Chapter 1My father had taken in two orphaned brothers to serve as bodyguards for my sister and me.
The older one, Evander Draven, was tall and commanding— fell in love at first sight with my sister Celeste Virell.
Well, that left me with the younger brother, Renric Draven, who was supposedly autistic.
I couldn't stand the thought of Renric being sent back to face more bullying at the orphanage, so I accepted him without question.
Since he wouldn't speak, I dragged him to the best psychiatric specialists money could buy at hospitals across the country. Every single day for seven years, I spent two hours telling him jokes even though he never once responded.
Now that he couldn't actually protect me, I started learning martial arts myself and begged Dad not to send him away.
I genuinely believed he was just hurt inside, that with enough patience and care, he'd eventually heal.
Until the day, our yacht capsized.
He brutally ripped the life vest right off my body, and for the first time ever, he spoke to me: "Sorry, but Celeste's vest got torn."
Celeste is my elder sister.
As I sank beneath the waves, he squeezed my hand one last time. "I failed you in this life. I'll make it right in the next one."
Turns out his autism was complete bullshit—an act he only put on for me.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day we selected our bodyguards.
I frozen in front of the two brothers. Celeste glanced over at me and pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "You know what, never mind. I'll take Renric instead. Elara's so delicate—she needs someone tall and strong to protect her." With that, she moved from Evander's side to stand beside Renric.
The older brother, Evander's jaw tightened visibly. I still didn't react, my mind reeling from being thrown back in time.
In my past life, I'd hesitated here too, watching Evander and Celeste draw closer with each passing moment. Seeing my confusion back then, she'd offered to switch with me. Looking at her wounded expression, I'd genuinely thought she was trying to give me the better deal.
I was so naive—I actually believed she was looking out for me, so I refused no matter how much she insisted. I didn't want Celeste to suffer, and I couldn't bear watching that younger boy get sent back to more abuse.
Until the yacht went down and I realized the truth. Even as Celeste protested about not wanting my life vest, she still let the brothers put it on her without much of a fight. Her bodyguard Evander was literally a certified lifeguard, and there was driftwood floating right next to her.
But her refusal was just performance art—she knew I'd never let anyone sacrifice for me, that I'd always back down. She lost nothing while looking like a saint.
This time, I nodded. "Fine."
Celeste's face went completely rigid. She'd clearly been counting on me to refuse like last time. She wasn't the only one stunned—Renric stared at me too, his eyes wide with confusion.
"Absolutely not!" dad's voice cut through the tension. "You're the eldest Virell daughter. Your safety comes first. This boy has autism and can barely speak—he's nowhere near good enough for you."
I smiled grimly. So he'd known about Renric's supposed condition all along, yet still brought him here. Apparently this whole "choice" thing was just for show.
Celeste quietly exhaled in relief and was dabbing at her eyes, about to say something when Renric spoke up: "I can talk."
I looked up sharply. The same Renric who hadn't said a word for seven years in my past life was suddenly chatty? Seeing that calculating look in his eyes—way too sharp for someone his age—everything clicked into place.
He was reborn too. Of course. All that dramatic talk about "making it right in the next life"—but when actually given a second chance, he still couldn't stand being stuck with me. He just didn't realize yet that I no longer wanted him either.
"As for combat skills, you can test me again if you want, sir." Renric's voice was steady and confident.
I didn't doubt his abilities for a second. After I died, my spirit had watched him protect Celeste until rescue came, driving a harpoon straight through a shark's body.
How pathetic that in my past life, I'd learned martial arts myself because I was terrified Father would send this "helpless" boy back to the orphanage.
Sure enough, once Renric dropped the act, he had our trainer pinned in three moves flat. Father's expression shifted immediately, and the wounded look completely vanished from Celeste's face.
Renric had always been the better-looking of the two brothers—if not for the supposed autism, she would've chosen him from day one.
"Very well then. Renric will serve you, and Evander, you'll look after my second daughter." my dad's decision was final.
When Evander glanced over at me and caught sight of the scars covering half my face, he visibly flinched. Then he dropped to his knees right there on the marble floor.
"Sir, just send me back to the orphanage instead!"
Chapter 2
"What the hell is this supposed to mean?" Dad glared at Evander kneeling on the floor.
"Fifty grand a month isn't enough to keep you here? You'd rather go back to that shithole?"
Evander kept his eyes down, his jaw tightened. "I'm not worthy of serving Miss Elara." The disgust in his voice was barely concealed.
I let out a tired sigh. Ever since I got these scars at ten trying to save Celeste, this face has been nothing but a liability. Maybe that's why Renric treated me like garbage in my past life too.
"Evander, no! You can't abandon my sister!" Celeste dropped to her knees beside him, frantically tugging at his arm to try to pull him up. Her voice cracked with desperation.
Evander's entire expression softened as he looked at her "I didn't come here for her."
I stayed quiet, watching the little drama unfold. Celeste tried to hide the flash of joy that crossed her face, quickly schooling her features into an angry frown. "That's not fair! I won't let you go back to that awful place to suffer!"
"There's a simple solution here," I said, cutting through their theatrics. "Celeste can just keep both of them."
Celeste's cheeks flushed bright red. "What... what are you even saying?"
But I'd seen how she'd been stealing glances at both brothers since the moment they walked through our door—two gorgeous guys who hung on her every word.
Dad stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You really don't want either of them protecting you?"
"Nope. I don't want either one." My voice came out flat and final.
Both brothers turned to stare at me, probably wondering what gave me the right to reject them so casually. Renric's expression was harder to read—there was something more than just confusion there.
"Can you guarantee your own safety then?"
"Probably not," I admitted with a shrug.
Dad looked genuinely stunned by my honesty.
"Just send me to brother Damon's place. He's got a whole security team already set up."
Chapter 3
In my past life, I'd thrown everything I had at trying to fix Renric, even letting the family business slide completely.
The truth was, Celeste and I lived in totally different worlds—while dad always claimed he loved us equally, only she and Damon were ever included in the trust fund arrangements.
Damon was out there expanding the empire and growing our family wealth exponentially, while Celeste's annual dividends alone exceeded most people's lifetime earnings. Meanwhile, I had to practically grovel just to get Dad to cover Renric's therapy bills.
If I wanted any real power in this family, I'd have to earn it myself. Damon wouldn't even grant me a face-to-face meeting—just had his secretary toss me some bullshit administrative role and forgot I existed.
Instead of getting bitter about it, I kept my head down and focused on the work.
Turns out I'd never actually tested my own capabilities before, and I was genuinely surprised to discover I had some serious business instincts.
After I managed to close a deal with an investor everyone else had written off as impossible, Damon finally took notice. He threw me a ridiculously belated welcome party and started assigning me actual projects with real stakes.
The company was stagnating and desperately needed fresh perspective. No matter how much he preferred Celeste personally, he couldn't ignore results. Gradually, my growing reputation in business circles was starting to eclipse even Celeste's famous beauty.
The day I came home riding high from another successful deal, Celeste was waiting for me in the foyer. "Aren’t you being a little too flashy lately?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"
"You're constantly putting yourself out there now, always in the spotlight. Look, I'm not trying to be mean, but a lot of your recent success has been pure luck. When it all falls apart—and it will—you'll drag the whole Virell name down with you." She shot a pointed look at Renric, who was standing nearby. "Plus, with those scars, if you keep being so... visible... no decent man is ever going to want you. Maybe you should step back and let me handle the public-facing stuff."
I didn't waste time dancing around it: "You're terrified I'm outshining you, aren't you?"
She went completely still. "I... what?"
"Cut the act, Celeste. You've had everything handed to you your entire life—the trust fund, Dad's favoritism, the princess treatment. What gives you the right to tell me to sit down and shut up when I'm finally making something of myself?"
Her eyes immediately filled with tears, but I wasn't done. "And since you want to bring up my scars, let's talk about how I got them. Remember when we were ten and that man grabbed you? I jumped in to help, but you panicked and shoved me straight into him. That's how my face got destroyed."
Celeste pressed her hands to her mouth as tears spilled over. "That's not... I was just worried about you... how can you say such horrible things about me?"
"Save the waterworks. You're not the victim here." I turned to leave, but her sobbing got louder.
"Stop it!" Evander, who'd been hovering behind her like always, pulled her against his chest and glared at me. "Miss Elara, that was completely out of line!"
Celeste clung to him, shaking her head frantically. "No, it's okay... I'm fine, really..." But her whole body was trembling.
That's when Renric stepped forward, his face dark with anger. "You crossed the line. Apologize to her. Now."
I stared at him in disbelief, but he didn't back down. So I slapped him hard enough that the sound echoed through the hallway. Celeste screamed and threw herself between us.
"How dare you hit him!"
I shook out my hand casually. "Maybe you should train your guard dogs better. Otherwise, they won’t be able to tell who’s the master and who’s the slave."
Evander looked ready to explode, while Renric just stood there holding his reddening cheek, staring at me.
I walked away without another word, planning to pack my things and get the hell out of this house for good. But the next morning, someone was practically breaking down my bedroom door. Evander didn't bother with politeness—the second I opened it, he grabbed my arm.
"Celeste's been kidnapped! Come with me right now!"
