What?

Rose's breath hitched. Her fingers faltered on the crimson ruby necklace resting against her collarbone, her gaze darting helplessly to Rachel. Tears welled up instantly.

Sister, Im sorry! Its not that I dont want to give it to you, Rose murmured timidly, her voice trembling. Its just... its the promise gift that Miles gave me. Her tears streamed unchecked, glistening as they fell.

Rachels brows drew together in irritation. Cassandra, you shouldnt covet whats hers.

Oh? And what about her coveting whats mine? Cassandras voice sliced through the air, light as a feather but laced with sharp claritya retort so simple it left Rachel and Rose speechless.

Miles had once been her childhood sweetheart.

Now he was Roses fianc.

Stealing her sisters love, if that wasnt coveting what wasnt hers, then what was?

Cassandra let those words hang in the charged silence before dismissively sweeping up the loose jewels scattered across the table. Without sparing them a backward glance, she walked away, heading directly toward the ground-floor maids quarters.

It wasnt that she was meekly enduring their disdain. She simply had no desire to keep such people close. Only a fool would bother staking a claim upstairs in this house.

She wouldnt be staying long anyway.

---

The next morning.

When the Grant family awoke to find Cassandra absent, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the household.

Where did she go so early? Rose asked, her tone hovering between curiosity and feigned concern. She doesnt have a penny to her namewhats she going to do outside?

Maybe shes gone to see a friend, Caleb ventured without much conviction.

A friend? With her condition, whod dare meet her? Rose muttered under her breath.

Rachel let out a long sigh, her face shadowed with worry. I barely slept a wink last night. Just thinking about Cassandra being back againand like thisfelt like a dagger twisting in my chest.

Mom, dont stress yourself, Rose said, ladling a bowl of birds nest soup and placing it gently before Rachel. You still have me and Caleb, remember?

Caleb's expression remained tight, his brow furrowed. She needs help. She's clearly unwellmentally unstable. We need to take her to see a professional.

She wont admit it, Rose grumbled, lips pursed. Did you hear her yesterday? Nothing but lies. She denies everything...

Rachel shook her head and sighed yet again. Then she turned to her husband, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. Thomas, say something. What are we going to do about this?

Thomas clenched his jaw, speaking after a moments deliberation. What can we do? Keeping her in the house is just inviting trouble. No one will marry her in this state. Once her return stops being the talk of the town, well arrange for her to move out on her own.

Move out? Rachel considered this for a beat, then nodded in agreement. Thats the only way. Ill start looking for a placea cheap, old one. Somewhere small and out of the way.

Rose cradled her bowl of soup, a sliver of a smile playing at her lips as the burden that had shadowed her all night began to lift. If Cassandra was forced out of the house, then thered be no one left to expose her lies.

But as long as Cassandra was alive, she would always remain a threat to Roses standing.

She had to find a permanent solution. Something that would ensure there was only one Ms. Grant in Imperiathe one and only Rose.

---

That morning, Cassandra hailed a cab and went straight to the citys largest second-hand luxury boutique.

Without hesitation, she sold every single piece of jewelry shed taken with her. All told, the collection had once been worth over $10 million, but in the quick sale, she accepted $5.5 million without batting an eye.

It was enough.

She didnt need the money but couldnt bear to keep these baubles that now reeked of Rose. Clearing them out felt like shedding a second skin.

She requested $500,000 in cash and a check for the remaining $5 million, instantly accessible whenever she needed it.

As she left the boutique, Cassandra stepped into a grand shopping mall. From one floor to the next, she replaced everythingshoes, clothes, accessoriesdiscarding every last thing shed worn that bore Roses lingering touch. The moment she was done, she tossed the borrowed outfit into the nearest trash bin without a second thought.

Tucking the cash neatly into a new leather backpack, Cassandra made her way to the salon. She emerged with a fresh haircut, sharper and more polished than before, and immediately bought herself a new phone. Sliding into another cab, she gave the driver a new destination: the hospital.

On the way, she logged into her stock account on her phone. Seeing the figures that flashed across the screen, she allowed herself a rare, small smile.

Her original $2 million investment had quintupled in three years. Her account now sat comfortably at $10 million.

Her chest felt unexpectedly light, and for the first time in three years, sunlight seemed to pierce the darkness that had engulfed her. Peering out the window at the blazing, cloudless sky, she exhaled slowly, savoring the warmth creeping back into her soul.

Once she'd steadied herself, she opened one of her old stomping groundsa once-thriving stock forumand quickly found her last piece of activity: a market analysis shed published three years earlier. The post had been pinned as a featured highlight.

She scrolled downward. Where the discourse had started with stock trends and financial strategy, it slowly morphed into a string of inquiries: *Wheres Madam Laurel?* *Has anyone heard from Madam Laurel?* *Is Madam Laurel okay?* *Does anyone know what happened to her?*

The most recent comment had been posted just yesterday.

And suddenly, Cassandras eyes brimmed with tears. These strangers, these faceless usersafter all this time, they still remembered her. After three painstaking, interminable years, they hadnt forgotten.

Her own family couldnt wait for her to disappear. But these people, they still cared.

Her throat tightened, but she took a deep breath, willing herself calm. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before finally typing a single line.

*Reborn and returned.*

The response was instantaneous.

*Holy shit! Am I imagining this? Madam Laurel is back!*

*Is this really you? Madam Laurel, we thought something terrible happened to you. Its been so long!*

*Madam Laurel! The real deal! Youre the reason we hit the jackpot on that IPO three years ago. Remember that stock? It went through the roof!*

Cassandras mood brightened with every passing second as she watched strangers greet her return with such unbridled joy.

At Imperia's finest hospital, she registered for multiple departments, preparing for an exhaustive series of tests.

Naturally, she retook the AIDS test as well.

It had been years since her last visit to a hospitalenough time for the sterile corridors and clinical routines to now feel distant, almost foreign.

Clutching a stack of test forms, she moved briskly between floors. Entering an elevator, she suddenly stopped short. A familiar face stood before her.

Jasper, clad in a white coat, carried the same aloof detachment about him, like frost that refused to thaw. His eyes flickered with a momentary spark of recognition when he saw her, but his face remained as impassive as ever.

Cassandra glanced at him briefly. Her first impression of him hadnt exactly been glowing, so she had no interest in making conversation.

The elevator was packed with people. Just as someone shoved their way in, the force nudged her straight into Jaspers chest.

She frowned deeply, annoyed, and glanced up to find herself staring at the name tag pinned to his coat.

"Jasper, Chief Physician."

A wave of disdain welled up inside her. So young, yet already a chief physician? Probably playing fast and loose with patients' lives.

Sorry, she muttered coolly as soon as the pushing crowd settled. She stepped out of his personal space without hesitation, her tone clipped and distant.

Jasper glanced down. His eyes landed on the stack of reports she held, and a wry smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Seems mistrust runs deep in the Grant family.

Hed told her yesterday, hadnt he? No AIDS.

And here she was, doing another round of tests. Wasting resources.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow, catching the undertone in his words. Her voice turned frostbite cold. And how would I know youre not some hack? If you misdiagnosed me and I died without knowing why, whod take responsibility?

Yesterday, all hed done was prod her briefly before delivering his verdict. Sure, the outcome might have been favorable, but both the Grant family and Miles had reservations about itwasnt their skepticism proof enough of his dubious judgment?

Her decision to follow up at the hospital today seemed not just logical but necessary.

Jaspers expression darkened. So now Im a hack? he bit out, his voice like ice cracking under pressure.

What a joke.

From the moment Jasper set foot in medical school, he had been hailed as a prodigy. Over the years, his groundbreaking research and impeccable track record had cemented his reputation. Patients who had teetered on deaths edge sang his praises, grateful to have been pulled back into the light.

And yet here he was, being derided as a hackto his faceby an arrogant woman who clearly had no idea what the hell she was talking about.

Cassandra picked up on his displeasure. Inwardly, she wondered how anyone coped with such a volatile doctor. If his patients didnt succumb to their illnesses, theyd probably drop dead from the sheer stress of dealing with him.

Whether youre a hack, I cant say, she replied, her voice steady and unyielding. But the fact remainsyour own nephew doesnt trust your competence. Thats telling, dont you think?

Her words shot straight for the underbelly, leaving no room for retreat. Then, with a cutting glance at the name tag on his chest, she added, Dont think I dont know how these titles are handed out. The games of the richI know them well.

After all, she had once been the It Girl of Imperia, the citys foremost socialite. The clash of power and privilege was a song shed heard since birth.

This was the first time Jasper had encountered a woman so brazenly self-assured, so certain in her half-baked judgments. He gave her a mirthless laugh, more of a scoff.

No wonder your family doesnt trust you, he shot back, his tone biting. With a personality like that, youre bound to alienate everyone close to you.