rollercoaster of emotions. Congratulations on clearing your name, Mr. Sinclair.”He might not have been the true mastermind, but it was clear he wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. He had walked into this room with absolute confidence, which meant he beli
As soon as the police hauled the Drummonds away, the reporters wasted no time descending on me like a pack of hungry wolves, their voices overlapping as they shoved microphones and cameras in my direction."Miss Renwick! How did you uncover the truth?""When did you start suspecting the Drummonds?""What does this mean for the future of Sinclair Enterprises?""Will Edward Sinclair be reinstated as CEO?""Do you have a statement for the investors who pulled out due to the allegations?"I held up a hand, and to my surprise, the room quieted just enough for my voice to carry.“The truth was always there,” I said, my tone even but firm. “All it took was looking beyond surface-level accusations and following the evidence. It’s a shame that so many were quick to condemn the Sinclair family without proper proof, despite their years of hard work and success.” I let my gaze sweep across the gathered reporters, making sure they felt the weight of my words. “Journalistic integrity should require
Chapter One: The sharp, metallic tang of blood filled my mouth as I lay motionless on the cold, hard floor. My body was too weak, too battered, and my vision blurred as the darkness slowly edged in. I could feel the warm pool beneath me, spreading wider, soaking through my clothes and into my skin, but my hands were useless now, trembling as they pressed in vain against the deep wound in my side. Each breath came in shallow, jagged gasps, burning my lungs, and I was choking—on blood, on shock, on disbelief. How did it come to this? How could it be her? Above me, Lisa stood—calm, poised, as if this was all a casual affair to her. Her carefully curated mask was down now, revealing the disgust and hatred in the familiar face I once trusted more than anyone in the world. I blinked, my mind struggling to process, to understand how my best friend, my closest confidante, was now the one watching me die. My body was shutting down, but my mind—my mind was still alive, still refusing to acc...
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Komen