Chapter 2

1

Lucian Reed stood at my front door with a group of bodyguards in black suits.

His expression was dark, filled with naked hatred and contempt.

"Hand over the antidote," he said, getting straight to the point.

His voice was icy and filled with an arrogance that brooked no argument.

Hearing those words, my heart sank.

He had been reborn too.

And by the look of it, he still blindly believed his mother's lies. He truly was a hopeless mama's boy.

In my last life, I had been kind enough to save his mother's life.

In return, she stabbed me in the back, claiming I had drugged her into a fake death to steal their money.

I still didn't understand why she did it.

And I understood even less why Lucian would believe such a ridiculous story.

I looked at him coldly. "I don't have an antidote."

"Lucian, your mother is dead. That is a fact."

Lucian looked at me as if I had told a hilarious joke. He stepped closer, the mockery in his eyes almost overflowing.

"Wynter Vance, do you really think you can keep lying to me?"

"I fell for your bullshit once and let you play me for a fool."

"I've seen enough of women like you who will do anything for money."

"I'm giving you one last chance. Hand over the antidote."

"Don't make me get violent."

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.

"Lucian, you can have a medical examiner check the cause of death. Can't you tell the difference between a living person and a corpse?"

"I'm warning you. If your mother's soul isn't laid to rest within seven days, she will become a lingering shadow."

"The negative energy will drain your life, bring you endless disasters, and destroy your entire family."

Lucian's face darkened. He gave a sharp nod to his men.

"What a foul mouth. How dare you curse me and my mother!"

"Teach her a lesson."

A bodyguard stepped forward and crudely grabbed my jaw.

Another one held a pair of heavy pliers and shoved them into my mouth without hesitation.

Ignoring my frantic struggles, he ripped a tooth straight from my gums, tearing through flesh and bone.

The white-hot pain made the world go black for a moment.

I spat out a mouthful of blood and stared at Lucian, speaking one syllable at a time.

"I was actually planning to give you a way out."

"But after this, your life and death have nothing to do with me."

Lucian was completely enraged. He grabbed me by the throat.

"A piece of trash like you thinks she can threaten me?"

"I'm telling you, I won't be fooled again."

"My luck is as solid as iron. But you? If you say one more word, you won't live to see the sunrise."

I pried his hand off and said coldly, "I don't waste my breath on dead men walking."

In my last life, I saved his mother and absorbed the bad luck meant for him.

Now, I wanted to see how he would survive this deadly cycle without me.

The thought of the miserable end waiting for him gave me a spark of vengeful joy.

Seeing the cold smile on my face, Lucian's anger burned hotter. He shoved me to the ground.

"Drag her parents out here!" he barked at his men.

I felt a wave of terror. I tried to crawl up to stop them, but a bodyguard kicked me aside.

My body slammed against the wall, and I curled up in pain.

They dragged my parents out of the house like cattle and tied them up with thick hemp ropes.

The horrific memories of my past life flashed vividly in my mind.

"Lucian! What are you doing?!" I screamed, my eyes turning red.

He looked down at me with a cruel, mocking grin.

"Since you want to be stubborn, I'll show you what happens to people who refuse my kindness."

"I want to see if you can keep that mouth shut when your parents are being buried alive."

"Don't worry. I won't let them die quickly. I want you to enjoy the show."