Reborn as the Substitute Bride to the Disabled Tycoon

The biggest laughingstock of City Q, Summer Knight, was dead.

She died on her birthday.

Just before her death, her own sister, Isabella Knight, tricked her into signing an organ donation form, then dragged her onto an operating table. No anesthesia. They carved out every usable organ while she was still conscious-torturing her to death in the most brutal way.

As for James Carter, the man she thought she loved? After swindling her out of the inheritance her mother left her, he turned around and gave it to Isabella-as an engagement gift.

And there those two were, kissing right in front of her lifeless body, wrapped around each other and mocking her without a shred of remorse.

It was only in her final moments that she finally saw that trash couple for what they were.

She realized then that the only person who ever truly cared for her was Alexander Barron.

He never cared that everyone called her "slow"; he married her just to keep her safe and give her a happy life. And what did she do? She killed him-with her own hands-by poisoning his drink.

In that last second, everything became painfully clear to Summer. She had been so, so wrong.

"Alexander Barron. If there's a next life, I swear I'll protect you."

.

"Alexander!"

Summer jolted awake from the nightmare, tears streaming unchecked down her face. The searing pain, as if her heart had been torn out, still twisted deep inside, making her whole body tremble.

She looked around, stunned. No cold metal table, no blood-spattered walls-she was back in the Knight family house. In that tacky, over-the-top bedroom they called "fancy."

But. wasn't she dead?

"Mom, there's no way I'm marrying Alexander Barron! They say he's hideous, cruel, and hates women! Who knows how I'd end up if I married him!"

"I'm the medical prodigy of City Q! I'm destined for greatness-why would I waste myself on some powerless, ugly nobody? If I marry anyone, it'll be the future heir of the Barron Empire!"

A shrill voice pierced through the air from downstairs.

Isabella.

The woman Summer wanted to tear apart with her bare hands.

Was she saying she didn't want to marry Alexander?

Wait.

Summer scrambled over to the calendar.

The date stared back at her-exactly one year earlier.

It hit her then.

She had come back.

Back to the night before they drugged her, knocked her out, and forced her to marry Alexander in Isabella's place.

Alexander Barron. Alexander.

Memories flooded her-each one sharper and more painful than the last. Just hearing his name felt like a knife twisting in her chest.

Her lashes trembled; fresh tears welled in her eyes.

Alexander, this time, I'll marry you. And I'll protect you, no matter what.

She caught her reflection in the vanity mirror-and nearly laughed out loud at the absurdity. Dressed in clashing red and green, face slathered in clownish makeup.

She used to believe Isabella's "styling" made her look like a fairy. Now? All she saw was a joke.

Wait. her mind felt clear. Sharp.

The six-year-old mentality she'd been trapped with in her past life was gone. She was fully herself again.

Good. Now she could make them pay-for what they did to her, and to Alexander.

Seated before the mirror, Summer began wiping off the makeup, her eyes glinting with cold intent.

She wasn't the foolish Summer Knight anymore-she was a ghost returned from hell, and she had a score to settle.

Isabella Knight, James Carter, and every last Knight who drove her mother to her death.

None of them would escape.

She would ruin them. All of them.

Voices rose from downstairs again but quieted quickly.

Then-knock, knock, knock.

The door swung open after the most half-hearted knock imaginable. Margaret Blake and Isabella strolled in like they owned the room.

They froze when they saw Summer removing her makeup.

Since when did she ever want it off?

Margaret recovered quickly, sliding into her sweet-and-loving-mother act. She stepped forward, oozing fake warmth.

"Sweetheart, you know your sister is supposed to marry Alexander Barron, don't you? But she's still so young. not ready to settle down. She thought maybe you could take her place?"

"The Barron family is one of the most powerful in City Q. If you marry into that family, you'll want for nothing-all the food, clothes, and servants you could dream of. How does that sound?"

Summer almost laughed in their faces.

In her last life, she'd heard some ridiculous rumors about Alexander and threw a fit to get out of the marriage.

She cried, screamed, refused-and what did it get her? Drugged and shipped off to Alexander's private island that very night.

Not this time.

Now, with her mind clear and her purpose firm, she knew exactly how to play these vicious snakes.

So she'd keep playing the fool. Let the games begin.

A flash of icy rage passed through her wide, doll-like eyes-but she masked it instantly.

She turned to them with a vacant, silly smile."Mom, sis, don't I look super cute like this?"

Isabella's eyes swept over Summer's freshly cleansed face-delicate and pure-and a flicker of jealousy tightened her expression.

She clenched her fist subtly, then joined Margaret in pouring on the fake sugar:"So pretty! Absolutely beautiful!"

They'd all forgotten that before Summer "lost her mind," she was both smarter and more beautiful than Isabella could ever hope to be.

But now? The world only knew Summer Knight as City Q's dumb, ugly, shameless joke.

And Isabella? She was the "number one beauty," the "medical genius."

"Since Summer's so pretty, she's definitely the right one to marry Alexander Barron!"Isabella chirped, sweet as poisoned honey.

Summer beamed, playing the airhead thrilled by the "praise."

Her instant agreement caught Isabella completely off guard.

"But sis, what about James?"Isabella prodded, watching her closely."I thought you were crazy about him."

Summer pouted, feigning annoyance."But you said I'm pretty! Someone as pretty as me should marry Alexander! Obviously! I'm gonna be a queen with, like, a million maids!"

She hammed up the vanity and ignorance, earning hidden sneers from both women.

Did this idiot really think she'd live some fairy tale at the Barrons?

She'd be lucky to survive the week.

Originally, they planned to drug her and force her onto the wedding transport if she refused.

But this? This was even better.

She said yes herself-no extra steps needed.

-

Night fell.

The world went still.

Lying in bed, Summer sorted through her memories.

She recalled-the night before she was married off to Alexander, her father, Margaret, Isabella, and even James had all come sniffing around for her mother's hidden fortune.

Truth was, she didn't know where her mother had hidden the money. But if they wanted it so badly. she'd make sure they enjoyed it in hell.

Suddenly-

Her eyes snapped open, sharp and alert.

Someone was here.

The footsteps were almost silent, but they didn't escape her newly clear senses.

She slipped quietly out of bed, the silver needles her mother gave her already in hand-ready to strike.

Claire Ford, Summer's mother, had been the most renowned doctor in City Q. She taught Summer everything she knew as a child.

After losing her mind, Summer couldn't carry on her legacy. But now that she was back-fully aware and deadly precise-there was no reason to hold back.

Just as she was about to strike, a dark figure vaulted through the window, pinning her firmly to the bed.

Summer struggled on instinct-until she felt the solid chest against hers and heard his ragged breathing near her ear. That familiar presence made her freeze, eyes welling up instantly.

She'd know him anywhere.

His lips brushed her ear, breath warm and unsteady. His voice was low, rough, yet undeniably compelling-and heartbreakingly familiar.

"Help me,"he whispered.

‌

In the darkness, ‌moonlight filtering through the window‌ outlined the sharp angles of the man's face and his ‌piercing gaze‌ – eyes that burned into hers with unsettling intensity.

‌Alexander Barron.‌

‌Hers.‌

In her past life, Summer Knight had been ‌marooned‌ on his private island by Margaret Blake, only to discover Alexander defied every vicious rumor. Far from a ‌sadistic beast‌, he was ‌devastatingly attractive‌, with an aristocratic aloofness that ‌drew people in like gravity‌. Later, as ‌heir to the Barron empire‌, he'd ‌lavished her with diamonds and silks‌, yet-

‌God, she'd been an idiot.‌

‌Played‌ by Isabella Knight and James Carter, she'd believed Alexander ‌strong-armed‌ her family into the marriage. She'd ‌betrayed his trust‌, leaked his trade secrets, ‌crippled his fortune‌... then handed him the ‌cyanide-laced whiskey‌.

‌The memory twisted like a knife.‌

Now here he stood-‌warm skin under her fingertips‌, so close she could count his lashes. Her throat tightened; ‌words dissolved into silence‌.

‌After a lifetime of waiting.‌

But this wasn't the same Summer. ‌Trained in her mother's medicinal arts‌, she instantly recognized the ‌drug haze‌ in his pupils-‌not recreational, but industrial-grade‌.

‌Then why come to her?‌

His palm ‌cradled‌ her jaw. Then-‌heat, pressure, the dizzying taste of him‌.

When they broke apart, his eyes held ‌a promise that scorched her resolve‌. She'd surrender ‌every inch of herself‌-‌he'd owned her soul since before she knew how to spell "regret."‌

But the Knight estate had ‌ears in every shadow‌. One sound could ‌torpedo‌ his precarious reputation, ‌derail‌ his succession. She knew ‌better than oxygen‌ how much the Barron empire meant to him.

"D-don't."Her whimper ‌wouldn't deter a house cat‌. Alexander's grip ‌only hardened‌, ‌steel fingers‌ circling her wrists.

Then-‌white-hot rupture‌.

Tears ‌shattered‌ down her cheeks. Above her, Alexander exhaled ‌rough satisfaction‌, voice ‌gravel-deep‌:"Nina. finally mine."

‌Nina?‌

‌Men only cry names when they're wrecked by love.‌

Her pulse ‌stuttered‌.

‌This changed everything.‌

The timeline had shifted. That version where he'd ‌worshipped her unconditionally‌-‌gone‌. Now his heart ‌belonged to a ghost‌.

‌Suddenly, their wedding night made sense.‌

His refusal to consummate, just tracing her brows, murmuring:"It's you, isn't it?"

‌Not her.‌

‌A reflection.‌

‌A placeholder.‌

Her hope ‌extinguished like a candle in a storm‌. She curled inward, ‌nails biting her palm‌, until his ‌drug-induced exhaustion‌ claimed him. Then-‌silver needles flashing‌, she targeted his pressure points.

‌Whoever Nina was didn't matter.‌

‌This debt would be repaid.‌

By dawn, he'd ‌walk into that boardroom pristine‌, thanks to her draining every ounce of strength. As darkness swallowed her, one thought remained:

Whatever I owed you last lifetime, I'll repay it in full this time-no matter what it takes.

The next morning.

Just as the first hint of dawn tinged the sky, Alexander Barron's eyes snapped open-cold and sharply alert.

His gaze swept briefly across the room before landing on the woman sleeping peacefully beside him. Only then did the ice in his expression thaw slightly.

He always woke at six, sharp. But today, he'd overslept by almost half an hour.

Then again, he'd finally gotten the one woman he'd been obsessed with for years.

But looking down at Summer Knight-her skin marked with bruises he'd left behind-a heavy wave of guilt crashed over him.

He knew perfectly well what he'd done. He'd taken her while she was scared, crying, pushing him away. He remembered it all, and it clawed at him.

Still, he hadn't seen any other way to make her stay-to keep her with him, and safe.

Even though someone had drugged him to the edge of madness, in the end. it had played right into his hands.

Now he had to return and confront his family. He'd demand they change the bride.

After all, the only one he ever wanted was Summer.

He leaned in, gently smoothing the faint crease between her brows. His lips hovered near her ear, voice low but firm.

"Nina, I'll make this right for you."

With that, Alexander slipped silently from the bed and began to dress.

His men had handled everything the night before-the entire Knight household had been drugged into unconsciousness long before he ever arrived.

So now, he could leave without looking back.

-

Summer didn't wake until the sun was high.

Her whole body ached as if she'd been hit by a truck.

Still half-asleep, she reached out instinctively toward the other side of the bed-just like she used to in her past life.

It was empty. Cold.

Alexander was gone.

She didn't know if he even realized what he'd done to her last night.

But the fact that he'd left without a word said it all.

Clearly, in this life, Alexander Barron felt nothing for her.

A dull, heavy pain tightened in her chest. Summer pressed a hand there, breathing slowly, and sat up.

Then, shaky but resolved, she rose and walked to the wardrobe.

She lifted her glistening eyes, took one look inside, and instantly frowned. Every piece was some shade of shocking red or electric purple-the kind of tacky that burned the eyes.

Just thinking about how she used to cake her face white, slap on clownish blush, and parade around in these ridiculous dresses made Summer's skin crawl. No wonder all of City Q knew the Knight family's second daughter-and forgot the first even existed.

People used to say she took after her mother-Claire Ford, once hailed as City Q's top surgical genius. They called them a pair:one lunatic, one fool.

But no one knew better than Summer why her mother really lost her mind. or how she truly died.

Now that she'd been given a second chance, she wouldn't just chase love or revenge-this time, she'd clear her name and her mother's.

Summer finally dug out the least offensive thing from that rainbow disaster, changed, and headed downstairs.

In the dining room, Charles Knight, Isabella, and Margaret Blake were already seated, playing happy family-what a pathetic joke.

They used to act like she didn't exist. But now, since Isabella still needed her to take her place and marry Alexander, things were different. The moment they saw her, Isabella flashed an exaggerated smile and chirped,"Sis! Come sit! Hurry!"

"If Summer eats her egg today, she'll grow even prettier!"

A cold glint flashed through Summer's eyes, though her face stayed blank and naive.

She skipped over like a careless child, plopped down, and began shoveling food into her mouth with her hands-exactly the way Margaret and Isabella had taught her to eat-so Charles would see her as disgusting and all of high society would want nothing to do with her.

Sure enough, not two seconds later, Charles Knight's face already twisting in disgust, ready to scream at her like always.

But before he could get a word out, Summer suddenly looked up, grinned vacantly, and giggled:

"Daddy, remember when you asked about Mom's treasure? I just remembered where it is!"

"Where?!"he blurted out.

Instantly, not just Charles-but Isabella and Margaret too-snapped to attention, eyes wide, hanging on her every word.