89
Another family.
Laila’s POV
My name is Laila Martins, daughter of the late Emperor Martins—one of the wealthiest and most influential men in London. You’d think my life was a dream come true, filled with luxury, privilege, and endless opportunities. But that’s far from the truth.
Since my father’s untimely death, my existence has been nothing short of a nightmare. I’m nothing but a maidservant in the very house I was born into. My father, after my mother’s tragic death during my childbirth, married another woman. At first, my stepmother was kind and loving—a true angel sent to heal our broken family. But the moment she gave birth to my stepsister Mara, her mask slipped. She became a tyrant, and Mara, my supposed sister, transformed into a demon in human form.
I still remember the first time they turned against me. Mara had broken one of my father’s priceless vases, and when I tried to explain what had happened, my stepmother slapped me so hard my ears rang.
“Don’t you dare accuse my daughter of anything, you ungrateful brat!” she hissed, her eyes blazing with fury.
From that day forward, my life spiraled into a living hell.
Every morning, I woke up to insults. Mara would saunter into my tiny room in the servants’ quarters, sneering.
“Wake up, you lazy cow! The floors won’t clean themselves,” she’d bark, her perfectly manicured nails tapping on the doorframe impatiently.
I obeyed, swallowing my pride every single day, enduring their abuse in silence. The staff pitied me but were too afraid to intervene. Mara enjoyed tormenting me, finding ways to humiliate me in front of everyone.
One day, as I was scrubbing the kitchen floor, she strutted in with a cruel smile on her face. “Oh, Laila, don’t forget to wash my shoes. I stepped in mud earlier. Or was it manure? I can’t tell,” she said, laughing as she tossed her designer heels at me.
I clenched my fists, fighting back the tears that burned behind my eyes.
But the worst came when Mara decided she wanted Nolan—my fiancé. Nolan and I had been promised to each other since childhood, but Mara didn’t care. She was used to getting whatever she wanted, no matter the cost.
One afternoon, I overheard her talking to her mother in the parlor.
“She’s such a pathetic little thing,” Mara said, rolling her eyes. “Why does Nolan even look at her? I’m obviously the better choice.”
Her mother smirked, sipping her tea delicately. “Don’t worry, darling. We’ll take care of her soon enough.”
When I confronted her later that evening, Mara’s true colors showed.
“Why can’t you just disappear, Laila?” she snapped, her face contorted with rage. “You’re nothing but a parasite, living off my family’s charity.”
“This is my family, too,” I said, my voice trembling.
She slapped me across the face. “Not anymore.”
From then on, my life became unbearable. Mara accused me of stealing, had me locked in the cellar for hours, and even burned my favorite dress—the one my father had gifted me before his death.
The breaking point came when Mara and her mother tried to take the family business, claiming I was too “incompetent” to run it. They forged documents, falsified reports, and spread rumors about me being mentally unstable.
One night, as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I knew I couldn’t stay any longer. I had to leave, or they would destroy me completely. But before I could make my escape, something unthinkable happened.
The Kidnapping
I woke up to the feeling of cold metal against my skin. My wrists and ankles were bound with chains, and the smell of saltwater filled the air. Panicked, I looked around, only to find myself on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
Mara stood a few feet away, her arms crossed, a wicked smile playing on her lips.
“Finally awake, are we?” she said, tilting her head mockingly.
“Mara, what is this? What are you doing?” I stammered, my voice shaking.
She walked towards me, her heels clicking ominously against the rocky ground. “You didn’t honestly think I’d let you keep everything, did you? The house, the business, Nolan—it all belongs to me. And you, dear sister, are in the way.”
“Please, Mara,” I begged, tears streaming down my face. “You don’t have to do this. We’re family.”
She laughed, the sound cold and hollow. “Family? Don’t make me laugh. You were never my sister. You were just the obstacle standing between me and what I deserve.”
I looked into her eyes, searching for any trace of humanity, but all I saw was hatred.
“Please,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I’ll leave. I’ll disappear. You’ll never see me again.”
She leaned down, her face inches from mine. “Oh, I know I won’t.”
With a nod, she signaled the burly man standing behind me. He grabbed me roughly, dragging me to the edge of the cliff.
“No! Mara, please!” I screamed, struggling against his iron grip.
She crossed her arms, smirking. “Goodbye, Laila.”
The man shoved me, and I plummeted into the icy water below.
Miranda’s POV
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the warmth of the sun on my skin. The second was the sound of waves crashing gently against the shore.
I sat up slowly, my head pounding. My hands instinctively went to my body, expecting to find injuries, but there was nothing. No cuts, no bruises—nothing to suggest I had just fallen down a flight of stairs.
“Where am I?” I murmured, looking around.
That’s when I saw it—my reflection in the water. But it wasn’t my face staring back at me.
I stumbled back, my heart racing. “This… this isn’t possible.”
The face in the water belonged to Laila Martins, the heiress I had only heard about in passing. She was known for her beauty and tragic life, and now, somehow, I was her.
“Am I dead?” I whispered, touching my face in disbelief.
Then it hit me. The fall, the betrayal, the darkness—I had died. But instead of moving on, I had been given a second chance. A chance to live again, but in a different body.
A surge of determination coursed through me. “Miss Laila,” I said, staring into the water. “I don’t know why this happened, but I promise you, I’ll make things right. For both of us.”
I clenched my fists, a newfound resolve burning within me.
“This time,” I said, my voice steady, “I’ll make sure they pay for everything they’ve done.”
The game had just begun.