Chapter 8
I folded my arms and let them rant themselves hoarse. It wasn’t as if I could cough up even a fraction of the money they were demanding.
The village chief’s voice thundered across the courtyard. “Where’s your boss? Call him out! What kind of company keeps an employee like you?”
“Village chief,” I said flatly, “even if you get me fired, I can find another job. But if you keep harassing me, I’ll post this online and let the entire internet judge for themselves who’s in the wrong.”
“You ungrateful brat!” he snarled, raising his stick. “I’ll teach you a lesson your parents should
have!”
He lunged toward me, but before I could react, someone grabbed my arm and yanked me behind
him.
“Whatever she owes you,” the newcomer said coolly, “I’ll pay.”
I blinked up at him in shock.
Rowan Beckett.
The chubby boy from junior high who used to sit behind me and tug on my hair.
Only… he wasn’t that boy anymore. He was taller, broad-shouldered, his once-round face now sharp and handsome.
“Pay? Who even are you to her?” one of the villagers demanded.
“That’s none of your business,” Rowan replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Give me your account numbers, take the money, and leave.”
They hesitated, suspicious, until their phones buzzed with transfer notifications. It was real. My heart sank. “Why would you pay them? This isn’t even my responsibility!”
“You don’t have to pay me back,” he said quietly. “I just don’t want to see the villagers lose an entire year’s livelihood… and I don’t want them harassing you again. The money doesn’t matter to
me.”
Anger flared in my chest. “Are you trying to stick this debt on me too? Forget it-I’m not paying you back!”
“I told you,” he said, meeting my glare, “I don’t want you to.”
I froze, confused by the strange intensity in his eyes.
Before I could say anything, another voice called out.
“Ah, so this is the girl you’ve been mooning over for ten years.”
A man strode up and slung an arm around Rowan’s shoulders. His resemblance was uncanny.
“You… you’re brothers?” I asked.
Adrian grinned. “Yeah. And just so you know, your nephew blew up my car. My brother came today to demand an explanation from you, and I tagged along. Who knew we’d run into you here? Maybe fate really does have a sense of humor.”
He clapped Rowan’s shoulder, laughing. “Guess my car bombing wasn’t a total loss-it helped
my little brother find the love of his life.”
Three months later, my sister was sentenced to eight years in prison for endangering public safety and causing significant property damage.
The verdict shattered my parents. Their health declined rapidly, and with no one left to care for Caleb, they tried to dump him on me. But I had already changed jobs and moved away. They couldn’t find me.
Caleb became a wild, unsupervised child.
During that time, Rowan pursued me relentlessly. His sincerity chipped away at my defenses, and eventually, I said yes.
Later, I visited my sister in prison. She was thin, pale-but her eyes burned with blame the moment she saw me.
“Talia!” she shouted, grabbing the bars. “Why didn’t you stop Caleb from throwing those firecrackers into the well? If you had stopped him, I wouldn’t be here!”
I smiled coldly. “Oh, I did stop him. And how did you repay me? By tying me to a tree and burning me alive.”
Her face drained of color. “You… you were reborn too?”
“Of course,” I said, my voice icy. “If a vicious person like you could get a second chance, ther God must have decided that someone who died unjustly deserved one too.”
I raised my hand, letting the ten-carat diamond ring catch the light.
“See this? Rowan gave it to me. We’re getting married soon.”
Her voice cracked. “Who is Rowan?”
“Rowan,” I said slowly, savoring each word, “is Adrian’s younger brother. The billionaire famil you spent your whole life dreaming about marrying into? I have it now. Thanks to you. If you hadn’t ordered Caleb to blow up Adrian’s car, I never would have met him again.”
I smiled, victorious. “So really, sister… I owe you everything.”
