Chapter 2

Ashford & Cross Pharmaceuticals was still a mid-tier company at this point—before Dominic gutted my father's empire to fund it.

In my last life, I had handed over everything willingly. My father's research patents, his lab facilities, even his personal savings. Dominic told me he needed capital to "grow the business for our future."

I believed him like a fool.

But right now, none of that had happened yet. My father's company, Lane Biotech, was still legally mine. The patents, the formulas, the labs—all of it sat in a trust fund that only I could access.

And today, I was going to lock it all down before Dominic could touch a single cent.

I marched into my father's lawyer's office—a man named Gerald Shaw who had handled our family's affairs for twenty years.

"Kelsey?" Gerald stood up, confused. "Aren't you supposed to be at your wedding right now?"

"The wedding's off," I said. "I need you to restructure my father's trust immediately. Remove Dominic Ashford as a potential beneficiary. Add a clause that no assets can be transferred without my biometric confirmation and a 72-hour review period."

Gerald stared at me. "That's... very specific. Did something happen?"

Everything, I wanted to say. Everything happened, and I died because of it.

But I just said, "I've had time to think. My father built Lane Biotech from nothing. I'm not going to let anyone take it apart."

He studied me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Your father would be proud to hear that. I'll draft the amendments today."

While he worked, I sat in his leather chair and pulled up my phone. Dominic had called seventeen times.

I opened his texts.

Where are you? The guests are waiting.

Kelsey, this isn't funny. Call me back.

If this is about Serena again, I told you, she's like a SISTER to me.

That last text made me laugh out loud—a cold, sharp sound that surprised even me.

A sister. Right. A sister who wore my ring while I flatlined.

I blocked his number and opened my laptop.

In my last life, the research formula that made Serena famous was codenamed NX-7. It was a groundbreaking treatment for Meridian Syndrome, a rare neurological disease that affected thousands worldwide. My father had spent his final years developing it, and after he passed, I continued his work alone.

The formula was stored on a private server that only I had access to—or so I thought.

In my last life, Serena had somehow gotten in. She downloaded everything, published it under her name, and won a prestigious medical innovation award. The press called her a genius. Dominic called her "the future of medicine."

And when I tried to prove it was mine, every piece of evidence had been erased. My server logs were wiped clean, my lab notebooks disappeared, and even my university advisor said he had "no record" of my involvement.

I pulled up the server now. Everything was still there—untouched, uncompromised.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. This time, I wasn't just going to protect my work. I was going to set a trap.

I copied the entire NX-7 file to three separate encrypted locations, each with different access keys. Then I modified the original server file, embedding a hidden tracker that would log the IP address, device ID, and timestamp of anyone who accessed it.

If Serena tried to steal my research again, I'd know exactly when, where, and how.

I was halfway through the encryption when Gerald came back with the documents. I signed every page without hesitation.

"One more thing," I said. "If anyone—anyone at all—contacts you claiming to represent me or my estate, do not cooperate unless I confirm in person. Not by phone, not by email. In person."

Gerald raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Understood."

I walked out of his office just as the sun was setting. My phone buzzed again—this time, an unknown number.

I picked up.

A soft, sweet voice floated through the speaker. "Kelsey? It's Serena. Dominic is really upset. He's been crying at the altar for hours. How could you do this to him?"

Her voice was like honey poured over broken glass—smooth and sweet and designed to cut.

"He loves you so much," she continued, sniffling. "I've never seen him like this. Please, just come back. For his sake."

In my last life, this exact call would have made me cave. I would've felt guilty, rushed back, and apologized for "overreacting."

But now, all I felt was disgust.

"Serena," I said calmly, "tell Dominic I said goodbye."

I hung up and turned off my phone.

That night, I checked into a hotel and slept twelve hours straight—the first real sleep I'd had in what felt like a lifetime.

When I woke up, I had one thought: Serena had accessed my server in my past life, which meant someone gave her the password. And the only person I'd ever shared it with was Dominic.

Which meant the betrayal started long before I ever suspected it.

I opened my laptop again and pulled up the NX-7 files.

Time to finish what my father started—and make sure no one could ever take it from me again.

But as I reviewed the formula, something caught my eye. A small annotation in the margin of my father's notes, in handwriting I didn't recognize.

It read: Don't trust the Ashfords. They know about the second formula.

Second formula? What second formula?