Hypocrites

Elise rose from bed and went about her morning routine, preparing herself to head downstairs for breakfast. Her movements were calm, deliberate—each step down the staircase echoing faintly in the quiet house. As she reached the dining area, she paused at the sight before her.

Seated around the breakfast table were her parents, Abigail and James, and her younger sister, Olive. The three of them were chatting, laughing softly as they enjoyed their morning meal. It was an image straight out of a family portrait—warm, intimate, and complete. A perfect trio.

Elise stood silently for a moment, observing. It wasn’t the first time she'd felt like an outsider in her own home. In fact, it had been this way for as long as she could remember. They never waited for her to join them. They never knocked on her door to wake her up. If she ever questioned it, the answer was always wrapped in a gentle excuse: “You were sleeping so soundly. We didn’t want to disturb you.” But Elise now understood it for what it truly was—indifference disguised as kindness.

She stepped forward and took her place at the dining table, directly across from them. The moment she sat down, the cheerful conversation halted. Abigail and James looked at her, expressions briefly flickering with surprise. It was unusual for her to be up this early, and it clearly caught them off guard.

Olive was the first to break the silence, putting on a gentle, almost saintly smile. “Sister, don’t be upset with Mom and Dad,” she said in her soft, practiced voice. “We were just eating. You seemed to be resting so peacefully—we didn’t want to wake you.”

Elise returned her gaze without emotion, her eyes sharp and cold. They were all so good at pretending—masters at hiding behind masks. Olive, with her angelic smile, was perhaps the most skilled of them all.

Seeing the tension thickening in the air, Abigail quickly called the maid and ordered breakfast to be served for Elise, her voice slightly strained.

Elise didn’t speak a word. She ate quietly, going through the motions without truly tasting anything. The silence between them felt more telling than any argument. Once finished, she stood and left the table without a backward glance, retreating to the solitude of her room.

Inside her sanctuary, she sat for a long moment, lost in thought. Memories from her past life began to stir—some painful, some bittersweet, all vividly clear. She stood up and walked to the mirror, her gaze drawn to the pendant resting against her collarbone.

The necklace was simple yet elegant—a round pendant with a smooth, pearl-like center. For as long as she could remember, the pendant had been pure white, flawless. It had remained unchanged throughout her previous life. But now, something was different.

A deep crimson glow now pulsed in the center of the gem, like a drop of blood suspended in crystal. It was striking, and impossible to ignore.

She remembered the moment of her death. Just before her rebirth, a voice—something like a system—had spoken to her. It had mentioned that the pendant had been activated by her blood. And now, with her return to this life, it had awakened something within her.

Her fingers brushed lightly over the pendant as her thoughts turned dark. She knew what she had to do.

Revenge.

The word sat heavily in her mind. But before she could carry it out, there were things she needed to do. The first step was clear: she had to reunite with her real family—her biological parents, the ones who had never stopped searching for her.

Her memories of them were fragmented but slowly coming together. She recalled their warmth, their voices, their love. Her real mother had once been a renowned fashion designer, admired for her creativity and elegance. Her father was a world-famous artist, celebrated across continents. And she had three older brothers—each accomplished in his own field. The eldest was a doctor, calm and dependable. The second was the CEO of the powerful Swanson Group, cold but fiercely protective. The third, a free-spirited pilot, had always made her laugh.

They were out there, somewhere, and they had never given up on her.

Unlike the Coopers.

In her previous life, Elise had discovered a deep passion for jewelry design, and she had been remarkably talented at it. That knowledge, along with her memories of the future, would be her weapon in this life. She intended to build something of her own—a financial foundation strong enough to support her independence and sever all ties with the Cooper family once and for all.

But escaping would not be enough. She had to become stronger. Smarter. Unshakable. The world had shown her how cruel it could be, and she was determined not to be the same naive girl she once was.

She needed a plan—detailed, strategic, foolproof. The road ahead would not be easy, but Elise was no longer afraid of hardship.

In this life, she would reclaim everything that had been taken from her.

And this time, she would protect herself—no matter the cost.

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