Carmen's Second Life

But she was about to be disappointed.

Just before Alexander was to make his grand entrance, I intercepted him in a private study.

It was our first meeting. He stood a full head taller than me, his strikingly handsome face cold and unapproachable.

Tsk, so he really wasn't easy to approach.

I handed him a document. "I know you've acquired a new project but are unsure how to proceed. This is my proposal. I guarantee it will be profitable."

I may have grown up in an orphanage with only a high school education, but I possessed a sharp business mind. In my last life, Brad Moss became a tycoon precisely because I was the strategist behind the scenes.

"How did you know about this project?" he asked. He took the file and flipped through the pages.

In my last life, that project had been Brad's. He'd treated me well then, so I gave him the plan that secured the deal. This time, without me helping him, it had fallen into Alexander's lap.

"I did my research," I said with a faint smile. "Mr. Morland, I can prepare proposals like this for you regularly. On one condition: in public, we play the part of a family. In private, we lead separate lives."

Alexander was a businessman first. Profit was his ultimate motivator. If I could prove my usefulness, he would reassess my value.

Just as I expected him to agree, he raised an eyebrow. "I see. You want to trade your cooperation for a safe harbor."

Then his tone shifted, becoming almost teasing. "But didn't my mother tell you? She didn't adopt a daughter; she was shopping for a daughter-in-law."

"I'm aware. So... what's your point?" I asked, confused.

A faint smile touched his lips as he closed the folder. "This plan is excellent. Once you marry me, every idea you have will naturally belong to me anyway."

With that, he turned and walked away.

I stood frozen, his words echoing in my mind.

What did he mean by that?

Did he... actually want to marry me?

No. That was impossible.

He just wanted to secure a lifetime of free proposals. That had to be it.

…

When I entered the grand hall, Mrs. Morland immediately took my arm, proudly introducing me to the assembled elders.

"This is my future daughter-in-law. Isn't she lovely? So gentle and well-mannered."

A chorus of polite praise followed.

From across the room, I felt Hazel's gaze burning into me. Standing beside Brad, her eyes were dark pools of resentment.

Clutching her wine glass, she strode over and addressed Mrs. Morland with false concern.

"Mrs. Morland, Alexander has only just returned home. Has Carmen even met him? How can you be so sure he's agreed to this?"

She had already made a terrible impression at the orphanage. Now, hearing her audacious question, Mrs. Morland's eyes flashed with fury.

"How dare you! The Morland family's affairs are none of your concern. Who do you think you are?"

Brad’s face paled. "My apologies, Mrs. Morland. Please forgive my sister; she speaks without thinking."

But I saw it—the fleeting, dangerous shadow that crossed his eyes. I had seen that look countless times in my last life. It always signaled the beginning of a nightmare.

A cold dread seized me. I instinctively stepped backward, only to stumble against a solid, warm chest.

I turned, startled, and found myself looking up into Alexander's face. His arms steadied me.

"Careful," he murmured. A rare smile softened his typically cold eyes, and his voice was gentler than I thought possible.

Hazel, standing right in front of us, looked like she was about to explode. She must have been screaming inside, wondering why he was treating me with such tenderness.

"Alexander," she blurted, "do you really like Carmen? She's just an orphan! And she's... impure! She was assaulted!"

Her words silenced the entire hall.

She was referring to that night at the orphanage. A man had crept into my room while I slept, his hands tearing at my clothes. He tried to violate me.

But I had fought back. I smashed a flower vase over his head.