90
Miranda's POV
When I emerged from the riverside, water dripped from my borrowed body, pooling at my feet as the early sun warmed my skin. My breath came in short gasps, my mind racing. I wasn’t Miranda anymore. No, not in this reality. My reflection earlier had confirmed it—I now inhabited Laila Martins’ body. A fresh chance, a twisted kind of miracle. I straightened my spine, wiping away the salty tears that mingled with the ocean’s residue. If the heavens had given me this second chance, I wasn’t going to waste it.
Standing by the road, I hailed a taxi with a trembling hand. The driver, an older man with kind eyes, gave me a curious glance.
"Miss Martins?" he asked, tilting his cap.
"Yes," I managed to say, voice steadier than I felt. Laila’s voice. Soft, melodic, yet weighed down with sadness.
He nodded and began driving. For the next ten minutes, I stared out the window, my mind spinning. Laila’s memories were faint but present, like whispers at the back of my mind. I wasn’t just wearing her skin; I was living her life now. A life I’d seen glimpses of during company meetings when she’d arrived with hollow eyes and a timid demeanor. Her story had been one of suffering. A story I was about to rewrite.
The taxi stopped at a modest hotel, one I suspected Laila had frequented often. Her assistant greeted me at the door, her face lighting up with a mix of relief and disbelief.
“Miss Laila! Oh, thank heavens you’re safe!” she exclaimed, clasping her hands. Her wide, teary eyes studied me as if she couldn’t believe her luck.
“I’m fine,” I assured her, forcing a weak smile. “Let’s not make a scene.”
She nodded fervently and led me inside. As soon as I closed the door to my room, I leaned against it, exhaling heavily. I didn’t know her assistant’s name. I didn’t know the details of her life beyond the fragments of memory I’d absorbed. But I knew one thing—this wasn’t just about survival anymore. It was about justice.
The next morning, I dressed carefully, slipping into a tailored gray suit I found in Laila’s wardrobe. Her assistant had mentioned a meeting at The Emperor’s Company, and if I was going to face Mara and her venomous mother, I needed to look the part. The part of someone who wouldn’t back down.
As the car pulled up to the sleek glass building, I took a deep breath. “Here we go,” I whispered to myself, my hands tightening into fists.
The moment I entered the building, a hush fell over the room. Employees whispered among themselves, their eyes wide with disbelief. I held my head high, meeting their gazes with a mixture of confidence and curiosity. Did they expect a ghost?
I stepped into the conference room just as Mara’s voice rang out, sharp and triumphant.
“The company needs a leader, and with Laila gone, I’m the obvious choice. As the eldest daughter—”
“—you’re unfit to lead,” I interrupted, my voice slicing through the air like a blade.
The room froze. All heads turned to me. Mara stood at the head of the table, her face drained of color. Her jaw fell open, and for a moment, she looked as though she’d seen a ghost.
“You’re...you’re supposed to be dead,” she stammered, her voice trembling with disbelief.
I arched a brow, feigning confusion. “Dead? That’s quite an assumption, Mara. I’ve been recuperating after a…small accident.” My gaze locked on hers, cold and unyielding. “Why do you look so shocked? Did something happen while I was gone?”
Her mother, Hamilton, recovered quickly, plastering a syrupy smile on her face. “Laila, darling! We were so worried about you. We searched everywhere!” Her voice dripped with false concern, but her eyes betrayed her unease.
I smiled back, just as sweetly. “That’s so kind of you, Stepmother. Truly. But as you can see, I’m perfectly fine. And now that I’m here, I’ll be resuming my role at the company.”
Hamilton’s smile faltered, and Mara’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the table.
One of the board members, a middle-aged man with a skeptical frown, cleared his throat. “Miss Laila, while it’s wonderful to see you alive and well, we were just discussing leadership. With all due respect, you’ve never managed a company before—”
I cut him off with a sharp laugh. “With all due respect, Mr…?”
“Williams,” he said, narrowing his eyes.
“Mr. Williams,” I continued smoothly, “do you truly believe anyone in this room is more qualified to lead this company than the daughter of its founder? My father entrusted me with his legacy, as evidenced by his will. And let’s not forget—he owned 70% of this company’s shares. That gives me full authority, doesn’t it?”
Mara jumped to her feet, her chair screeching against the floor. “You don’t know the first thing about running a business!” she hissed, her voice laced with fury.
I tilted my head, a smirk tugging at my lips. “And you do? Tell me, Mara, what exactly qualifies you to lead? Your charming personality?”
Her face turned crimson, and she opened her mouth to retort, but Hamilton grabbed her arm, whispering something in her ear. Mara reluctantly sat down, her glare burning into me.
“Laila,” Hamilton said, her voice soothing, “we only want what’s best for the company. Perhaps we could work together—”
“Thank you, Stepmother, but I don’t need your help,” I said, my tone cutting. “I’ll be taking charge effective immediately. If anyone has objections, they can take it up with my lawyer.”
The room fell silent. The board members exchanged uneasy glances, and I could see the gears turning in their heads. They were weighing their loyalty to the Martins family against the potential chaos of opposing me.
I took a step closer to Mara, leaning in so only she could hear me. “Did you really think you could kill me and take everything? How foolish of you.”
Her eyes widened, and for the first time, I saw fear flicker in her expression.
“You don’t scare me,” she whispered, though her voice lacked conviction.
I straightened, my smile cold. “You should be scared, Mara. Because I’m just getting started.”
Turning on my heel, I walked to the head of the table and took my father’s old seat. The room remained deathly silent as I folded my hands on the table, surveying the faces around me.
“Now,” I said, my voice calm but commanding, “let’s discuss the future of The Emperor’s Company. Shall we?”
"Miss Laila if you're talking about inheritance law put your stepmom here and your step sister Mara also inherit it!" Mr Williams opposed.
This game is becoming tougher than I thought!
Mara’s lips pressed into a thin line, and Hamilton’s fake smile had all but vanished. They thought they could break me, but they underestimated me. This wasn’t just about survival anymore. This was about reclaiming what was rightfully mine—and making them pay for everything they’d done.
And I know you most of you might be thinking about how I knew that my father has 70% of this company. Before coming to the company this morning, I read every single detail about Laila and every single detail about the company so I knew all one by one.
For Laila. And for me. And as for Ex-husband and cousin sister, I will be back for them!