Chapter 2

I never thought James would play his ace so soon.

In my previous life, he spent five whole years pretending, never once revealing his true identity.

Even when I argued with Logan, who always expected so much from me, just to keep James around, and when my allowance got cut off and I had to hustle design gigs just to cover his medical bills, all he ever said was a quiet "thank you."

Just a simple "thank you" from him, and I was ready to give up everything.

All I ever wanted was to help him survive, never asking for anything in return.

It turned out that it was all just a scam.

When my house was surrounded by creditors and Emily was about to be taken away just like I was, James revealed he was the sole heir of the Sterling family and stepped forward to rescue her.

In the end, he didn't even look at me—just carried Emily in his arms and walked right past.

That was when I pleaded with him.

All he said was, "I never asked you to do anything for me. That was all your choice. What makes you think you can ask me?"

His words sent a chill straight to my soul, leaving me numb and cold inside.

Now, James couldn't even handle Emily saying something that barely counted as a request—he couldn't wait to play his trump card and show off his true identity.

I smirked and shrugged, my tone full of mockery. "Alright then, it's settled."

James looked a little stunned, just staring at me without saying a word.

But Emily's eyes instantly lit up the moment she heard James speak.

She grabbed James' hand and flashed me a bright smile. "Well then, I'll just take him. I'm fine with taking whoever Charlotte passes on."

Both of us knew how valuable it was to land an investment from Sterling Holdings.

That alone could pretty much guarantee the final spot in the company.

But she was playing the victim as always, putting on that pitiful, wronged look.

And James? He couldn't bear to see Emily upset, not for a second.

He stopped me just as I was about to leave, his voice cold as ice. "If I secure the investment, you'll hand over your referral slot for the design competition to Emily."

I whipped around, staring at him in utter disbelief.

The existence of that referral slot for the design competition was something I'd only ever confided to James in my previous life.

When I met his eyes, the realization crashed over me.

James had come back to life, too.

Seeing my stunned expression, James just gave a lazy smirk, drawling out his words.

"If you're not willing, then why not just—"

I turned my back on him, tossing my reply over my shoulder without a second thought.

"Sure," I said, not even bothering to look back.

All those sweet gestures and feelings I once had for him—now they were just his bargaining chip to threaten me.

There was a dull ache in my chest, but weirdly enough, I almost wanted to laugh.

In my previous life, I never wanted to take over Logan's empire—I just wanted to make it as a fashion designer.

James knew that better than anyone, and that was exactly why he used it to keep me down.

We both knew—we'd both been reborn.

So he was subtly letting me know he was sure to get Sterling Holdings to invest.

If I still wanted to hold onto my shot at being a designer, I'd have to swallow my pride and grovel to both him and Emily.

But I was out of here, James.

Ever since I came back to life, I had been scheming how to cut him out of my world for good.