CHAPTER 2: THE FIRST LIE
"Hello, Adrian."
Her voice was steady.
Too steady.
There was a pause on the other end of the line — barely half a second, but Elara noticed it.
"I was about to call you," Adrian said.
Of course you were.
In her first life, she had waited for this call with excitement. Tonight was the public announcement of their engagement merger. The press release would go live in three hours.
Tonight was supposed to be perfect.
Now she knew better.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
His tone was calm. Smooth. CEO-polished.
She remembered that tone.
It was the same one he used during the emergency board meeting the day her name was destroyed.
Elara walked slowly toward the window, watching the city lights shimmer below.
"I had a strange day," she said lightly.
"Oh?"
"I found something interesting."
Silence.
Not confusion.
Not curiosity.
Stillness.
"What did you find?" he asked.
Careful.
Measured.
She smiled faintly.
In her first life, she would have missed that shift.
This time, she listened between the words.
"A document," she replied. "About Knox Global."
There it was.
A microscopic change in his breathing.
Almost nothing.
But she heard it.
"What kind of document?" Adrian asked.
She leaned against the glass, watching her reflection instead of the skyline.
"A financial projection draft," she said casually. "Next year's merger forecast."
That was a lie.
There had been no document.
But in her first life, there had been one.
A falsified projection attached to her name.
The one that destroyed her credibility.
If Adrian was involved—
He would react.
If he wasn't—
He would be confused.
There was a longer pause this time.
"Elara," he said carefully, "those drafts aren't finalized yet."
Not there are no drafts.
Not what are you talking about?
Those drafts aren't finalized yet.
Her pulse slowed.
Interesting.
"So they exist?" she asked softly.
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't deny it either."
The air between them tightened.
In her first life, she would have laughed this off. Apologized. Trusted him.
Now she pressed further.
"I'm just curious," she continued, tone light but deliberate. "Why would Knox Global be projecting losses in Vale Industries before the merger is even complete?"
Dead silence.
The city lights below felt distant.
Adrian finally spoke.
"Who showed you that?"
Not what are you talking about.
Not that's impossible.
Who showed you that?
Elara closed her eyes briefly.
So the document had existed before the announcement.
Which meant the sabotage had been planned far earlier than she realized.
"I saw it by accident," she said smoothly. "It made me uncomfortable."
"You shouldn't be looking at internal projections without clearance," Adrian replied.
Ah.
There it was.
Not denial.
Control.
"I'm your fiancée," she said quietly. "Isn't Vale Industries about to become part of your internal structure?"
Another pause.
"You're overthinking," he said at last.
The same line.
The exact same line he had used months before her death when she questioned a sudden board reshuffle.
Her fingers tightened against the phone.
Memories were aligning.
Patterns revealing themselves.
Or were they?
Was she forcing connections because she knew how it ended?
"Elara," Adrian continued, softer now. "Tonight is important. Don't let paranoia ruin it."
Paranoia.
She almost laughed.
In her first life, she would have felt guilty for doubting him.
Now she recognized the tactic.
Subtle dismissal.
Redirection.
Stability control.
"You're right," she said gently.
A deliberate retreat.
Sometimes the first move in chess is stepping back.
"I must be stressed," she added. "Forget I mentioned it."
Silence lingered again.
He didn't relax.
That told her everything.
"If someone is feeding you misinformation," Adrian said, voice lower now, "tell me immediately."
Not there is no misinformation.
Not you're imagining things.
If someone is feeding you misinformation.
He knew there were leaks.
He just didn't expect her to know.
"I will," she replied.
A soft knock echoed at her door.
"My lady, the stylists have arrived," her assistant called.
Right.
The engagement gala.
The press.
The smiling photos that would later circulate alongside her downfall.
"I have to get ready," she said.
"Elara."
His tone shifted.
Not commanding.
Not cold.
Something else.
"What?" she asked.
Another small pause.
"If anything feels off tonight," he said slowly, "stay close to me."
Her breath stilled.
That wasn't in her first life.
He hadn't said that.
He hadn't warned her.
Why now?
Was this how it began?
Or was this where she changed it?
"I will," she said quietly.
The call ended.
Elara lowered the phone slowly.
Her mind raced.
The draft existed.
He didn't deny it.
He redirected.
But he also warned her.
Stay close to me.
Why?
Protection?
Control?
Guilt?
She walked to her vanity, staring at her reflection.
In her first life, she had been in love tonight.
Blinded by ambition and affection.
Now—
She would observe.
Every handshake.
Every glance.
Every board member who smiled too easily.
Every whisper that stopped when she approached.
The door opened as stylists entered with garment bags and polished heels.
"Elara, you look pale," her assistant murmured. "Are you nervous?"
She smiled faintly.
"No."
Not nervous.
Awake.
As they began preparing her, her phone buzzed again.
A notification.
Unknown sender.
Her stomach tightened.
She opened it.
One image.
A screenshot of Knox Global's internal projection document.
The one that destroyed her in her first life.
Attached message:
You weren't supposed to see this yet.
Her blood ran cold.
Yet.
The stylists kept talking.
The city kept glowing.
The gala clock kept ticking.
Elara locked her phone slowly.
The game hadn't just restarted.
Someone else knew it had.
And they were watching.