A Second Chance At The Choosing

In my first life, I married Connor Walls, the golden heir to the Barrett Corporation, believing my father's sacrifice had earned me a fairytale.

Instead, it bought me a gilded cage and a sorrowful conclusion. He left me to fade away on the cold marble floor of our mansion, abandoned while he was occupied with a visitor one floor below.

He was a predator disguised as a prince, a man whose public smile charmed the world while his touch left shadows no one could see.

For years, he troubled my spirit, painting me as the villain while my own cousin, Jana, clung to his side, reinforcing every lie.

The world adored him. They saw a perfect couple, a powerful alliance. No one saw the shadow I lived with. No one knew the truth behind my so-called "mishaps."

Until my life ended, I was trapped.

But then, I was reborn and opened my eyes again.

I was back at the Choosing Ceremony, the day I was supposed to bind myself to him forever.

This time, I remembered every agonizing detail.

And this time, his ruthless, outcast brother Brannon was also an option.

Chapter 1

Abby Talley POV:

The last time I stood before Howard Barrett, he offered me a choice that led to my end. This time, I knew better.

In my previous life, I chose Connor Walls. The charismatic, publicly adored younger son of the Barrett Corporation's CEO. The man with a smile that could charm the press and a touch that left a chill in places no one could see. I had loved him with the foolish, all-consuming devotion of a girl who believed her father's sacrifice had earned her a fairytale. Instead, it bought me a gilded cage, years of torment, and an unceremonious end on the cold marble floor of our mansion, abandoned while he was occupied with a visitor downstairs.

Now, reborn with every agonizing memory seared into my soul, I was back. Back in the gleaming, sterile training facility of the Barrett Corporation headquarters, the air thick with the smell of sanitized rubber mats and ambition. And he was here.

Connor Walls, looking every bit the golden heir, was engaged in a rigorous training simulation with one of the company's top instructors. He moved with a lazy grace, sweat plastering his dark hair to his forehead. He was beautiful, a predator disguised as a prince, and the sight of him made the phantom dread of my past life settle in my bones.

He feinted left, then right, but his arrogance made him sloppy. The instructor easily disarmed him, sending the practice prop clattering across the floor. It slid to a stop just inches from my feet.

The room fell quiet, all eyes on the scene.

"Abby," Connor called out, not even bothering to look at me, his voice laced with the casual command I knew so well. "Pick that up for me."

The Abby of the past would have scurried to obey, eager for a crumb of his approval. My hands clenched at my sides. That Abby was gone.

I didn't move. I simply met his gaze in the reflection of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Pick it up yourself, Connor."

A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers. Whispers erupted like static. Connor's head snapped towards me, his charming smile faltering for the first time. The mask was slipping. I could see the flicker of cold fury in his eyes, the same look he'd had just before his true nature was revealed.

"What did you say?" he asked, his voice low and edged with warning.

Before I could answer, a small figure darted forward. "I'll get it, Connor!"

Jana Brady, my cousin, knelt down, her face a mask of sweet concern. My parents had taken her in after her own had passed, and she had repaid their kindness by clinging to Connor like a limpet, both in this life and the last. She winced dramatically as she bent, pointing to a small, fresh scrape on her knee.

She retrieved the practice prop and hurried to his side, handing it to him with a worshipful gaze. "You were amazing, Connor. You almost had him."

Connor's attention shifted to her instantly. His rage evaporated, replaced by a performance of tender concern. "Jana, you're hurt. Did you do this during the drills?"

"It's nothing," she demurred, batting her eyelashes. "I just wanted to help."

He shot a sharp, disapproving glare in my direction. "See, Abby? That's what a decent person does. They help. They don't just stand there with a sour look on their face."

He was painting me as the villain, as he always did. The crowd murmured in agreement.

"Don't forget where you came from, Abby," he said with a dismissive air, his voice dropping so only I could hear. "Your father's legacy bought you a seat at the table, but it doesn't mean you belong here. A little gratitude would go a long way."

The mention of my father, the man who died saving this very company from ruin, was a low blow. In my past life, those words would have shattered me. Now, they were just noise.

I gave him a calm, placid smile. "Speaking of my father's legacy, I can't be late. Howard is expecting me."

The name of his father, the CEO, hung in the air like a bomb.

"Mr. Barrett?" one of the onlookers whispered, shocked. "Why would the CEO be meeting with her?"

I let the silence stretch, enjoying the confusion on Connor's face. "He's personally overseeing my Choosing Ceremony," I said, my voice clear and steady. "He felt it was the least he could do, given the circumstances."

The room exploded with hushed excitement. A ceremony personally hosted by Howard Barrett was unheard of. It signified an honor of the highest degree. The sycophants who had been glaring at me moments before now looked at Connor with envy.

"Congratulations, Connor!" someone called out. "Securing the Talley alliance, and with the CEO's personal blessing! You're a shoo-in for the succession now."

Connor's chest puffed out, his arrogance returning full force. He believed, as everyone did, that I was his for the taking. The debt owed to my father would be paid by my hand in marriage, binding my family's significant shares to the Walls heir. To him.

He smirked at me, a possessive gleam in his eyes. "Don't think this changes anything, Abby. You're still mine. Be a good girl, and I'll make sure your life is comfortable."

He leaned in closer, his cologne cool against my skin. "You wouldn't want to see a repeat of past mistakes. The outcome is never pleasant."

My blood ran cold. The words were a veiled warning, and the phrasing... it was too specific. A cold dread, sharp and familiar, coiled in my gut.

He straightened up, taking Jana's arm. "Come on, let's get that knee looked at."

He walked away without a backward glance, leaving me standing in a sea of whispers and hostile stares.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, so quiet no one else could hear it.

They all thought he was the prize. They thought I was a foolish girl playing hard to get, destined to become Mrs. Connor Walls.

They had no idea.

I would never belong to Connor Walls again. Not in this lifetime.

His last words echoed in my mind, a chilling premonition.

How could he possibly know what happened in our last life?

Abby Talley POV:

My Choosing Ceremony was held in the Barrett Corporation's grand ballroom, a cavernous space with crystal chandeliers that glittered like constellations overhead. It was supposed to be a celebration of my future, a formal acknowledgment of the alliance between the Talley and Walls families. For me, it was the first step in dismantling the life that had destroyed me.

Connor arrived late, of course. He made his entrance with Jana Brady clinging to his arm, a triumphant smirk on his face. She wore a dress that was a shade too tight, her entire demeanor a deliberate and showy statement of his attention.

A few of the younger executives snickered behind their hands. The message was clear: Connor Walls could have his fiancée-to-be and his side piece in the same room, and no one would dare question him. He was untouchable.

In my past life, this exact scene had played out. I had stood in this very spot, heart pounding with a mixture of hope and humiliation, tears stinging my eyes as he flaunted his infidelity. I had wanted so badly to believe it was a misunderstanding.

This time, my heart was a block of ice. I felt nothing but a cold, clinical detachment.

Connor noticed my stillness. He sauntered over, leaving Jana pouting by the doorway. His eyes, the color of dark whiskey, raked over me. He was looking for the hurt, the jealousy. He fed on it.

"You look beautiful tonight, Abby," he murmured, his voice a low caress that used to make my knees weak. "Ready to make it official? I promise to make your life very comfortable."

His possessive tone hung in the air between us.

"Connor, aren't you going to get me a drink?" Jana whined from across the room, her voice sharp with envy.

He shot her an annoyed glance before turning back to me, his smile returning, slick and practiced. "Don't mind her. She's just a child. You're the main event." He leaned closer, his cologne, a scent I now associated with fear and nausea, invading my space. "You're the one who will be Mrs. Walls."

Jana's face flushed with a mixture of anger and humiliation. She glared at me, her eyes promising retribution. The crowd watched the drama with undisguised glee, their whispers a low buzz that filled the room. Someone let out a low whistle.

I remembered this moment. I remembered the burning shame, the desperate need to run and hide.

I took a deliberate step back, creating a chasm of space between us. I intended to walk away, to find Howard Barrett and get this over with.

But Connor's hand shot out, his fingers closing around my wrist. "Where do you think you're going?"

His smile was gone, replaced by a flicker of irritation. "Stop with the games, Abby. This whole cold-shoulder act is getting boring. You know this is meant to be."

I met his gaze, my expression unreadable. "Let go of me, Connor."

His hold was unyielding. "I know you. Underneath all this ice, you're still the same girl who used to follow me around. You're just trying to make me want you more. And it's working."

A wave of revulsion washed over me. I yanked my arm back, the force of the movement surprising him. "I said, let go."

"You think you have a choice?" he scoffed, his voice rising. "This is a business deal. My father needs your shares, and you need our name. That's all this is."

"No," I said, my voice ringing with a finality that silenced the nearby whispers. "I will not be marrying you."

The silence that followed was absolute. It was as if the air had been sucked from the room. Even the string quartet in the corner seemed to have paused.

Then, a low chuckle rumbled from Connor's chest. It spread through his entourage, a wave of ridicule directed entirely at me.

"Not marrying me?" he repeated, his eyes wide with mock disbelief. "My apologies, sweetheart. I didn't realize you had other options. Who are you going to choose? My brother?"

The crowd erupted in laughter.

"Brannon?" Connor's voice was dripping with contempt. "The corporate raider? The butcher? The man our father keeps locked away in the mergers and acquisitions department because he's too ruthless for polite company?"

He leaned in again, his voice a poisonous whisper. "They say he gutted his last competitor so badly the man's family lost everything. They say he doesn't have a heart, just a calculator where it should be. Is that what you want, Abby? A monster?"

He looked me up and down, a cruel sneer on his perfect lips. "Or is this just another pathetic attempt to get my attention? You think threatening to choose my outcast brother will make me jealous?"

His question hung in the air, a challenge and an insult all in one.

Abby Talley POV:

Connor's laughter echoed in the silent ballroom, each chuckle a small, sharp blow. He was enjoying this, performing for his audience, relishing my public humiliation. "Cat got your tongue, Abby? Realizing how ridiculous you sound?"

Jana glided to his side, her expression a perfect blend of pity and concern. It was a look she had perfected over years of practice. "Connor, don't be so hard on her," she cooed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "She's just nervous. It's a big day." She turned to me, her eyes glittering with malice. "Abby, dear, you must be careful. I've heard such terrible things about Brannon. They say he once bankrupted a company just for sport. You wouldn't want to end up as one of his casualties, would you?"

The crowd murmured their agreement, a chorus of hushed warnings and veiled threats. "She's right, you know." "That man is a shark." "Connor is the safe bet. The only bet."

In my past life, their words would have been knives, carving away at my resolve. I would have crumbled, apologized, and begged Connor to forgive my foolish outburst. But the girl who feared their judgment was long gone, replaced by a woman who had faced far worse monsters than a few gossiping executives.

"My choice is my own," I said, my voice steady. It wasn't an answer, but a declaration. A boundary.

Jana's face fell. My composure was ruining her performance. She needed a victim. She took a step closer to me, her hand fluttering near her chest as if she was suddenly feeling faint. Her movement was fluid, a rehearsed piece of theatre. She stumbled, not away from me, but into me. Her shoulder brushed against mine with the lightest of touches.

And then she allowed herself to fall to the floor.

A theatrical gasp escaped her lips, followed by a loud, heart-wrenching sob. She cradled her arm, her face contorted in agony. "Abby! Why would you push me?"

The room erupted. Connor was by her side in an instant, his face a mask of thunderous rage. He helped her to her feet, cradling her as if she were made of glass.

"Are you insane?" he snarled at me, his voice shaking with fury. "She was trying to help you! What is wrong with you? Is your jealousy so consuming that you'd attack your own cousin?"

His cousin. The lie was so embedded in our family's narrative that even he believed it. My parents had taken Jana in, given her a home, an education, everything she had. But she was not my sister. She was not even my blood. She was the daughter of a distant relative, a social-climbing viper we had foolishly welcomed into our nest.

Jana, hidden behind Connor's protective frame, shot me a look of pure, unadulterated triumph.

A dry, mirthless laugh escaped my lips. "I didn't touch her."

"Liar!" Connor spat. "I saw it! Everyone saw it! You've been acting like a spoiled brat all night, and now this. Is this because I showed Jana a little attention? My God, Abby, I knew you were obsessed with me, but this is pathetic."

"Connor, please," Jana whimpered, pulling at his sleeve. "Don't be angry with her. It's my fault. I shouldn't have... I just wanted us all to be a happy family." Her words were pitch-perfect, painting her as the magnanimous victim and me as the unhinged aggressor.

The whispers around us grew louder, more venomous. "Did you see that?" "Pushed her right to the ground." "Talley's daughter has a mean streak."

Connor's face was inches from mine, his features twisted with disgust. The charming mask was gone, revealing the monster I knew so well. For a terrifying second, I thought he was going to lash out. The memory of his past anger, of the sharp, chilling fear, sent a jolt of ice through my veins.

His hand shot out, not to strike, but to tilt my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. His touch was cold and firm.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

His voice, a low and terrifying growl, cut through the ballroom, silencing every whisper. "If you ever," he seethed, "cause trouble for Jana again, I will personally see to it that Howard reconsiders your entire legacy. Do you understand me?"

The verbal blow landed with the force of a physical one. A collective, horrified gasp filled the room. The heat of public humiliation burned on my cheek.

The warning was clear. The line had been drawn. And in his eyes, I had just crossed it.