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Relife The Heiress's Revenge engsubtitle watchfull⚡️⚡️
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00:00Someone had spiked my fiancé's drink.
00:02When he started tearing open Serena Blackwood's dress at the Blackwood Gala,
00:05I did not rush in to stop him the way I had in my last life.
00:08Back then, I had been terrified he would offend Marcus Blackwood,
00:11a man famous for protecting his own at any cost.
00:14I threw myself between them,
00:17drugged out of his mind, dragged me into a guest room, and raped me.
00:21From that night on, the entire pack's old money circle said I had climbed into his bed on purpose.
00:25After I married him, the torment only got worse.
00:28In five years, I got pregnant seven times.
00:31Every baby was lost in another convenient accident.
00:34They called me a slut, a used-up whore,
00:36a woman who must have been passed around by half the men in town before she ever wore Evan's ring.
00:41My parents poured everything they had into making my life survivable in the Brooks household.
00:45They helped push Evan onto the council.
00:47And on the night I went into labor,
00:49Evan and Serena held me down and forced drug-laced water down my throat.
00:52I bled out on the birthing bag.
00:54If you hadn't stuck your nose in that night,
00:55Serena and I would have completed our mate-hand years ago.
00:57You ruined my fated mate.
01:00This is what you owe us.
01:02Then he smothered the baby I had nearly died delivering,
01:05right in front of me.
01:06Blood and tears soaked my face.
01:08When my last breath left me,
01:09there was nothing left in me but hatred.
01:11Then I opened my eyes again.
01:13I was back at the Blackwood Gala.
01:15Back on the day someone spiked Evan's drink.
01:17This time,
01:18I would let them finish the bond they had spent a lifetime blaming me for.
01:22Evan, please!
01:23Serena Blackwood's breathy,
01:24embarrassed moan slipped out of the Lakeview guest suite.
01:27It sounded soft enough to pass for refusal,
01:29and loud enough to be meant for everyone in the hall.
01:31I stood outside the door,
01:33and my stomach dropped.
01:34Through the crack,
01:35Evan Brooks' eyes were bloodshot.
01:37Evan Brooks' eyes were bloodshot.
01:39His bow tie hung crooked at his throat
01:41as he pinned Serena against the floor-to-ceiling window,
01:43and tore open her custom silver-green gown.
01:45Clara,
01:46we have to go in and save her.
01:48Her knuckles white.
01:49Grace Miller grabbed my sleeve.
01:51I looked at the two tangled shadows inside.
01:53Then at Grace,
01:54who looked desperate to rush in on my behalf.
01:56I almost laughed.
01:57Save who?
01:58The woman who, in my last life,
02:00helped Evan drug me
02:01and leave me bleeding out on a birthing bed?
02:03Or the monster who smothered my child with his own hands?
02:05Evan comes from a minor pet branch.
02:10If he really hurts Serena tonight,
02:12Marcus Blackwood will never let him walk away.
02:14Clara, what are you waiting for?
02:15Did you forget what Mr. Ashford said?
02:17Evan's father had old ties with the Ashfords.
02:19You were supposed to look out for him.
02:21If Evan is ruined here,
02:22your father will blame you.
02:23Grace kept her voice low,
02:25but every word came faster than the last.
02:27She had wanted Evan for years.
02:29She could not wait for me
02:30to sign a mate contract with him,
02:31just so she could follow us
02:33into the Brooks household
02:33and become his hidden mistress.
02:35In my last life,
02:36when I crawled toward the door covered in blood
02:38and tried to call for help,
02:39Grace was the one who pinned my hands and feet down.
02:41She stepped on my bleeding stomach again and again,
02:44smiling as she said,
02:51I clenched my fingers
02:52and swallowed the urge
02:53to strangle her on the spot.
02:54I'll go in and hold him off.
02:56I lowered my eyes.
02:57My voice shook.
02:58I'll go in and hold him off.
02:59You go to the front hall
03:00and get my mother in security.
03:01Remember, don't alarm the other guests.
03:03Remember, don't alarm the other guests.
03:05The excitement in Grace's eyes
03:06almost broke through her act.
03:08She agreed at once and hurried away.
03:09She moved like someone
03:10who had just been handed an exclusive scandal.
03:13It had been the same in my last life.
03:14The whole thing could still have been buried
03:16by the Blackwoods.
03:17But Grace had dragged over the council spouses,
03:19old money heiresses,
03:20and donors from the front hall.
03:22They all saw me half-dressed,
03:23pinned under Evan on the bed.
03:25My mother fainted on the spot.
03:26My father spent half a lifetime
03:28building his reputation,
03:29and that night,
03:30it was dragged through the mud.
03:32Even the Ashford girls
03:33became cocktail hour gossip because of me.
03:35Since Grace was so good
03:36at gathering an audience,
03:37I would let her.
03:38Let every important guest
03:39in that front hall
03:40come watch the live sex show
03:41already waiting for them.
03:42And let my dear husband
03:43from my last life
03:44have exactly what he deserved.
03:45A ladder straight into the Blackwood family.
03:48I crouched outside
03:48the Lakeview guest suite,
03:50and a savage kind of relief
03:51ran through my whole body.
03:52Patricia Brooks had not yet
03:54forced my face toward the fireplace,
03:55and burned a scar into me
03:57that no powder could hide.
03:58I had not yet smelled
03:59infected flesh mixed with burned salve.
04:01My knees had not yet been ruined
04:02from kneeling on the Brooks household stone floor
04:04until the tissue died.
04:06The Brooks household stone floor
04:07until the tissue died,
04:08turning me into the crippled
04:09whore everyone whispered about.
04:11My belly felt lighter too.
04:12It was not aching every hour
04:14from baby after baby being taken from me.
04:16My nails dug into my palm.
04:18The sharp pain told me
04:19this was not a dream.
04:20When footsteps sounded down the hall,
04:22I lifted my hand
04:23and slapped myself hard across the face,
04:25again and again.
04:26This face,
04:27still untouched by the ruin of my last life,
04:30swelled red almost at once.
04:31I had been slapped so often
04:33in the Brooks household
04:34that even now,
04:35when I split my own lip
04:36and felt blood drip down my chin,
04:37it barely hurt.
04:38Clara,
04:39why are you still here?
04:40Grace came rushing over
04:41with a crowd of donor wives
04:43and council spouses in evening gowns.
04:45The moment she saw me
04:46still guarding the door,
04:47panic flashed across her face.
04:49I pinched the soft inside of my thigh
04:50as hard as I could.
04:51My eyes went red at once.
04:53Then I rushed forward
04:54with tears all over my face
04:55and threw my arms out
04:56in front of the sweet door.
04:58The corridor's crystal light
04:59spilled over me.
05:00The handprints on my face
05:01and the blood at the corner
05:02of my mouth
05:02landed clearly in every pair of eyes.
05:05The handprints on my face
05:06and the blood at the corner
05:07of my mouth
05:07landed clearly in every pair of eyes.
05:09One woman's champagne glass
05:11froze halfway to her lips.
05:12Someone cursed under her breath.
05:14The daughter of the Ashford family
05:15was an old blood heiress.
05:17On any other day,
05:18even a scraped finger
05:19would have been enough
05:20to send the whole family office
05:21into a panic.
05:22Now half my face was swollen
05:23and blood was still running
05:25from my mouth.
05:26Catherine Blackwood
05:26was the first to frown.
05:28Tonight was the Blackwood Gala.
05:29If a guest was injured
05:30in her family's private wing,
05:31it was the Blackwoods
05:32who lost face.
05:33She had just started toward me
05:35when I pressed myself
05:35flat against the door.
05:45She lifted one hand
05:50and two house staff members
05:51immediately stepped forward
05:52to pull me away.
05:53I acted as if the lightest touch
05:55might shatter me.
05:56I was trembling hard,
05:57but I clung to the doorframe
05:59and would not let go.
06:00No, you can't go in.
06:02House staff and security
06:03came together
06:03to pry my hands loose.
06:04In the chaos,
06:06someone's stiletto
06:06came down hard
06:07on the back of my hand.
06:08Something in the bone
06:09shifted one.
06:10Something in the bone
06:11shifted one.
06:12I screamed before
06:13I could stop myself.
06:15Helena Ashford had stayed silent
06:16because this was
06:17the Blackwoods house,
06:18but now pain and fear
06:19broke across her face.
06:20She grabbed my arm.
06:22Clara, what are you doing?
06:23Making a scene
06:24at someone else's gala like this.
06:25What do you expect
06:26the Ashford family to do?
06:27I looked at my mother
06:28standing in front of me,
06:29alive and whole.
06:30Her hair not yet turned white
06:32overnight because of my scandal.
06:33Mom, don't make me...
06:34Tears flooded my eyes.
06:36I have a reason.
06:37I really can't let them go in.
06:39Helena's voice changed
06:40with panic.
06:41What are you even saying?
06:42My knees gave out
06:43and I dropped directly
06:45in front of Catherine.
06:46Catherine, please.
06:46Don't.
06:47The whispers in the crowd
06:48finally broke loose.
06:50What is wrong with
06:50Clara Ashford?
06:51There isn't really
06:52something shameful
06:53behind that door.
06:54Is there?
06:55I curled up at the threshold,
06:56holding up the hand
06:57that was already swelling,
06:58my whole body shaking
06:59so hard I could not stop it.
07:01Catherine's face
07:02went completely dark.
07:03Very good.
07:04A perfectly decent
07:06Blackwood gala
07:07and somehow
07:07Ashford's daughter
07:08is blocking my door.
07:10Since she has made
07:11this much of a scene,
07:12I will not be the only one
07:13deciding what happens next.
07:15Go to the front hall.
07:17Bring Marcus and Richard here.
07:19Go to the front hall.
07:20Bring Marcus and Richard here.
07:22I pressed down the smile
07:23tugging at my mouth.
07:25Those slaps
07:25had not been wasted.
07:27Alast,
07:27the scene was big enough.
07:29Tonight was the
07:29Blackwood Alliance gala.
07:30Marcus Blackwood
07:31and my father,
07:32Richard Ashford,
07:33were not the only
07:34powerful men
07:35in the front hall.
07:36Several Whitmore
07:36High Council candidates
07:37were here, too.
07:38Evan and I had been
07:39husband and wife
07:40for an entire lifetime
07:41after all.
07:41This time,
07:42of course I had to make sure
07:43he and his beloved
07:44Serena had a full audience.
07:46Within minutes,
07:47Marcus arrived with a crowd
07:48of councilmen and donors
07:49at his back,
07:50security following
07:51close behind.
07:52Richard Ashford
07:52moved the fastest.
07:54The moment he saw me
07:55covered in mud and blood,
07:56guarding the door
07:57as if my life
07:57depended on it,
07:58his face changed.
07:59The next second,
08:00he lifted his hand
08:01and slapped me hard
08:02across the face.
08:03I've always known
08:03how to behave.
08:04Have you lost
08:05your mind tonight?
08:06The council spouses
08:07around us shook their heads.
08:09In the East Coast
08:10pack circle,
08:10I had always been
08:11the Ashford family's
08:12most proper daughter.
08:13Now I was crying
08:14and making a scene
08:15at the Blackwood Gala,
08:16blocking the private wing
08:17and refusing to let
08:18anyone through.
08:19Half the obedient
08:20reputation I had built
08:21over the years
08:21was already gone.
08:22Half the obedient
08:23reputation I had built
08:24over the years
08:25was already gone.
08:26Marcus's expression
08:27darkened.
08:28He gave me
08:29one cold glance.
08:30Then he simply
08:30raised his hand.
08:31The security men
08:32at his side
08:33stepped forward,
08:34lifted me away
08:35like they were
08:35removing an
08:36out-of-control guest
08:37and threw me down
08:38near the rain-soaked
08:39edge of the lawn.
08:39It had rained
08:40two days ago.
08:41The Blackwood Estate
08:42stone path
08:43had been scrubbed
08:44spotless,
08:44but the grass beside
08:45it was still
08:46full of mud.
08:47The hem of my
08:47pale lavender gown
08:48sank into the muck,
08:49filthy enough
08:50to make me look
08:50as if I had crawled
08:51out of a service alley.
08:52Everyone walked around
08:53me and headed
08:54straight for the suite door.
08:56Helena's tears
08:56fell in a rush.
08:57How are you supposed
08:58to stand in
08:58packed society
08:59after this?
09:00I wiped the muddy
09:01water from my face
09:02and smiled at her.
09:03The crowd had barely
09:04reached the door
09:05when every step
09:06stopped at once.
09:06A woman's moan,
09:08soft and sticky,
09:09slid through the crack,
09:10tangled with a man's
09:11low, restrained panting.
09:13The sound was so obscene
09:14it made heat crawl up
09:15people's faces.
09:16Then came the dull
09:16thud of a headboard
09:17hitting the wall,
09:18again and again.
09:19No one needed to go in
09:20to know exactly how
09:21lively it was inside.
09:22Several donor wives
09:23who had brought
09:24young daughters with them
09:25immediately covered
09:26the girls' ears
09:26and ordered house staff
09:28to take them away.
09:29Then the woman inside
09:30let out another
09:30honey-sweet sound.
09:31Her voice stretched thin
09:33and breathless at the end.
09:34The guests looked
09:35from one face to another,
09:36each expression
09:37uglier than the last.
09:38The Blackwoods had
09:39humiliated themselves
09:39completely tonight.
09:41In broad daylight,
09:42in a guest wing,
09:43doing something this lewd,
09:44an outspoken council wife
09:45clutched her evening back.
09:47Her voice was low,
09:48but every word
09:49landed clearly.
09:50The way everyone
09:51looked at Marcus
09:51and Catherine now
09:52carried an unmistakable
09:53edge of mockery.
09:54Marcus's face
09:55flushed dark purple.
09:56Beneath his beard,
09:57his jaw clenched tight,
09:59I pushed in from
09:59the edge of the crowd
10:00and caught his sleeve
10:01with trembling fingers.
10:02I shouldn't go in.
10:04At least think of
10:05the reputation
10:06of whoever is inside.
10:08Marcus's gaze
10:08cut quickly across
10:09the guests.
10:10The Whitmore air
10:10stood behind him
10:11in immaculate
10:12black formal wear.
10:13He was not afraid
10:14of offending
10:14some irrelevant guest,
10:15but whoever dared
10:16to do this
10:17at the Blackwood Alliance Gala
10:18had dragged the Blackwood
10:19name through
10:20mud on purpose.
10:20There was no dignity
10:22left for him to protect.
10:23Marcus ripped the
10:24Brass Master key
10:24from the house
10:25steward's heavy key ring.
10:26The metal keys
10:27clattered hard
10:28against the doorframe.
10:29Move.
10:29His voice came out
10:30in a low growl.
10:31He shoved me aside
10:32without mercy
10:33and jammed.
10:34The brass key
10:34into the iron lock.
10:35With a violent crash,
10:37the frame of the
10:37Lakeview guest suite
10:38split open.
10:39Half the door
10:39hung crooked,
10:40then dropped hard
10:41onto the carpet.
10:42The sky outside
10:42had not gone fully dark,
10:44but the suite blazed
10:45with light.
10:45The White Wall Scouts
10:46lit up the mess
10:46on the floor.
10:47A kicked-side gown,
10:48a shirt,
10:49and a piece of
10:50red lace lingerie.
10:51The whole room
10:51reeked of sex and sweat,
10:53sharp and fishy
10:53like Bradford blossoms
10:54in spring,
10:55strong enough to tighten
10:56the back of the throat.
10:56Some council spouses
10:57covered their mouths,
10:58others cried out.
11:00Marcus was already
11:01past reason.
11:02He overturned the
11:03frosted glass screen
11:03with one brutal shove.
11:05On the king bed,
11:06Evan Brooks was
11:06completely naked,
11:07with a woman's bare thighs
11:08hooked over his shoulders.
11:10The red lace lingerie
11:11was still clenched
11:12in his hand.
11:13The air went dead silent.
11:15Even the sound of high heels
11:17sinking into the carpet
11:18seemed loud.
11:20Marcus?
11:21He fumbled for the comforter,
11:23trying to drag it over
11:24the woman beneath him
11:25and hide her from view.
11:26To Marcus,
11:27that looked less like shame
11:29than provocation.
11:31Evan might have been
11:32a rising pack attorney
11:33this year,
11:33but in Marcus's eyes,
11:35he was still nothing more
11:36than a lower pack
11:37legal associate
11:37with no real power
11:39and no real bloodline.
11:41A scholarship-born climber
11:42like him
11:43would not even have been
11:43allowed near the
11:44Blackwood side door
11:45on an ordinary night.
11:46And now he had dared
11:47to turn the Blackwood
11:48guest wing
11:48into this kind of debauchery.
11:50It was uglier than
11:51spitting in Marcus
11:51Blackwood's face.
11:53Low-born trash!
11:55Marcus's eyes
11:55went bloodshot.
11:56He grabbed the iron poker
11:57from beside the fireplace
11:59and swung it down hard
12:00at the bedpost.
12:01Evan clutched the woman
12:02against himself
12:03and scrambled naked
12:03across the bed,
12:04trying to dodge.
12:05The sight of him
12:06stumbling bare in front
12:07of every important guest
12:08nearly drove Marcus
12:09and Catherine mad.
12:10One council space
12:11after another
12:12looked away,
12:12stepping back
12:13on their heels.
12:14Catherine's chest
12:14rose and fell
12:15with fury.
12:16She had no polished
12:18hostess mask
12:18left to wear.
12:19At this point,
12:20the Blackwoods
12:21had no dignity
12:22left to protect.
12:22I want to see
12:23which little slit
12:24dared go into heat
12:25in my house!
12:27Catherine,
12:28for my sake,
12:30don't.
12:31But Evan Brooks
12:32had no sake
12:32to speak of
12:33in the Blackwood house.
12:34Catherine let out
12:35a cold laugh
12:35and pulled with both hands.
12:37With one harsh rip,
12:38she tore the entire
12:39comforter away.
12:40A completely naked woman
12:41was exposed
12:42in front of everyone.
12:43She covered her face
12:44with both hands,
12:45her legs pressed
12:46tightly together,
12:46too afraid to lift her head.
12:48Several bright red hickeys
12:49stood out on her pale shoulders.
12:51Her hair was damp
12:52and tangled,
12:53as if she had just
12:53been dragged out
12:54of the sheets.
12:55The Blackwood female
12:56aides beside Catherine
12:57reacted first.
12:58They stepped forward,
12:58pinned the woman's wrists
12:59and ankles,
13:00and yanked her hair back,
13:01forcing her face up
13:02for everyone to see.
13:03Little slut,
13:04still trying to hide?
13:05And that beautiful,
13:06sweat-damp,
13:07painfully familiar face
13:08was shown to every person
13:09in the suite.
13:10A glass knocked against
13:11a serving tray
13:11with a bright,
13:12brittle sound.
13:13The entire room
13:14seemed to explode.
13:14Serena Blackwood was there,
13:16naked and exposed,
13:17helplessly displayed
13:18in front of every
13:18council witness.
13:19Catherine Black
13:20froze on the spot.
13:20She looked as if someone
13:21had struck her
13:22straight between the eyes.
13:23One hand flew to her head
13:24as she staggered back.
13:25The guests looked
13:26from the scandal pair
13:27on the bed to me.
13:28My eyes reddened
13:29and tears rolled down
13:30my face
13:31at exactly the right moment.
13:32I did not need
13:33to say anything anymore.
13:34Everyone had already
13:35put the story together
13:36for themselves.
13:37I was an old-blood
13:38Ashvind heiress.
13:39Who would dare
13:40put a hand on me
13:41so easily?
13:41The answer seemed obvious.
13:43I must have stumbled
13:44onto Serena's filthy secret.
13:46Serena must have slapped me,
13:47and then she must have
13:48forced me to stand outside
13:49and guard the door
13:50for the two of them.
13:52Bastard!
13:52He tightened his grip
13:53on the fireplace poker
13:54and brought it down hard
13:56across Evan Brooks' back.
13:57The iron edge
13:58scraped through flesh
13:59and a long,
14:00ugly gash
14:00split open at once.
14:02I lowered my head
14:03and used the back
14:03of my mudsteed hand
14:04to hide the corner
14:05of my mouth.
14:06Evan Brooks,
14:07you deserve that one.
14:09A raw scream
14:10tore out of Evan's throat.
14:11He touched the torn skin
14:12on his back
14:13and tried desperately
14:14to explain.
14:15Blaine.
14:15Marcus, listen!
14:16I was drugged!
14:17Someone set me up!
14:18Marcus was beyond listening.
14:20He raised the fireplace
14:21panel again
14:22and swung it straight
14:23for Evan's neck.
14:24Marcus, stand down!
14:25He's still a licensed
14:26council attorney.
14:26We investigate first.
14:28I watched coldly,
14:29almost regretful.
14:30What a shame!
14:31One cleaner hit
14:32and he might have died
14:33right there.
14:33No matter how furious
14:34Marcus was,
14:35he could not ignore
14:36the Whitmerts in front of them.
14:37Investigate!
14:38Tear the Blackwood estate
14:39apart if you have to!
14:40Bar logs,
14:41cameras, badge swipes,
14:42sweet access,
14:43I want everything!
14:45Evan let out
14:46a breath of relief,
14:47then swept one cold
14:48glance over me.
14:49That single look
14:50told me everything.
14:51He had come back too.
14:53Those were not the eyes
14:54of a newly admitted
14:54PAC attorney.
14:55They were Evan Brooks'
14:56eyes after years
14:57soaked in council politics
14:58in our last life.
14:59Still on his knees,
15:00he planted both hands
15:01against his thighs
15:02and slowly straightened
15:03his spine.
15:04However I was set up tonight,
15:05Serena's public standing
15:06is already ruined.
15:07I'm willing to sign
15:08a responsibility statement,
15:09acknowledge this
15:10mate bond scandal
15:11and enter an alliance
15:11engagement with Serena.
15:12He thought that
15:13sounded noble.
15:14He thought Marcus
15:15and Catherine would be
15:16grateful that he was
15:17offering to clean up
15:17Blackwood's mess.
15:18P!
15:19You think you're what
15:20exactly?
15:21A no-pittage
15:21low-pack cur
15:22thinks he can crawl
15:23into the Blackwood bloodline?
15:24Evan squeezed
15:25his eyes shut,
15:26his entire face
15:27flushed red.
15:28In all his years,
15:29no one had ever
15:30humiliated him
15:30like this in public.
15:32After all,
15:32in my last life,
15:33whenever he dealt
15:34with Marcus,
15:35Marcus had always
15:36clapped him on the
15:37shoulder and called
15:37him promising.
15:38Marcus had even said
15:39he admired a man
15:40who climbed by talent.
15:42What a joke.
15:43In that life,
15:44Evan Brooks had been
15:44my husband.
15:45My father,
15:46Richard Ashford,
15:47was the PAC council's
15:48chief legal strategist.
15:49The respect Marcus
15:50gave him had never
15:51belonged to Evan.
15:51It had belonged
15:52to the Ashford family.
15:53I would snap
15:54my own daughter's
15:55neck and dump
15:56her in the Hudson
15:56before I let
15:57trash like you
15:58touch my bloodline.
16:00In a fresh burst
16:00of age,
16:01he kicked Evan hard
16:02enough to send him
16:03crashing into
16:03the low table.
16:06Evan coughed up
16:07a mouthful of
16:07blood on the spot.
16:08You touched
16:09a Blackwood daughter
16:10and now you dare
16:11use her as your ladder?
16:13Security,
16:14drag him out,
16:15beat him until
16:16he can't open
16:16his mouth again.
16:17Evan had not
16:18even managed
16:18to get up
16:19before Blackwood's
16:20security
16:20pressed his arms
16:21and legs.
16:22They dragged him
16:22toward the door
16:23like a bag
16:23of rotting trash.
16:24No!
16:26This isn't how
16:26it was supposed
16:27to happen!
16:28Marcus!
16:28Serena Rina!
16:29Save me!
16:29Marcus grabbed
16:30a whiskey tumbler
16:30and smashed it
16:31against Evan's head.
16:32Glass splattered,
16:33Evan's scalp
16:33slid open at once.
16:34Blood ran down
16:35his brow
16:35and dripped
16:36all over the floor.
16:37Gag him.
16:39A cur like him
16:39doesn't deserve
16:40to say Serena's name.
16:42Serena Blackwood
16:43was completely stunned.
16:44She kept her head
16:45down and did not
16:46dare say a single
16:46word for Evan Brooks.
16:48Marcus!
16:49You can't be
16:50this heartless!
16:51She is our daughter!
16:52She was harmed!
16:53How can you
16:54tell her to die?
16:55Of course Marcus
16:56had spoken in rage.
16:58Serena was still
16:58his own blood.
17:00He could not truly
17:01bring himself
17:01to kill her.
17:02But after saying
17:03so much in front
17:03of everyone,
17:04he could not
17:04simply let it go
17:05either.
17:06So he slammed
17:07one hand down
17:07on the coffee table.
17:08Are my investigators
17:09dead?
17:10Who dared touch
17:11the drinks
17:11at a Blackwood gala?
17:12Do I pay security
17:13to be useless?
17:14If you can't
17:14give me an answer,
17:15I will tear apart
17:15the entire staff chain.
17:17A security supervisor
17:18came in with
17:19his shoulders hunched,
17:19his voice shaking.
17:21Marcus,
17:21the badge log
17:21shows that
17:22Maya Ellis,
17:23Serena's personal
17:23aide,
17:23handled Evan's glass.
17:24The room broke
17:25into low,
17:25crackling murmurs.
17:26Every pair of eyes
17:27turned to Serena.
17:27A personal aide
17:28usually acted
17:29on her employer's
17:29instructions.
17:30No!
17:31It wasn't me!
17:32It was Maya!
17:33Maya wanted to hurt me!
17:35Maya Ellis looked
17:36less like a living
17:37person than a ghost.
17:38Trembling all over,
17:39she collapsed
17:40onto the floor.
17:41No!
17:43I didn't!
17:45She had just
17:46started to defend
17:46herself when she
17:47looked up and met
17:48Serena's eyes.
17:49The rest of the words
17:50died in her throat.
17:51If Maya told the truth,
17:53the Black Hills had
17:53a hundred ways to
17:54strip her of her job
17:55and every clean
17:56reference she had
17:57left.
17:57Serena threw herself
17:58at Maya,
17:59sobbing as she beat
18:00her.
18:00Was I not good to you?
18:02Why would you
18:02stab me in the back?
18:03It was me.
18:05I thought Serena
18:06favored Tessa Rowe
18:07and treated me
18:07unfairly.
18:08I lost my-
18:09The guests looked
18:09at one another.
18:10The same faint mockery
18:11appeared on every face.
18:13That excuse was
18:14too weak to stand.
18:15But what else
18:16could they do?
18:16Serena was Marcus
18:17and Catherine's daughter.
18:18If they did not
18:19let Maya take the fall,
18:20were they supposed
18:21to admit Serena herself
18:22had gone into heat
18:23and dragged a man
18:24into bed?
18:25Marcus,
18:25who had been ready
18:26to beat someone
18:26to death a moment ago,
18:27suddenly looked as if
18:28a dirty rag had been
18:29shoved into his mouth.
18:30Serena was still
18:31hitting Maya and crying.
18:32Then,
18:33from the jacket
18:33draped over Serena's
18:34shoulders,
18:35a sealed clinic pouch
18:36slipped out.
18:37Maya had already
18:37been beaten weak.
18:38Her body tilted
18:39and she landed directly
18:40on top of the pouch.
18:41A small blood vial
18:42shattered under her weight.
18:43Fresh red spread
18:44instantly across
18:44the pale carpet.
18:46What is that?
18:46A private pack clinic
18:47label was stuck
18:48to the clear bag.
18:49Half a sheet of paper,
18:50already soaked
18:51at the edge
18:51with blood showed through.
18:53An ordinary gala guest
18:54might not have a clue,
18:55but among the council wives,
18:56healer donors
18:57and old money maintenance
18:58here,
18:58who hasn't had to deal
18:59with a fertility scandal
19:00for the family?
19:01CG blood test results
19:02from a private clinic,
19:03a forged healer intake form
19:04and a fake bond status file.
19:05All that stuff is enough
19:06to rip the mask off Serena
19:07as the innocent,
19:08wronged Luna candidate.
19:09Most of the gogglers
19:10don't know the ins and outs,
19:11so they're craning their necks
19:12asking everyone around.
19:13Every time someone asks,
19:14Serena's face goes even peeler.
19:16Evan Brooks,
19:16beaten bloody
19:17and dragged back
19:18into the suite,
19:19saw the evidence explode
19:20at exactly the wrong moment.
19:21He was still
19:22a licensed council attorney.
19:24No matter how furious
19:25Marcus was,
19:26Blackwood security
19:26did not dare beat him to death.
19:28If this had been Evan
19:29before the last life,
19:30he would have been
19:31nothing more than
19:31a newly risen PAC lawyer.
19:33A shattered blood vial
19:34and half a sheet
19:34of HCG paperwork
19:35might not have meant much to him,
19:37but he had lived
19:38an entire life already.
19:39In his last life,
19:40he had climbed high
19:41in council circles.
19:42Paternity fraud,
19:43forged healer files,
19:45backroom scandal cleanup.
19:46What had he not seen?
19:47One look at the blood
19:48on the carpet,
19:49the soaked clinic date,
19:50and he understood.
19:51Evan was barely
19:52holding together
19:52from the beating,
19:53yet somehow he found strength.
19:55He forced himself up
19:56and lunged
19:57toward the king bed.
19:58With one hand,
19:59he ripped back the comforter.
20:00The white fitted sheet
20:01was clean.
20:02There was nothing there
20:02that could shove the pup
20:03in Serena's belly
20:04onto tonight.
20:05The truly glaring proof
20:06was the blood-soaked paper.
20:08Sample collected,
20:09four weeks before gala.
20:11Gestational estimate,
20:12five weeks.
20:13Sire pending.
20:14Everyone had just seen
20:15Evan naked
20:15and pressed over Serena,
20:17but the evidence told them
20:18Serena had already
20:19been pregnant before tonight.
20:20She had even prepared
20:21a forged healer intake
20:22in advance,
20:23ready to frame herself
20:24as a Luna candidate
20:25ruined by this one night.
20:27Please.
20:27What a perfect
20:28little paternity trap.
20:29Too bad it had not
20:30closed neatly
20:31around Evan's throat.
20:32Even I had not expected
20:33the scene to turn
20:34this ugly this fast.
20:35In my last life,
20:36after I married Evan,
20:37I went to a private
20:38PAC clinic during
20:39my first pregnancy.
20:40There,
20:41I happened to see
20:41a woman in a hood
20:42quietly asking
20:43for abortion medication.
20:44The clinic healer
20:45warned her that
20:46she was already
20:46close to 16 weeks.
20:48If she forced
20:49determination at that stage,
20:50her body might not
20:51withstand it.
20:52The woman had
20:52wrapped herself up
20:53carefully,
20:54but when she passed
20:55near me,
20:55I still caught a faint
20:56trace of custom
20:57scent suppressor.
20:58Across the entire
20:59East Coast PAC circle,
21:00only Serena Blackwood
21:02loved that scent.
21:03At that point,
21:03three months had
21:04passed since the night
21:05at the Lakeview
21:05guest suite,
21:06which meant that
21:07when Evan was
21:07drugged tonight,
21:08Serena already had
21:09a pup more than
21:10a month along.
21:10Who dared bring
21:11that filthy drug
21:12into the Blackwood
21:13Gala?
21:13The answer was
21:14suddenly obvious.
21:15Serena had wanted
21:16to find a public
21:16sire for somebody
21:17else's pup,
21:18and Evan Brooks
21:19was supposed to
21:20be the fall guy.
21:21Once I pieced it
21:21together,
21:22I could only think
21:23how ugly this
21:24world really was.
21:25In my last life,
21:26Evan and I had
21:27already been bound
21:27by the scandal.
21:28Trying to reopen
21:29the Blackwood incident
21:30from three months
21:31earlier would have
21:31been a joke,
21:32so I buried the
21:33truth and locked it
21:33away.
21:34This time,
21:35my plan had been
21:35simple.
21:36Let Serena and
21:37Evan both get
21:37what they wanted.
21:38One would find a
21:39father for the pup
21:40in her valley.
21:40The other would
21:41climb the Blackwood
21:42old blood ladder
21:43at last.
21:43I had not expected
21:44Serena's own
21:45clinic evidence
21:46to tear open
21:46first.
21:47Evan's face
21:48looked as if
21:48someone had slapped
21:49him in front
21:49of the entire room.
21:50He threw himself
21:51at Serena and
21:52seized her shoulders,
21:53Serena Blackwood!
21:54shaking her heart.
21:55You set me up!
21:56You told me you
21:57had no registered
21:58bond.
21:58You said you
21:59wanted me and
21:59no one else.
22:00You told me you
22:01couldn't hold back
22:01your scent.
22:02That you would
22:03break council protocol
22:04just to give
22:04yourself to me.
22:05You used me as
22:06a public seer for
22:07another man's pup!
22:08You pregnant
22:08little whore!
22:09Serena shook
22:10in his grip like
22:11a silk silk scarf,
22:12as if she might
22:13fall apart at any
22:14second.
22:14Her mouth opened
22:15and closed,
22:16but not a single
22:17word came out.
22:18Marcus heard
22:18every word,
22:19and his brows
22:20drew tight again.
22:21But this time,
22:22he had no ground
22:23to stand on.
22:24Even if he hated
22:25that a low-pack
22:25liability like
22:26Evan had overstepped,
22:27he had no reason
22:28left to keep
22:29beating him.
22:29Evan Brooks had
22:30been beaten too
22:31badly, and the
22:32truth had struck
22:32him too hard.
22:33Blood surged up
22:34his throat and
22:35sprayed across
22:35Serena Blackwood's
22:36face.
22:37Then he fell
22:37backward and
22:38passed out cold.
22:39The room erupted
22:40into chaos again.
22:41No matter how
22:41unwilling Marcus was,
22:43no matter how
22:43badly he still
22:44wanted to kill
22:44someone, he had
22:45to call in the
22:45estate medic and
22:46the pack healer.
22:47Several council
22:48wives looked at me
22:49with pity and
22:49tenderness.
22:50How did she get
22:51dragged into something
22:51like this?
22:53Clara has
22:53suffered too much
22:54tonight.
22:55One after another,
22:56they sighed for me.
22:57They believed I was
22:58a young heiress with
22:59no registered mate
23:00bond.
23:01Dragged for no reason
23:01into a sex scandal
23:02this filthy.
23:03Even if I was
23:04innocent, it was
23:05still a stain.
23:06My pack reputation
23:07and alliance
23:07prospects would
23:08take a hit.
23:09After tonight, the
23:10mate alliances
23:11open to me would
23:11probably drop by
23:12an entire tier.
23:13The Whitmore
23:14heirs especially
23:15would never
23:15consider me now.
23:16They had no idea.
23:17Compared with my
23:18last life, when I
23:19married Evan and
23:20was slowly ground down
23:21inside the Brooks
23:22household, this was
23:23already an escape
23:23from death.
23:24Later, I heard that
23:25when Evan was
23:26carried back, he
23:27looked as if he had
23:28been dragged out of
23:28a pool of blood.
23:29Blackwood security
23:30knew Marcus was
23:31still furious, so
23:32they had put their
23:33backs into it.
23:33From the ER surgeon
23:34to the pack healer
23:35to the spinal
23:36specialist, every
23:37doctor who saw him
23:38only shook their
23:38head.
23:50Some said Evan was
23:51pitiful, a
23:52scholarship-born
23:53legal climber, ruined
23:54like this by the
23:55Blackwoods.
23:55Others said Evan
23:56deserved it.
23:57If he had not
23:58wanted to climb the
23:58Blackwood old blood
23:59ladder himself, he
24:00would never have
24:01suffered like this.
24:02The person who
24:03reacted most violently
24:04inside Ashford
24:05house was
24:05Grace Noah.
24:06Clara, if you
24:08had gone in and
24:08stopped it, Evan
24:09would never have
24:10ended up like this.
24:11He was perfectly
24:12fine and now he's
24:13lying in a bed
24:14half broken.
24:15How can you still
24:16eat?
24:17I held a bowl of
24:18chilled almond
24:19porridge and took my
24:20time swallowing a
24:20spoonful.
24:22What reaction should
24:23I have?
24:24Should I go mourn at
24:25Evan's bedside like
24:26he's already dead?
24:28Grace's face flushed
24:29with anger.
24:29He's still alive,
24:30isn't he?
24:31How can you be so
24:32heartless?
24:34She realized she
24:35had crossed the
24:35line, her voice
24:36going soft at once.
24:38I only think Evan
24:38is pitiful.
24:40I didn't mean it
24:41that way.
24:42I looked coldly at
24:42Grace, the girl who
24:44had grown up beside
24:44me.
24:45If you pity Evan so
24:46much, then go take
24:47care of him.
24:48You don't need to
24:48enter my suite again.
24:50Grace snapped her
24:51head up as if she
24:51could not believe what
24:52she had heard.
24:53Marion, pull Grace's
24:54staff file, NDA,
24:55access badge and
24:56housing agreement.
24:58Suspend her Ashford
24:58access immediately.
25:01The Brooks household
25:03needs a live-in aid,
25:04doesn't it?
25:04Send over her
25:05caregiving contract.
25:06If she refuses to
25:07leave, have security
25:08escort her off the
25:09property.
25:10Tell them the Ashford's
25:11and the Brooks go
25:12back years.
25:13We arrange someone
25:14specially to help
25:14care for Evan.
25:15After that, she does
25:16not come back.
25:19Only then did Grace
25:20seem to wake up.
25:21Clara, I was wrong.
25:22I shouldn't have
25:23said that.
25:23She crawled toward me,
25:25sobbing and begging.
25:25For the sake of all
25:26the years we grew up
25:27together, please
25:28forgive me this once.
25:29I almost wanted to
25:30forgive her, but when
25:31had Grace ever spared me
25:32for the sake of all
25:33the years we grew up
25:34together, it was not
25:35until the day I died
25:36in my last life, after
25:37hearing her words, that
25:39I finally understood.
25:40Why?
25:40After I became pregnant,
25:42after I had been careful
25:43and then more careful, I
25:44still lost one baby after
25:45another.
25:46With Grace at my side,
25:47altering my medication and
25:48my care records for Evan
25:50again and again, how could
25:51any child in my belly have
25:52survived?
25:53Of course she did not want
25:54to go to the Brooks
25:54household now.
25:55Of course.
25:56Evan and his mother,
25:57Patricia Brooks, lived in a
25:59worn-down duplex outside
26:00town.
26:00They were so poor that all
26:02they had left was one
26:03aging age.
26:03Now that Evan Brooks'
26:04leg was damaged, his
26:06council career was as
26:07good as over.
26:07On paper, no one could
26:09throw him out simply
26:10because he might need a
26:10cane.
26:11But after the sweet scandal
26:12at Blackwood Ridge, with a
26:14license review, an ethics
26:15complaint, and a DA inquiry
26:17pressing down layer after
26:18layer, who would dare put
26:19him anywhere near the
26:20public eye?
26:21Unless someone with real
26:22votes chose to protect him.
26:23And now, who would
26:24protect Evan Brooks?
26:25Ashford would not.
26:26Blackwood certainly would
26:27not.
26:28He had no family strong
26:29enough to lift him.
26:30He did have a handsome
26:31face, and at first, a few
26:33old-money families had
26:34considered him as a
26:35potential son-in-law.
26:36Now, those heiresses
26:37probably thought he
26:38carried bad luck.
26:39Because the scandal
26:40touched the High
26:40Council's reputation,
26:42Eleanor Whitmore took
26:42a personal interest.
26:43The High Council and the
26:45DA liaison turned
26:45Blackwood Ridge inside
26:46out.
26:47As for the pup in
26:48Serena Blackwood's
26:49belly, no one could
26:50say for certain who
26:51had fathered it.
26:51The personal aides
26:52around Serena had
26:53tried to protect her at
26:54first.
26:55But once the perjury
26:56warnings and immunity
26:57deals came down, one
26:58after another, they
26:59cracked.
26:59A stable hand.
27:01Gate security.
27:02A procurement runner.
27:03A jewelry store sales
27:04guy.
27:05Serena had never been
27:06picky.
27:06As long as a man had a
27:08decent face, she dared
27:09drag him into her bed.
27:10After a while, the number
27:11of men she had slept
27:12with was not just 10 or
27:1312.
27:14It was more.
27:15If the pup in her belly
27:16had actually been born,
27:17only a DNA panel could
27:18have sorted out the
27:19father.
27:20After a disgrace like
27:21that, how could Marcus
27:22allow her to give birth
27:23to another man's pup?
27:24I heard he found some
27:25dirty private clinic and
27:26forced Serena through
27:27a termination.
27:28At first, Marcus even
27:29wanted them to prepare
27:30an overdose of sedatives.
27:32Only after Catherine
27:33cried, begged, and nearly
27:34threw herself over a
27:35balcony was Serena's
27:36life spared.
27:37Her life was spared.
27:38The rest of her did
27:39not.
27:40After that forced
27:41termination, Serena's
27:42bleeding would not
27:43stop.
27:43Her periods never
27:44settled.
27:45She grew thin very
27:46quickly.
27:47Her face pale, her
27:48legs too weak to hold
27:49her steady.
27:50Marcus lost the old
27:51lift of his chin in
27:52council rooms.
27:53He had been proud his
27:54whole life, and now
27:55one daughter had dragged
27:56the Blackwood name
27:56through filth.
27:57People said he spent
27:58his days drinking
27:59himself senseless.
28:00When he finished
28:00drinking, he would go
28:02to Serena's room, smash
28:03whatever he could reach,
28:04and curse her until
28:05security came over.
28:06Every day, Blackwood
28:08Ridge was full of
28:09screaming, breaking
28:10glass, and the sound
28:11of guards' footsteps.
28:12less than three months
28:13later, Serena, driven
28:14past the edge, grabbed a
28:16kitchen knife and stabbed
28:17her own father to death.
28:18A roomful of aides and
28:19guards watched it happen.
28:21She could not run from
28:22that.
28:22Once the murder charge
28:23landed, it was enough to
28:25seal her fate.
28:25That same day, the high
28:27council stripped her of
28:28every inheritance right.
28:29When the criminal court
28:30sentenced her, she was
28:32sent to a women's prison
28:33for life without parole.
28:34On the day Serena was
28:35sentenced, I was having
28:36tea at the newly opened
28:37Laurel Room in the city.
28:38Mrs. Ashfield, this is
28:40from a gentleman downstairs.
28:41He said he would like to
28:43see you and say a few
28:43words.
28:44A server brought over a
28:45hibiscus chestnut tea
28:46cake I had not ordered.
28:47I looked at the small
28:48pastry and suddenly found
28:49it funny.
28:50During my marriage to
28:51Evan, he had bought the
28:52same thing for me a few
28:53times, after I lost our
28:54first child.
28:55After Patricia Brooks
28:56forced me to kneel every
28:57few steps in the name of
28:58pack discipline until I
29:00passed out, until my knees
29:01split open and festered.
29:03Evan probably always
29:04believed that as long as
29:05he handed me this one
29:06sweet little cake, I
29:07should calm down.
29:08I should forgive him.
29:09I should make peace
29:10with him.
29:10But to me, it had never
29:12recorded comfort.
29:13It recorded every injury
29:14Evan and the Brooks
29:15household had dealt me
29:16again and again.
29:17Please return it to the
29:18gentleman downstairs.
29:20Tell him I don't dare
29:21eat it.
29:22I'm afraid there might be
29:23something in it.
29:23The server quickly
29:24carried the tea cake
29:25back, but Evan did not
29:26leave.
29:27When I stepped out of the
29:28Laurel Room, he was
29:29waiting at the entrance.
29:30Clara.
29:31His voice broke, and he
29:33reached for the edge of
29:33my coat.
29:34Mr. Brooks, step back.
29:36Don't touch her.
29:37Harper Lane, the new
29:38aide at my side,
29:39immediately stepped
29:40between Evan and me.
29:41Evan's face twisted with
29:42misery.
29:43Clara, I treated you
29:44terribly before.
29:46I let people lie to me.
29:48I misunderstood you.
29:49I thought that scandal
29:50was something you set up
29:51so you could marry me.
29:52I never meant to hurt you.
29:54Evan, were you lied to,
29:55or did you choose to
29:56lie to yourself?
29:57I am an old blood
29:58Ashford heiress.
30:00You?
30:01If I had wanted it,
30:02even the Whitmore line
30:03would have been within reach.
30:04Why would I need to
30:05scheme my way into
30:06marrying you?
30:07The color drained from
30:08Evan's already ruined face.
30:09He had once been handsome
30:10in a clean, refined way.
30:12After all these days of
30:13pain, he had wasted down
30:15until he was almost
30:16nothing but bone.
30:17Whatever dignity he once
30:18had was gone.
30:19He was lucky, really.
30:20At least both legs had
30:22not been ruined.
30:22Only his right leg would
30:24never be steady again.
30:25From now on, he could
30:26not walk without a cane.
30:28My gaze swept once over
30:29his right leg.
30:30Evan immediately pulled
30:31it back.
30:31Maybe he remembered
30:32my last life, when he
30:34and Patricia Brooks
30:35had ruined my leg.
30:36Maybe he remembered
30:37how many times he had
30:38sneered at me, and called
30:39me a crippled little
30:39liability.
30:40One of the Ashford House
30:41staff hurried toward me.
30:42Mrs. Ashford, we've been
30:44looking everywhere for you.
30:45Please return at once.
30:46The High Council just
30:47sent word.
30:48Sebastian Whitmore has
30:49been confirmed as
30:50High Alpha Elect.
30:51The Whitmore line has
30:52also filed a Maid
30:53Alliance statement.
30:54Once you personally
30:55confirm it, the Council
30:56will publicly recognize
30:57you as Luna Elect.
30:58Evan's mouth fell open.
30:59He looked as if he
31:01could not believe what
31:01he had just heard.
31:03In my last life,
31:03Sebastian had become
31:04High Alpha too.
31:05Only then, he had
31:07never publicly recognized
31:08a Luna.
31:08Even after he took
31:09full power, he never
31:11brought anyone to stand
31:12beside him.
31:12So that was why.
31:15Sebastian likes her,
31:16doesn't he?
31:17Evan muttered the
31:18questions to Grace
31:19Miller beside him.
31:19They were together
31:20already, weren't they?
31:21Bracing him like a cane,
31:23and Patricia had worn
31:24her down until she
31:25barely looked human.
31:26No secret dates.
31:28No private gifts.
31:29Nothing improper.
31:31Only...
31:31Only what?
31:34Only that every time
31:35Sebastian saw her,
31:36he smiled.
31:38For the decades that
31:39followed, Sebastian
31:40proved Grace right.
31:41He was a good husband.
31:42A very good one.
31:44As for Evan, I never
31:45saw him again for the
31:46rest of my life.
31:47The last time I heard
31:48news of him was before
31:49I moved into the
31:49Whitmore Council
31:50residence.
31:51I heard there was no
31:52path left for him back
31:53to the Council.
31:53He could not stay in the
31:55East Coast Pack Circle
31:55either.
31:56So he took Grace and
31:57Patricia back to that
31:58low-pack hometown of his.
31:59Maybe Blackwood Ridge
32:00had damaged more than
32:01his leg.
32:02Later, Patricia arranged
32:03engagements for him
32:04and pushed a few
32:05dependent girlfriends
32:06into his life.
32:07But in this life,
32:08no one ever carried
32:09his pup.
32:09He left out
32:10He was only
32:10And he was
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