Chapter 1

At the Grand Jewelry Design Awards, I stood before the judges and did the unthinkable. I admitted to plagiarism, withdrew from the competition, and resigned from my position as Design Director at the Frost Group.

My fiancé, Caleb Frost, glared at me with pure rage. "If you quit now, our engagement is over!" he barked.

My father didn't hesitate. He backhanded me across the face. "You stole from your own sister, and now you're throwing away the Frost family alliance? Do you want to destroy us?"

I just shrugged, wiping the blood from my lip. "I'm not just ending the engagement, Caleb. I'm ending my relationship with this entire family."

I could do this because I was reborn.

In my previous life, my half-sister Zoe and I entered this competition together. The winner would be crowned the nation's top designer and walk away with a fifty-million-dollar prize from the Frost Group.

But round after round, Zoe's sketches were identical to mine. Even worse, she always submitted them minutes before I did.

The judges only let me into the finals because of Caleb's influence. They warned me not to copy her again.

I didn't believe in ghosts, so I bought a new laptop and locked myself in a room. I worked until my fingers bled to create a masterpiece for the finale.

But when the curtains rose and the designs hit the big screen, it happened again. Zoe had my work, and she had it first.

My reputation was shredded. I was doxxed and harassed by millions online.

My parents, ashamed of the "thief" in the family, drugged me and sold me to a deranged old man in the countryside. I died under his hands, screaming for mercy that never came.

When I opened my eyes, I was back at the semi-finals. Everyone was pointing at two identical sketches, whispering about the fraud on stage.

1

"Jade Sterling, explain yourself!" The judge's voice boomed in my ears.

I snapped awake, my heart hammering against my ribs. I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest, the phantom pain of that old man's abuse still lingering in my skin.

Caleb's voice sliced through the air. "Say something! Why are you standing like that? Are you scared? You're supposed to be my lead designer, and you're humiliating me!"

I finally found my voice. I was back. I was alive.

Zoe stepped forward, her face a mask of sweet concern as she grabbed my hand. "Jade, I know it's hard for you to admit I'm better than you. It's my fault for outshining my big sister."

"How about this? We both explain our design concepts. If yours is better than mine, I'll admit I copied you. Okay?"

Before I could even breathe, she grabbed the microphone. She stood center stage, basking in the spotlight.

"This necklace was inspired by an ancient starlight legend," she began. "They say the stars in the Milky Way are fragments of longing scattered by the Goddess of Love..."

My blood turned to ice. Her words were exactly what I was thinking. Every single syllable matched the concept in my head.

The crowd erupted in applause. Caleb stepped up, tenderly kissing her hand. My father and stepmother looked at her with tears of pride.

I stood there like a clown, frozen and speechless.

The whispers grew into a roar. "She definitely stole it. All those famous designs she did before? She probably forced her sister to do them and took the credit. What a bitch."

But I didn't care about the insults. I was drowning in shock.

Stoling a drawing is one thing. But how could she steal the thoughts inside my brain? How could she repeat my inner monologue word for word?

I grabbed the mic, my voice trembling. "Fine. Even if I admit to copying, how can you prove she didn't steal this from someone else? Maybe she used a ghostwriter."

Caleb pointed a finger at me, his face twisted in disgust. "You think everyone is as filthy as you are?"

I let out a cold laugh. "You've been dating this 'filthy' woman for three years. That says a lot about your own character, Caleb."

"You!"

The audience started to murmur. "Wait, if Jade is really that bad, wouldn't Caleb have noticed after three years? Something feels off."

"Yeah, maybe she's right. What if they both used the same ghostwriter and got the same draft?"

I saw the flicker of doubt in the crowd and smirked. Zoe's smile twitched for a fraction of a second before she regained her composure.

"If you're still not convinced, Jade, let's settle this right here," Zoe said, her voice dripping with fake kindness. "I don't want your reputation ruined. That would be my burden to bear."

My father sighed dramatically. "Zoe, you're too good for her. You're always too kind."

I caught sight of Caleb's grandmother, Evelyn, sitting in the front row. She looked devastated. That look gave me the strength I needed.

"Alright, Zoe. Three rounds. You pick the themes, and I'll pick the rules."

This time, I was going to find out exactly how she was cheating.