Chapter 1 Blood Can Be the First to Die
“Why… why…”
At the foot of the mountain, two bodies were scattered in pieces.
The man’s arm had snapped from the fall. The two-year-old girl had been smashed so badly blood poured out like a river.
Francesca Sutton’s leg was broken, too. She lay in the pool of blood, shaking with pain, choking out broken sobs.
This was her husband. Her child.
One moment ago, the three of them had been up on Ravenmoor Bluff with her mother, looking out at the night view.
The next moment, her own mother had shoved them off a bottomless cliff.
She prayed they were still alive. With blood-soaked hands, she forced herself to push at them, again and again—hard, desperate.
No response.
Something inside her finally snapped.
“WHY! Why!”
“Mom! Why would you do this to me? Why would you try to kill the three of us?”
“I’m your biological daughter! Matthew Vance is your son-in-law! Button is your own granddaughter!”
Her raw, ripping screams echoed across the empty, isolated mountains.
“Ha. Why?” Margaret Sutton, née Griffith, walked toward her in an immaculate Chanel suit, every step calm and graceful. Her well-fed face was twisted with greed and something vicious. “Because if I kill the three of you, Nadine Crane will give me twenty million dollars.
“Because if Matthew doesn’t die, my son, Nicholas Sutton, will never get to be the company’s CEO.
“Because if you don’t die, I’ll never get my share of your stock and your money.”
Francesca’s whole body jolted.
She stared at her like she’d never seen her before.
This was her mother. Her own mother.
All her life, Francesca had listened to her. She’d given every good thing to her younger brother, Nicholas.
They’d been poor. She’d even given up the SATs, dropped out early, and worked. Day after day, night after night, she’d earned money to send Nicholas to college, to claw their family toward a better life.
Even after she married Matthew, she’d ignored his parents’ objections and insisted on bringing her parents and Nicholas into the estate to live together—until Matthew cut ties with his own family.
She’d even had Matthew pull Nicholas into the company and lift him up, step by step, higher and higher.
She thought if she treated them well, they would treat her the same.
But…
“For twenty million dollars. For money. For Nicholas to be CEO.” Francesca’s voice trembled with disbelief and fury. “So you listened to Nadine and murdered your own daughter—murdered all three of us?
“Today is your birthday! We came to Ravenmoor Bluff because of you—we even gave up a deal worth ten million dollars! Don’t you have even a shred of conscience?”
“Conscience?” Margaret laughed coldly. “And you have the nerve to talk to me about conscience? This is all because you were heartless first. You brought this on yourselves.”
Margaret stepped closer, squatted down, and clamped a hand around Francesca’s chin, forcing her face up.
“You and Matthew have tens of billions, and how much did you ever give us? How much did you ever give your brother?
“And in the company, why does your brother have to listen to Matthew about everything? Matthew’s just a brother-in-law—what right does he have to keep pressing down on his wife’s little brother every day?
“You have so many houses. So why didn’t you give us the Vance Holdings ancestral estate? Why did you make the three of us live like we were begging under someone else’s roof?
“But fine. Starting today, we won’t have to anymore!”
She screamed the last words like she was losing her mind, then shoved Francesca away.
A fierce dread surged through Francesca.
Before she could even react, dozens of massive Tibetan mastiffs appeared behind Margaret.
Margaret held their leashes, looking down at Francesca with cruel satisfaction, her face full of destruction and malice.
“Starting today, the estate is mine. The stock and the money are mine.
“My son will be the company’s one and only CEO. And I’ll be the real thing—CEO’s mother.
“Today won’t just be my birthday. It’ll be my rebirth.
“And you?” Her smile sharpened. “You’re just a family that fell off a mountain on a trip. Corpses that got eaten until there’s nothing left.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she let go.
In an instant, the trained mastiffs lunged like a pack unleashed.
They charged straight at her—and at Matthew and the child.
“No… don’t!”
Francesca’s throat ripped with the scream. She tried to shield Matthew and Button’s bodies, but she was shattered from the fall, bones splintered, one leg broken. She couldn’t get up. She couldn’t even drag herself forward.
In the blink of an eye, the mastiffs were right there.
“ROAR! ROAR!”
They threw their gaping jaws toward Matthew and Button.
Another mastiff clamped its teeth down on her other leg.
“AH!”
Agony exploded through her. Francesca felt like she was being torn apart alive.
Twenty-eight years of obedience, kindness, and swallowing every insult—only to end with her entire family dying without even a complete body left behind.
Then in her next life, she would become an evil ghost.
Blood could be the first to die.
“Margaret, Nicholas, Nadine—just wait,” she howled, voice gone ragged. “I’ll become a vengeful spirit and haunt you for lifetimes. I will make you pay this blood debt with blood!”
After that final, hoarse roar, she finally lost all strength.
She died with her eyes open.
Chapter 2 This Time, I’ll Protect You
“Smack!”
A slap cracked across her face, and Francesca jolted awake.
Her eyes flew open. In the worn, outdated house, Margaret stood there in a loud floral top, hands on her hips, glaring straight at her.
What… what was this?
She was supposed to be dead. So why was she back in the old place? And why did Margaret look so young?
“Listen when I’m talking to you, you little brat! Go to school and file for withdrawal. Then get to the hospital and take care of your father!”
Withdraw? Take care of Dad?
Wasn’t this… ten years ago?
Ten years ago, with only twenty days left before the SATs, her father had an accident at the construction site. The family’s income was cut off overnight, and someone had to stay by his side.
Margaret forced her to give up the SATs. She handed her chance at school to her younger brother, Nicholas.
From that moment on, she became the useless girl who didn’t even finish high school. All she could do was wash dishes, run street stalls, even haul bricks at construction sites—working herself to the bone to feed the whole family, only to be laughed at everywhere she went.
And Nicholas? Nicholas used her money and went to college like he deserved it, rising higher and higher.
Now…
This scene was exactly the same as it had been ten years ago.
Unless…
Francesca realized something. She touched her youthful face, then looked down at her legs—whole and uninjured—and the blue-and-white school uniform on her body.
The room was still filled with old cabinets and an old dining table. The TV was bulky and outdated. On the yellowing wall, there was even an American Idol poster.
A violent rush of emotion surged through Francesca’s chest.
Thank God. She’d been reborn.
Back to ten years ago. Back to before every tragedy began.
Heaven had actually handed her a chance for revenge. This time, she would make Margaret and Nicholas pay in blood for blood.
“If you won’t go file it yourself, I’ll call your homeroom teacher. I’ll have you forced out of school!”
When Margaret saw Francesca wasn’t reacting, she pulled out an old Nokia and dialed.
Francesca’s eyes darkened. Hatred nearly tore her apart.
Last life, they destroyed her like this. This life, they wouldn’t get the chance.
She shot to her feet and ripped the phone from Margaret’s hand.
“You abused me for eighteen years, and now you still want to ruin my life?” Her voice was ice. “Wake up from your dream.”
She slammed the phone down on the table with a sharp smack.
The hard casing split open with a long crack.
Margaret’s face went pale. It took her a moment to recover before she exploded, cursing at the top of her lungs.
“You financial drain! You dare talk back to me? Are you out of your mind? I gave birth to you, I raised you—when have I ever abused you?
“And your brother is this family’s backbone, the Sutton family’s only male heir! I have to work and earn money. Out of everyone here, you’re the most useless. If you don’t take care of your father, you expect me to go?”
“Three seconds,” Francesca said, staring right at her, each word deliberate. “You. Unemployed.”
Her voice was cold and clean, like a verdict hitting the floor.
Margaret froze. For a moment, Francesca’s presence actually shook her. But it only lasted a second before Margaret snapped and grabbed the feather duster.
“You little bitch, you dare curse—”
Before she could finish—
“Ding-dong, ding. Ding-dong, ding…”
The phone placed in front of the TV suddenly rang.
“I’ll deal with you in a minute!” Margaret shot Francesca a poisonous look, then snatched up the phone.
The instant she put it to her ear, a furious voice exploded from the speaker.
“Margaret, you’re fired! Starting tomorrow, don’t bother coming in. Don’t ever come back. I’ll make sure every factory around here blacklists you!”
“Manager—Manager…”
Margaret panicked, trying to ask why, but the other side had already hung up.
She stood there, stunned, unable to believe it. Five years at that factory—how could they just throw her out? How could they suddenly fire her and blacklist her?
Then something hit her.
Margaret whipped around and glared at Francesca, screeching, “It was you! You little bitch! You jinx! What did you do? Tell me right now!”
“It was nothing,” Francesca said, her voice calm. “I just texted your manager the exact things you always say about him at home.
“Gossiping behind someone’s back isn’t very nice. You should say it to his face. Isn’t that what you believe?”
The corner of Francesca’s mouth lifted into a wicked smile. She hooked her backpack onto her shoulder and turned to leave.
She was small and thin, her school uniform hanging loose on her frame, but something sharp and unbreakable radiated off her—proud, cold, untamed.
Margaret could only stare, dumbstruck.
Was this really their Francesca?
Usually, no matter what they told her to do, she did it. She was quiet, dull, never raised her voice, never argued back.
But today…
Only after Francesca disappeared did Margaret snap out of it. She kicked the trash can over in fury.
“Oh my God—animal, animal! I fed her, I raised her for eighteen years, and now her wings are hard! She made me lose my job! What kind of sin did I commit to raise such a damn girl!”
Nicholas heard the commotion and came out of his room. With his thin-framed glasses, he looked gentle and refined.
He helped Margaret up and comforted her in a warm, soft voice. “Mom, don’t make yourself sick. If my sister doesn’t want to take care of Dad… then I’ll go…”
“What stupid talk is that!” Margaret roared, heartbroken and furious. “You’re our only hope. Our Sutton family is counting on you to get into college and bring honor to us. The one who should drop out and work is Francesca—that ungrateful wretch!”
She grabbed Nicholas’s hand, squeezing hard.
“Nicholas, you study hard. Don’t ever think like that again!
“And think of a way—make your sister drop out. Make her go earn money and support us. If not, this whole family is finished!”
“Okay. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to my sister,” Nicholas replied gently, lowering his head as if he were obedient. He poured Margaret a cup of water.
But the moment he stepped outside, that mild expression vanished.
In its place was something heavy and calculating.
This family was already crushed under the weight. But his education couldn’t be ruined. He had to become someone above everyone else.
Since Francesca wouldn’t cooperate, then she couldn’t blame him for being a brother.
Francesca walked out of the complex with her backpack. She looked at the familiar-yet-strange surroundings—the old-fashioned streets and alleys—and her cold gaze grew deeper.
In her last life, how many stupid things had she done in this small town? How much money had she earned just to let Margaret and Nicholas spend it?
Not this time.
A grudge for a grudge. A debt for a debt.
Nicholas. Margaret. She wouldn’t let either of them off.
And Nadine—the real mastermind who’d bought Margaret’s hands to hurt her. Francesca would make her pay back tenfold.
As she was thinking, a black luxury car suddenly sped past her, kicking up dust from the road.
Francesca frowned and looked over—then her entire body locked up.
The car stopped in front of a convenience store. The door opened, and a tall man stepped out.
His legs were straight and long, his build powerful. A custom-made suit made him look impossibly expensive, impossibly distant.
And that face—sharp lines, deep-set features.
Matthew.
Matthew was in Ashvale this year, too?
The memory of his body shattered into pieces slammed into her mind. Francesca’s throat tightened like a stone was lodged there, burning dry with pain.
“Matthew…”
She took a step and walked toward the car.
Chapter 3 Only the Useless Have to Choose
She’d only taken two steps when the man was already walking out of the convenience store, heading straight for his car.
"Matthew!"
Francesca hurried after him, but he didn’t even react.
With a sharp whoosh, the car shot off.
In the blink of an eye, it vanished from her sight.
Francesca froze where she stood, staring at the direction he’d disappeared, and a horrifying truth slammed into her.
Right now, Matthew didn’t know her.
In her last life, she hadn’t met him until five years later—when she started working at his company.
Even if she stood right in front of him now, Matthew would never like the weak, pathetic version of her.
Thinking of how he’d spoiled her, helped her, protected her in that life, a hard fire ignited in her eyes.
Matthew, just wait. I’ll become better, and I’ll come find you.
Last life, you protected me. This life, I’ll protect you.
Francesca hitched the backpack on her shoulder and strode toward school.
Right now, there was only one thing in her head: studying. She had to graduate and finish the SATs.
But halfway there, a neighbor woman spotted her and called out with a reminder.
"Francesca, why are you still carrying a backpack? You going to school?
I heard your dad fell at the construction site and got hurt. Your brother already filed for you to take a leave.
Your homeroom teacher asked me to tell you—you should go work and make money. Until your dad has money for medical bills, you don’t need to go back to school."
Francesca’s brow tightened. A chill flashed through her eyes.
So fast. They’d already applied for her leave again.
They wanted to use her dad’s accident to tie her down—drag her back, cut off her chance to keep studying.
And her dad was the only one in that house who had ever been good to her.
In her last life, her dad could’ve had surgery at this time. But it required fifty thousand dollars, and the broke Sutton family couldn’t come up with it.
Her dad didn’t want to spend the family’s money. He wanted to leave it for her—so she could go to college.
So he gave up the surgery.
And because of that, he went permanently blind.
In the end, that money still only covered Nicholas’s college.
Francesca’s hand clenched around her backpack strap.
This life, she would not let the tragedy repeat.
She had to earn her dad’s medical money, too. She wouldn’t give Nicholas and the others the chance to trap her.
Thinking of something, Francesca turned and headed straight for the hospital.
The five-story building was old, steeped in age. The red letters “General Hospital” gleamed under the sun.
Francesca walked in and went directly to the doctor’s office.
A female doctor around fifty sat behind her desk, wearing glasses as she read through paperwork.
Francesca stepped up, steady and calm.
"Hello, Doctor. How about we make a deal? Do my dad Stanley Sutton’s surgery first. After the SATs are over, I’ll pay you double the surgery fee—one hundred thousand dollars."
Double? One hundred thousand?
Was this little girl just running her mouth?
Where did she get the nerve to say something like that?
The doctor looked up in shock.
"You’re just a kid—you don’t look older than seventeen or eighteen. Where are you getting one hundred thousand? Do you even know how much that is? You think it’s something you can just pull out of thin air?"
Francesca didn’t flinch. "I’m a senior at Southbrook Academy. Southbrook Academy has a policy—anyone admitted to a top university in the country gets a one hundred thousand dollar bonus. I’m confident I can get in.
And I can leave my ID and student card with you as collateral, and write an IOU with my fingerprint on it."
The female doctor pushed her glasses up, her gaze sweeping Francesca from head to toe.
Plenty of people had begged them to do surgery first and pay later. Every time, it was tears, tears, tears—like crying could buy mercy.
But the girl in front of her had a kind of calm even most adults didn’t have.
And her eyes were firm, sharp as a diamond—like she already had the SATs in the bag.
The doctor couldn’t help the rising goodwill. "You look like someone with filial piety and confidence. Fine. I’ll make an exception and front the money for you. Give me your ID and student card."
"Thank you."
Francesca took out her ID and student card and handed them over.
The doctor glanced at them—and her brows instantly knotted.
"You’re Francesca? You’re actually Francesca?"
"What’s wrong?" Francesca frowned.
The doctor shoved the cards back into her hands, her face turning severe.
"You little liar. I almost got fooled by you! My son Leo Lawson is in your class. He’s said it a long time ago—you’re the dead last student in Class F. And you think you’re going to get that scholarship bonus? You’re lying all the way into a hospital now?"
"That was before. Now I—"
Francesca tried to explain, but the doctor cut her off, ice-cold.
"I heard your brother, a top student, is even planning to drop out to work and make money, and he wants to give you the chance to study.
With grades as bad as yours, how are you worth him giving up that opportunity?
Get out. Go find a job. Don’t stand here trying to scam people and cause trouble. If you’re the older sister, act like one!"
As she spoke, the doctor shoved Francesca hard toward the door.
Francesca narrowed her eyes. Since when was Nicholas planning to drop out and work?
The doctor continued.
"Don’t be so overconfident, like a frog in a well trying to talk about the ocean. You have terrible grades—you’re best suited to working. Don’t ruin a model student like your brother!
If you obediently go get a job right now, then for Nicholas’s sake, I can front the surgery cost for your family.
Are you going to stubbornly gamble away your father’s eyes, or are you going to be a good kid? Choose for yourself!"
Not far outside the door, Nicholas stood there, the corner of his mouth lifting in smug satisfaction.
Francesca cared most about her father’s health. She would definitely compromise for her father.
But—
Francesca’s red lips curved into a cold smile. "Only the useless have to choose. I have another way. Sorry to bother you."
With that, she turned away with detached indifference and walked out.
Negotiating with the doctor had only been the simplest, most convenient way. Since it didn’t work, she didn’t mind spending time trying something else.
Her small figure looked cold and proud.
The doctor and Nicholas both stared, stunned.
A little girl like her—how could she say something that arrogant?
Was this really the same Francesca as before?
Just as Francesca stepped out of the office, a woman in her early thirties came rushing over, cradling a tiny baby.
"Mom, help! Help! Save Sunny! Save Sunny!"
Seeing her, the doctor asked anxiously, "What happened to Sunny? What’s going on?"
"I was only washing dishes for a minute, and Sunny’s face turned blue-purple and she started breathing fast. Her heart condition must be acting up again—please, save her!" The woman cried so hard tears poured down.
The doctor checked the symptoms. Rapid breathing, gasping like she couldn’t get air, her little face already deathly pale—it did look like a heart attack.
She immediately called out, "Nurse, oxygen—now!"
Francesca swept a glance over them. She didn’t want to get involved, but seeing it was a baby, she still spoke up, her voice cool and flat.
"It’s not a heart condition. Something’s stuck in her throat. Don’t use oxygen."
The doctor didn’t even look at her. She shoved her aside, stern and sharp.
"Move! This is life or death. This isn’t the time for you to mess around!"
As she spoke, the nurse had already brought over an oxygen mask.
Francesca watched the baby, her expression tight and serious.
"She’s breathing fast and her face is red, but her eyes are rolling back. And the area around her mouth is clearly turning dark. That’s choking—there’s something lodged in her throat. You need to clear the obstruction immediately.
If you put oxygen on her now, it’ll push it deeper and she’ll die!"
"Shut up!" The woman exploded, furious. "Who the hell are you, some random girl? How dare you curse my Sunny! She’s not even three months old. She can’t even move her hands yet—how could she possibly have something stuck in her throat?"
The doctor also glared at her, her tone harsh. "Get out! You’re even cursing a three-month-old baby—no wonder you can even lay a hand on your own mother!
And she already has a heart condition. If you delay treatment and something happens, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough for you to pay it back!"
With that, the doctor shoved Francesca away, quickly took the little girl, and laid her flat on the small bed nearby.
At the same time, she pressed the oxygen mask over the baby’s mouth.
Francesca let out a cold laugh. "She’s already choking. She absolutely can’t be laid flat. What you’re doing isn’t saving her—it’s trying to kill her."
"You keep cursing my daughter—how can you be so vicious? Get out! Get out!"
Enraged, the woman shoved Francesca hard.
At that moment, once the oxygen mask went on, the baby’s color looked a lot better, and her breathing smoothed out a little.
The doctor instantly breathed easier.
The woman burst into tears of relief and lunged forward, grabbing Sunny’s tiny hand.
"Thank God… my Sunny’s saved. Sunny, you scared Mommy to death! You have to live. You have to live and show those poisonous people!"
As she spoke, she shot Francesca a vicious glare.
People around them started talking at once.
"Disgusting. I almost believed her."
"Trying to harm a three-month-old baby—what kind of monster does that?"
"I heard she’s the worst student in the worst Class F at Southbrook Academy. Morally rotten, and she even tried to force the doctor to give her one hundred thousand…"
Listening to the insults, Francesca’s mouth curved with cold contempt.
Then, the three-month-old baby who’d just barely eased—her face suddenly turned even more blue-purple. Her eyes rolled back harder, like she was about to suffocate at any second.
Chapter 4 Contacting Matthew on Telegram
“Sunny! Sunny!” The woman screamed, panic shredding her voice.
The doctor was about to adjust the oxygen machine, ready to crank it up.
Francesca hadn’t wanted to get involved. But she couldn’t stand there and watch a baby die.
She strode forward, shoved through the crowd, and snatched the infant up with swift, practiced force.
She laid the baby facedown over her left forearm, her hand bracing the baby’s jaw. Then she raised her right hand and slammed her palm down between the baby’s shoulder blades.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Again and again.
The woman watched in horror, her heart ripping apart as she shrieked, “You sick demon! How can you do this to my baby? She’s so little—how can you hit her like that? I’ll kill you!”
She grabbed a folder from nearby and whipped it down hard onto Francesca’s back.
Pain tore through Francesca. It felt like the bones in her back were about to split. She didn’t make a sound. She only tightened her frown and kept striking, harder.
The baby’s face was still swollen red. After five blows, there was still no relief.
Francesca could only lift one leg, flip the baby over, and hang her upside down over her thigh.
One hand supported the baby’s head and neck. With the other, she used her index and middle fingers to press quickly at the center of the baby’s chest.
The baby, already bluish-purple, looked even worse.
The doctor’s face twisted with rage. “She can barely breathe, and you’re hanging her upside down?
“Francesca, you’ve gone too far. All because I wouldn’t lend you money and I scolded you a couple of times, you’re vicious enough to try to kill my granddaughter.
“You started this. Don’t blame me for what happens next!”
The doctor stopped caring about anything else. She only wanted to save Sunny. She snatched up an IV bottle and swung it toward Francesca’s head.
In the shadows, Nicholas watched, satisfied.
He’d been worrying about how to deal with her. He hadn’t expected Francesca to be dumb enough to walk right into her own death.
Once that glass bottle came down, Francesca would be stuck in a hospital bed for at least half a month. She’d be completely out of the running for the SATs.
And with the hospital accusing her of attempting to murder a child, she’d get sentenced to at least a few years.
Francesca kept pressing the center of the baby’s chest, her expression cold and focused, like the entire world had narrowed down to this one tiny body. As she pressed, she counted in rhythm.
“Three… four… five…”
The glass IV bottle was only four inches from Francesca’s head.
No one tried to stop it. They all waited for the show. They all waited to see an evil person like Francesca get beaten to death.
Suddenly—
“Cough, cough…”
The baby coughed violently. A bead shot out of her throat and rolled onto the floor.
The next second—
“Waaah, waaah, waaah…!”
The baby finally let out a loud, piercing cry, the bluish-purple fading as her face slowly returned to pink.
Francesca quickly held the baby upright and gently patted her back.
The woman who’d been hitting Francesca, the doctor with the IV bottle, and the nurses around them all froze in shock.
The baby… the baby had really been choking on a bead? It wasn’t a heart attack?
Francesca hadn’t been hurting her. She’d been saving her.
The woman was the first to react. She lunged forward and snatched the baby into her arms, tears pouring down her face.
“Sunny… I’m sorry. Mommy almost killed you. Mommy didn’t watch you properly. I swear, I’ll take care of you from now on. I’ll take care of you for real.”
Then, still clutching the baby, she dropped to her knees with a heavy thump and bowed over and over to Francesca.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, Sunny would’ve died. You’re Sunny’s lifesaver—yet I hit you just now. If you want to hit me back, if you want to curse me out, do it to me!
“If you have any conditions, say them. As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll do it!”
“No need.” Francesca’s voice was flat. “I wasn’t trying to help you. I just wanted to save an innocent child.”
She turned and walked away.
The doctor stood there stunned for a long time before she finally snapped back.
Because Sunny had congenital heart disease, she’d had an episode before that looked exactly like this. The doctor had assumed… she’d never imagined…
She hurriedly lowered the IV bottle and chased after Francesca. “Wait. Didn’t you have something to ask me? You’re just leaving?”
“I won’t use a child as a bargaining chip.”
Francesca didn’t even look back. She kept walking.
When she reached the stairwell, she paused and threw out one last line.
“Don’t be so stubborn and self-righteous. Sometimes, you need to listen to a different voice.”
She was small in her school uniform, her figure almost delicate, but her words landed clear and heavy.
The doctor’s body jolted. Francesca’s sentence echoed in her ears.
Sometimes, you need to listen to a different voice?
A different voice?
Did that mean there was more to the story of Francesca getting her mother fired?
Right then, a nurse rushed over. “Dr. Jensen, bad news. Stanley in bed thirty-one is getting worse. There are signs of inflammation in his eyes.”
Dr. Jensen glanced at the baby and ordered, “Schedule surgery immediately.”
“But his family still hasn’t paid…”
“Put it on my card.” Dr. Jensen pulled out a bank card and handed it to the nurse.
Everyone sprang into motion, preparing for surgery.
The woman was still kneeling on the floor with her baby, bowing again and again toward the direction Francesca had disappeared, sobbing with gratitude.
In the shadows, Nicholas watched, his hand clenching into a fist.
Francesca had been about to give in. And then this happened.
That idiot Francesca—since when did she know medicine?
And what was she talking about, scholarships? With her grades, how could she possibly get a scholarship? Was she planning to use his scholarship to pay off her debt?
No. Absolutely not. He needed another plan.
His eyes shifted as something occurred to him. He sent someone a message.
“I’m sorry, I can’t be classmates with you anymore. Dad got into trouble, and my sister won’t go work. I can only drop out and make money to support the family…”
On the other side, Francesca had just come down the stairs when a young nurse hurried after her.
“Dr. Jensen already did your father’s surgery first, and she fronted the surgical fees. She told you to study hard, and wait until you get into college and earn a scholarship to pay her back.”
Francesca’s brows tightened slightly. But after a moment, she smoothed back into the same cool composure.
It was unexpected—and yet, it made sense.
And she wasn’t the type to get sentimental.
“Tell Dr. Jensen I won’t let her down.”
With that, she slung her backpack and headed for school at a fast pace.
Her dad had gotten the surgery. Now she could study without looking over her shoulder.
And only by studying could she get into Cresthaven University, go to Cresthaven to find Matthew, make it up to Matthew, and also get revenge on Nadine—that wolf in sheep’s clothing.
With her backpack hanging off one shoulder, Francesca reached the street near the school.
There were only a dozen or so shops—some selling snacks, some selling steamed buns and rolls, and others that were shady little internet cafés.
The last light of evening spilled down, making the small street look worn and dated.
“Francesca! Francesca!”
A shout came from behind.
A girl with a chin-length bob ran over and hooked her arm through Francesca’s.
“Why are you walking so fast? I just bought an hour at the internet café. Let’s go online together.”
Francesca’s gaze fell on her, and her eyes instantly darkened.
Vivian Lowe.
Her “best friend.” The top student in Class A. Always in the top ten on every exam. Bright, lively, the kind of person everyone liked.
And yet she’d ignored everyone’s objections to be friends with Francesca, the failing student from Class F, earning herself plenty of praise.
Francesca had once been so grateful, treating Vivian like her closest friend.
Only later did she learn the truth—Vivian looked innocent and kind, but she’d been trying to use Francesca to get close to Nicholas. And she’d always helped Nicholas push Francesca to drop out, stuffing her head with talk about making money and supporting the family.
But Vivian was a model student. She never went to an internet café.
So why was she suddenly inviting Francesca to go online?
Something flickered, cold and heavy, in Francesca’s eyes. She frowned.
“I’ve never been to an internet café. I wouldn’t even know what to do there.”
“I can teach you! You can listen to music, watch shows, and play games. I’m telling you, this Just Dance game is so fun. You can wear so many pretty outfits.”
Vivian dragged Francesca into the internet café with eager warmth and pushed her down into a chair in front of a computer.
Francesca looked at the screen. “Sounds kind of interesting. But I need the bathroom. Register an account for me first.”
“Sure! Go quick. I’ll wait for you!”
Vivian enthusiastically started registering for her. When she saw Francesca head to the restroom, a trace of triumph flashed in her eyes—so fast, no one noticed.
Francesca wanted Nicholas to go work. And Nicholas was actually planning to hand his chance to keep studying to Francesca.
How could someone like Francesca deserve that?
The one who should be working was Francesca.
If Nicholas couldn’t be ruthless enough, then she’d do it for him.
Francesca seemed not to notice Vivian’s look at all. After using the restroom, she returned to the computer.
Vivian had already started a game. When she saw her come back, she beamed.
“Watch me first. I’ll show you how. Or you can just mess around and figure out the computer.”
“Okay.”
Francesca started clicking around. She’d meant to fake playing a game—but the moment she saw the Telegram icon on the desktop, her eyes snapped bright.
Telegram.
Right. How had she not thought of this?
She could use Telegram to contact Matthew.
Matthew was so rich—he definitely carried a phone on him, and he was definitely always on Telegram.
Chapter 5: Matthew’s Wife
Francesca’s hands shook with excitement as she grabbed the mouse, clicked open Telegram, and started registering an account.
Username?
After a beat of thought, she typed: Matthew’s wife.
Then she hit Add Contact and entered a string of numbers.
A profile popped up.
Nickname: Matthew.
The avatar was a solid block of black.
Still that icy, ruthless aesthetic.
Francesca stared at it, and somehow it made her feel warmer than anything. Thank God—this time, his Telegram account hadn’t changed. Thank God she could still reach him.
The image of his body from her last life—shattered beyond recognition—slammed into her mind. In the verification box, she typed:
“I’m sorry. In this life, even if I have to risk my life, I won’t let you lose a single hair!”
“Add me. I’m your future wife.”
“Don’t think I’m crazy. I’m not sick. Can you just give me a chance?”
After she sent the request, she could only wait, nerves twisting tighter by the second.
Matthew had always been cold. He didn’t entertain strangers.
She’d said so much on purpose—trying to spark his curiosity, to make him hesitate, to make him wonder. Would it be enough for him to add her?
If he didn’t… what then?
That car had been headed toward the airport. Matthew was probably just handling business, already on his way back to Cresthaven.
Did she really have to get into Cresthaven before she could see him?
The thought made her anxiety spike. She stared at the Telegram icon in the lower right corner without blinking.
Seconds crawled by.
No notification. No movement.
Just as she was about to give up—
“Cough, cough…” The classic Telegram alert sounded.
Francesca dropped her gaze. In an instant, her blood surged.
A system notification. Matthew accepted.
Matthew actually added her—a total stranger.
She clicked into the chat, ready to type, but the moment her fingers moved, the screen went dead black. The entire internet café erupted into angry shouting.
A blackout? Out of nowhere?
Francesca cursed in her head, a thousand raging thoughts stampeding through her.
At the same time, Ashvale Grandvale Hotel.
In a cold-toned room decorated in black, white, and gray, Matthew sat half-upright on the bed in black satin pajamas. His face was brutally handsome, sharp and flawless, like something designed too perfectly to be real.
His legs were bent, a laptop resting across them.
When he saw the line that said it was a request “found by account search,” his eyes went dark.
Fewer than five people knew his Telegram.
So how did this edgy, cringey girl get it?
And what was all that chaotic nonsense she’d written?
Curiosity—strange and unwelcome—hooked into him anyway. Rarely, he clicked Accept, and sent a message.
“Who are you?”
But the second the message went out, her avatar turned gray.
Offline.
Was she messing with him?
He picked up his phone and called, his voice cutting like a blade as he gave an order.
“Robin Lawrence. Investigate across the entire network. I want everything on her.”
Outside the internet café.
With the power out, people had no choice but to file outside.
Vivian held Francesca’s arm as they walked out—only for Francesca to freeze.
Against the wall stood a row of students, all upright in perfect military posture.
And at the front—
the principal.
So it wasn’t a blackout.
The principal had come to catch students sneaking into the internet café.
When he saw the two of them step out, his brows knotted and his face exploded with fury.
“The SATs are in twenty days! If you don’t want to study, fine—but you’ve got the nerve to come waste time in an internet café?
“Especially you, Francesca! If you want to ruin yourself, go ahead, but you dragged Vivian down with you too! Are you so desperate for everyone to be as useless and uneducated as you are?”
His rage cracked through the air like thunder.
Francesca didn’t flinch. She met his stare coolly, her expression flat.
“I wasn’t here wasting time. I came to look up some information. If you don’t believe me, ask her.”
Her gaze slid, slow and sharp, onto Vivian.
Vivian hadn’t expected Francesca to react so fast—much less with an excuse.
If she helped Francesca lie, wouldn’t her entire plan fall apart?
Vivian’s eyes flicked, then she lowered her head, looking painfully guilty.
“Francesca… I’m sorry. I can’t help you lie. I’ve never been able to lie. When we do something wrong, we should admit it.”
Then she looked up at the principal.
“Principal, Francesca and I really did come to play games. Francesca brought me. She said the games were fun and studying wasn’t important, and told me to play with her.
“But please don’t punish her, okay? This is my fault. I should’ve stopped her…”
Every word sounded like she was protecting Francesca.
The principal’s eyes went wide with fury. “Francesca, you’re still lying right in front of me? Studying isn’t important, but playing games is?
“Vivian’s willing to be your friend, and this is how you mislead her?
“Starting tomorrow, don’t bother coming back to school. You’re expelled!”
Expelled.
Joy sparked in Vivian’s chest.
That was exactly what she’d been waiting for.
As long as Francesca got expelled, she’d have no choice but to go work—while Nicholas could stay in school.
But on the surface, Vivian grabbed Francesca’s arm, looking heartbroken as she tried to persuade her.
“Francesca, hurry and admit you were wrong. Hurry and beg the principal. He’ll forgive you!”
Francesca let out a cold laugh. “Admit I’m wrong?
“Vivian, I’ll ask you one last time. Are you sure you want to frame me?”
Her voice was low and chilling, her eyes like they’d been dipped in ice. It made people feel cold to the bone.
Vivian’s heart trembled. Fear flashed through her for no reason—but when she remembered her plan, she clenched her teeth and doubled down.
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just telling the truth… Francesca, please, just admit it. I’ll help you fight for a chance to keep studying!”
Her tone was earnest.
All the onlookers’ eyes filled with praise for Vivian.
And Francesca?
She was the disgusting one—the girl who misled her friend, refused to admit it, and even accused her friend of lying.
Francesca looked at Vivian, lips curling. “You should be fighting for your own chance.”
Then, without hesitation, she flung Vivian’s arm off her, ruthless and clean. She pulled out a thick stack of A4 paper and handed it to the principal.
“These are study materials I had the staff print out for me. If you don’t believe me, you can ask them.”
The principal took them and looked.
The pages were packed with key points, and at the top was the default print time—just minutes ago.
Right then, the café staff member walked out and spoke up.
“Principal, you really misunderstood Francesca. As soon as she came in, she asked me to print materials. The whole time, she didn’t even open a game.
“But this Vivian—she started gaming the second she sat down. She kept trying to talk Francesca into playing too, going on about how Just Dance outfits look so good, and how there are so many handsome guys and all that.”
The principal’s face turned iron-dark. He spun on Vivian, voice shaking with rage.
“Vivian! I never thought you were this kind of person! Why did you lie? Why would you frame Francesca?”
“I… I…” Vivian was completely panicking.
She never could’ve imagined Francesca would print study materials—and even get the staff on her side.
When were those pages printed? How did she not know?
When Vivian couldn’t give a real answer, the principal’s anger detonated. He struck her on the head hard as he scolded her.
“You’ve disappointed me! Call your parents. Now!”
“Principal! Principal!” Vivian’s face went paper-white as she tried to explain, but the principal had already stormed off in fury.
Every student around her looked at her with open disgust.
No one would’ve thought the usual model student could be someone who lied and framed her friend—someone who was obsessed with handsome guys.
Vivian flushed, humiliated and furious. She turned on Francesca. “How could you have printed materials? Why would you do this to me?”
Francesca’s smile was cold. Her eyes locked on Vivian like steel.
“Isn’t that what I should be asking you?
“Vivian, don’t treat other people like idiots. When you plot against someone, you’d better be ready to get plotted against, too.”
Her red lips curved into a razor-cold smile. Then Francesca turned and strode away.
Vivian stood there, stunned, staring at Francesca’s back.
She’d changed.
She was nothing like the Francesca Vivian remembered.
Chapter 6 Go Home and Raise Pigs
Not far away, Nicholas watched it all, frustration twisting tight as his fist clenched.
He’d thought he could use Vivian to crush Francesca. He never expected Francesca to be that smart—smart enough to see through everything ahead of time, and even bribe the IT guy to testify for her.
If this kept going, Francesca would definitely come after his scholarship. And she’d come after everything at home, too.
Images from the hospital flashed through his mind. He pulled out his phone and called Margaret.
“Mom, my sister’s already gone to school. Her best friend tried to talk her out of it, but it didn’t work. Right now, unless she ends up like our cousin, there’s no way she’ll get expelled…”
“Cousin?” Margaret’s brows drew together. “You mean Serena Sutton?”
Serena was her niece. She’d started fooling around with boys at a young age, got caught at school doing that kind of disgusting, shameful thing, and was expelled on the spot. After that, no school would take her.
Margaret’s eyes lit up. Right—how had she not thought of that?
“Nicholas, I’ve got a way. Do exactly what I tell you to do. Right now!”
Nicholas frowned. “Mom… isn’t that a little too much? She’s still my sister. She’s your daughter…”
“Relax. I’m not actually going to hurt her,” Margaret said, her voice unwavering. “I’m just going to force her to drop out. Later, I’ll find her a decent man to marry. Just do what I said.”
Nicholas’s lips curled into a dark, satisfied smile. Francesca, you brought this on yourself. You wouldn’t take the easy way, so don’t blame anyone when you’re forced to swallow the hard one.
On the other side, Francesca hurried toward school.
She attended Southbrook Academy, the top-ranked school in Ashvale. But unlike Nicholas, who was in the elite A track, she was stuck in the worst track—F.
The truth was, she’d always been good at studying.
She still remembered the first time she’d carried home a test paper with a perfect score. She’d been sure her mother would finally like her—sure Margaret would hug her like she hugged Nicholas, would reward her with clothes or snacks.
But Margaret slapped her so hard she went flying.
“What the hell are you doing, getting scores like that? How dare you be better than your brother! Are you trying to make both sides of the family laugh at him?”
She’d been six.
She truly didn’t understand. Why did Nicholas get rewards for doing well, while she only got slapped and cursed for the same thing?
Crying, she scrambled up from the floor, sobbing.
“Mom, don’t be mad… I’ll teach him… I’ll study with him…”
“Study? Study my ass. Get out there and feed the pigs! There’s so much work to do—what, you want your brother doing it?”
Margaret grabbed her by the hair and shoved her straight into the pigpen, raging as she screamed:
“Remember this—you’re the older one. You’re a financial drain. Don’t even think about school. Know your place. Work more. Hurry up and graduate, then get out and start making money to support this family!”
Then she slammed the door hard.
Only six years old, Francesca curled up in a filthy corner, shaking. Through the crack beneath the door, she could see the light outside. She could see Margaret picking food onto Nicholas’s plate.
She didn’t know what she’d done wrong. But she learned one thing—if she scored well, Mom would get angry. Mom would lock her in that dark little room…
After that, she never dared to solve the problems right again. Never dared to bring home a good score.
No matter how the teachers scolded her, she handed in blank exams again and again, until everyone saw her as nothing but a failing student—a useless piece of trash.
Thinking about it now, Francesca wanted to slap her past self a few times.
Why sacrifice yourself just to make other people happy? Only an idiot would do that.
In her last life, she’d given them far too much. In this life—never again.
Francesca steadied herself and walked into the classroom.
The classmates who’d been laughing and fooling around instantly found new entertainment. They mocked her, voices sharp and gleeful.
“Oh wow, shorty. You’re still coming to school? I heard your dad’s done for and your mom’s unemployed. Why aren’t you out begging on the street or setting up some sad little stall? What are you doing here?”
“Hahaha, ‘shorty’ fits her too well. Eighteen and still as tiny as a bean sprout.”
“You turn in blank tests every time—can’t write a single word. Why are you even here? You might as well go home and farm and raise pigs.”
“Francesca’s ugly, Francesca’s weird, Francesca’s a failing student—ugly freak!”
…
Leo led the chant, turning it into a sing-song rhyme, and a lot of people joined in, shouting along.
In seconds, the whole classroom was yelling.
Francesca had heard these words for twelve straight years—from elementary school to middle school, all the way to high school.
Normally, she would’ve already collapsed onto her desk, crying in humiliation. But today, she walked to her seat with a blank expression, sat down, pulled out her books, and started reading like none of them existed.
That cold, indifferent posture made it seem like everyone around her was nothing more than dust—air too insignificant to notice.
This was contempt. Pure and direct.
Everyone stared at her, stunned, like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
Francesca didn’t cry? Didn’t make a scene? She was calm—composed? Wasn’t she the one who cried the easiest?
Even the silver-haired boy sprawled across the desk behind Francesca—who’d been sleeping—actually opened his eyes for once and glanced at her.
Francesca didn’t notice. She only wanted to study.
There were only twenty days left until the SATs. She had to use every second and review properly.
But she hadn’t been seated long when a shout suddenly came from the classroom door.
“Big sis, come out for a second. I need to talk to you.”
Talk?
What could he possibly need to talk about out of nowhere?
Chapter 7 Overestimating Yourself
Nicholas stood in the doorway. At five-eleven, he wore the blue-and-white school uniform like it was made for him, his whole vibe polished and gentle.
The classroom exploded on the spot.
“Ahhh! It’s Nicholas! Nicholas from Class A!”
“The Nicholas who gets first place on every single exam in the whole grade!”
“Oh my God, he’s so hot! I could stare at that face for a hundred years!”
“They’re twins—how can the difference be this insane? One’s ugly as hell, one’s ridiculously handsome!”
…
The squeals and worship were deafening.
In the middle of all those jealous, envious stares, Francesca looked at Nicholas with ice in her eyes.
“You tell me to go outside and I’m supposed to go outside? Why? Because your ego’s huge?”
Like she didn’t know Vivian was his idea. The whole point was to get her kicked out of school.
Nicholas’s gentle expression stiffened. Francesca was talking to him like this?
She’d never been like this before.
He wanted to turn around and leave, but when he thought of tonight’s plan, he swallowed it down and kept his voice calm and polite.
“Francesca, I know you’re still mad at Mom. Today really was Mom’s fault. I came to see you to bring you dinner. Also, there’s something else I need to tell you—privately.”
Dinner? Like he’d ever be that kind.
Besides, in her last life, Nicholas had used that same gentle, perfect face to trick her, to make her work and support him willingly.
In this life, did he still think she was stupid?
Francesca let out a mocking laugh. “What, you’re already not working at your age? What kind of disgusting thing do you have to hide that you can’t say it here?”
The whole room went dead, then erupted.
Not working?
How could Francesca, at her age, even say something like that?
Nicholas’s face went dark. He froze in the doorway, humiliated.
He clenched the lunchbox in his hand, forcing his anger down before he spoke again.
“If you’re still angry, I won’t bother you. But make sure you eat, okay? Don’t starve yourself.”
As he spoke, Nicholas walked up to Francesca and set the lunchbox on her desk.
The class only gasped harder, praising him like he was a saint.
“God, Nicholas is way too nice! No wonder he’s the school’s number one sweetheart! Such a gentleman!”
“Francesca, aren’t you going too far? How can you talk to your own brother like that? Nicholas treats you so well!”
Francesca glanced at the lunchbox like she couldn’t care less. She was just about to knock it off the desk and smash it on the floor when a strange scent hit her.
She paused.
Then she smiled.
“Fine. You’re my brother, after all. Let’s go. Whatever it is, we’ll talk outside.”
She didn’t wait for Nicholas. She picked up the lunchbox and walked out.
Relief flickered in Nicholas’s eyes. He hurried after her.
Once they were out of the classroom, he quietly messaged Margaret.
“Mom, it’s set up the way you said. You can come out now.”
Francesca kept walking until she reached a quiet strip of landscaping where no one was around. Only then did she stop and look at Nicholas.
“Talk. What is it?”
“What is it?” In the dark, Nicholas suddenly smiled—deep, eerie, like something that belonged to the night. “Can’t you feel it?”
Francesca was about to speak when a dizzy wave slammed into her head. Her body went limp, and with a dull thud, she collapsed to the ground.
She stared at Nicholas, her voice shaking. “You… you poisoned the food?”
“You figured it out too late.” Nicholas’s smile turned cold. He hauled Francesca up and dragged her toward the lab building at the end of the landscaped path.
The lab building was usually where students did experiments and used the media rooms. With the SATs coming up, it hadn’t been used in half a month.
And this was 2010. Ashvale was just a backwater little county town. There were no security cameras in the school except in the offices.
Soon, Nicholas dragged Francesca into the multimedia classroom without any trouble.
Francesca stared into the pitch-black room and asked tensely, “You… what are you going to do…?”
“You’ll know soon.” Nicholas set her into a seat and turned on the computer in front of her.
Francesca stared at the webpage and frowned hard.
“How can you be this vicious?”
Nicholas sneered. “Don’t blame me. Blame yourself for getting too bold. This is the only way you’ll behave and drop out to go work.”
With that, he turned to leave.
But—
“Since my dear brother says I’ve gotten bold, then I’ll show you just how bold I can be!”
A cold, clear voice sounded from behind him.
Nicholas didn’t even have time to react. Francesca, who’d been limp in the chair, suddenly sprang up. She hooked her arm around his neck from behind.
At the same time, she slammed the lunchbox down hard—hard—against Nicholas’s face.
He stared at her in disbelief. “You… how could you…”
She was poisoned. How could she be fine?
“You want to poison me? Overestimating yourself.”
Francesca’s face was pure frost as she turned and walked away.
Nicholas watched her back, hatred making his teeth itch.
But now wasn’t the time for hate…
Meanwhile, Margaret found the homeroom teacher and spoke with a face full of helplessness.
“Ms. Thorne, I’m really sorry. I didn’t want to bother you at a time like this with the SATs coming up, but my husband got hurt at the construction site. His condition got worse tonight. I have to take my daughter Francesca home to see her father.”
“Is that so? I’ll call Francesca and have her go with you.”
Ms. Thorne, a middle-aged woman in her forties, understood family hardship. She immediately brought Margaret to the classroom.
But after looking around, she didn’t see Francesca anywhere. She had no choice but to ask the students.
“Where’s Francesca?”
“No idea. She went out earlier with Nicholas,” someone answered.
Ms. Thorne said, “Everyone help look for her. Her father had an accident, and she needs to go home quickly.”
All the students in Class F spilled out, searching everywhere for Francesca.
But dozens of them scoured the entire school—front and back—and still found no trace of her.
In the end, Margaret suddenly pointed at the lab building. “Huh? Why is there a classroom light on over there? Is Fran in there?”
Everyone saw it too, and they immediately headed for the lab building together.
Chapter 8 genius Jasper Sterling
The second Francesca’s lunchbox showed up at the classroom door, the whole place exploded.
Margaret couldn’t even wait. She shoved her way forward, dying to be the one to open the door.
In her head, she was already seeing it—the moment she swung it open, the moment everyone saw Francesca’s disgusting, shameless face. Satisfaction bloomed hot and sure.
You little bitch. You animal. You dared to get me fired—then you’re going to learn what happens when you pick a fight with me.
Once everyone saw what kind of rotten morals she had, the school would definitely expel her. And then Francesca would get exactly what she deserved—forced to go work.
Margaret was so close to smiling she could taste it. She stepped up, slammed her foot into the door, kicked it wide open, and started screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Francesca, how could you do something so insane—”
But she didn’t even get to finish.
Her whole body locked up.
Everyone outside the door—including Ms. Thorne—froze in shock.
Because the person inside the multimedia room wasn’t Francesca.
It was Nicholas.
Every eye went wide.
“Oh my God, am I seeing things? The number one sweetheart, the campus heartthrob—how could he possibly do something like this!”
…
The insults rose in waves.
Margaret’s eyes practically fell out of her head. How… how could this be? The one who was supposed to be here was Francesca! How did it turn into Nicholas?!
“Smack!”
Margaret had no choice but to slap him hard across the face, then grab his collar and shake him.
“Wake up! Wake up right now!”
Nicholas was dizzy from the hit, but it dragged him back to a sliver of clarity.
Seeing the crowd staring at him, seeing Margaret right in front of him, his body jolted and his mind went blank.
It’s over. It’s over! So many people saw… his reputation was finished!
Then something dark flashed in his eyes. He rushed to explain.
“N-No! It’s not what you think! It was Francesca—she carried me in here!”
The girls instantly remembered what happened earlier, like a puzzle piece snapping into place.
“Right! Francesca left the classroom with Nicholas!”
“And she was yelling at him earlier! She was totally hostile toward him!”
“That’s disgusting. How could she do that to her own brother?”
…
In a blink, without waiting for the teacher to assign anything, the students started organizing themselves to go find her.
But the moment everyone turned—
“Are you looking for me?”
A clear, pleasant voice drifted from behind the crowd.
Everyone whipped around.
Francesca was walking over from the direction of the shrubs, step by step toward the lab.
Her posture was straight, her expression calm. A large purple-black birthmark covered part of her face, yet somehow it didn’t make her look ugly. If anything, it made her feel… untouchable. Like she had her own gravity.
Was this really the invisible Francesca from before?
The second Nicholas saw her, his eyes turned red as he strode up, accusing her like he was the victim.
“Sis, I was just trying to do something nice and bring you dinner. Why would you hurt me like this? I’m your brother. I’ve always been wholehearted to you—my own sister!”
His voice was hoarse, full of wounded agony.
“Clap. Clap. Clap…”
Francesca lifted her hand and applauded while sneering. “That acting of yours… it’s a real shame you’re not an actor.”
“Sis, what are you even saying? At this point, you still won’t admit it? This only happened after I left the classroom with you, and it was you who brought me here!
Other than you, I didn’t come into contact with anyone. How are you still going to argue your way out of this?”
“Funny thing is, other than you, I did come into contact with someone else. And he can testify for me.”
As she finished, Francesca turned her head and looked behind her.
Jasper Sterling walked out from the shrubs, his hands in his pockets. His silver-dyed hair looked wild and dangerous, the kind of mystery that made people uneasy.
He stopped beside Francesca and spoke bluntly.
“I can testify. I saw with my own eyes that Francesca and Nicholas split up by the shrubs. She didn’t poison Nicholas.
And after they separated, Francesca was with me the entire time discussing schoolwork.”
“What? Discussing schoolwork? Did I hear that right? The genius who’s barely said ten words in three years… actually discussed schoolwork with Francesca?”
“Ahhh! The genius is standing up as a witness for Francesca, that ugly girl! Am I dreaming?!”
Everyone was stunned.
Nicholas was just as shaken.
At school, Jasper was practically a monster—an abnormal, untouchable existence.
He’d entered Southbrook Academy with perfect scores, but in class he always slept. He liked messing with things like scorpions and venomous snakes. He never listened to teachers, his temper was twisted, and that was why he’d been transferred to Class F.
But every exam? He still scored one hundred percent.
And when he slept in class, the moment he opened his eyes, the teacher would know they’d said something wrong.
Someone like that… why would he testify for Francesca?
Nicholas forced a friendly tone as he looked at Jasper. “Jasper, are you sure? Did you mistake someone? My sister, she—”
“Mistake? Are you saying I’m blind or stupid?” Jasper’s gaze cut over him, cold, thick with mockery and ice. “Someone who ranks behind me every time—what makes you qualified to question me?”
Then he looked at Ms. Thorne.
“Ms. Thorne, I can guarantee Francesca didn’t poison Nicholas. And I saw Nicholas enter the multimedia room himself.”
Ms. Thorne looked like she was about to cry.
Jasper.
This student who’d slept every day for three years, who’d never once bothered to look at her, his homeroom teacher—today he was actually speaking to her on his own.
And someone so silent, so always-perfect on exams… how could he lie? How could he possibly lie for someone like Francesca?
“I believe you,” Ms. Thorne said immediately, nodding hard. Then she turned and scolded Nicholas. “Alright. This ends here. No one brings it up again. Disperse. Go back to class and study properly!”
“Ms. Thorne…” Nicholas still tried to speak.
Ms. Thorne stared him down. “What, you won’t stop until you get punished? I’m letting this go because your grades are good and you haven’t caused trouble before.
But if you keep making a scene, I’ll report it to the principal and you will be disciplined.”
Nicholas could only grind his teeth and swallow it down, but inside, his rage burned like wildfire.
He wouldn’t let Francesca go.
Not ever.
Chapter 9: I’ll See This Through to the End
That night, Nicholas’s filthy scandal blew up across campus. Wherever he went, people stared at him like he was something rotten.
And Francesca—thanks to genius stepping in—didn’t just walk away clean. The attention around her shot through the roof.
The entire school now knew Southbrook Academy had a girl named Francesca.
And she was someone genius was willing to show up for.
After the evening study session, in an empty strip of landscaping.
Francesca and Jasper stood under a towering oak. Her hands were shoved casually into her pockets, her posture lazy and indifferent.
Jasper had one hand in his pants pocket, his voice cold. “Now can you tell me how you knew it was poison the second you saw it?”
He’d helped Francesca because he’d seen it clearly in the classroom—she’d taken one look at the lunchbox and her eyes had changed. Everything she did after that proved she’d known from the first glance the food was poisoned.
He was born fascinated by poison. But even he couldn’t do what Francesca did—identify it at a glance. He had to understand. That was his condition for helping her.
Francesca explained calmly, “I’m usually interested in medicine. When no one’s around, I buy different drugs to study and learn how they work.
“The stuff Nicholas bought is just the most common, strongest kind used in underground gambling dens. I could smell it and recognize it immediately.”
Jasper frowned. An eighteen-year-old girl with that kind of experience—just from a sniff she knew it was poison?
And the way she usually acted, she didn’t look like someone obsessed with toxins.
Francesca felt his gaze getting too deep, like an X-ray trying to see through her.
So she changed the subject. “Thanks for today. I owe you a favor. I’ll pay it back someday.”
After she said that, she turned and walked away.
Jasper watched her back, his expression darkening.
He was supposed to be the most untouchable person in school.
But this girl was even more arrogant, even colder than him.
Not bad.
Interesting.
For the first time, he actually felt like going to school wasn’t a waste of time…
After Francesca had walked a long distance, fragments of her time at Matthew’s medical research institute surfaced in her mind.
The truth was, she understood poison because in her last life she’d taught herself while working jobs, until she finally got into the institute where Matthew worked. Matthew had guided her and taken care of her more than once. Before she was murdered, she’d risen to become one of the country’s top female medical PhDs.
But all of that would stay her secret for the rest of her life.
On the way home, thinking of the hatred in Margaret’s and Nicholas’s eyes today, she made some preparations before heading back with her backpack.
The moment she pushed the door open—
A thick iron rod suddenly filled her vision.
The next second, with a brutal “thunk,” a savage pain exploded across her forehead.
Francesca’s head screamed as she crashed to the ground. She never imagined they’d be vicious enough to swing an iron bar at her—just like that.
Margaret lowered the rod, stepped forward, grabbed Francesca by the arm, and dragged her straight into the house.
“Bang—”
Francesca was thrown into a junk storage room. Her bones felt like they were about to come apart, and her brain swam with waves of dizziness.
Margaret glared at her, furious, spitting hate with every word.
“Francesca, you cheap bitch. Do you even know how badly you ruined your brother today? How can you be so vicious?
“You will post a statement right now—tell everyone you poisoned Nicholas and you bribed Jasper to lie for you. If you don’t, I’m burning you to death today!”
As she spoke, a box of matches appeared in her hand.
Only then did Francesca notice—the storage room was splashed with diesel everywhere. The air reeked of it.
She struggled up from the floor, staring at Margaret like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Over this, you want to burn me alive? Why don’t you think about it—if you hadn’t plotted against me, would it have come to this?”
“Shut up!” Margaret snapped. “If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for refusing to drop out. You’re a girl. Not only did you fail to protect your brother, you actually harmed him. The Sutton family doesn’t need a backstabbing dog like you!”
So that was it.
Same parents. Same birth—twins.
But because she was the daughter, Nicholas was Nicholas.
And she was a dog.
Francesca’s lips curled into a razor-cold arc. She grabbed the shelf beside her and forced herself upright.
Behind Margaret, Nicholas asked warily, “Sis, what are you doing? Mom’s furious right now. You’d better do what she says. Don’t do anything stupid!”
Margaret lifted the matches, her voice full of threat. “You think you can still spread your wings and fly? This is a storage room full of junk. If you knock over the kerosene lamp and it catches fire, you’ll burn to death. No witnesses. No proof. No one will ever trace it back to me, your own mother!
“You’d better think carefully. I’m giving you ten seconds. If you don’t, I’m setting it on fire!”
Francesca scanned the room. It was sealed tight. Only a tiny window up high—maybe about eight inches wide. If a fire started, she’d have no way out.
But was she really going to give in?
Margaret started counting.
“Ten, nine… three, two, one…”
On the last word, Margaret yanked out a match, her face twisted.
“You little animal. You asked for this!”
She struck the match, raised her arm, about to throw it—when—
“Before you set the fire, Mom and little brother should take a good look at these photos.”
As she spoke, Francesca pulled out a thick stack of photos from her backpack.
Every single one showed Nicholas sitting in front of a computer doing something obscene. Different angles. All of it.
Nicholas, who’d been standing there watching, exploded in an instant, eyes bulging with rage.
“Francesca! Give me those! Give them back!”
Francesca’s smile turned strange—almost demonic. “What do you think everyone in this neighborhood will say when they see these?”
Her arm snapped out.
In the next moment, the entire stack flew out through the small window, fluttering down like snow.
Francesca watched the photos scatter through the air and added, “I gave Jasper a lot of these too. And I made plenty of backups. I told them if I can’t get to school safely, they’ll send these photos to the whole town, the whole county, the whole state, the whole world.
“Even if I die, I’m taking you down with me.”
Her voice was icy, laced with the kind of resolve that left no retreat.
Margaret’s eyes went blood-red with rage. “AHHH! You animal! How can you be so vicious? How can you do something this vicious to your own brother!”
“Mom, forget her right now,” Nicholas said urgently. “What matters is picking up the photos!”
Most of the neighborhood was probably asleep, but if too much time passed… who knew.
Nicholas grabbed Margaret and pulled her toward the door.
Margaret shot Francesca a furious, unwilling glare. “You filthy little freak! Dog! Ungrateful wretch! I won’t let you go!”
“Heh. I’ll see this through to the end.” Francesca’s red lips curled, cold to the bone.
As they were about to step out, she reminded them lightly, “Oh, and there are 222 photos total. Don’t miss a single one.”
Nicholas and Margaret froze hard.
Two hundred twenty-two?
How long would that take to gather?
They wanted to strangle Francesca with their own hands.
But right now, in this moment, all they could do was crawl through bushes and search trees and window ledges all over the neighborhood, picking up photos until they broke.
After they left, Francesca made it back to her room without trouble and went to sleep early.
But that night, she slept terribly.
She dreamed of Margaret’s years of insults and favoritism. She dreamed of Nicholas using the money she’d earned with her own blood and sweat, climbing higher step by step.
She also dreamed that after she’d finally married Matthew, on the wedding day itself, she was kidnapped into a pitch-black warehouse.
“Trash from the countryside like you thinks you deserve Matthew? Go die!”
Nadine held a sharp dagger and stabbed viciously toward Francesca’s heart.
Francesca barely dodged and ran for her life. She finally escaped—only for the scene to twist, and Margaret and Nicholas shoved her off a cliff.
They stood there laughing, so vicious, so poisonous.
A ferocious Tibetan mastiff stalked closer and closer toward her, toward Matthew, toward Button.
“No!”
Francesca jolted upright and realized it was only a dream.
Thank God.
Thank God it was only a dream. Thank God she’d been reborn. She still had a chance to do it all over again.
The people who hurt her, who destroyed her—she wouldn’t let a single one of them go.
Nadine—just you wait.
She wiped the sweat off her forehead, forced her emotions down, quickly tied her hair up, and grabbed her backpack to head out.
But—when she pulled at the door, it wouldn’t open.
Someone had locked it from the outside!
Chapter 10 Never Call Me Your Mom Again
Francesca rushed to the window, shoved the glass open, and looked out into the living room. Margaret and Nicholas were sitting at the dining table.
“Nicholas, don’t worry about what happened yesterday,” Margaret said, all sweetness on the surface. “Mom already spent two hundred dollars to have a relative at the hospital write you a note. It proves you really were poisoned. As long as you behave from here on out, nobody’s going to keep holding it against you.
You’ve got your SATs coming up. Don’t let something like this distract you. School is what matters most. Take care of your health. Drink more milk. Eat more eggs.”
As she spoke, she handed Nicholas a carton of plain milk.
When Nicholas saw Francesca at the window, he smiled. “Thanks for caring, Mom. But even if my sister isn’t studying, she’s still growing. Shouldn’t we send her something to eat? Last night she went too far, but she’s still my sister.”
“Sister, my ass!” Margaret snapped. “You treat her like a sister—what does she treat you like? You’re just too soft. I’ve lived this long and I’ve never seen such a vicious ungrateful wretch, you filthy little thing!
Listen to me. Without my permission, you’re not giving her a damn thing. I refuse to believe she’ll stay so stubborn when she’s starving!”
After she finished cursing, Margaret turned and glanced toward Francesca.
“No one’s going to kill you,” she said coldly, “but we already had your brother copy your handwriting and write a voluntary withdrawal letter. I sent it to your teacher just now. Your teacher agreed to let you drop out.
Starting today, you’re not going to school. Stay home and think long and hard about whether you’re going to get a job. I don’t have money to raise an ungrateful wretch like you!”
Francesca’s hands clenched into fists. “So to force me to work, you’ll do anything? Lying to the doctor yesterday wasn’t enough—today you lied to my teacher too?
I’ll say it again. No matter what, I’m staying in school. Making money is later. Right now you’d better open the door!”
Margaret sneered. “Oh, listen to that. What a big mouth. I’ll lock you up until the SATs are over—let’s see how you go to school then. I’m not opening it. What are you gonna do about it?”
With a sharp slap, Margaret threw her chopsticks onto the table and glared at Francesca like she wanted to tear her apart.
“Mom, don’t get mad,” Nicholas coaxed. “Hurting your health isn’t worth it. I think my sister’s probably hungry. If she eats something, she’ll calm down.”
As he spoke, he reached for a steamed bun on the table.
His hand slipped. The bun rolled onto the floor and came up coated in dust.
Nicholas picked it up, walked to the window, and held it out to Francesca with an almost friendly smile.
“Sis, eat something. If you eat, you’ll have a brain to think with. Going against Mom won’t end well for you.
And our family is poor anyway. What’s wrong with you working to make money? When I graduate college and get a job, I’ll support you too… ah!”
Before he could finish, Francesca suddenly shot her hand out through the window, grabbed him, and yanked him toward her.
In the next second, she flipped her grip and locked her arm around his neck from behind, wrenching his throat tight and dragging him hard toward the room.
Her arms were thin, but the force in them was terrifying.
Nicholas felt like his throat was about to snap. He exploded in rage, shouting, “Francesca, let go of me! LET GO!”
“You won’t let me go to school, then none of us are going!” Francesca snarled. “Didn’t you say we’re poor? Then come work and make money with me. Huh?”
With every word, her hold tightened.
Nicholas was pulled back until his spine was pressed hard against the wall. His face started turning purple.
Margaret lunged over and sank her teeth into Francesca’s arm. She bit down viciously, screaming through it, “You filthy thing! Let go of my Nicholas! Let him go right now! If you don’t, I’ll bite you to death!”
A brutal pain tore through Francesca’s arm. She was already painfully thin; the bite felt like it could rip her apart.
Francesca’s brows knotted tight from the pain, but her grip only got harsher.
“Then we’ll die in pain together!” she said, voice shaking with fury. “If I’m going to hurt to death, he’s going with me!”
With that, she threw all her strength into choking Nicholas.
“AH!” Nicholas screamed, his face a sickening blue-purple, his eyes rolling back.
Margaret panicked and released her bite. For a second, she didn’t know what to do—until her peripheral vision caught the cleaver sitting on the windowsill.
She snatched it up and hissed, vicious. “Animal. You asked for this! Today I’m chopping off your arm. Let’s see if you still won’t let go!”
She raised the cleaver and swung it down toward Francesca’s arm.
The blade flashed with a cold, sinister sheen in the morning light.
Francesca’s pupils shrank. Margaret could really be this ruthless.
If that blade landed, her arm would be ruined. She’d be disabled for the rest of her life.
But now… should she let go?
The moment she did, she’d lose her only leverage. They would lock her in here until the SATs were over…
A thousand thoughts, in the time it took to blink.
The sharp edge drew closer and closer to Francesca’s arm.
Just as the cleaver was about to hit—
Bang!
A thunderous crash.
The door was kicked open from the outside!
The next instant, a figure in white rushed in at top speed.
Margaret didn’t even have time to react before someone struck her arm hard.
Clang—the cleaver hit the floor.
Jasper stared at Margaret with icy eyes. “That’s your own daughter. You can really do that to her?”
His voice carried a hard, bitter chill.
Margaret froze, stunned. It took her a moment to process what was happening, and then she exploded.
“Who the hell are you, you little punk? I’m disciplining my daughter—when did you get a say?
Get out of here right now. This is my family business, and I don’t need you sticking your nose in it!”
“You’re the first person who’s ever dared to tell me to get out.”
Jasper’s mouth curved into a cold, ruthless smile. He grabbed Margaret’s arm and flung her aside.
Thud.
Margaret slammed into the wall, pain bursting behind her eyes.
At the same time, Jasper took out a piece of wire and worked it quickly. Click—the padlock popped open.
The moment the door swung open, Francesca shoved Nicholas away.
She strode out of the room, her eyes sweeping over them like blades. “I’ve given you enough patience and tolerance. But you keep pushing harder and harder—so don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
With that, she headed straight out.
Margaret recovered enough to scream after her, her rage nearly cracking her skull. “Francesca, you filthy thing! Your wings are hard now, huh? You think nobody can control you anymore?
At your age you’re already hooking up with some random man to hit your own mother, and you dare threaten me like this—aren’t you afraid you’ll be struck down?”
Francesca didn’t respond. She kept walking.
Margaret, shaking with fury, grabbed a glass from nearby and hurled it at her.
“Get out! If you dare step through that door today, then don’t ever come back! Never call me your mom again!”
It came from behind. Neither Francesca nor Jasper was prepared.
Thud—the glass slammed into the back of Francesca’s head. Pain exploded instantly, pulsing through her skull.
Francesca’s steps stopped dead.
Her small hand clenched into a fist, her eyes almost bloodshot.
“Don’t worry,” she said, voice like ice. “You’ll be on your knees begging me to come back.”
That thin back of hers radiated a bitter, killing frost.
