Chapter 1 Poisoned And Reborn
The wind howled and thunder rumbled low. Rain slammed down on Annabel White without mercy.
She barely noticed. Pain tore through her body, clawing at her organs, ripping her flesh. She just wanted to die.
“Ughhh!” Annabel groaned, her voice rough and raw. Agony made her writhe on the ground. She tried to scream but couldn’t form words.
Her bloodshot eyes fixed on the couple inside. They were tangled in their sleazy affair behind the big window, their shadows mocking her through the glass.
A year ago, her stepsister Lillian White and her husband Charles locked her up. They cut her tendons, tore out her tongue, and dragged her out sometimes to torture her. She was barely human now, more like a ghost.
Annabel clung to life only to see her grandpa one last time. That tiny hope kept her
going.
Then, Lillian and Charles walked through the storm. Their steps got closer, shadows growing in the rain.
Annabel thrashed. She wanted to jump up and rip them apart. Her body shook with
rage.
Her limbs didn’t work. She dragged herself forward with her shoulders, swallowing dirty rainwater. One tooth broke against the gravel.
“Annabel, Charles said, his voice cutting through the rain. He crouched, holding an.
umbrella over her.
“Why so upset?” he asked with a fake smile.
Annabel glared at him. Charles, the polished monster, stared back. His eyes showed. her ruined face, a cruel reflection of her pain.
Blood leaked from her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. It spread slowly, making her look like a vengeful ghost from a horror story.
“Urgh!” Annabel growled, her body trembling. She couldn’t tell if it was pain or fury.
“Annabel, you’re almost done,” Charles sighed in a whisper, shaking his head like he cared. “Give me THE PENDANT. Save yourself some pain.”
Lillian stood next to him, wearing a skimpy, see–through nightgown. Her body showed signs of their fling.
“Annabel, don’t worry,” Lillian said sweetly, looking down at Annabel. Her eyes flashed with disgust and venom. She then went on, “Give us the pendant. We’ll keep the White
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Chapter (Polenned And Reborn:
family fortune safe for you. You don’t want your mom’s death to be for nothing, right?”
Annabel’s eyes widened. Shock hit her like a knife. Turns out, they were the ones murdering her mom.
Her mind spun. Her mom, so kind, begged her to care for Lillian as she died. And this
snake murdered her.
Strength surged from nowhere. Annabel lunged at Lillian’s feet. She poured all her hate and pain into her jaws, biting down hard with a wild snarl.
Charles stomped on her head fast. His boot crushed down. Her skull felt like it exploded, pain tearing through her brain as she gasped.
“Urgh!” Annabel roared, her voice rough and defiant. Her eyes burned with rage. despite the pain.
“Where’s the pendant?” Charles snapped, grinding his shoe into her scalp. “Oh, right- you can’t talk,” he mocked, sneering down at her.
He bent down, grabbing her hair with a cruel grin. “You just lost your last chance,” he hissed, shaking her head hard.
Annabel stared back, her eyes steady. Then she spat mud and blood in his face, her lips twisting into a defiant sneer.
Charles smiled, wiping the dirt off slowly. His teeth clenched. “Annabel, you just can’t wait to know what it’s like to be buried alive.”
Her heart pounded at the threat. Lillian’s eyes lit up with glee as she cooed, “Charles, she’s already poisoned. She won’t last the night.”
“But I want her buried,” Charles snapped, his voice full of hate. He remembered how Annabel used to act superior with the White family name. Now he wanted her crushed forever.
“Then bury her and pile big rocks on top.” Lillian said carefully, her eyes shining with twisted excitement. “I heard that traps the dead. They never rest.”
Charles nodded, pleased. His grin grew as he turned to grab a shovel, his steps quick.
Lillian leaned down, whispering in Annabel’s ear. “Annabel, hope you have a good time with Grandpa in hell.”
Annabel’s head jerked up. Her broken heart jumped with shock. A flicker of desperate hope crossed her ruined face.
“Pendant or not, I’ll take the White family,” Lillian went on, her smile sickly sweet as she stood up, enjoying Annabel’s reaction.
Annabel’s bloody mouth opened. With a guttural scream, she lunged, biting through Lillian’s ear.
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Chapter 1 Poisoned And Rebam
“Ahh!” Lillian screamed, clutching her head. Blood poured down, her face twisting in
horror.
“You bitch! How dare you touch Lillian?” Charles yelled, storming back.
He kicked Annabel hard, his boot slamming into her side.
A loud thud–her body hit the flowerbed. Dirt flew around her.
Her spine snapped. The pain was so bad she couldn’t breathe. But Annabel’s grin grew wider, crazier. Her eyes shone with triumph.
Lillian loves her looks, Annabel thought. ‘Losing an ear will ruin her. The White family won’t let a “flawed” heir take over. You’re finished, Lillian. You’ll never get the White family, haha!‘
Her silent laugh rang in her head. Blood pooled under her as the rain kept falling. Her twisted smile was her last act of defiance.
Annabel’s body hurt all over, like she’d been hit by a truck.
“Ah!” She gasped, waking up fast. Her eyes met a pair of deep, intense eyes staring at her. The man’s face was handsome, with sharp features and messy hair.
“Who are you…” Annabel muttered, trying to push him away. Her hands moved easily, pressing against his solid chest.
She couldn’t believe it. Her wrists–they worked. And she had just MUTTERED.
Her heart raced as her mind spun. ‘No way. This can’t be real.”
“Relax,” the man said, his deep, smooth voice close to her ear. It sent a shiver through her.
Before she could respond, everything went blurry. Her senses faded.
Annabel woke again. Sunlight filled the room.
After last night’s crazy mess, she was sure–she’d been reborn.
The bed was empty now. No sign of the man. Only the strong scent of passion and messy sheets remained.
She gritted her teeth against the pain, wrapped the sheet around herself, and shuffled to the mirror.
The girl in the reflection looked young and vibrant, except for the embarrassing marks from last night.
Her thin brows furrowed. Long, curled lashes framed her striking sparking eyes.
This was her–ten years younger.
It was the night of her eighteenth birthday. Lillian had drugged her and sent her to a
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Chapter 1 Poisoned And Rehom
gross, fat man’s room. It ruined her reputation and made her Frostville’s joke.
But now, she was reborn. Things were different now. Something had changed.
“Whoosh.” The bathroom door opened. A tall, lean man stepped out, commanding the
Toom.
He rubbed a towel through his wet hair. Another towel hung low on his hips, barely. covering him. His sharp features looked like a carved statue, dangerous and magnetic.
“You’re awake?” he asked coldly, glancing at her. One corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he kept drying his hair.
Annabel stepped back, cautious. Her eyes narrowed.
This guy–he was the one from last night. And he was still here.
“Name your price,” she said after a pause, her face blank. “One million. Take it, leave. the country, and don’t come back.”
She couldn’t let anyone know about this..
The man chuckled softly.
“You snuck into my room last night, jumping on me like a wildcat,” he said, his voice low and cold. “And you think one million covers it? Do you know how much
me?”
you
cost
Annabel’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger. “I was drugged, you creep! You should’ve taken me to a hospital!” she snapped, glaring. “One million’s not enough? Fine, two million. That’s plenty for a cozy life.”
She grabbed her phone, ready to send the money. Her fingers hovered over the screen.
His phone buzzed, breaking the moment. He didn’t look at her, just answered with a quick swipe, turning away.
Annabel overheard a voice from the call, “Jonathan, big deal tonight–you need to be
there.”
Her lips curled in disgust. This guy’s some kind of hustler, and he’s still greedy for more than two million?”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.