Chapter 1Choosing a Deceased Fate

As the Stark family's sole heiress, I was kidnapped three times before turning ten. My father assigned a hundred bodyguards; even school required a three-car bulletproof motorcade.

"Choose a husband to protect you day and night," he said.

I picked Ian Taylor, the gentlest of his protégés. But on our wedding day, he withdrew all my security. Tied to a rooftop chair with a knife at my throat, I heard his cold sneer over the phone:

"Sent thugs to harass Lily, and now playing victim? I just reassigned your guards to protect her for twenty-four hours. Wanted you to know fear."

With each toll of the distant clock, they took a finger. After twenty-four hours, I bled out.

When I reopened my eyes, I was back to choosing a husband. My father held the same eight photos. This time, I skipped Ian’s face, pointing to the reckless grin in the corner.

But my father said, "That man is already dead."

* * *

I stared at the eight photographs in my father's hand. My finger traced a path over Ian Taylor’s chiseled, gentle face and landed squarely on the man at the very bottom—the one with the sun-kissed skin and the cocky smile.

My father froze. "Sierra? I thought Ian was your favorite. Why choose Kai Donovan?"

My hand clenched into a fist, nails digging into my palm.

Kai Donovan. A star athlete since childhood, he was also the most notorious playboy in our elite circle. His skin was tanned from countless hours on the racetrack, his nights spent in clubs with a rotating cast of glamorous women. My father despised him, eventually shipping him off to manage a dead-end project in some remote, godforsaken mountain range.

But I remembered. In my last life, as I bled out on that rooftop, the last thing I saw before I threw myself over the edge was Kai, his face a mask of raw terror and heartbreak, sprinting toward me as if he could outrun death itself.

"Him," I said, my voice trembling.

My father frowned and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts. He stopped, a flicker of awkwardness on his face. He didn't even have Kai’s number saved. How ironic. All eight men were his adopted "sons," his wards, yet Kai wasn't even worthy of a contact entry.

His executive assistant called back within minutes. "Sir, Kai Donovan was killed last month in Redstone Canyon. There was a mudslide."

My father sighed. "Sierra, just pick someone else. Ian is—"

"Then I choose no one." I shot to my feet, my throat tight. "If I can't have him, I don't want anyone."

In my past life, the other so-called "brothers" had either fawned over Ian’s cousin or watched my suffering with cold amusement. If I had to live again, I would rather be alone than be stabbed in the back by their false kindness.

I stumbled out of the office, Kai's final expression burned into my mind. If even he was dead, who in this world would fight for me?

Suddenly, a cold hand clamped around my wrist.

I looked up. It was Ian.

And standing beside him, her slender frame leaning against his, was Lily Reid. Her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she had suffered a terrible injustice.

Ian’s expression was gentle, but his words were hard. "Sierra, Lily isn't well. Your mountain spa is just sitting empty. Let her go there to recuperate for a few days. She hasn't been sleeping, and her cough is getting worse."

The old me would have melted, would have agreed instantly.

This time, I just gave them a detached glance. "No."

I pulled out my phone and dialed my assistant. "Lock the gates to the estate. Don't let any trash wander in."

Ian's face darkened. "Sierra!" He tightened his grip on my wrist, the pressure painful. "She's my cousin. She'll be your family soon too. Can't you be a little more understanding?"

I laughed, a sharp, bitter sound, and ripped my arm from his grasp. "Who said anything about being family with you?"

His eyes widened as if I'd struck him. "What has gotten into you? Is this because Lily wore your hairpin that one time? You have rooms full of jewelry. What's the big deal if she borrows one thing?"

On cue, Lily began to sob, tears clinging to her lashes. "Ian, it's okay… Miss Stark looks down on me. I… I was never worthy…"

I had no patience for this melodrama. I turned to leave. "I said no. That's the end of it."

Back in my suite, I threw myself under the covers and slept. The dizzying sensation of rebirth still echoed in my head, a disorienting hum that was only broken by the shrill ring of my phone.

"Miss Stark!" my assistant's panicked voice cried. "Mr. Taylor and Miss Reid forced their way into the estate! I couldn't stop them! All the guards listened to him…"

I shot upright in bed.

The memories of my kidnapping flashed before my eyes. The bodyguards who were supposed to protect me had done the same thing then, abandoning me without a second thought on Ian’s command, leaving me to the mercy of my captors.

When I stormed into the spa, one of the guards actually had the audacity to block my path. "Miss Stark, Mr. Taylor gave orders that no one is to disturb them."

Crack.

The sound of my hand striking his face echoed in the marble hall.

"You eat my family's food, and you take orders from him?" I was shaking with fury. "Get out of my sight. Now."

I threw open the doors to the main thermal pool, and the scene before me made my blood run cold.