Serena's POV
The moment I closed my bedroom door behind me, the shouting from downstairs began.
My father's angry voice echoed through the house, followed by my stepmother's sharp, disapproving tone. Lily's soft crying soon joined them, perfectly timed and carefully dramatic.
I leaned against the door and closed my eyes.
Some things never changed.
Even ten years earlier, the pattern was exactly the same.
Lily cried.
My stepmother defended her.
My father demanded obedience.
And I was expected to surrender.
In my past life, I had always done exactly that.
But not anymore.
I walked toward the window and pulled the curtains open. Morning sunlight poured into the room, bright and warm, illuminating everything.
Everything looked the same.
But I wasn't the same person anymore.
My gaze drifted to the acceptance letter on my desk.
Westbridge University.
One of the best business schools in the country.
The same opportunity I had thrown away ten years ago without hesitation.
I picked up the letter again, running my fingers over the printed words.
"Congratulations, Serena Vale..."
In my previous life, this letter had meant nothing to me compared to Lily's happiness.
But now I knew better.
Education wasn't just about studying.
It was about independence.
Power.
The ability to stand on my own feet instead of depending on people who would betray me.
A slow determination settled inside my chest.
This time, I would go to Westbridge.
This time, I would build my own future.
Not the future my family wanted for me.
My future.
I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop.
If I had truly returned ten years into the past, then I possessed something incredibly valuable.
Knowledge.
Knowledge of everything that would happen over the next decade.
Stock market crashes.
Tech companies rising from nothing to billion-dollar empires.
Real estate booms.
Business mergers that would reshape entire industries.
And one name stood at the center of it all.
Adrian Kingsley.
I stared at the screen as his name appeared in a search result.
Even now, the sight of it made my heart beat faster.
In the present timeline, Adrian was only twenty-six.
He was already known as a brilliant businessman, but his company was still relatively young. Most people saw him as a rising star-someone with potential but not yet a legend.
But I knew the truth.
In ten years, Adrian Kingsley would become one of the most powerful billionaires in the world.
His tech empire would dominate global markets.
His net worth would exceed fifty billion dollars.
And I had once been engaged to him.
My fingers hovered above the keyboard.
Back then, our engagement had been arranged through family connections.
I never truly understood why Adrian agreed to it.
He had always been distant.
Polite, but cold.
I assumed he didn't particularly care about me.
After all, Lily had always been more charming, more likable, more... desirable.
Sometimes I even wondered if he would have preferred her instead.
A bitter smile touched my lips.
What a fool I had been.
I had spent years believing Lily deserved everything more than I did.
But Lily had never believed that.
She believed she deserved everything I had.
Including Adrian.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling thoughtfully.
If I wanted to survive this life...
If I wanted revenge...
Then I needed power.
And Adrian Kingsley would eventually become one of the most powerful men in the world.
The thought made my pulse quicken.
Not because of romance.
But because of strategy.
In the future, Adrian would control an empire.
If I aligned myself with him early...
The possibilities were endless.
A knock suddenly interrupted my thoughts.
"Sister?"
My entire body stiffened.
Lily.
Of course.
I slowly closed the laptop.
"Come in."
The door opened cautiously.
Lily stepped inside, her eyes slightly red as if she had been crying.
Anyone who didn't know her well would immediately feel sorry for her.
But I had seen the truth behind that innocent face.
She walked closer to me hesitantly.
"Sister... can we talk?"
I nodded calmly.
"Sure."
She sat on the edge of my bed, clasping her hands together nervously.
"I don't understand," she said softly.
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Why did you change your mind?"
I tilted my head.
"About what?"
"The university," she said quickly. "You promised it was mine."
Promised?
I almost laughed.
In my past life, maybe.
But not in this one.
"Did I?" I asked casually.
Lily blinked.
Her expression flickered with confusion.
"You always said you didn't care about school," she insisted. "You said you wanted to support the family instead."
That had been true.
Once.
Before I learned how little my sacrifice meant to them.
I stood up slowly and walked toward the window.
"You should study harder," I said calmly.
Lily stared at me.
"What?"
"If you want to attend Westbridge," I continued, "you should try getting accepted yourself."
Her face flushed.
"But I didn't get in!"
I turned back to look at her.
"Then apply somewhere else."
The shock on her face was almost amusing.
"Sister... you're being unfair," she whispered.
Unfair.
The word echoed in my mind.
Unfair was dying at twenty-eight because the person you trusted most poisoned you.
Unfair was sacrificing everything for people who never once protected you.
Unfair was living your entire life for someone else's happiness.
I walked closer to her.
Lily looked up at me nervously.
Our eyes met.
For a brief moment, I allowed the cold anger inside me to surface.
"Life isn't fair," I said quietly.
Her eyes widened slightly.
She had never seen me like this before.
In the past, I had always been gentle with her.
Always patient.
Always willing to give in.
But the girl she knew had died on that balcony.
"You'll have to get used to disappointment," I added.
Lily stood up abruptly.
"Sister, I don't know what's wrong with you today, but-"
"I'm going to Westbridge," I interrupted calmly.
Her mouth fell open.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
"But Father will never allow it!"
I shrugged slightly.
"That's his problem."
The words seemed to hit her harder than anything else.
For the first time, Lily looked uncertain.
She stared at me for a long moment as if trying to figure out who I had become overnight.
Finally, she turned and walked toward the door.
But just before leaving, she stopped.
When she looked back at me, the sweetness had disappeared from her eyes.
Only for a second.
But I noticed.
Then she smiled again.
The innocent Lily everyone loved.
"I hope you don't regret this," she said softly.
The door closed behind her.
Silence filled the room.
I walked back to my desk and opened my laptop again.
On the screen, Adrian Kingsley's name stared back at me.
A slow smile spread across my face.
"No," I murmured.
"I definitely won't."
Because this time...
I knew exactly how the future would unfold.
And I intended to take full advantage of it.
