Reborn for Revenge

Reborn for Revenge My best friend, Annabelle Shepard, was like a sister to me, closer than blood. In the will she left behind after passing away, aside from what her kids got, all the rest of the property was mine. Plus, she dropped a note that said: [I took the contract for that order. Now we’re even.] That was when it all clicked. She’d taken that contract, the one that could’ve saved my dad’s company and kept us from going under. Because of her, my parents lost everything and ended up taking their own lives. I just couldn’t stomach that blow. I dropped out of college on account of depression and bummed around, frittering away a whole bunch of my prime years. And it was all thanks to my so-called “best friend”. I was ready to blow the lid off everything at her funeral. I wanted to scream the truth to everyone there, but my husband, Charlie Gomez, stopped me cold. “Let it go,” He said, his voice low but firm, “The dead deserve respect. Can’t you just let her rest in peace? And honestly, the only reason I even pursued you was because you were Annie’s best friend. Now that she’s gone, don’t make me regret staying with you. Oh, and since we’re airing things out, I was the one who told Annie about that contract.” His words hit me like a ton of bricks. At that moment, I couldn’t see a way out. Overcome with despair, I turned and slammed my head into the marble pillar right there at the funeral. Everything went black. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on campus, like none of it had ever happened.

“Selena, why do you always camp out in the library? Annie’s been asking you out for ages,” When Charlie told me with a look of disgust, it jolted me awake big time. I finally grasped that I was truly back in the past. I was back to a time when my parents weren’t drowning in debt, when Annabelle hadn’t stolen the contract that could’ve saved us, and when my life hadn’t spiraled into chaos. Only Charlie kept yapping away, “Look at you! No makeup, messy hair, and that ratty T-shirt. Why can’t you be more like Annie? She’s got style. If you keep this up, I’m not even gonna tell people you’re my girlfriend.” I clenched my fists, biting back the urge to slap him. Instead, I kept my voice icy. “You know what? Let’s just break up.” Charlie’s jaw dropped. “What did you just say?” “You heard me. We’re done.” I stood up, glaring at him with all the disgust I could muster. “You’re always gushing about Annie. Don’t think I don’t see how you look at her. You’re just using me to get closer to her. You’re not only a jerk, but you’re too chicken to own up to it!” Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked away. My time was too precious to waste on someone like him. Back in the day, I’d been blind to his true colors. “Selena, what the hell are you talking about?” Charlie shouted, chasing after me. He grabbed my arm, his grip tight. “Why are you being so jealous? Annie’s your best friend! And your family’s about to go bankrupt. You’re not some rich girl anymore. Wake up, or you’ll be begging me to take you back!” Hearing that, my hand flew across his face before I could stop myself. The sound of the slap echoed in the hallway. “Charlie, listen up. I’d rather marry a rock than spend another second with you.” I didn’t stick around to hear his reply. I had bigger things to worry about. Ignoring whatever Charlie’s next comeback might be, I hotfooted it out of there. In my previous life, what with the lousy economy, my old man’s company was going downhill fast and was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and collapse. Seeing my father slogging away day in and day out and my mother looking like a wet weekend all the time, I was worried sick. Desperate to help, I’d buried myself in the library, teaching myself languages and reaching out to clients overseas. Finally, all that hard work paid off. A client in Portugal was won over by my sincerity and decided to place an order for our stuff. But by the time my parents couldn’t take the strain of bankruptcy and offed themselves, I still hadn’t got that order contract. I fell apart after that. Then, I dropped out of school, battled depression, and eventually married Charlie. With my parents gone, I caught hell from his mother and the never-ending housework wore me down to a frazzle. I thought that’s how I’d spend the rest of my days, until Annabelle’s passing that I realized my life could’ve taken a different turn. Annabelle nicked the contract that should’ve saved my father’s company, which led to my parents’ untimely deaths and me not being able to graduate from college smoothly. I should’ve had a whole new lease on life. Did she think that leaving me a bit of property in her would make it okay to say we were even? And Charlie, as an accomplice, not only trashed my life but also played me for a fool, making me wait on his family like a maid. Just thinking about how those two screwed up my life made me want to carve them up and feed them to the vultures.

In my former life, since I wasn’t sure if the client in Portugal was on the level, I could only pray he’d keep his word. Then, I sat around like a chump waiting for the contract that might show up any minute. Now that I’d been reborn, no way would I be that passive again. As soon as I got off the phone with the client, confirming he’d sent the contract, I rushed to the school’s parcel locker. “Daniel,” I said, catching my breath, “In a few days, I’m expecting an important document from Portugal. When it gets here, I need you to hold onto it. No one else can touch it, okay?” I repeatedly reminded Daniel Riley, the staff member at the parcel locker. “Got it. It must be pretty important if your best friend already came by to ask about it.” My stomach dropped, thinking, “Has Annabelle already been here?” I clenched my fists, trying to keep my cool. Even though I knew what she’d done, hearing about it still made my blood boil. I pulled a hundred bucks out of my wallet and shoved it into Daniel’s hand. “Look, I need you to do me a solid. When that mail arrives, call me immediately.” Daniel tried to wave me off. “Hey, it’s just a mail. You don’t have to…” “Take it,” I insisted, “Daniel, I need to know I can count on you.” He hesitated, then finally took the money. With that settled, I felt a little better. Then, I immediately headed straight for my house without a second thought. When I walked in, my parents were in the kitchen, laughing as they prepped dinner. The sight of them hit me like a punch to the chest. “Mom! Dad!” I ran over and threw my arms around them. “Hey, kiddo,” my mom teased, “What’s with the bear hug? You look like you’re still in kindergarten.” My dad, though, noticed something was off. “Lena, what’s wrong? Did something happen at school?” I shook my head. “No, I… I just missed you. It feels like it’s been forty years.” My mom laughed. “Sweetheart, you’re being dramatic. You’re not even forty yet.” I didn’t argue. In my world, it had been decades since I’d seen them like this, so I wasn’t going to waste a second of it. At the same time, I swore to myself under my breath that I’d never let the same tragedy play out again. So, unlike last time, I wasn’t going to wait for the contract to arrive to give my father a pleasant surprise. “By the way, Dad, I want to give you some good…” However, when I was about to spill the beans to my father, someone butted in mid-sentence, “Maria, what’s for dinner? Smells amazing. Can I stay?” “Of course, dear,” My mom said, smiling,”You’re such a foodie! I bet you could smell it from a mile away. You must have planned to come back with Lena,” My mother said with a chuckle. “Oh, Annie’s here. How’s your father doing these days?” My father also greeted her cordially. I bit my tongue, forcing myself to stay calm. For a split second, I almost reached for the fruit knife on the table, but I managed to tamp down my rage. I turned around and glared at the woman who’d royally screwed up my destiny. “Lena,” Annabelle said, bouncing over to me, “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home? We could’ve come together.” “I just decided at the last minute,” I said, keeping my voice steady. Even though I wanted to stab Annabelle with a knife, I didn’t want to burn my bridges with her until I got the order contract, just in case something went pear-shaped. Annabelle pouted, “Hey, you’re also a foodie. Maria’s spoiling you.” Annabelle muttered, poking me playfully as she spoke, just like she always did. To be honest, if she hadn’t come clean herself, I really wouldn’t have believed she’d do such a thing. Our families had been close for years, and with our fathers being business partners, it was only natural that we felt like one big family. Annabelle and I grew up side by side and were as close as two peas in a pod. She was the outgoing one, the life of the party, while I was the quiet, bookish type. When my family fell apart, hers thrived. She married into money, became a socialite, and left me in the dust. Now that I thought about it, the Shepard family’s rise to the top back then was clearly tied to Annabelle nabbing my contract. At that time, the Shepard family was also feeling the pinch of the economy, and their business wasn’t exactly booming. However, Annabelle, for the sake of her cushy life, brought my family to its knees. Meanwhile, I also had a question. In my previous life, what was Annabelle doing at my house? Thinking of this, I continued to tell my father, “Dad, I’ve got some good news. I’ve been in touch with a client in Portugal. He’s sending over a contract soon. It could be exactly what we need.” My dad’s face lit up. “Really? ” I handed him the documents I’d prepared. “Yeah. Here’s the info. You can reach out to him to confirm.” My dad was beaming. “Alright. That’s fantastic, Lena! You’ve really stepped up.” Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Annabelle secretly. When I noticed that instead of looking disappointed, she seemed downright thrilled, as if she was happy for us, and for some reason, I got a funny feeling in my gut.

For the next few days, every spare moment I had, I was at the school’s parcel locker. My classmates started joking that I should just set up a cot and live there. I didn’t try to hide it and was upfront with everyone about what was going on. Naturally, my advisor, John Roberts, caught wind of it pretty quickly. With my permission, he used my situation as a case study in class, calling me sharp and proactive for tackling a crisis head-on. He said I was someone worth emulating. Before I knew it, I was the talk of the school, exactly what I’d been aiming for. Quite simply, I mainly did it to prevent problems before they happened. I came from a family of merchants, and I knew darn well that a legal contract could be a big deal one minute and not so much the next. During that time, I bumped into Annabelle a couple of times. Even though she was acting like business as usual, something just didn’t sit right with me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was like a nagging itch I couldn’t scratch. One day, I was walking to the parcel locker after class, same as always. Out of the blue, Annabelle came up to me. “Lena, you got a sec?” I had no clue what she wanted, but since she was here, I decided to table my worries about the contract for now. “What’s up? Need something?” I nodded. “Perfect!” Annabelle chirped, grabbing my hand. “We haven’t talk for so long. You’ve been so busy lately.” “Yeah, well, my family’s business isn’t exactly thriving, so I’ve had to step up,” I explained, forcing myself not to yank my hand away. Until I had that contract in hand, I wasn’t about to rock the boat. “Don’t sweat it. I’m sure Keith will figure it out,” Annabelle said, patting my hand like she was some kind of life coach, “Also, if things really go south, my parents and I won’t just sit on our hands.” Then, I sneered inside. In my previous life, after my family’s downfall, Annabelle and her family paid me a visit once, and that was it. After that, I never saw them again, not even after her parents passed. As for help? Forget it. Instead, Annabelle would casually drop by to chat, bragging about her latest ski trips, mountain climbs, and scuba diving adventures, pretending we were still friends. Looking back now, I realized she’d been dripping with malice, flaunting her stolen happiness right in my face. Even after she died, she still found ways to mess with me. I just wished I’d seen through her act sooner. “By the way, I heard you and Charlie called it quits,” Annabelle said, switching gears. “Weren’t you head over heels for him?” Hearing that, I felt a weird pang, like I’d forgotten something important. “We just fell out of love, so we ended it,” I said, brushing it off. “Or did you find out he’s got a thing for me now?” Annabelle giggled, her laughter growing louder. She looked downright nuts. Seeing this side of her, so different from her usual front, a knot of unease tightened in my stomach. “All right, I’ll lay off,” Annabelle finally stopped laughing. “Since you’re not into this topic, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I know you’ve been reborn. But guess what? So have I.” Annabelle’s words hit me like a bucket of ice water, and I started shaking. Finally, it clicked why I’d been feeling like something was off these past few days. It turned out that she’d also been reborn.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296030”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #重生Reborn #惊悚Thriller