Butler Lane had no choice but to escort Harper up to the tenth floor of the hotel-to the Young Master Gallagher's suite.

In his eyes, she looked like a furious little wildcat, shouting for the Gallagher family to give her back her innocence!

Harper lay stiffly on the huge bed, silently rehearsing her plan for revenge.

When the door creaked open, she drew a sharp breath and instinctively shut her eyes, bracing herself for what was about to happen.

The memories of her previous life's torment flashed vividly before her eyes.

The man everyone called the Young Master of the Gallagher family-President of the GG Group-was Chase Gallagher, her former fiancé.

Rumor had it he was a pervert who only liked virgins and had... performance issues. He preferred to watch rather than participate.

That was why Amara had handed this "golden opportunity" to climb the social ladder to Harper, not her sister Phoebe.

That night, in her past life, she'd been tortured to the brink of death-all because of him.

If murder weren't illegal, she wouldn't have brought a micro camera tonight-she'd have brought a knife.

This time, she would expose every twisted act of his and destroy him completely.

Footsteps approached outside the door.

Gritting her teeth, Harper loosened her robe's belt, leaving herself half-exposed.

But for a long moment, nothing happened.

When she finally opened her eyes, she met a pair of icy, soul-piercing eyes.

Under the dim, flickering light, the tall man stood like a wild predator-cold, sharp, dangerous, and impossible to ignore.

His gaze locked on her with arrogant intensity, his presence so overwhelming she nearly forgot to breathe.

So this was the infamous, twisted Young Master Gallagher.

Her first instinct was fear.

He was ten years older-thirty, at the peak of a man's desires-yet here she was, baring herself before him, and he didn't even flinch?

Their eyes met, and the silence between them grew unbearable.

He stood over her, a pair of stark white gloves catching the light.

His voice was low and frigid. "What do you want me to do?"

"Prove that I'm clean," Harper whispered, her clear eyes fixed stubbornly on him.

Chase lifted the hem of his shirt slightly, revealing chiseled abs and sharp muscle lines.

Her heart skipped a beat. If he wasn't the impotent man the rumors claimed he was, she was in serious trouble.

He moved closer-his gloved hand slid from her shoulder to her neck.

Then, with sudden force, his fingers clamped around her throat.

"So, you managed to escape after all," he said in a low, dangerous tone that felt like chains wrapping around her soul.

"I changed my mind..." she breathed, her lips trembling, but her eyes burned with a strange excitement.

He really was a monster.

Her oxygen-starved brain flashed back to that night from her past life-the humiliation, the pain, the faceless men...

"Let me be your woman," she said suddenly, forcing sincerity into her voice.

But in his eyes, a storm gathered-his gaze roamed from her lips to her collarbone.

The bruises marring her fair skin stood out vividly, like dark blossoms blooming on snow-painful yet irresistibly tempting.

His eyes darkened, his breathing heavy.

His hand moved to her thigh, sliding slowly upward.

"So, what you really want," he murmured harshly, "is to crawl into my bed under the pretense of a virginity test?"

His crude words stripped away her last shred of dignity. Shame burned through her like fire, melting her focus on revenge.

Those white gloves seemed to sear wherever they touched.

"N-no..." she stammered, face flushed.

"No?"

Chase let out a cold laugh. "You wanted to be engaged to me, yet you ran off with another man. Now you ask me to verify your purity? Who do you think I am, Harper?"

Her eyes widened, heart pounding.

"I did it for you-for your reputation, Young Master," she said quickly.

His expression darkened, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips. "For me?"

Before she could respond, he reached beside her and picked up a small flower-shaped hairpin.

"What's this?"

"H-hairpin..." she said, panicked, trying to snatch it back.

His sharp gaze swept from the hairpin to her flushed face.

"Tired of living, are you?"

Her heart jumped into her throat. The tiny camera hidden inside the pin would expose everything.

"It's just to prove I'm innocent-so no one can question you," she said weakly.

His face turned to stone.

He narrowed his eyes, studying her as if seeing right through her lies.

Then-crack!

The micro camera shattered in his fist.

For a long moment, silence hung heavy.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low and cold enough to freeze the air.

"Get out."

Cold sweat drenched Harper's back. She had no idea how she even made it back to her room.

She'd failed.

Chase was far more terrifying than she ever imagined.

A sudden ding made her jump.

It was a message from Butler Lane, saying her parents were still waiting for her downstairs in the banquet hall.

Harper stared into the mirror. The reflection that looked back at her was both familiar and foreign-eighteen years old, young and vibrant, a face full of life, a body still full of strength.

Her parents had given her life in her previous one, yes-but they had never acted like real parents. They'd eloped for love when they were young, then abandoned her to be raised by her grandfather. Through all her childhood and growing years, they had never once been there.

Every ounce of pain, every humiliation at the hands of Phoebe, every shadow of insecurity she carried-it all started because of them.

And in this life?

She let out a faint, bitter laugh. Her fate no longer belonged to them. This time, she didn't owe them anything-not love, not forgiveness.

When she descended the grand staircase, she spotted Marlene leaning against Blake's shoulder as if asleep.

Ha... so that's love? What a joke.

She cleared her throat lightly. "Ahem."

Marlene stirred, her eyes fluttering open. When she saw Harper standing before her, she gasped in relief and joy. "Harper! You-you're okay?"

Harper's face remained expressionless. Her voice was calm and distant. "I came to tell you that you were never part of my life before, and from now on, you don't need to be."

Marlene and Blake exchanged a silent, pained glance.

"Harper," Marlene's voice trembled, "We know we wronged you-"

"No need to apologize."

Harper cut her off sharply and turned to leave.

"Harper, stop!" Blake's voice boomed, deep and commanding.

Her steps faltered, but she didn't turn around.

"Your mother and I came to tell you-don't get involved with the Gallagher family!" he said firmly behind her.

Her eyes darkened, but she said nothing.

"Harper! That engagement to the Gallagher family-it's just your grandfather's selfish idea!"

That made her turn around.

For a moment, she just stared at them, thinking she must've misheard.

"What did you just say? Selfish?"

A bitter smile curved her lips as she nodded slowly. "You're right about one thing-you do know all about selfishness. For the sake of your own love, you abandoned me, left me to fend for myself, ruined my life..."

Her throat tightened as the memories of her past life flooded in. "I'll never forgive you for your selfishness."

Her words struck like thunder. Marlene nearly fainted, bursting into tears. "Harper, I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! It's our fault-your father's and mine! Please, come home with me, okay?"

But Harper's heart was already dead.

She stood there like a flagpole in the wind, unshaken no matter how hard her mother tried to pull her back.

It was too late.

"Go home?" The phrase sounded like a cruel joke. After everything-after the humiliation, the hatred, the loss-they wanted her to go home, as if she could just forgive and forget out of some misplaced mercy.

Mercy? To hell with mercy.

Her eyes burned red as she wrenched her arm free. "There's no home to go back to! I have no parents-do you hear me?!"

Marlene's tearful eyes widened, her knees giving out. She nearly collapsed, and Blake caught her just in time.

Harper thought that saying such cruel words to her parents would feel satisfying, like ripping off a mask and exposing a liar. But it didn't.

Instead, an ache bloomed in her chest-one she didn't want to admit.

That's enough, Harper. From now on, you're on your own. You don't need them. You don't need anyone.

They still have their love.

And you-you have your vengeance.

Anyone who hurt you in your past life will pay double in this one.

***

After cutting all ties with her parents, Harper headed back to the tenth floor to rest.

Her room was right across from the Young Master of the Gallagher family-a public declaration from the Gallaghers that she was, in fact, innocent.

By ten-thirty that night, the grand hotel lobby suddenly filled with men in black suits, surrounding the entire area in tight formation.

The atmosphere turned razor-sharp.

Harper, like everyone else, found herself blocked outside by the wall of bodyguards.

"What's going on? Why won't you let us through? We need to get upstairs!"

"We're hotel guests! Who are you people? You have no right to stop us from using the elevator!"

Murmurs quickly turned into angry protests.

But Harper recognized those men almost immediately-Chase's personal guards.

She peeked through a small gap between them and, sure enough, spotted the same elite team she'd seen outside his suite earlier-the so-called "Emperor's Guard." Each man stood straight and silent, their expressions cold and unreadable.

The elevator display showed that it was descending-slowly-from the tenth floor.

A burst of static crackled through the guard captain's earpiece.

"First floor, be ready. The boss is coming down."

"Copy that."

Harper couldn't help rolling her eyes. Seriously? This much security just to take an elevator?

Must be nice to be rich.

Or maybe, she thought dryly, Chase was just paranoid.

But just as the elevator was about to reach the lobby, a group of paparazzi suddenly burst out from the emergency stairwell!

Microphones, cameras, voice recorders-they came charging in like a stampede, trying to surround the elevator doors.

The bodyguards reacted instantly, moving in a blur to block them off.

Ding-

The elevator doors slid open.

Under the glittering chandelier, a tall, broad-shouldered man in a black suit and sunglasses stepped into view.

Harper's pulse jumped. The memory of what had happened earlier that night flashed through her mind like a nightmare.

Her body tensed instinctively.

"Young Master! Can we ask you a few questions?"

"Young Master, how do you feel about your engagement?"

"Young Master, is it true that GG Group's new PD drug will hit the market this fall?"

The paparazzi swarmed from every direction-some had been hiding behind vases, others had disguised themselves as hotel staff. Now they were all lunging toward the elevator like vultures.

The guards were skilled, but the crowd's sudden rush threw the scene into chaos.

In the commotion, Harper was shoved forward, pressed between the wall of reporters and the guards' barricade-her ribs felt like they were about to snap.

"Stop pushing!" she gasped.

Out of options, she used an old move she'd picked up years ago. She sucked in a breath and suddenly lunged forward with more force than anyone expected.

Her small frame slipped through the brief gap between the security guards-only to crash straight into a solid, unyielding chest.

"Ah-!"

A sharp jolt shot through her forehead.

Before she could react, the elevator doors closed behind her with a sharp clang, sealing out the chaos of the lobby.

She barely had time to catch her breath before she felt it-an intense, suffocating aura pressing in around her.

She didn't need to look up to know whose icy gaze was burning into her.

Her palm was splayed against his chest.

Her leg was-oh god-resting against his thigh.

The air was freezing, yet the atmosphere was thick with tension and heat.

Their breathing tangled together in the tight space. Behind the dark lenses, Chase's eyes flickered violently, the control in him slipping.

Then, as if she'd burned him, he shoved her away-hard.

Harper stumbled back, nearly losing her balance, before catching herself on the rail.

Her mind went blank.

The temperature in the elevator seemed to drop to zero.

Chase's face was as cold and sharp as carved ice, his expression unreadable, his gaze cutting through her like an X-ray-scanning, dissecting, judging.

The elevator came to a stop on the tenth floor.

The air around Chase was so charged with power that Harper shivered before she even realized it. His piercing gaze made her palms clammy. She forced herself to act calm as she stepped out of the elevator, though her hand trembled slightly when she tried to open her door.

As soon as the door cracked open, a large hand slammed against it, keeping it from closing.

Then, the tall man strode in right behind her.

Harper's heart skipped a beat. "What are you doing here?"

Chase's eyes were icy cold. "If you don't want to die, don't make a sound."

His entire presence radiated a dangerous, domineering energy. The kind that made her instinctively obey.

The tension in the room dropped like the temperature before a storm.

He stood there, staring at her across the space, his expression unreadable. Beneath the surface calm, something restless stirred in his chest - agitation mixed with an emotion he didn't dare name.

Harper had no idea how long he planned to stay, but the longer the silence stretched, the more uneasy she felt. She didn't even dare meet his eyes.

A loud, heavy knock suddenly shattered the tension.

Bang, bang, bang!

Chase straightened immediately, walking to the door and pressing the button on the monitor.

The screen showed four people - Phoebe, two police officers, and a middle-aged man who looked strangely familiar.

Chase narrowed his eyes slightly, then opened the door.

Phoebe barged in first. When she saw who had opened the door, her face froze. It took her several seconds to force a stiff smile.

"Y-Young Master Gallagher?!"

She could barely believe her eyes. That wretched Harper had actually managed to get close to him this fast?

"Is there something you need?" Chase asked coldly.

Before Phoebe could answer, the familiar-looking man beside her stepped forward and bowed three times, his voice respectful.

"Godfather, congratulations on your engagement!"

Harper's jaw dropped. For a second, she thought she'd misheard him.

Did he just call Chase godfather?

Chase gave a slight nod, clearly used to the title. "It's late. What brings you here?"

"I'm here to see my godmother."

The man turned toward Harper with a complicated look.

Godmother?! Harper blinked, finally recognizing him. It was Gyle Callahan - Theo's father!

"You're looking for her?" Chase's gaze flicked to Harper.

Gyle's face twisted. "My son Theo... he's been seriously injured."

Every word dripped with accusation. His eyes told her clearly - he thought she was to blame.

"What happened?" Chase's voice dropped, sharp and dangerous.

"He was bitten by a mad dog... his lower body was severely injured. He's been in surgery all night."

Instead of panicking, Harper almost burst out laughing inside.

Wait. If Gyle had just called Chase godfather, didn't that make Theo... her grandson?

For the first time, she thought being engaged to Chase wasn't such a bad deal after all.

Serves him right! she thought gleefully.

"Harper," Phoebe interrupted, her tone dripping with false concern. "What happened to Theo? You were there, weren't you?"

"Me?" Harper's expression was pure innocence. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb," Phoebe snapped, lowering her voice in fake sympathy. "The police are already here. Be honest - maybe they'll go easy on you."

At that, one of the officers stepped forward, flashing his badge. "Miss Harper, I'm Detective Waleale from the local precinct. We received a report - the victim, Theo Callahan, suffered severe injuries. Since you were present at the scene, we need you to come with us and cooperate with our investigation."

"Wait."

Chase's voice cut through the room, low and deadly calm.

The moment the Young Master spoke, the whole room's atmosphere slowed, like air conking out in a sealed chamber.

The detectives narrowed their eyes at him. Chase's face carried that same cold, predatory edge it always did - and everyone felt it in their bones.

Harper felt a familiar, two-lifetimes-deep dread. She couldn't read him at all.

"We'll cooperate with the investigation, but..." Chase's gaze tightened. His voice, low and frosty, sucked the warmth from the room. "She won't be leaving with you."

A few seconds of awkward silence followed.

That single "won't be leaving" made Detective Waleu hesitate - he glanced at his watch and understood immediately what the Young Master meant.

"All right. It is late," Wale conceded. "Then, Mr. Gallagher, please arrange a quiet room for us. We'll make an exception and ask Miss Reeves a few questions here."

Chase nodded and opened the door to his suite, inviting them inside.

***