THE SECOND LIFE OF ELARA VAUGHN
Ruth Clement · Completed · 279.7k Words
Introduction
"Splash!" The icy water woke me up to a nightmare. I had been tied to a chair in a godforsaken warehouse for three days without food or water.
Standing before me was Kurt, the man I was supposed to marry, and clinging to his arm was Vera, my best friend of seven years. They didn't just kidnap me; they drained my billionaire empire dry.
"Let's just kill her and get it over with!" Vera pouted, playing with my fiancé's chest.
I refused to beg. I promised them the Vaughn family would skin them alive. But Kurt just laughed, snapping his fingers. Thugs dragged my parents in and threw them to the blood-soaked floor. Before I could even scream, Kurt pulled the trigger. Two bullets. Two dead bodies.
"NO!!!" I thrashed against the ropes, tearing my skin to the bone. Kurt just smiled, pointed the gun at my forehead, and whispered, "I never loved you."
Boom. A gaping red hole in my head. Darkness.
But then… I jerked awake.
I wasn't in hell. I was in the passenger seat of a moving car, looking into a rearview mirror at a face that wasn't mine. Black hair, striking green eyes.
"Have you gone deaf, you stupid country bumpkin?!" my new "step-sister" screeched from the driver's seat. "You're marrying into the Graves family today as a substitute! You're marrying the paralyzed vegetable, Lucian Graves!"
My heart stopped. Lucian Graves? My biggest, most ruthless rival in the business world?
The radio crackled: "Breaking News: Heiress Elara Vaughn and her parents found brutally murdered..."
I touched my new face as a vicious, bloodthirsty smile spread across my lips. Kurt. Vera. You thought you killed the Queen. But I've just been reborn.
And my new, comatose husband is going to help me destroy you.
Chapter 1
Chapter One
"Splash!"
Elara jerked awake, gasping weakly as the icy cold water hit her skin.
She shook her head trying to clear the groggy feeling that came from exhaustion, pain and regret.
Her eyes were blurry, but she could still make out her surroundings as she slowly came into focus.
Elara realized with a sinking feeling that she was still held captive in that godforsaken warehouse, tied to the same chair that she'd been in for the past three days.
She had not had water or food pass her lips for those three days, courtesy of the devils who were standing before her at the moment.
To her left, stood the tall form of Kurt Eugene.
Her fiance.
The Devil's advocate.
The one who had kidnapped her and tortured her for the past three days.
Elara's hands tightened into fists, wishing she could slam it down in his face and hear the satisfying crunch of it, but she could only feel the pain of the ropes binding her, tearing into her skin instead.
She stopped struggling and glared at him instead, itching to wipe his disgusting smirk off his face.
In his arms, clinging to him affectionately was her best friend of seven years, Vera Hale. Elara's eyes smarted with tears as she recalled her shock when she discovered Vera and Kurt were together.
Not only had they had her kidnapped, but they had successfully siphoned all the assets under the Vaughn Group in her name, and took control of the Empire.
Elara could not believe that the two people whom she trusted the most would do something like that to her.
Vera also had an identical smirk on her face, but she decided to take things further and walked towards Elara.
She reached out and grabbed a fistful of Elara's hair, yanking it backwards so the pain sent tears spilling out of Elara's eyes.
"Ahh!" She cried out involuntarily, then glared at Vera, "Let go of me, you traitorous bitch!"
Vera was unfazed by the insult as she chuckled devilishly, "Poor Elara." She crooned in mockery, "Who would have thought the Queen of the business world would be at my mercy now, begging for her life?"
Elara scoffed, her laughter coming out dey and raspy, "Me? Beg you? In your wildest dream, Vera Hale," she uttered through gritted teeth, "I will never stoop so low as to beg the likes of you. You can do nothing more than the dead rat that you are!"
As she spoke, she turned her head to glare at Kurt as well, making it clear that she was speaking to both of them.
This was true.
Elara was determined never to beg them for her life. She knew they wanted to strip her of every last dignity that she had, but she would not give them the satisfaction of that.
Vera's smile faltered and her face turned vicious,"Elara, you stupid bitch!" She was trembling so hard, it looked like she was going to explode, "The likes of me, huh?! I will show you what the likes of me can do!"
She had seen the disgust on Elara's face when she had spoken earlier, and Vera assumed she was bringing up her background.
Being and orphan and moved from one foster home to another, Vera was deeply insecure and jealous of Elara, who was a billionaore heiress.
Not only that, Elara had the best upbringing and had made a name and status for herself in business globally.
Vera wanted everything Elara had so she set out to get them, stealing Elara's fiance and her wealth from her, and all the while Elara trusted herself a blind fool.
She had thought Elara would be broken by now. She wanted to see the oh-so-mighty queen of the business world grovel at her feet.
But Elara still remained defiant, even after beaten and tortured for three days.
It was driving Vera nuts!
She twisted Elara's hair harder and raised her hand to hit her. Elara continued glaring at her defiantly, despite the pull on her scalp which made her want to scream from pain.
However, Vera paused with her hand in mid air, when Kurt suddenly held on to it.
"Pumpkin, you will hurt yourself," he said softly, his gaze dripping with so much affection as he drew Vera into his arms, "She's not worth it."
Vera immediately launched into his arms with exaggerated movements, trying to make Elara more jealous.
"Let's just kill her and get it over with!" She exclaimed, pouting in a cure manner while her huge eyes became wet with tears, "I can't stand her, babe."
The whole scene made Elara want to puke, and she rolled her eyes away.
The fact that Kurt referred to Vera with the same nickname he reserved for her, made her skin crawl. She clenched her fists, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over her eyes.
Kill her?
They've both got to be delusional.
Her parents were arriving from their international trip today. If they discovered she was missing, they would raise hell until she was found.
As a Billionaire heiress, actions would have been taken to look for her immediately her absence was noticed three days ago.
But the two persons who were supposed to raise the alarm, her fiance and bestfriend were the perpertrators, so there was no chance of that.
Elara only had to wait for her parents to come save her, and when they did, these two fools are going to get back whatever they did to her.
A hundred fold!
She looked away from them defiantly, aware that they were trying to get a rise out of her.
But her feelings for Kurt had died the day he hit her cruelly over the head and had her tied up.
The only thing she felt for him now was burning hatred.
"Take your sickening act from my sight," she said coldly, her head raised regally, "And stop deluding yourself thinking you can kill me? You think you will get away with such act? You think my parents won't have you both skinned alive?!"
Kurt and Vera did not even flinch at her threats. Instead, they exchanged knowing looks then laughed in mockery.
Elara ignored them, "The Vaughn family is not to be messed with so easily," she uttered, "Even if you let me go now, you will get what's coming to you in full!"
"The Vaughn family, eh." Kurt finally replied, his voice a lazy drawl. He walked towards Elara and gripped her chin tightly, forcing her to look at him, "Well, why don't we have them join us? Since you so badly want to see them."
He pushed her head away from him, and before Elara could realize what was going on, her parents were brought in by some thugs.
The men flung them to the floor hard, and they laid there, bloodied and unmoving.
Last Chapters
#263 Chapter 263 The End.
Last Updated: 7/13/2026#262 Chapter 262 I told him the Truth
Last Updated: 7/13/2026#261 Chapter 261 A New Chapter
Last Updated: 7/13/2026#260 Chapter 260 Impossible!
Last Updated: 7/13/2026#259 Chapter 259 Disowned
Last Updated: 7/13/2026#258 Chapter 258 Permanent Damage
Last Updated: 7/13/2026#257 Chapter 257 Escape!
Last Updated: 7/13/2026#256 Chapter 256 The Foiled Plan
Last Updated: 7/13/2026#255 Chapter 255 Three Years…Time’s Up
Last Updated: 6/30/2026#254 Chapter 254 Monica’s Performance
Last Updated: 6/30/2026
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