My adoptive parents' long-lost daughter came back. She's a wellness influencer.

She eats from crystal bowls she "cleansed." Sleeps with a white noise machine. She will only ride in a custom, climate-controlled car.

That's not all. She filled our family's Manhattan law firm with Himalayan salt lamps and energy crystals.

The espresso in the conference room? Replaced with gluten-free, organic dandelion root tea.

"The energy here is so murky," she'd say. "We need to cleanse the world with love and light!"

My guilt-ridden parents gave her everything she wanted. Even my fiancé told me, "Ava, you stole twenty years of her Upper East Side life. Can't you cut her some slack?"

The day of the final hearing for our firm's biggest case, the entire court had to wait for her to finish her "emotional cleansing meditation."

The judge was furious. I stood up. Delivered a flawless closing argument. I won our client $500 million and secured the future of the firm.

But at the party, she had a drunken breakdown, fell into the pool, and drowned.

My parents and my fiancé blamed me for everything. "You always have to win, don't you? It was a simple, open-and-shut case. You couldn't even let her have that?"

They had me committed to a psychiatric hospital. They destroyed my law license and my reputation.

They even had me injected with a fatal overdose of sedatives.

I died full of hate.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was back. Back to the day she was crying on her Instagram Live, begging for the case.

This time, I walked straight into our rival's law firm.

This "sure-win" case? I'm going to make you lose everything.

My adoptive parents' long-lost daughter came back. She's a wellness influencer.

She eats from crystal bowls she "cleansed." Sleeps with a white noise machine. She will only ride in a custom, climate-controlled car.

That's not all. She filled our family's Manhattan law firm with Himalayan salt lamps and energy crystals.

The espresso in the conference room? Replaced with gluten-free, organic dandelion root tea.

"The energy here is so murky," she'd say. "We need to cleanse the world with love and light!"

My guilt-ridden parents gave her everything she wanted. Even my fiancé told me, "Ava, you stole twenty years of her Upper East Side life. Can't you cut her some slack?"

The day of the final hearing for our firm's biggest case, the entire court had to wait for her to finish her "emotional cleansing meditation."

The judge was furious. I stood up. Delivered a flawless closing argument. I won our client $500 million and secured the future of the firm.

But at the party, she had a drunken breakdown, fell into the pool, and drowned.

My parents and my fiancé blamed me for everything. "You always have to win, don't you? It was a simple, open-and-shut case. You couldn't even let her have that?"

They had me committed to a psychiatric hospital. They destroyed my law license and my reputation.

They even had me injected with a fatal overdose of sedatives.

I died full of hate.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was back. Back to the day she was crying on her Instagram Live, begging for the case.

This time, I walked straight into our rival's law firm.

This "sure-win" case? I'm going to make you lose everything.

...

"Ava, sweetie, your aura is so aggressive today."

That sickly sweet voice pulled me back from the dead.

I opened my eyes.

Not the white ceiling of the psychiatric hospital. Not the fatal sedatives.

It was the orange glow of Himalayan salt lamps. A room full of amethysts and rose quartz.

Chloe, dressed in a pure white linen maxi dress, was live-streaming on her phone. Her blonde waves bounced on her shoulders.

"Babes, the courtroom is a sacred space. It needs pure energy like mine to cleanse it." She blinked her innocent, wide eyes. "But some people carry so much negativity."

She glanced at me, a flash of malice in her eyes.

"The Blackwood case should be mine. I'll use love and light to get justice for the victims!"

Fifty thousand followers spammed the chat. "The fairy is right!"

"Liam~" She turned and threw herself at my fiancé, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness. "Can you talk to my sister for me? She's so amazing, she can win any case. Just let me have this little one to practice, okay?"

She wrapped her arm around his. Liam looked uncomfortable, but he still turned to me with a gentle expression.

"Ava, you are… a bit harsh." His tone was careful. "Chloe just got home. She hasn't handled a real major case yet. Why not let her have this one?"

His voice was still gentle, but a chill ran down my spine.

In my past life, that same voice had whispered in my ear, "Ava, you owe Chloe a life. Just die."

Then came the needle with the overdose.

"Ava!"

My adoptive father, Richard, came down the stairs. He was holding a cup of decaf dandelion root tea. A string of cleansing crystals hung around his neck.

"Why are you still dragging your feet?" he frowned. "It's a slam-dunk. Are you really going to fight your sister over a small case when she just came home?"

"Exactly!" My adoptive mother, Margaret, followed him, her usual jewelry replaced with various energy stones. "Did Chloe ever get to enjoy the Miller family name? She's had nothing! How can you say no?"

Slam-dunk?

A small case?

I laughed coldly to myself.

The Blackwood Group real estate fraud case. A $500 million liability. The chain of evidence was a nightmare. It was a guaranteed loss.

I had spent three solid months on this case. Pulled countless all-nighters. Analyzed tens of thousands of documents. All to find the one loophole that could turn everything around.

I earned the chance to win this case with my own blood and sweat.

"Ava, what are you thinking?" Liam pushed. "Just say yes to Chloe."

I looked at their expectant faces and remembered how it all ended.

Remembered the rainy night, the cold needle, the endless electroshock treatments.

I took a deep breath.

"Fine."

My voice was calm.

"The case is yours, Chloe."

"Really?!"

Chloe’s pouty face instantly lit up. She jumped up, hugged Liam tightly, and planted a wet kiss on his lips.

"I knew you loved me the most!"

Liam gently pushed her away, his face flushing. "Ava, don't get me wrong. Chloe's just… she's full of love for everyone. She’s just very… expressive."

Full of love for everyone?

Expressive?

He used the exact same excuse in my past life. Word for word.

Right until the end, he was making excuses for her every betrayal.

I forced a faint, detached smile.

"Of course. I understand completely."

"We're family, after all," I said, turning to walk up the stairs. "I'll have the files sent to your office."

I had just reached the top of the stairs when my adoptive father's voice called out from behind me.

"Wait, Ava."

I stopped but didn't turn around.

"You can't just walk away," Richard said. I could hear the calculation in his voice. "Chloe lacks experience. You'll need to be her second chair."

Second chair?

I turned and stared at his hypocritical face.

"The two of you, working together. Sisters, joining forces for the glory of the Miller name," he said, his eyes shrewd. "The press will eat that up."

A touching story?

More like a perfect plan to find a scapegoat.

If the case was won, the credit would go to Chloe's "natural talent." If it was lost, the blame would fall on my "failure to supervise."

"And..." he paused. "This also ensures we don't leave anything to chance."

Liam immediately nodded. "He's right, Ava. Your experience combined with Chloe's innovative thinking—it's a guaranteed win!"

Chloe clung to his arm, her eyes full of hope. "Sister, can we work together? I'll be really good, I promise!"

Good?

She said the same thing in my past life, then fell asleep in court.

I looked at their hopeful faces, my heart turning to ice.

"Okay."

Richard's expression instantly relaxed, and he even managed a rare smile.

"Good. That's the daughter I raised." He patted my shoulder. "I'll treat you and Chloe equally. No favoritism."

Equally?

In twenty years, when had he ever treated me equally?

"This is great!" Chloe cheered, jumping up and down. "Are we going to see the client now? I have to go do an energy cleanse first!"

She ran upstairs towards her meditation room. Liam followed, muttering something about "staying positive."

An hour later, I was standing outside the Miller & Associates building.

The Manhattan sun was blinding. The streets were a blur of people and traffic.

Liam's silver Porsche pulled up to the curb.

I opened the passenger door and froze.

On the black leather seat was a new, custom pink cushion embroidered with the diamond-studded initials "C.M."

"What's this?" I asked, pointing at the garish thing.

Liam rubbed his nose, looking awkward. "Chloe said her energy field is sensitive and she needs this to stay balanced... Don't mind it, it's just a cushion."

Just a cushion?

We were engaged for three years, and there was never a single thing of mine in this seat.

She's been back for less than a month, and she's already marking her territory.

"I'll sit in the back."

"No, it's fine, I'll have Chloe sit in the back," Liam said quickly.

"No need." I pulled open the rear door. "The passenger seat is hers now."

Twenty minutes later, Chloe finally arrived.

She wore a white dress, wrists stacked with crystal bracelets, and a massive amethyst pendant hanging from her neck.

"Sorry, I was just cleansing today's negative energy," she said, sliding into the passenger seat and settling onto her pink cushion. "Damon Blackwood's aura is so aggressive, I had to prepare myself."

Liam started the car. "It's okay, babe. Good things take time."

Babe?

From the back seat, I watched the show with cold eyes. He had never once called me that.

Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the Blackwood Group's headquarters.

The fifty-story skyscraper pierced the clouds, its glass facade reflecting the harsh sunlight.

The elevator shot up to the top floor.

Damon Blackwood was already waiting for us in the conference room.

His deep, cold eyes swept over Liam and me before landing on Chloe.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Liam gave a slight bow.

"Mr. Blackwood, this is the lead attorney our firm has assigned to you, Chloe Miller!"

Damon's face was blank as he extended his hand halfway.

Chloe jerked back.

"I can feel a negative energy field of stress coming from you. To keep my own energy pure, I can't have physical contact with strangers!"

The air in the room froze. His assistant, standing by the door, looked like he'd swallowed a fly.

The color drained from Liam's face. He scrambled to smooth things over.

"Mr. Blackwood, I'm so sorry, Chloe is... she's naturally highly sensitive to emotional energy. She was just joking!"

Damon slowly retracted his hand, his expression unreadable.

But the temperature in the conference room dropped ten degrees.

I stood silently to the side, just watching.

The rumor on Wall Street was that he built his empire with Mafia money.

This was not a man who played games with wellness gurus.

Feeling Damon's hostile gaze, Liam pushed on.

"Chloe is the jewel of the Miller family. She can be a bit eccentric, but she's a genius from Yale Law, graduated with highest honors!"

Chloe propped her chin on her hands, leaning across the conference table and batting her eyelashes at him.

"Mr. Blackwood, I've looked at your case. It's super simple!"

"The other side's energy field is very dark, but I'll defeat them with love and light and make them feel the judgment of the universe!"

Damon frowned and turned to me.

"Ava, you were the one handling my case."

"And you're sure this… woman… can handle my case?"

All eyes were on me.

I met Damon's sharp gaze, then turned to Chloe.

"Chloe, I need to confirm," I said, my voice calm and clear. "This case involves a $500 million settlement and the reputation of Miller & Associates. Are you sure you want to take it?"

Chloe's face turned crimson.

"Ava!" she shrieked. "Are you questioning my abilities?"

"I'm just confirming—"

"You're looking down on me!" She shot up from her chair, her crystal pendant clattering against the table. "You don't think I'm fit to be a lawyer, do you?"

Liam rushed to her side. "Chloe, calm down. Ava didn't mean it like that."

He turned to Damon, his voice pleading. "Mr. Blackwood, please, trust us. Chloe really is a genius from Yale Law. She's just... she's not used to the murky energy of this industry."

"Murky energy?" Damon's voice was ice. "Counselor, I don't care about energy. I care about results."

He walked to the window, looking down at the river of traffic in Manhattan.

"My company has already lost two hundred million because of this lawsuit." He turned slowly, murder in his eyes. "If we lose, I'll have to pay five hundred million."

The air seemed to solidify.

"The Miller family," Damon said, enunciating every word. "I hope you understand one thing. If I lose this case, I won't mind spending that five hundred million to burn your law firm to the ground."

Chloe's face went white. She shrank back in her seat.

Sweat beaded on Liam's forehead.

"Of course, of course, we absolutely won't lose," he said frantically. "Chloe has a unique… innovative approach."

Innovative approach?

I almost laughed out loud.

"Then this meeting is over," Damon said coldly. "I'll be waiting to see your performance."

Ten minutes later, we were in the car heading back to the office.

Chloe was curled up in the passenger seat, crying into her hands.

"His aura was terrifying!" she sobbed. "That violent energy almost tore me apart!"

"Babe, don't cry," Liam said, trying to comfort her while driving. "He's just a serious guy."

"I feel like my heart chakra is about to shatter!" she wailed even louder. "I need to go back and do an energy repair, or I'm going to get sick!"

Watching this ridiculous performance, I pulled out my phone and ordered an Uber.

"You two go ahead and repair," I said, opening the car door. "I'm going back to the office to sort out the files."

"Ava, where are you going?" Liam asked.

I looked at him, my voice as sharp as a knife. "Someone has to make sure this circus doesn't crash and burn before the finale. That’s my job now."

I slammed the door and got into the Uber.

An hour later, I was back at Miller & Associates.

The moment I pushed open my office door, a sharp slap hit my face.

"You ungrateful little bitch!"

My adoptive mother, Margaret, stood before me, her eyes blazing with fury.

"How dare you question Chloe in front of a client? Do you have any idea you almost destroyed this case?"

I touched my stinging cheek and looked at her coldly.

"I was just confirming her intentions."

"Confirming?" Richard stood up from behind his desk, his face livid. "You were deliberately humiliating her!"

"Damon Blackwood just called," he seethed, his voice trembling with rage. "He said if he sees your face anywhere near this case again, he's dropping us!"

Dropping us?

I sneered internally.

The Damon from my past life never said anything like that.

"Good," Richard said, walking up to me, his eyes full of disgust. "Ava, you're fired."

"What?" I feigned shock.

"Pack your things and get out of my firm!" he yelled, pointing to the door. "As of today, you are no longer an employee of Miller & Associates!"

"Uncle, calm down..." Liam said, having just walked in.

"Calm down?" Richard whirled on him. "She almost lost us our biggest client!"

"Ava, just apologize to them," Liam pleaded, walking toward me. "If you just say you're sorry, we can fix this."

Apologize?

I looked at the three of them, at their expectant faces, and remembered a lifetime of compromises and apologies.

Remembered all the useless tears, and the final despair.

I walked slowly to my desk and picked up the framed photo that had sat there for twenty years.

In the picture, I was eight years old, standing between Richard and Margaret, smiling so innocently.

I ripped the photo from its frame, tore it in half, and threw the pieces in the trash. Then I smashed the frame on the floor.

"Ava!" Margaret screamed.

I didn't look back. I grabbed my bag and walked to the door.

"As of today, I am no longer your daughter."

Two hours later, I was sitting in another skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan.

Ethan Richards's office was spacious and bright, the floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of New York City's glittering nightscape.

"You want to represent the 127 evicted families?" Ethan put down the file, his eyes wide with surprise. "You want to be the plaintiff's attorney?"

"Yes." I nodded. "I know their entire case. Every piece of evidence, every legal strategy. I built it. And I know exactly how to tear it down."

"Do you know what this means?" He stood up and walked to the window. "You'll be going against the Miller family. Against Damon Blackwood."

"There's no turning back from this."

I looked out the window, remembering the humiliation of my past life and the freedom of today.

"I never look back."

Ethan smiled and extended his hand. It was warm and strong.

"Welcome to the fight."