Reborn as the long-lost Rogers heir, missing for fifteen years, I avoided every chance to bond with my two brothers in this family.

When they tossed me Vivi’s discarded, ill-fitting gown for the family gala, I smiled and put it on.

When they sent Vivi to get an elite education while ordering me to scrub the utility room, I picked up the mop without a word.

When they let Vivi chase love and dumped her rejected suitor on me, I didn’t fight. I accepted her leftovers with a calm nod.

This was all because in my past life, I had spent my entire life desperate for my brothers' approval, only to end up despised by everyone for it.

When I died in the crossfire of a gangland shootout, my own son pushed my body away in disgust.

"Mom, did you really waste your whole life on such a petty fight with Aunt Vivi? Dying for the family would have been a more dignified end. At least then you wouldn't have disgraced our name."

I left this world filled with resentment, only to open my eyes and find myself back at the moment I first set foot in the Rogers estate.

This time, I'm done fighting.

The power, the name, the honor. I'm letting them have it all.

I’ve already been accepted into a closed-door medical project. Soon they will never see me again.

Reborn as the long-lost Rogers heir, missing for fifteen years, I avoided every chance to bond with my two brothers in this family.

When they tossed me Vivi’s discarded, ill-fitting gown for the family gala, I smiled and put it on.

When they sent Vivi to get an elite education while ordering me to scrub the utility room, I picked up the mop without a word.

When they let Vivi chase love and dumped her rejected suitor on me, I didn’t fight. I accepted her leftovers with a calm nod.

This was all because in my past life, I had spent my entire life desperate for my brothers' approval, only to end up despised by everyone for it.

When I died in the crossfire of a gangland shootout, my own son pushed my body away in disgust.

"Mom, did you really waste your whole life on such a petty fight with Aunt Vivi? Dying for the family would have been a more dignified end. At least then you wouldn't have disgraced our name."

I left this world filled with resentment, only to open my eyes and find myself back at the moment I first set foot in the Rogers estate.

This time, I'm done fighting.

The power, the name, the honor. I'm letting them have it all.

I’ve already been accepted into a closed-door medical project. Soon they will never see me again.

...

The confirmation glowed on my screen: "Application Submitted." I stared at the words for a moment before calmly closing the page.

No one knew that this was the second time I had stood at this crossroads of fate.

In my past life, to please my eldest brother Bryan, the Don of the Family, I had torn up that acceptance letter. I forced myself to stay in New York, begging for a chance to learn the family business.

All so I could follow their dinner table conversations about territory disputes, laundering money, and arms deals.

After all, as the youngest Rogers daughter, lost for fifteen years in a gang war and raised in the countryside, they had looked down on me since the day I returned.

I thought if I could just become "useful" enough, I could become a true Rogers.

But in the end, they never gave me a second glance.

So this time, I spoke up before they could even suggest letting Vivi take over the family businesses.

"Brothers, I've applied for a medical research program in Europe. As for the family business, you can hand it over to Vivi."

At the head of the long table, my eldest brother, Bryan, who was cutting into a bloody, rare steak, stopped abruptly.

He set down his fork, his brow furrowed.

My second brother, Fred, sat to his left, pouring Vivi some juice. He looked at me, confused.

"Helena, this is no time for jokes. Haven't you always wanted to be groomed for the family business?"

I had been back in this home for nearly half a month.

They all treated me like a country bumpkin, never letting me participate in their high-stakes business negotiations. No one had ever even offered me the chance to be trained in the family business.

"I've already spoken to the Thomson family," Bryan said, not looking at me this time. "Helena, you'll accompany Vivi to the charity gala next week. Learn some etiquette. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Apparently, they failed to realize that this was a highly classified, closed-door project located thousands of miles away.

It required total isolation, which means once I left, I wouldn't be seeing any of them for a very long time.

In my last life, I had eagerly accepted Bryan's arrangement for the charity gala.

Not only because I thought it was a sign of my brothers' trust, but also because I'd heard that the Thomson family's younger son, Johnathan, would be there.

And I had been secretly in love with him for a long time.

I put on my most beautiful dress, meticulously prepared myself, and went to the ball, only to be met with the sight of Vivi and Johnathan dancing together.

Vivi pushed me toward Johnathan's older brother, Marc, the Thomson family's notorious junkie.

Marc used the threat of our families' alliance to force me to marry him, and what awaited me was decades of a miserable, torturous marriage.

Only then did I realize that Vivi had orchestrated the whole thing. This time, I wasn't going to walk into that trap.

"Thank you, Bryan, but I won't be going this time."

I pulled out a chair and sat down, my voice quiet.

Bryan's knife scraped across the plate with a piercing shriek. He finally lifted his eyes and glared at me. "What did you say?"

"I shouldn't risk the family's reputation at such an important event."

"I've applied to the medical school at the University of Zurich. I leave next month." I met his gaze and repeated myself, forcing a smile.

"Medicine? In Europe?" Bryan put down his knife and scoffed, as if he'd just heard the most absurd joke.

"The women of the Rogers family don't study medicine just to change bedpans. Do you have any idea what a rare opportunity this gala is?"

Vivi, who had been silent, suddenly let out a soft sigh.

"Helena, I know you've just come back and might not be used to the family's rules."

"Bryan just wants you to become part of the family, to truly become one of us. If you don't feel ready yet, I can help you."

There it was again.

In my past life, she used this same understanding act to push me into the abyss, making me look like an ungrateful country girl.

But this time, I wouldn't fall into that trap again.

"I won't cause any trouble for you all," I said, lowering my head, my voice devoid of emotion. "The application has been submitted. It can't be changed."

Bryan didn't say anything more, just let out a cold laugh. "Helena, this is a one-time opportunity. Don't come to regret this."

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Fred grabbed the glass of golden-orange juice from beside Vivi and handed it to me.

"Alright, alright, let's eat first. Here, Helena, have some juice. These are the best mangoes, flown in just for us."

I stared at the thick mango juice.

I'm severely allergic to mangoes.

I had mentioned this on my very first day back. But in this house, no one remembered, or rather, no one bothered to remember.

Because Vivi loved mangoes, they were a permanent fixture on the dining table.

I didn't take the juice. I stood up and went straight to my room.

Back in my room, I opened my calendar: 30 days until Zurich.

I picked up a red marker and drew a heavy, crimson X over today's date.

Every day, I was one step closer to freedom, and to being myself.

I looked around the room. Every piece of furniture was priceless, yet it felt as cold as an exquisite cage.

To me, it couldn't compare to my adoptive parents' small, simple cottage, a place that had been filled with warmth.

In my past life, I spent fifteen years in this place, begging like a dog.

I tried to wash the country dirt off of me, learning the etiquette of high society, giving up my beloved field of study, even my own marriage.

All of it, just for a sliver of warmth from my "family."

But what did I get in the end?

It was Bryan, waving his hand impatiently. "Helena, besides your blood, what about you is a Rogers?"

It was Fred, playing the peacemaker with his empty words. "Don, don't blame our sister. She just cares about us too much."

It was my husband, his hands around my neck. "You're just a piece of scrap the Rogers family threw out."

The suffocating feeling of my heart stopping in that moment still catches in my throat.

Your criminal empire, your picture-perfect family act, your noble bloodline. I want none of it.

I just want to live my own life. A clean one.

The next morning, when I came downstairs, the living room was humming with activity.

Vivi was in the center of the leather sofa, her arm linked affectionately through Fred's as she leaned on his shoulder, showing him several gold-embossed invitation samples.

"I want champagne-colored ribbons, Fred. White is too plain. After all, this is my official debut as a member of the Rogers family."

Vivi's voice was as sweet and cloying as ever.

"No problem, my little princess. Anything you want." Fred smiled and ruffled her hair, his eyes filled with adoration.

"Vivi is at the right age for a formal debut. It's time the other powerful families got to know the jewel of our family," Bryan said, leaning back on the sofa. Though his tone was restrained, his eyes were full of approval as he looked at Vivi.

"We'll use this opportunity to make all five families remember your name."

The three of them looked as intimate as a perfect portrait of a powerful family, and I was the outsider who had mistakenly wandered into the frame.

In my past life, I had longed for this coming-of-age party.

I wanted to wear a beautiful dress, walk with my brothers on my arm, and proudly tell everyone that I was a daughter of the Rogers family.

I had even given up a precious opportunity to attend an international academic conference for that debut, naively thinking I could finally be one of them.

The result, however, was that the dance Vivi had supposedly taught me, which I had practiced for a month, turned out to be a set of vulgar moves fit for a strip club.

She, dressed in a million-dollar custom gown from Bryan, danced with the Moretti family heir in the center of the ballroom, looking like a white swan.

And I, in an ill-fitting, out-of-season dress, shrank in a corner.

While Vivi accepted everyone's praise in the middle of the dance floor, the high-society ladies whispered about me.

"Look, that's the wild child the Rogers found. The way she holds her wine glass, she looks like a waitress. No wonder she can't even manage a proper ballroom dance."

Bryan refused to listen to any of my explanations, convinced that I had brought utter shame upon the family. He locked me in the basement for three whole days. I was made a complete fool.

"Helena?"

Fred was the first to notice me. He waved me over. "Perfect timing, come here."

I walked over and sat down obediently, but kept my distance.

Fred pointed to a dark-colored gown on a screen. "Helena, there's something I need to discuss with you. Vivi's coming-of-age ball is next week. Could you let Vivi wear that diamond necklace?"

"Just to borrow it for one night. We'll return it to you right after the ball."

This necklace was the exclusive symbol of the Rogers family's principessa.

There was only one. Whoever wore it was the family's most honored daughter.

"Of course. I'll take the necklace to Vivi's room later," I answered crisply, without a moment's hesitation.

Fred froze, seemingly surprised by my quick agreement. "Well, in that case, I'll buy you a new one later. It would go well with that red dress of yours."

"There's no need. My medical program has a mandatory training session that day."

Bryan, who had been in the middle of signing a document, stopped, his hand hovering in mid-air. He slowly looked at me. "Are you saying you're not going?"

"It's the same day as a training session for one of my medical projects. It's a scheduling conflict. You all should focus on preparing for Vivi's important debut," I said calmly, playing the part of an exceedingly understanding sister.

After all, in my last life, I was put under house arrest for refusing to lend the necklace and never even made it to the party.

He had pointed at me back then, his eyes burning with fury. "Helena, you know how important this day is for Vivi. Do you have to cause trouble for me right now?"

"How can you be so petty?"

At that time, Vivi had walked over to Bryan, patting his back gently. "Bryan, don't be angry…"

"After all, with my sister's upbringing… she probably hasn't seen anything this grand before. She doesn't know the rules. We just need to be patient."

Her voice was soft, but every word was a needle.

Another act from the kind, understanding girl. That's why in their hearts, she was always the perfect, understanding angel.

And now, I just wanted to escape this suffocating place as fast as I could. Never mind a necklace; she could have whatever she wanted.

Hearing me agree to lend the necklace without a fight, Vivi looked at me, beaming. "Thank you, Helena. I'll take very good care of it. I'll return it to you right after the ball."

"You can keep it. It suits you better than me," I said, shrugging as if it meant nothing. "Besides, I won't have any use for it."

Hearing this, Bryan nodded in satisfaction. "Helena, you're finally coming to your senses."

"Once you learn the ways of our world, I'll throw a debut ball just for you."

"Once you... then I'll..." I had heard promises like that too many times to count, but not a single one was ever kept.

Vivi's requests, even for something as simple as a handmade loaf of bread from the next block over, were always taken to heart by Bryan and Fred.

Although I no longer expected anything from them, the thought that my own brothers, who shared my blood, treated me like a complete stranger still sent a sharp pang through my heart.

It wasn't always like this.

But after Vivi's relentless smearing and constant attempts to drive a wedge between us, everything changed.

The warmth they welcomed me with on that first day has faded so much I've nearly forgotten what it felt like.

Worried they might continue this hollow courtesy with me, I turned and went back to my room, dragging the small, worn-out suitcase from the depths of my closet.

My belongings were few. In this fortress of a mansion, the traces of my existence were negligible.

I hadn't touched the designer gowns in the closet. Fred had the housekeeper buy them, but they were all in Vivi's size.

But inside this suitcase were the few simple clothes and a precious photo album I had brought from my adoptive parents' home.

It was the only family portrait I had with them.

In the photo, my adoptive father wore oil-stained work clothes, my adoptive mother a coarse apron. They held an eight-year-old me, their smiles so radiant.

The background was that old house, cold in the winter and hot in the summer, yet it was a million times warmer than this priceless estate.

My fingers gently caressed the faces of my adoptive parents in the photo.

That was my home.

My eyes began to sting. My mind filled with memories of sunlight in the countryside and the smell of chopped onions.

I was lost at the age of five during a family shootout. It was my adoptive parents who saved me and took me in.

They gave me fifteen years of a normal life, pulling me out of hell and back into the world of the living.

But sadly, they passed away in a car accident at the beginning of this year. My brothers only found me because they saw me in a news report about the accident.

Only after I was brought back did I learn that my birth parents had died years ago in a mob hit, leaving behind a vast empire and two young heirs.

They'd adopted Vivi because her father, a loyal consigliere to my parents, had also died in a hail of bullets while protecting my father.

I carefully placed the photo album at the very bottom of my suitcase.

I took out my bank card. It held the insurance compensation my adoptive parents left me, plus the money I had saved from scholarships and part-time jobs over the past two years.

The amount wasn't large, but it was enough to rent a small studio in Switzerland, buy secondhand books, and live on cheap bread.

I had no intention of spending a single blood-soaked penny of the Rogers' money.

At dinner, the atmosphere in the dining room was unusually relaxed.

Exquisite Italian risotto was served, and for the first time, a place had been set for me near the head of the table.

Fred was excitedly talking about what kind of delicacies to prepare for the coming-of-age party.

Vivi played along, occasionally trying to draw me into their carefully orchestrated conversation.

"Helena, I heard the security situation in Zurich isn't great lately. Are you sure you want to go?" Vivi put down her fork, her brow slightly furrowed.

"Living all by yourself, without even a bodyguard, what if you run into trouble? Why don't you let our brothers arrange for a few men to watch over you?"

"No need."

"But the food there is so plain, mostly cold dishes. Your stomach…"

"I'll get used to it."

No matter what hidden barbs she threw, I responded with the shortest possible answers.

The smile on Fred's face finally faltered.

He put down his knife and sighed. "Helena, do you have to have this attitude with Vivi? She's just concerned about you."

I looked up at them and said nothing.

No matter how I explained it, it would end up being my fault anyway. I couldn't be bothered to waste my breath.

But either my silence or Vivi's hurt expression seemed to provoke Bryan. He let out a cold laugh, slamming his wine glass down on the table. The dark red liquid splashed onto the white tablecloth. "Have you no manners?"

In my past life, every time I showed the slightest dissatisfaction or grievance, it always ended with me being the one who was thoughtless, the one without manners.

I never thought that now, even my silence was a mistake.

Bryan spoke. "Helena, has being a Rogers been so awful? Are you that desperate to leave, to wash your hands of us?"

Yes, to wash away this blood.

That was exactly what I wanted to do.

But I still met my Don's gaze calmly. "Medicine is about saving people, Bryan."

"Didn't Grandma go to church every morning to pray for someone in the family to one day walk in the sunlight?"

I was simply too tired to argue with them. And bringing up our deceased grandmother was the only weapon I had to shut Bryan up.

Sure enough, Bryan was choked by my words, momentarily speechless.

Fred coughed awkwardly, once again playing the peacemaker. "Bryan... Helena has a point. Grandma did..."

"Besides, we haven't lived together for over a decade. Give her some time."

I was so tired of this scene repeating itself. I stood up, claiming I was full, and went to my room.

In the past, I would never have dared to be the first to leave the dinner table. I was terrified of my brothers thinking I lacked manners and breeding.

But now, I had found my path. I no longer cared what people I was leaving behind thought of me.

I locked my door. It felt like the first step in severing my connection to this world.

I opened my laptop and started searching for information on the medical school in Zurich, as well as local apartment rentals.

Since I was leaving, I had to disappear completely from their surveillance. I had no intention of living in a dorm.

After finishing my search, I crossed off another day on the calendar: 29 days to go.

But when you're planning an escape from hell, time always seems to crawl by.

At least I had survived another day.