Chapter 2 She is Back
In the untamed wilds east of Emerald City, the wind howled a mournful song through the trees.
A low growl cut through the wind. From the tall grass, a pair of yellow-green eyes glowed in the darkness, fixed on the barely-breathing girl on the ground. To a starving beast, the scent of fresh blood was an intoxicating invitation.
With a guttural snarl, it lunged.
Fangs sank into Isabella’s wrist.
Agony, sharp and searing, ripped her from the haze. Am I dead? Where am I?
The tearing of her flesh forced her head up, and her eyes locked with the predator’s. The feral contact jolted her into full, terrifying awareness. This was no afterlife. This was survival.
Without hesitation, she jabbed her free hand forward, plunging her fingers into the wolf’s eye. A piercing shriek tore through the night. As the beast recoiled, Isabella scrambled to her knees. She gripped its neck with one hand and, with the other, drove the sharpened end of a branch she’d grabbed straight through its throat.
She held the position, her knuckles white, until the last tremor of life left the beast’s body. Only then did she release her grip, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
She looked around. The untamed grass, the scattered rocks, the suffocating darkness… Heather Bluff.
The name echoed in her memory, bringing with it a tidal wave of cold dread. This was Heather Bluff, on the west side of the city. This was the night Bianca had “fallen” down the stairs. The night Olivia had punished her, forcing her to kneel for hours until she collapsed. The night she was left here to die, only to be found by a kind stranger later.
This scene was identical to that night four years ago.
No. A chilling realization washed over her. This wasn't the afterlife.
This was a second chance.
In her last life, she had tried so desperately to please them, to earn their love, only to be met with disdain and, finally, death. She had groveled for the affection of her parents and brothers.
This time, there would be no more begging for scraps of affection. This time, all that mattered was herself.
Isabella licked her cracked lips, her gaze falling on the gruesome scene. She yanked the bloody stick from the wolf's corpse and used it as a crutch, limping down the mountain path.
The Taylor Villa.
At the dining table, Bianca set down her fork, her expression a mask of gentle concern. "Chase," she said to the impeccably dressed man across from her, "Isabella still isn't back. Should we wait for her?"
"If she can't be bothered to be on time, that's her problem," Chase replied, his voice devoid of warmth. "The world doesn't revolve around her. She's not worth it."
"Bianca, just eat," Gabriel added, a note of disgust in his voice at the mere mention of Isabella. He placed a few slices of beef into Bianca's bowl. "Your favorite. You've gotten too thin."
Bianca offered a sweet, grateful smile. "Thank you, Gabriel."
Just then, the main door opened.
Isabella stood silhouetted in the doorway. She wore a cheap, torn T-shirt, faded jeans, and canvas shoes caked in mud. In the opulent villa, she was a discordant note in a symphony of luxury.
Chase glanced up, his eyes registering her presence before dismissing her entirely.
Tobias, meticulously cutting his steak, frowned. "What happened to you?" he asked, his tone laced with disdain.
Isabella said nothing, her gaze fixed on the dining table as she walked forward.
"Go clean yourself up before you even think about sitting down," Tobias commanded coolly. "Bianca has a weak immune system; the last thing she needs is your filth."
Isabella's steps faltered. She glanced at Tobias, her expression unreadable, then turned and headed upstairs without a word.
Tobias paused, fork halfway to his mouth, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Since being brought back from the wilderness, this girl had been pathetically eager to please, desperate to fit in. Her eyes always held the pleading look of a stray dog.
But the look she just gave him… it was cold. Indifferent. He had never seen it before.
Isabella entered her room at the end of the hall. It was a converted storage closet, cramped and windowless, furnished with only a narrow bed, a chipped wardrobe, and a cracked mirror. For four years, she had been grateful for this dark, airless space, thankful that they had even taken her in.
She stared at her reflection. Memories of her past life replayed in her mind—every cautious word, every desperate attempt to win their favor. They had used the pretense of family to belittle, humiliate, and ultimately discard her.
She took a deep breath. The true daughter of the Taylor family would not live in the shadows.
By the time Isabella came back downstairs, lunch was halfway over.
She had changed into clean clothes, but the real transformation was in her bearing. The timid slouch was gone, replaced by a straight spine. Her eyes, once pleading, now held a chilling resolve. There was an unnerving stillness about her as she moved.
Gabriel froze mid-chew, stunned.
Bianca looked up, and her heart skipped a beat. A flicker of fear crossed her face before she quickly masked it, her hands clenching into fists beneath the table. Isabella's face… it was always beautiful, but now, with that look in her eyes…
"Bianca, what's wrong?" Gabriel asked, noticing her tension.
Bianca shook her head, forcing a smile. "Nothing. It's just… Isabella seems different today."
Gabriel sneered. "She's still just a girl from the countryside."
"Gabriel, don't say that," Bianca chided gently. "She's your sister."
"I only have one sister," he declared, looking at Bianca. "And that's you."
Isabella walked toward the empty seat beside Tobias.
He adjusted his glasses, his voice sharp. "Stay away from me."
Isabella ignored him, pulled out the chair, and sat down.
Tobias's face darkened. "I have no desire to share a table with you." He was a notorious germaphobe.
Isabella, who had just picked up her utensils, paused. She tilted her head, her gaze meeting his. "Then you can leave."
The words hung in the air, stunning not just Tobias, but Chase and Gabriel as well.
Tobias stared in disbelief. "What did you just say to me?"
Isabella's lashes lowered, her voice impossibly calm. "If you don't want to sit with me, you are free to leave."
"You—" The color drained from Tobias's face. She had told him to leave?
"Isabella," Chase's voice cut through the tension, cold and hard. "Watch your tone when you speak to Tobias."
Isabella looked directly at the eldest brother, her eyes clear and steady, devoid of the admiration and fear they once held. She met his gaze without flinching, her voice level and cold.
"I'm simply mirroring his etiquette."
