Chapter 5 The Game Begins

"Mom, Fredrick may be decent, but I don't like him!" Sandra clung to Melinda's arm, her voice soft and pleading. "The one I love is Steven. Please-help me..."

She lowered her voice, eyes glinting.

"Mom, if the Reed Corp were ours, we'd have money ourselves. Why would I need to marry into wealth and live under someone else's thumb?"

That sentence struck Melinda right in the heart.

After remarrying, she had married into money-but Charles was never the extravagant type. He wouldn't indulge her vanity or let her flaunt wealth recklessly. More than once, she'd been humiliated in front of other rich wives.

Once upon a time, she'd been a proper socialite herself. If not for her family's downfall... if not for her ex-husband's failure... why would she be reduced to reading another man's mood just to spend money?

Her expression darkened.

Sensing it, Sandra pressed harder.

"Mom, you've seen it yourself. No matter how hard we try, Uncle's favorite will always be Andrea. She's his biological daughter. He'll never leave us the inheritance."

She paused, then added softly,

"It used to be fine-Andrea was spoiled and reckless. We always thought she'd mess up eventually. But now? It's like she suddenly woke up. Look how happy Uncle is around her. Sometimes I even wonder... what if she's figured something out?"

Melinda's gaze sharpened. Her crimson nails dug into the edge of the table as she sneered.

"If we want to defeat Andrea, the first step is stripping her of Charles' protection. Once she loses his favor, what can she possibly do?"

Sandra's eyes lit up. "Mom... you have a plan?"

Melinda's nails scraped slow, deliberate lines across the tabletop. She leaned in and whispered into Sandra's ear, her eyes cold and venomous.

Sandra's lips curled into a delighted smile.

'Andrea... let's see how long you can stay so smug.'

The woman they were plotting against was currently dining with Steven at an upscale restaurant.

Andrea lowered her gaze, gracefully slicing into her steak. In her mind, each cut landed on Steven himself. Strangely enough, her mood lifted.

Love and hate really were separated by just a single thought.

In her previous life, she'd loved him to madness. If he so much as scraped his hand, her heart would ache. Now? Imagining how she might destroy him had become her favorite pastime.

"Andrea," Steven asked gently, "what do you usually like to do?"

She replied calmly, "Eat, sleep, study. Sometimes shop. Nothing special."

He froze.

He'd assumed this spoiled heiress was already interested in him-that she'd try to show off her charms or talk about refined hobbies. Even if she had none, she should've at least pretended.

Her answer was too straightforward.

Andrea neither noticed nor cared. She focused on her food, treating him as if he barely existed.

He tried again, bringing up a few more topics, but each one was met with a lukewarm response. The more she brushed him off, the more intrigued he became.

'So she's not the brainless, temperamental rich girl everyone talks about...'

When it came time to pay, Steven reached for his wallet, insisting on covering the bill.

Andrea stopped him and handed the waiter a gold card instead, smiling lightly.

"I said I was treating you. I can't very well let you pay."

He didn't push it further.

"It's still early. How about a movie?"

Her lips curved into a cool smile.

Last life, it had gone exactly the same way. Dinner, then a movie-a sentimental romance about childhood sweethearts. She'd cried her eyes out, and he'd gently wiped away her tears with a tissue.

That was the moment she'd fallen for him.

This time?

"I'm sorry," she said evenly. "I'm not feeling very well today. Maybe another time."

"Then let me take you home."

"No need. My driver's waiting outside."

He picked up his coat, intending to drape it over her shoulders. She took it from him casually and put it on herself.

Men were all the same.

The easier something was to get, the faster they got bored. The harder it was, the more obsessed they became. Especially men with ulterior motives-men who approached her with calculation.

Of course she wouldn't make it easy.

Distance. Temptation. Just enough warmth to keep him hooked.

That was how you drove someone crazy.

...

She returned home before four. Melinda and Sandra weren't around. The housekeeper said they'd gone out shopping after lunch.

After changing clothes, Ruby came in.

Ruby was the nanny's distant niece. Under her aunt's influence, she was fiercely loyal to Andrea. The two were close, calling each other by name in private.

"Andrea," Ruby whispered, lowering her voice. "I was cleaning Madam's room today and accidentally overheard her talking with the second young lady..."

She then repeated-word for word-everything she'd heard while hiding in the walk-in closet.

Andrea showed no reaction after hearing everything.

She'd expected Sandra not to give up on Steven so easily. In fact, that was perfect. The deeper Sandra's feelings ran, the harder she would fall.

In her previous life, Ruby had never overheard this conversation. Maybe her rebirth had already altered the course of events in subtle ways.

Seeing Andrea remain silent, Ruby grew anxious, thinking she'd been too shocked to speak.

"Andrea... are you okay?"

Andrea felt a flicker of warmth in her chest. She smiled gently.

"I'm fine, Ruby. Thank you for telling me."

"That's only right," Ruby said indignantly. "But those two are absolutely shameless. Should we tell Mr. Reed?"

"No." Andrea shook her head calmly. "We don't have concrete evidence. Even if we told my dad, he wouldn't act on it. And more importantly-I don't want to alert them."

Her eyes shifted slightly, and the smile at her lips turned chilling.

"I'm not afraid of them making a move. I'm afraid they won't."