6
Not long after the talent show, the atmosphere in our class grew tense and focused.
Everyone dove headfirst into exam preparation, the pressure of our upcoming college entrance exams weighing heavily on us.
As for me, I had finally let go of the pain of my past life, and my outlook had become much more optimistic. This time, I was determined to get into Ashwick University, the top school in the capital.
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Even Gwen, who had always been a self–proclaimed slacker, turned over a new leaf and spent the next six months studying alongside me.
In her words:
“I refuse to let my name sit next to Peyton Sinclair’s on the grade rankings ever again. That walking curse doesn’t deserve it.”
Of course, the real reason was that her dad had given her an ultimatum–if her exam scores didn’t meet his expectations, she wouldn’t be allowed to return to the capital.
Ashwick University was in the capital, and Gwen wanted to go back more than anything.
Still, every now and then, she’d glance up from her textbooks and ask me:
“Do you think that cursed girl Peyton is ever coming back to school? I swear, my grades have climbed all the way to the top ranks, but it’s not as satisfying without her here to crush.”
I didn’t bother looking up from my notes.
“Who knows?” I replied.
Most likely, she was stuck at home under Evelyn Sinclair’s watchful eye, practicing piano day and night.
After Peyton offended Mr. Goodwin at the talent show debacle, the Sinclair family had been blacklisted by the Goodwin Group.
Over the past six months, the Sinclairs‘ business had been struggling to stay afloat.
Simon Sinclair, as the head of the family, was undoubtedly working himself to the bone, running around trying to salvage their empire.
That left the family mansion under Evelyn’s sole control.
I could only imagine how my sister was faring under the scrutiny of that control freak.
To Evelyn, any time Peyton spent away from piano practice–like attending school–was time wasted.
Now that Simon was too busy to intervene, Evelyn was probably doubling down on making up for the “lost time,” forcing Peyton to practice endlessly.
None of this surprised me.
What I couldn’t figure out, though, was how Peyton had managed to get on Simon’s good side in the first place.
How had she built such a strong relationship with him in this life?
12
“Dad…”
In the Sinclair family’s sprawling estate, Peyton, after six months under Evelyn’s oppressive control, stumbled weakly toward Simon Sinclair, clutching a map in her trembling hands.
“Dad, please…” she said, her voice shaky, tears glistening in her eyes. “Let me go back to school. I don’t want to play the piano anymore. I hate it.”
She tried to appeal to his interests, pointing at the map.
“I can help you connect with business partners. The properties I’ve marked on this map are guaranteed to skyrocket in value in a couple of
years.
Just don’t make me play the piano anymore, and I promise I’ll bring more value to Sinclair Enterprises.”
Simon finally looked up, taking the map from Peyton’s hands. His sharp eyes scanned it, and after a moment of thought, he called his
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What he didn’t do was question the validity of Peyton’s claims.
At thirteen, Peyton had demonstrated an uncanny ability to predict market trends. Thanks to her insights, Simon had acquired several lucrative properties that were later supported by government projects and avoided multiple financial pitfalls.
Her “gift” had helped the Sinclair Group thrive, and because of that, Simon had always been lenient with her.
That’s how Peyton had been allowed to attend school and why Simon personally defended her during the talent show scandal.
But her return to school had been a disappointment.
Losing the Goodwin family’s partnership had caused the Sinclair Group’s value to plummet, dropping it out of the top ten businesses in Lonsdale City.
Simon, preoccupied with the company’s decline, had no patience left for Peyton’s troubles.
But now…
“I can let you go back to school,” he said coldly, “but what else can you offer me?”
Peyton clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.
“The Shaw family in the capital,” she replied.
Back to School
A month later, Peyton was back at school.
She had lost a significant amount of weight, her steps unsteady, and her overall state frail.
Rumor had it that during her six months at home, Evelyn had forced Peyton into over a dozen piano competitions.
To perform on stage, she had to maintain a specific image.
With no time to exercise, the only way to stay slim was to starve herself.
It was like watching a replay of my previous life.
Naturally, Peyton resented me, but this time, she avoided crossing paths with me entirely.
Instead, her attention shifted to Ethan Shaw, a transfer student who had joined our class the week before her return.
The two seemed to have known each other for a long time.
Not long after Peyton’s return, Ethan transferred to our school, and the two quickly became inseparable.
As the Sinclair family heiress, Peyton’s classmates hesitated to gossip about her previous scandals.
It seemed like everything had returned to normal.
She resumed her carefree, extravagant lifestyle, basking in the attention of her admirers.
Meanwhile, I stayed focused on my studies, burning the midnight oil to prepare for the upcoming college entrance exams.
A Sudden Revelation
One day, I saw Gwen laughing and playfully shoving Ethan Shaw in the hallway.
That’s when I learned something surprising: Ethan and Gwen had grown up together in the capital.
Apparently, Ethan had been struggling with a relationship issue and had come to Gwen for advice.
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“Gwen,” he sighed, “you’ve got to help me figure this out. My online girlfriend, Peyton Sinclair–do you think she might have… I don’t know, split personalities or something?”
Gwen’s lips twitched as she tried to suppress her laughter.
Finally, she couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
“Ethan, do you remember me telling you about the girl who falsely accused me and Eliza of stealing a necklace?”
Ethan didn’t think much of it at first.
“Oh, you mean the one who brought her own fake necklace and then accused you of wearing a twenty–dollar knockoff? That weirdo?”
Gwen nodded enthusiastically, her grin widening.
“Exactly! Do you know who that weirdo was?”
“How would I-” Ethan began, but then froze mid–sentence, his face paling as realization dawned.
“Don’t… don’t tell me that weirdo was Peyton Sinclair?”
Gwen delivered the final blow with a smirk.
“Bingo. That’s your girlfriend!”
The Breakup
Two days later, Peyton was dumped.
Ethan was the one to end things.
But it wasn’t just because of what Gwen had told him.
The real issue was that during their six months of online dating, Peyton had portrayed herself as a refined and elegant “piano princess” with perfect manners and a wholesome lifestyle.
In person, however, she was nothing like the image she had crafted.
While out on a date, a janitor at the mall accidentally scuffed Peyton’s shoes. She immediately exploded in anger, but within seconds, she switched to a sweet, gentle demeanor, brushing the incident off as if it were nothing.
At a restaurant, when the service was slow, she demanded a free meal, only to turn around and tip extravagantly moments later.
To Ethan, it was like dealing with two completely different people.
What he didn’t know was that Peyton’s erratic behavior was a result of her past life.
Years of scraping by at the bottom of society had left her with habits she couldn’t shake.
This time around, Evelyn had focused solely on her piano training, while Simon spoiled her rotten.
The combination of deep–seated bad habits and her new sense of entitlement blinded her to her own flaws.
To put it simply, Peyton’s behavior drove Ethan away.
I had warned him that her personality was extreme, but he hadn’t taken me seriously.
Now, he was learning the hard way.
<
Sunday Afternoon
It was a quiet Sunday afternoon when Gwen and I made plans to grab hot pot before heading back to school.
When Ethan Shaw heard about it, he decided to tag along as well.
As usual, Gwen went to pay the bill first. When she came back, her expression was oddly mysterious.
“I just saw Peyton Sinclair sneak into the kitchen with a group of sketchy guys,” she said. “Didn’t look like they were up to anything good.”
For some reason, a chill ran down my spine.
I turned to Ethan.
“Didn’t you say Peyton sent you threatening texts after you two broke up?”
Ethan nodded.
“Yeah, she was pretty intense about it. But right after, she started apologizing over and over again. Honestly, I think her split personality is getting worse.”
He said it half–jokingly, but my mind flashed to the last life–the image of Peyton behind the wheel, her bloodshot, crazed eyes as she drove
straight into me.
It was a memory I couldn’t shake.
Could someone who had gone completely mad in their last life really come back and live a normal one?
My heartbeat quickened.
“Let’s check it out.”
Eavesdropping
At the turn of the staircase, we overheard a conversation.
“Are you sure this stuff works?”
“Yeah, don’t worry. Just put it in the food on Table 3.”
1
“Relax, if anything happens, I’ll handle it. My dad’s the CEO of Sinclair Enterprises–there’s nothing I can’t smooth over.”
“Afterwards, send the guy to my room. The other two? Do whatever you want with them. Just make sure to take plenty of pictures. Don’t come crying to me if things go south.”
Table 3.
That was our table.
As their voices drifted off, a sickening realization hit me.
“She’s lost her damn mind,” Gwen muttered, her face pale.
“She’s trying to drag us into her mess over one breakup? What’s wrong with her?” Ethan added, his tone furious.
Both of them were ready to storm into the kitchen and confront Peyton.
But I grabbed them by their arms, pulling them back.
My smile didn’t reach my eyes.
“Getting caught in her trap isn’t the only way to deal with this. Want to hear my plan?”
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In this life, I had only ever wanted peace.
I had given Peyton chances.
But if she insisted on using malice to hurt others, then she would have to face the consequences of her own actions.
And this time, I would make sure that included everything from the last life as well.
The Fallout
That very evening, the news broke across every major outlet in Lonsdale City:
The adopted daughter of the Sinclair family had been caught in a hotel sting by the vice squad, involved in an illegal encounter with three individuals.
The news spread like wildfire.
Photos flooded local TV stations, newspapers, and social media platforms.
The Sinclair family tried to suppress the scandal with millions of dollars, but it was too late.
By morning, Peyton’s disgrace was the talk of the town.
Simon Sinclair, now humiliated beyond repair, released a public statement severing all ties with Peyton.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
At dawn, both the Goodwin family and the Shaw family released joint statements on their official websites, declaring they would never work with the Sinclair Group again.
The Sinclairs were left completely isolated.
No one dared to support them and risk angering the Goodwins and Shaws.
Breach–of–contract notices flooded Sinclair Enterprises.
Within days, Simon Sinclair’s power was stripped by the company’s board of directors.
Peyton’s Collapse
When Peyton woke up the next morning, everything was already over.
She had been drugged by her own concoction, assaulted by the very people she hired, and left to deal with the aftermath of her plan.
She stormed out of the Sinclair mansion, screaming for revenge.
But Evelyn Sinclair knocked her out cold.
When Peyton woke up again, she was in a dark, windowless room.
Evelyn, dressed in an elegant backless gown, sat at the piano nearby.
She played a few haunting melodies before turning to Peyton, her expression cold.
Pushing her down into the chair, Evelyn forced her hands onto the black–and–white keys.
“Play,” Evelyn whispered.
“You still have competitions to win for me.”
Peyton tried to resist, but Evelyn struck her with a cane.
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When that didn’t work, Evelyn strapped her into the electric chair she had secretly installed, shocking her into submission.
