"Kiara, how's the tourism project proposal you submitted yesterday?" the director asked, his tone serious.
Kiara lowered her head. "I'm sorry, sir… my design was rejected."
The director let out a long sigh. "I've told you so many times—you have talent. But you never develop it. Your designs are still too plain, no fresh ideas!"
Kiara said nothing. His words hit her straight in the chest.
"Now you need to find another company willing to take your design. And remember—how many times have your projects failed? Stop repeating the same mistakes!" he warned sharply.
"Yes, sir," Kiara whispered, then walked out of the room with a heavy heart.
**
Now Kiara sat inside a taxi, her head leaning against the window as she stared blankly at the quiet evening streets. In her hand, her phone screen glowed with an open online novel app. Her favorite title was right there:
"Young Master Sagara."
The novel had always been her escape whenever reality felt suffocating. For some reason, the main character—a cold, passionate young master—held an irresistible pull on her.
Kiara glanced outside again. The moon was perfectly round that night. But what startled her was the color—it shone red, as if signaling something ominous.
"That's strange… a blood moon?" she murmured.
Before she could look away, the taxi suddenly swerved.
"Sir! The steering!" Kiara shouted in panic.
But it was too late. A loud crash exploded through the air. Kiara's body was thrown forward, glass shattered everywhere, and she plunged into a dark river.
Icy water swallowed her whole. Kiara tried to reach the surface, but the more she struggled, the deeper she sank. Her vision blurred, the only thing she could still see was the faint red glow of the moon above the water.
"Another failure… even my life is a mess…" she thought as her consciousness faded.
Just as her body sank deeper, the moonlight shimmered brighter. A mysterious whirlpool pulled her in—and she vanished.
—
—
"Miss… please wake up!"
A gentle voice stirred Kiara awake. She gasped as she opened her eyes.
"Oh my God… I'm alive?" she whispered, still breathless.
But her gaze soon swept across the room—and her eyes widened. The room was unfamiliar: spacious, filled with luxurious furniture, heavy golden drapes, and a high ceiling with a glittering crystal chandelier.
Beside her stood a young girl dressed like a maid from a wealthy household.
"W-who are you?" Kiara asked, bewildered.
"Miss, I'm Bella," the girl replied politely.
"Bella? Bella who? And why are you in my room?" Kiara grew more frantic.
Bella's expression shifted to confusion and then worry. "Miss… this is your room. Did your fall into the pool yesterday make you forget me?"
Kiara frowned. "Pool? I fell into a river, not a pool!"
Bella's face paled. "It's all Lady Lisa's fault. She knows you can't swim, yet she still pushed you into the pool on purpose…"
Kiara froze. The name was unfamiliar. "Lady Lisa? Who's that?"
Bella looked at her with pity. "Miss… how could you forget? She's your stepmother."
"Stepmother?" Kiara sprang out of bed and rushed to the balcony. When she saw the vast courtyard, the grand fountain, and the perfectly manicured garden, her confusion deepened.
"Whose… house is this?" she whispered.
Bella hurried after her. "Miss… this is your family's estate."
Kiara stared at her hopelessly. "Pinch me."
"Huh?" Bella hesitated.
"Just do it. Now!"
With trembling hands, Bella pinched her arm.
"Oww!" Kiara winced. She stared at the red mark. "It hurts… so it's not a dream."
She held her throbbing head. "Yesterday I fell into a river from a taxi. How did I suddenly end up here?"
Before Bella could respond, the door swung open.
A refined-looking middle-aged woman entered, though her tone was anything but gentle. "Bella! I told you to get Miss Arsella ready. Why isn't she dressed yet?"
Kiara stiffened. "Arsella?" She pointed at herself, horrified. "You mean… me?"
"I'm sorry, Madam… I think Miss Arsella isn't feeling well. She seems confused and acts like she doesn't remember who she is," Bella said softly.
The woman—Madam Lisa—walked closer. Her gaze swept over Kiara from head to toe as if searching for flaws.
"What do you mean she's unwell? She looks perfectly fine to me," she snapped.
Kiara—apparently "Arsella" now—blinked rapidly, her heart pounding, her head spinning from hearing that unfamiliar name.
"Arsella! Stop acting up!" Lisa barked. "Don't forget, you must attend the selection meeting for Young Master Sagara's potential bride! If possible, you need to be chosen. You know our family business depends on you!"
Kiara flinched. Her lips trembled. Arsella? Sagara? Lisa? Those names…
She muttered, "Arsella… that sounds like part of my name. But… Sagara? Lisa? Why do these names feel familiar?"
Bella rushed to calm her down. "Miss, please get ready soon. I don't want Sir— I mean, Madam Lisa or Miss Liora to punish you again. I feel sorry for you when they yell at you."
"Liora?" Kiara blinked. "Who's that now?"
Bella swallowed hard, then whispered fearfully, "Miss Liora is your stepsister. She's supposed to join the selection as Young Master Sagara's bride, but she refused. Because she knows what Young Master Sagara is really like…"
"Cruel?" Kiara guessed in a shaky voice.
Bella nodded quickly. "Yes, Miss. No woman wants to marry him. They say every woman who gets near him suffers. Young Master Sagara is infamous for being fierce, ruthless… and even killing people. I heard he once shot his own cousin just because he was caught embezzling company funds!"
Kiara felt her blood freeze. She swallowed hard. "So… that woman—Lisa—tricked me into becoming Sagara's potential bride? Even though she knows how dangerous he is? That's… evil," she whispered, trembling.
Her head pounded harder. The names spun in her mind. Arsella. Sagara. Liora. Lisa. All so familiar.
"Wait…"
Kiara closed her eyes, trying to recall. Piece by piece, scenes flashed through her memory—scenes from the novel she always read on her phone, featuring a ruthless young master named Sagara. Every detail matched what she was seeing now.
Her eyes flew open. "No… this can't be…"
"This has to be a dream," she whispered shakily.
"How could I end up inside a novel? And worse… as the mistreated side character? The one who's not even important!"
Her breath hitched. The tragic fate of Arsella from the story slammed into her mind. In the novel, Arsella was destined to die at Sagara's hands.
"Nooooo!!!" she screamed inwardly, her face turning deathly pale.