Maya Chen died at thirty-two in a dark hospital room, alone and broken. Her "loving" husband was celebrating their anniversary—with her stepsister. The child she'd raised for ten years wasn't hers; the company she'd built was stolen; her reputation destroyed by the people she'd trusted most. Her last thought before the truck hit was pathetic: "If I had another chance, I'd choose differently."

Then she woke up. Eighteen years old again. One year before university. Every betrayal, every humiliation, every loss—she remembers it all with crystal clarity.

This time, Maya isn't the naive fool who sacrifices everything for fake love. This time, she knows exactly who she is: the disappeared daughter of the Chen Group empire, worth billions. This time, she'll reclaim her birthright, destroy every person who betrayed her, and build an empire on their ashes.

But revenge attracts dangerous attention. Especially from Ashton Xu—the ruthless billionaire CEO she'd only met once in her previous life, at her funeral. He'd stood in the rain, tears streaming, whispering: "I found you too late."

Now he's watching her with obsessive intensity, offering protection, power, and a dangerous proposition: "Marry me. Use my resources for your revenge. In return, just stay alive this time."
Maya doesn't remember him loving her. But Ashton Xu remembers everything—including the future where he lost her forever.

Two people who've lived through loss. One impossible second chance. This time, she'll burn the world down. And he'll hand her the matches.

I stand up, shaking off Ashton's hand. My father—the man who killed my mother—stands there calmly, like he's discussing the weather instead of century-old murder.


"I'm your father. You wouldn't kill me. You couldn't."


Victor laughs. It's a horrible sound. "I'm not your father, Maya. I'm your jailer. I've been your jailer for one hundred years."


"That's impossible!" I scream. "People don't live for a hundred years and keep their memories!"


"Normal people don't." Victor walks closer. "But we're not normal, are we? You, me, Ashton—we're all trapped in the same curse. Doomed to repeat the same patterns over and over."


Ashton steps in front of me, protective. "What curse?"


Chapter 7 - THE CENTURY CURSE