Chapter 1

The ancestral Phoenix Kiln suddenly exploded.

Priceless porcelain, worth a fortune, was on the verge of being destroyed.

My husband blocked everyone from helping, all for the sake of waiting for his sister-in-law, Vivian Moore.

He wanted her to use her "new technique" to save the day and become the official successor of the Montgomery family kiln.

But the man arriving today was Dante Sterling, the wealthiest man in the country.

Last time a studio delayed a delivery, he had a century-old kiln filled in and turned into a golf course.

If we failed today, not only would the twenty families in this village lose their livelihoods, but they would also be crushed by over a billion dollars in penalties.

In my previous life, I stayed up all night using a secret family formula to rebuild the kiln.

I adjusted the fire vents with my bare hands in front of thousand-degree heat and earned Dante Sterling's respect.

But because of that, Vivian fell into a deep depression and turned to alcohol.

At the victory banquet, my husband and the villagers got me drunk and tricked me into the kiln chamber.

"After my brother died, developing new technology was Vivian's life goal, yet you were so competitive that you stole all the credit. You didn't give her any chance to live."

"Since your hands are already ruined anyway, you can use your life to atone for your sins against Vivian!"

The kiln door was locked from the outside, and I carbonized in the high heat in total despair.

They all became millionaires because of the priceless porcelain I had burned my life to create.

I opened my eyes again to the sound of the familiar kiln alarm.

1.

Flames licked at my hands, and my skin curled and carbonized in the thousand-degree heat.

I pounded on the kiln door frantically, leaving ten bloody streaks on the red-hot metal.

"You stole the credit because you were too competitive, making Vivian depressed and even suicidal. This is what you owe her."

My husband Caleb's voice came through the thick door, sounding terrifyingly calm.

As he spoke, he pushed the temperature controller to the highest setting.

The heat wave swallowed me instantly.

In the final moment before my consciousness faded, I heard Vivian's triumphant laughter and the cheers of the villagers.

"Oh my God! It sold for ten million! It's a record-breaking piece!"

"Beep―Beep―Beep―"

A sharp alarm pierced my eardrums.

I snapped my eyes open.

The ancestral Phoenix Kiln was cracking, and the spiderweb-like fractures on the walls were exactly the same as in my previous life.

I had actually been reborn.

I was back on the day of the Heritage Craft Exhibition, the day everything started to go wrong.

"Elena! What are you standing there for? Go get Vivian!"

Caleb's roar pulled me back to reality.

He was directing the villagers to plug the cracks with wet rags.

"Hurry to the warehouse and check the spare firebricks!"

In my last life, this was the moment I ran to the warehouse.

Only then did I discover that all the spare bricks had been sabotaged, forcing me to use the secret formula and burn my hands.

This time, I wasn't going to walk the same path.

"Caleb, it'll be too late by the time Vivian gets here."

Before I could finish, Caleb's face darkened.

"What the hell are you saying! Do you know how long Vivian prepared for today? This is her only reason for living!"

"Elena, I'm begging you."

He lowered his voice, but there wasn't a hint of sincerity in his eyes.

"Just let Vivian handle it this time. She has nothing else. She just needs the status of being the Heritage Successor."

I shook his hand off, my stomach churning with disgust.

It was still the same old excuse.

"Vivian has already developed a new technology. She's just waiting to use it after this failure to create a world-record piece. When that happens, everyone will be a multi-millionaire."

His voice was just loud enough for the surrounding craftsmen to hear.

"Caleb is right, let's wait for Vivian!"

"Yeah, Elena, your old family methods are way too outdated."

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

The pain reminded me that this wasn't a dream; I really was back.

In the last life, Caleb used the dream of becoming millionaires to turn all the craftsmen into his accomplices.

"Do you have any idea what Dante Sterling will do if this exhibition fails?"

"Last time a studio missed a deadline, he turned their kiln into a golf course! If we fail, twenty families here will be on the hook for over a billion dollars in damages!"

"Psh!"

Caleb waved his hand dismissively. "With Vivian here, what's there to fear?"

"Just wait and see. After today, we'll all be filthy rich!"

I let out a cold laugh and turned to leave.

But Caleb grabbed me and dragged me into the breakroom.

"Keep an eye on her."

The door was slammed shut.

The smell of mold and dust in the air made it hard for me to breathe.

My asthma was starting to flare up.

I threw myself at the door, pounding on it. "Let me out!"

A cold laugh came from outside.

"Elena, save your strength. Caleb said we can let you out once Vivian succeeds."

My hand trembled as I reached into my pocket, only to remember that Caleb had "accidentally" crushed my inhaler earlier.

"Help... me..."

Hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Vivian! You're finally here!"

The villagers' voices were filled with flattery. "We've been waiting for you!"

Through the crack in the door, I saw a look of tenderness on Caleb's face that I had never seen before.

He pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the sweat from Vivian's forehead.

His obsessed gaze was nauseating.

"It's okay, there's still time."

Vivian thanked him softly. "Caleb, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Don't worry. The position of the Montgomery Kiln successor belongs to you and no one else."

Caleb pounded his chest in a guarantee.

Listening to this conversation, a cold smirk played on my lips.

Vivian's so-called "new technology" was just a theft of my research, and it had never actually worked.

They were all going to go down in flames.