Chapter 1

My sister and I stumbled upon a wealthy woman after her car crashed.

She knew our family was struggling. Grateful for our help, she offered us each a life-changing opportunity.

One of us would marry her only son and inherit her vast empire. The other would receive five million dollars cash.

My sister, Paige, didn't hesitate. She immediately chose the son, even dumping her long-term boyfriend, who she was about to marry.

In her eyes, a young, accomplished husband worth hundreds of millions was far more valuable than a mere five million.

But she never imagined that the mild-mannered, quiet man would turn out to be an obsessive psychopath. Within a year, he had tormented her relentlessly, pushing her to the brink of insanity.

Meanwhile, I took the five million and went abroad for my studies. After earning a stack of impressive degrees, I returned home to start my own business. I caught the wave of a new trend and found key connections. My career took off, and I even attracted a string of impressive suitors.

The next thing I knew, my sister and I were sitting primly in front of Ms. Albright.

Ms. Albright’s eyes crinkled with a gentle smile. On one side sat her handsome, quiet only son, and on the other, a five-million-dollar check.

“Paige, Iris, which of you will choose first?”

This time, Paige still raised her hand without hesitation, speaking first. But she pointed straight at the five-million-dollar check.

In that moment, I knew. She had been reborn too.

…

“Paige, Iris, I’m a straightforward person, so I won’t beat around the bush. This is my only son, Blaine Albright. He suffered an injury as a child, so he’s a bit introverted, doesn’t talk much, and isn’t very interested in the family business. So, I’d like to choose one of you to be my daughter-in-law and my successor in the future. As for the other, I can give you a lump sum of five million dollars. Why don’t you two discuss it and decide?”

Ms. Albright smiled sweetly as she asked Paige and me to choose. My memory was instantly engulfed in a bloody, nightmarish haze.

I knew. I had been reborn!

The last scene of my previous life was the plain white wall of an asylum. A disheveled Paige suddenly pushed me off a seven-story balcony.

As I hit the ground with a sickening thud, I could almost hear the rush of blood from my ears, mixed with Paige’s heart-wrenching, insane shriek.

“Why! Iris, why do you get to live so well, be so successful! That luck was supposed to be mine! I chose wrong, and you got the huge advantage!”

Paige blamed all her misfortune on me. But in the previous life, she was the one who eagerly chose to marry Ms. Albright’s son, wanting to become the mistress of a powerful family. She even dumped her boyfriend of many years for it.

Who knew that the seemingly mild-mannered Mr. Albright was, at his core, a total psychopath? He tied her to the bed on their wedding night, subjecting her to bizarre, twisted ‘lessons’ in advanced mathematics, punishing her with unimaginable cruelty for every mistake. It was a hellish existence that broke her spirit.

Of course, she only screamed these things at me in a fit of hysteria after she had completely lost her mind and was sent to the mental hospital.

I was full of sympathy, wanting to help her escape that nightmare and get justice.

But I never realized her greatest pain wasn’t being abused by Blaine Albright. It was born from the fact that I hadn't endured her suffering; instead, I was living a far better life!

Because of this unbridled jealousy and twisted malice, she disregarded the blood ties and sisterly bond, pushing me from a high-rise with her own hands!

Reborn, I sat before Ms. Albright and Blaine, my palms slick with cold sweat.

I swore this time I would never again care about Paige’s fate. I wouldn’t visit her in the asylum.

When I returned from my studies and made a fortune, I would move Grandma abroad so she could live out her golden years in comfort—

Just as I expected, Paige still eagerly raised her hand first.

She wanted to choose first.

It had always been this way since we were little. In our impoverished family with limited resources, she always fought me for everything, never giving an inch.

My naturally easygoing nature had led me to habitually yield.

Especially this time, with my firm grasp on the advantage of foresight, I watched everything unfold without a hint of panic.

“Ms. Albright, I have a boyfriend. It’s better to leave such a wonderful person as Mr. Albright for my sister. I’d like to choose the five million dollars.”

My insides lurched, my pupils widening in disbelief.

I knew Paige’s character too well: greedy, arrogant, and unwilling to endure hardship.

Five million dollars in her hands would likely be blown through quickly. How could that compare to the endless wealth of a powerful family matriarch, which always attracted her eye?

But this time, she didn't even glance at Blaine. Her eyes were glued greedily to the check.

She leaned closer to me, snatched the check, and whispered in my ear, “Iris, this time, it’s your turn to taste it.”

In that instant, I understood. She had been reborn too.