"Go ahead. Kill me right here if you dare." Nicholas stormed out of his car, gripping the edge of the door, his expression caught between shock and fury. In the reflection of his pupils, I caught a glimpse of myself—hair disheveled, body battered and bruised, a complete mess. And yet, my bloodstained dress billowed in the wind, flaring like a battle flag. "What’s wrong? You can’t do it?" I curled my lips into a smirk, my gaze shifting past him to the two police cars speeding toward us. Then, I looked back at him, my smile laced with taunting defiance. "In that case, I think I’ll be heading inside to take my exam now." …In the suffocating heat of June, I sat down in the exam hall, where even air conditioning was a luxury we didn’t have. Sweat seeped into the raw wounds on my arm, but the pain only sharpened my focus, keeping my mind crystal clear. After finishing the two exams scheduled for the first day, I went to the hospital to have my injuries treated. Sophie c
"Because the brave will always be brave. And those who stand for justice will always stand for justice."In my past life, a major scandal had erupted at a neighboring university.A professor had spent years fabricating research and embezzling millions in funding, but in the end, he was exposed and reported by dozens of his own former students.Leading the charge were two young and fearless female journalists.One was named Anna Reeves, the other Leah Brooks.This time around, when I reached out to them, they were still just interns.After I laid out my plan to blow everything wide open, they didn’t hesitate to question me."If you already knew what he was going to do, you could’ve just avoided the danger altogether. There was no need to risk yourself like that," Anna said over the phone, her voice filled with confusion."Because I don’t just want to avoid him this time."I twirled a butterfly knife between my fingers, a faint smile playing at my lips."I’m not the only one he’s bullied
In the end, the Scott family paid a steep price to suppress the scandal and shift public opinion.To avoid further scrutiny, Nicholas was sent abroad for higher education—though everyone knew it was just an excuse to get him out of the country.Meanwhile, I returned to school with every single student from Class Thirteen, ready to claim the recognition we had earned.For the first time in history, the lowest-ranked class in the entire grade had every student pass the college entrance exam.Not a single one was left behind.Jenna, in particular, had scored an impressive 1540 on the SAT—securing her a place at a top-tier university right next to mine.The principal, practically glowing with pride, shook my hand over and over, his face flushed with excitement."You’ve done something incredible, Lucy! The school owes you a great debt. We’ll be awarding you a generous scholarship—"I smiled. "Sir, I’m sure you’ve already heard about what happened outside the exam hall."His enthusiasm falte
About a week later, Velma invited me to her home. The first thing she asked was the same question Jenna asked me back in the hospital. "How did you know those two journalists would help you?" But this time, there was a difference. "You didn’t contact anyone else. You went straight to them without testing other options, which means you were absolutely certain from the very beginning how they would respond."You didn’t even go through much trouble to track down their contact information. "And even before that, you sent an anonymous letter to the Scott family." The room was quiet, the drawn curtains muting the outside world. I met her gaze, my expression calm. My mother passed away when I was very young. After my father died, I was sent to live with the Lowes. For a long time, I had no idea what it felt like to be cared for—to have the unconditional support of an adult until I met my mentor in my past life. Back then, I had been buried in work, trying to finalize a re
As she spoke, the smugness in her eyes was impossible to miss.And in that instant, I understood.She came here for one reason only—to gloat.In this life, she finally gotten what she wanted.She had been accepted by the Scott family.She was so ridiculously pleased with herself that I didn’t even feel like wasting another word on her.I turned on my heel to leave.Behind me, she shouted, her voice shrill with frustration."You really think this will last? That scandal is old news. Once Nicholas comes back, no one will be able to save you!""Lucy Lowe, I’ll be laughing when I watch you go down!"…The next time I saw Nicholas was three years later at an industry conference.I came with Jenna, and we walked through the massive exhibition hall together, the vaulted ceiling filtering in beams of soft light.She turned to me, her expression thoughtful."Sophie called me this morning. She passed her interview and will be starting her internship next week."She paused before adding, "Everyon
The accusation was simple:"She’s just an undergrad who hasn’t even graduated yet. How could she possibly have developed that kind of chip, let alone publish three top-tier research papers back-to-back?"The confrontation outside the exam hall three years ago was dredged up again, but this time, the narrative had shifted.Now, they claimed I had orchestrated the entire scandal to build a reputation for myself."Think about it, she still managed to take the exam and even ranked first in the province. Doesn’t that seem a little too unbelievable?""Exactly. If she were just some average nobody, would she really be living this comfortably after crossing the Scott family?""I heard she won gold in the International Hardware Design Competition the moment she entered college. What kind of ‘ordinary student’ pulls that off?""Her professor must be shady too!"The Scott family was always experts at controlling public opinion.Three years ago, I only managed to turn the tide because I struck fir
The screen plunged into darkness.I steadied myself, then turned back to the camera."I know the Scott family hates me. They think I should have disappeared like every other person they’ve bullied and crushed—erased, forgotten, reduced to dust."But I refuse to accept that fate."Why should you get to bully people without consequences? Why should you get to spread lies until they become ‘truth’?""This world doesn’t belong to the Scott family. It belongs to everyone. The truth will always find its way through the shadows."I exhaled, then delivered the final blow."Now, I am officially filing a report against the Scott family—on charges of attempted murder, illegal business dealings, and market monopoly."The screen flickered, cutting to a set of documents, each stamped with the Scott Corporation’s official seal.Then came a series of clandestine photographs. They were images taken from hidden angles, capturing extravagant parties bathed in excess.Every person in those photos was pow
In this life, knowing there was no way out, he took all the blame upon himself, ensuring that Stacy walked away free.But aside from keeping her life, she lost everything.That afternoon, I stepped out of the research institute with an umbrella in hand.Out of nowhere, a shadow lunged toward me.I barely managed to dodge in time before finally getting a clear look at Stacy’s face.She collapsed onto the rain-soaked pavement, eyes burning with resentment."Why?!" she demanded."In our past life, you did nothing, yet you were the one he could never forget. This time, I became just like you—I made myself irreplaceable in his heart. “But why? Why would you go and destroy him? Destroy the entire Scott family?"Lucy Lowe, you miserable bitch! Why wasn’t it you who died—"Smack!I slapped her across the face.The rain swallowed the sharp sound as I threw my umbrella aside and grabbed her by the jaw, forcing her to look at me.I spoke slowly, each word cutting like a blade."Because the one w
In this life, knowing there was no way out, he took all the blame upon himself, ensuring that Stacy walked away free.But aside from keeping her life, she lost everything.That afternoon, I stepped out of the research institute with an umbrella in hand.Out of nowhere, a shadow lunged toward me.I barely managed to dodge in time before finally getting a clear look at Stacy’s face.She collapsed onto the rain-soaked pavement, eyes burning with resentment."Why?!" she demanded."In our past life, you did nothing, yet you were the one he could never forget. This time, I became just like you—I made myself irreplaceable in his heart. “But why? Why would you go and destroy him? Destroy the entire Scott family?"Lucy Lowe, you miserable bitch! Why wasn’t it you who died—"Smack!I slapped her across the face.The rain swallowed the sharp sound as I threw my umbrella aside and grabbed her by the jaw, forcing her to look at me.I spoke slowly, each word cutting like a blade."Because the one w
The screen plunged into darkness.I steadied myself, then turned back to the camera."I know the Scott family hates me. They think I should have disappeared like every other person they’ve bullied and crushed—erased, forgotten, reduced to dust."But I refuse to accept that fate."Why should you get to bully people without consequences? Why should you get to spread lies until they become ‘truth’?""This world doesn’t belong to the Scott family. It belongs to everyone. The truth will always find its way through the shadows."I exhaled, then delivered the final blow."Now, I am officially filing a report against the Scott family—on charges of attempted murder, illegal business dealings, and market monopoly."The screen flickered, cutting to a set of documents, each stamped with the Scott Corporation’s official seal.Then came a series of clandestine photographs. They were images taken from hidden angles, capturing extravagant parties bathed in excess.Every person in those photos was pow
The accusation was simple:"She’s just an undergrad who hasn’t even graduated yet. How could she possibly have developed that kind of chip, let alone publish three top-tier research papers back-to-back?"The confrontation outside the exam hall three years ago was dredged up again, but this time, the narrative had shifted.Now, they claimed I had orchestrated the entire scandal to build a reputation for myself."Think about it, she still managed to take the exam and even ranked first in the province. Doesn’t that seem a little too unbelievable?""Exactly. If she were just some average nobody, would she really be living this comfortably after crossing the Scott family?""I heard she won gold in the International Hardware Design Competition the moment she entered college. What kind of ‘ordinary student’ pulls that off?""Her professor must be shady too!"The Scott family was always experts at controlling public opinion.Three years ago, I only managed to turn the tide because I struck fir
As she spoke, the smugness in her eyes was impossible to miss.And in that instant, I understood.She came here for one reason only—to gloat.In this life, she finally gotten what she wanted.She had been accepted by the Scott family.She was so ridiculously pleased with herself that I didn’t even feel like wasting another word on her.I turned on my heel to leave.Behind me, she shouted, her voice shrill with frustration."You really think this will last? That scandal is old news. Once Nicholas comes back, no one will be able to save you!""Lucy Lowe, I’ll be laughing when I watch you go down!"…The next time I saw Nicholas was three years later at an industry conference.I came with Jenna, and we walked through the massive exhibition hall together, the vaulted ceiling filtering in beams of soft light.She turned to me, her expression thoughtful."Sophie called me this morning. She passed her interview and will be starting her internship next week."She paused before adding, "Everyon
About a week later, Velma invited me to her home. The first thing she asked was the same question Jenna asked me back in the hospital. "How did you know those two journalists would help you?" But this time, there was a difference. "You didn’t contact anyone else. You went straight to them without testing other options, which means you were absolutely certain from the very beginning how they would respond."You didn’t even go through much trouble to track down their contact information. "And even before that, you sent an anonymous letter to the Scott family." The room was quiet, the drawn curtains muting the outside world. I met her gaze, my expression calm. My mother passed away when I was very young. After my father died, I was sent to live with the Lowes. For a long time, I had no idea what it felt like to be cared for—to have the unconditional support of an adult until I met my mentor in my past life. Back then, I had been buried in work, trying to finalize a re
In the end, the Scott family paid a steep price to suppress the scandal and shift public opinion.To avoid further scrutiny, Nicholas was sent abroad for higher education—though everyone knew it was just an excuse to get him out of the country.Meanwhile, I returned to school with every single student from Class Thirteen, ready to claim the recognition we had earned.For the first time in history, the lowest-ranked class in the entire grade had every student pass the college entrance exam.Not a single one was left behind.Jenna, in particular, had scored an impressive 1540 on the SAT—securing her a place at a top-tier university right next to mine.The principal, practically glowing with pride, shook my hand over and over, his face flushed with excitement."You’ve done something incredible, Lucy! The school owes you a great debt. We’ll be awarding you a generous scholarship—"I smiled. "Sir, I’m sure you’ve already heard about what happened outside the exam hall."His enthusiasm falte
"Because the brave will always be brave. And those who stand for justice will always stand for justice."In my past life, a major scandal had erupted at a neighboring university.A professor had spent years fabricating research and embezzling millions in funding, but in the end, he was exposed and reported by dozens of his own former students.Leading the charge were two young and fearless female journalists.One was named Anna Reeves, the other Leah Brooks.This time around, when I reached out to them, they were still just interns.After I laid out my plan to blow everything wide open, they didn’t hesitate to question me."If you already knew what he was going to do, you could’ve just avoided the danger altogether. There was no need to risk yourself like that," Anna said over the phone, her voice filled with confusion."Because I don’t just want to avoid him this time."I twirled a butterfly knife between my fingers, a faint smile playing at my lips."I’m not the only one he’s bullied
"Go ahead. Kill me right here if you dare." Nicholas stormed out of his car, gripping the edge of the door, his expression caught between shock and fury. In the reflection of his pupils, I caught a glimpse of myself—hair disheveled, body battered and bruised, a complete mess. And yet, my bloodstained dress billowed in the wind, flaring like a battle flag. "What’s wrong? You can’t do it?" I curled my lips into a smirk, my gaze shifting past him to the two police cars speeding toward us. Then, I looked back at him, my smile laced with taunting defiance. "In that case, I think I’ll be heading inside to take my exam now." …In the suffocating heat of June, I sat down in the exam hall, where even air conditioning was a luxury we didn’t have. Sweat seeped into the raw wounds on my arm, but the pain only sharpened my focus, keeping my mind crystal clear. After finishing the two exams scheduled for the first day, I went to the hospital to have my injuries treated. Sophie c
As Nicholas leaned down, reaching for my wrist, I moved faster.I grabbed a fistful of his hair and slammed his head straight into the wall behind him."Ahhh!—"A piercing scream tore from his throat.His lackey rushed forward, shoving me hard against the wall.Pain shot through my left shoulder as it crashed into the concrete.I could almost hear the sickening crack of bone.The agony was sharp, nearly blinding.But in my mind, one thought echoed, “Not enough.”I lifted my arm and dragged my forearm forcefully against the rough surface of the wall.Blood smeared across the stone, raw and bright.Nicholas, still hunched over in pain, was just being hauled back to his feet when he saw what I had done.He froze, staring."What the hell are you doing?!"The sun had shifted, burning away the last pockets of shadow along the quiet path.I cradled my fractured arm, watching as the fresh blood trickled down, staining the hem of my dress in vivid, striking crimson."You’ve been in this school