While leaving her parents’ house, Ruby was so heartbroken that she didn’t listen to her mother’s silly explanations.

How dare they!

They were her parents, and they were supposed to stand beside her, not against her.

It was all Sienna’s doing.

She was the one who brought chaos to their lives and was now reaping the benefits of it, while Ruby was left to pick up the pieces.

When she reached home, she didn’t want to go inside. This was the same house that she had dreamed of in her previous life. At that time, she was a mere guest there, but now...

Now she was supposed to be the owner.

How she wanted to own this place, barking orders at the servants like a princess.

Not anymore.

Now she wanted to go back to the house where she lived with Hunter. At least, she was safe there.

At least, she could spend her period days comfortably. Hunter offered her a contract marriage, but he always stayed humble.

He never stopped her from going to any auditions. After taking small roles in several movies, she had secured her place in a star-studded romantic movie.

The Breeze.

According to the media, the movie was expected to be a big hit. But in this life, she was too busy making omelets for her husband’s mistress while her own future was quietly slipping away.

Closing her eyes, she started taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. Staying in the same house with Tom was nothing but mental torture.

She opened the door and walked inside. The maids were busy cleaning the place. Ruby ignored them and headed to her room.

She almost fell on the bed and closed her eyes.

How to escape this situation? What will I do when I get my next period?

She lazily turned her head when her phone pinged with a new message.

MOM: That’s good that you left early. Tom just dropped by, and now he is busy discussing business with your father in the study. Please try to understand, darling, but we can’t lose this deal.

Huh! Fu*ck with the business deal!

Ruby wanted to smash her phone, but the problem was that she couldn’t afford a new one either.

***

"You’re still sleeping!" Ruby sat up in bed when she heard Tom’s voice, who was switching on the lights.

With a wince, she shut her eyes against the harsh light. She didn’t realize that she had slipped into a deep slumber.

Tom was still wearing his office attire, which meant that he had just gotten home.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty. We need to attend an official dinner tonight."

She had shamelessly attended a few of such dinners as his secret mistress behind Sienna’s back.

"Sure," She managed to get up and went to the bathroom. It was better to go out and talk with real people than stay in this suffocating house and rot.

***

Sienna fixed the neckline of her gown and then pasted a fake smile on her face. Draped in a rich burgundy gown, she looked like a Goddess with her hair pulled in a sleek chignon. She had been attending such parties alongside Tom, and the way he disrespected her had made her dead inside.

She was so naïve back then that she thought that at least he was sincere to Ruby and treated her as his own little sister.

After a lot of courage, she emotionally detached herself from Tom and decided to live her own life until...

Until she got pregnant.

Something snapped inside her.

Tom had been introducing Ruby at these parties for the sake of her career, and she didn’t know anything about it. His disrespect and gaslighting used to remind her exactly where she stood.

"You alright, menace?" Hunter’s gentle voice brought her back to the present. She tilted her head slightly to look at him.

He was looking ahead, and for a moment, Sienna felt like he belonged there. The black suit he was wearing fit him too well for a man who was just her secretary – and her contract husband, too.

Hunter offered her his arm, and when she hooked hers through it, he started heading ahead to mingle with the guests.

"You need to wipe that look off your face, wife," He muttered under his breath as his hand landed on hers over his arm.

Wife? This is the first time he has called me that.

The invitation she had received in her office was for the CEO of Mason Traders. Fortunately, the name wasn’t mentioned.

According to Hunter, such parties were good for boosting PR.

The first person she got sight of was her sister, who was talking to someone while holding a drink in one hand.

"Hunter," She tapped his arm, "I need to go and talk to a few people."

Hunter looked around and then settled his gaze on her face, "Are you sure?" Sienna felt like he was hesitant to let her go.

"Yeah. I’m not a toddler who might get lost. Just chill," She gave him a tight-lipped smile and slipped her arm free.

Ruby had spotted her as well. With a smile, she excused herself and started walking towards her, "Hey, Sienna."

"Ruby. How are you?"

Ruby shrugged and pointed towards the man she was just talking to, "He is the owner of a piece of land we are interested in," She shrugged with a fake smile, "So, I thought maybe I should convince him to sell it to us."

Sienna felt her heart sinking. Was Ruby talking about the same land?

"Which land are we discussing here?" She tried to keep it casual with an easygoing smile; however, Ruby didn’t answer her immediately. Instead, she regarded her with a faint mocking grin.

"And why do you want to know?" She handed her leftover drink to a passing waiter.

Sienna shrugged and looked around, trying to decide how to answer that. Ruby was still observing her closely, and now she could see doubts lurking in her eyes.

"We... are tight on money, Ruby..." Sienna decided to be partially honest. She couldn’t risk Ruby finding out about her rebirth, "Our investors stepped back, and now the company is hanging on a thread."

A spark of joy lit up Ruby’s eyes.

Who could be happier witnessing Sienna’s downfall? Sia wasn’t surprised at all. She kept that painful expression on her face to fool Ruby.

"Then maybe you should return the company to Papa," Ruby suggested with a smirk and ran her fingers through her carefully styled hair.

Sienna made a face and nodded at her, "I wish... I don’t know what Papa was thinking. I tried to tell him that I don’t even know the spelling of business, but he was adamant that I should not only keep it but also that he wouldn’t dare to take it from me for at least two years."

A flicker of hatred passed Ruby’s face. Before she could spit out something vile, a familiar voice behind them made them go still.

"Look who is here!" Sienna heard Tom’s voice and tried to control the nausea that suddenly hit her, "My very own... beautiful ... Sia," his face came into full view as he stepped around them, stopping right in front of her.