Chapter 1

I, Tanya White, was the Grim Reaper personally hired by Richard Stone at a staggering cost to extend the life of his short-lived grandson, Cedric Stone.

I told Cedric to stay away from alcohol and cigarettes during the ritual, but he locked me in a bathtub filled with liquor and had ten burly men smoke beside me nonstop.

I warned him that once the ritual reached its critical stage, he absolutely could not indulge in lust. In response, he immediately summoned his first love, Arianna Jones, and spent the next month drinking and partying with her every single night.

I begged the Lord of the Underworld to give him 99 chances. Yet on the final chance, he locked me up and went off to help his beloved Arianna look for her dog.

"Tanya White, you are a total fraud. That so-called short life curse is complete nonsense. Only Grandpa would be old enough to fall for that kind of superstition.

"I didn't cooperate at all, and yet here I am, perfectly fine."

This time, I didn't try to convince him. If he didn't want to live, then I would honor that choice.

…

"That jerk. How could he do this to Tanya? Find him, and bring him back no matter what." Richard was shaking with rage as he repeatedly slammed his cane against the floor.

I coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The metallic taste burned my mouth, making me choke and cough uncontrollably.

"Tanya! How are you doing? It's all my fault! I never thought that idiot would hurt you like this!"

I shook my head, unable to speak.

Today was Cedric's final chance to extend his life. He had promised he would cooperate, yet the moment Arianna called, he left and never returned.

I was already defying the natural order by extending a mortal's lifespan, but Cedric's stubborn refusal to cooperate the initial 99 times had almost exhausted my spiritual power.

I never imagined the heavens would unleash a lightning strike that would rip through my very soul.

Blood seeped from every inch of my skin. All my magical energy was destroyed, and I collapsed unconscious inside the ritual array.

Yet, when I saw the guilt on Richard's face, I couldn't bring myself to blame him.

I had been an orphan in my previous life, starving to death on the run. The ground was covered with corpses. One more body among the pile would have been nothing.

Richard had taken pity on me. With the last three coins he had set aside for his own survival, he bought me a straw mat to keep me from being ripped apart by wild wolves.

After I became a Grim Reaper, I saw Richard kneeling before the Hall of Judgment in this life.

His grandson Cedric had been sickly since childhood. He was destined for a short life, and in his ten consecutive lifetimes, he had never lived past 30.

Richard took Cedric to countless doctors and prayed to every god he knew, but nothing worked. In desperation, he even went so far as to knock on the gates of the Underworld.

"Lord of the Underworld, please see the truth. The Stone family has never done anything wrong. Why has my grandson failed to meet a good end for ten lifetimes in a row?"

He had cried and kneeled until his knees were bruised and bleeding.

I remembered his kindness, so I brought him into the Underworld and begged the Lord of the Underworld to allow me to extend Cedric's life.

I never expected that a single act of repaying a debt would nearly cost me my own existence.

"Tanya, Cedric's the one at fault. Can you give him one more chance?" Richard pleaded.

"There are no more chances," I calmly said. "You buried me in your previous life. I've already destroyed all my power to repay that debt. Now, there is nothing left I can do."

"This will be the end of the Stone family…" Richard's voice shook with grief as he tried to persuade me further.

Then one of his men burst in with a phone in hand. "Mr. Stone Senior, we managed to reach Mr. Stone!"

Richard's grief quickly turned to fury. He snatched the phone and shouted, "You ungrateful fool! Where have you run off to this time?"

Cedric's mocking drawl came through, "That shameless woman complained to you again, didn't she?"

Richard barked back, "What shameless woman? She's your fiancée!"

Cedric's laughter echoed from the line. "My fiancée? Tell her this—the only woman I recognize as my wife in this life is Ari. That gold-digging witch isn't even worth mentioning alongside her."

He paused for a moment before adding, "I have to go. Coco ran off, and Ari's crying her eyes out. I'm going to help her find Coco."

Richard nearly choked on his anger. "All this just for a dog?"

Then, the line went dead with a beep.

Richard slammed his fist against his chest and stomped his feet in anger. "Tanya, don't worry. I'll bring him back and give you an explanation!"

I took a deep breath and stood up. "No need, Richard. I heard him loud and clear. Everyone has to face the consequences of their own actions. I was the one forcing things before."

"But if you leave the Stone family, where will you go?" Richard asked. He knew about my wager with the Lord of the Underworld and was worried for me.

But I no longer felt any attachment to this place.

I went back to my room to pack and leave as quickly as possible. However, it was only to walk in and find Cedric and Arianna entwined together.

Chapter 2

"Cedric, are we really allowed to do this in your fiancée's room?" Arianna softly asked.

Her legs were pinned against his chest, and her voice broke into fragments with each thrust. "She's your fiancée, after all."

"You little tease." Cedric laughed. "Isn't this exactly the kind of excitement you like?"

He buried himself in her, driving harder until Arianna shivered and trembled in pleasure.

When it was over, Cedric leaned back against the headboard and lit a cigarette. Through the haze of smoke, our eyes met at the doorway.

"If you're going to leave, do it now. Don't stand there and ruin Ari's mood," he said.

I didn't respond. I merely walked straight in and began packing my things.

Through the drifting smoke, Cedric's face seemed completely unfamiliar. He was no longer the boy I remembered.

In my past life, he had followed Richard to bury me, and one lone tear had fallen from his eye and onto my face.

For that tear, I had kneeled before the Lord of the Underworld for 49 days straight, begging until he'd finally sighed and struck a wager with me.

"Human hearts are fickle. You've already passed beyond the bounds of life and death, and you shouldn't meddle with fate.

"This is your trial. If he truly cares for you, I will grant an exception, allowing you to extend his life and remain with him in the living world for one lifetime. But if he fails, you must accept your destiny and move on."

I'd dropped to my knees in gratitude.

Yet, returning to the living world was far from easy.

I'd endured every torment imaginable, from scalding oil and searing flames to crushing stones, slicing blades, and steaming vats—I passed through every level of hell. Only after surviving it all was I able to return with Richard and stand before Cedric as his fiancée.

I liked him. He was the only one who had ever shed tears for me.

My heart wavered despite myself as I saw the man he had grown into.

For his sake, I scoured the world for rare treasures and cast aside all pride to beg the Lord of the Underworld for 99 chances.

Even then, I'd lost everything.

I hurriedly packed my things, eager to get away. Meanwhile, Arianna remained nestled against Cedric's chest and shot me a provocative look. "Cedric, you're so good to me. I have a gift for you too."

She reached under the pillow and pulled out a collar. Dangling from it was the Eternity Bell, the very bell I had fought through agonizing trials to retrieve from the River of Lost Souls—all to preserve Cedric's life.

"Give it back!" I shouted, lunging forward.

Cedric grabbed my wrist. "It's just a bell. If Ari likes it, it's hers."

"Cedric! She can have anything else I own, but not that!"

He slapped me across the face. "Why not? Tanya, you're nothing but a leech who tricked my grandfather to stay with the Stone family. What gives you the right to refuse? If you care about it that much, I'll smash it right in front of you."

He threw the bell to the floor and crushed it under his foot.

I screamed and lunged forward, only to be held down by the bodyguards. "Cedric, that bell was meant to save your life! You've desecrated it and destroyed it. You'll pay for this!" I desperately yelled.

Even though I no longer loved him, I couldn't bear to watch him lose more of his life.

"Desire between a man and a woman is only natural," Cedric coldly said. "How can you call that desecration? If that's what you think, then I'll show you how to cleanse it properly." He undid his pants and urinated over the bell.

Black smoke immediately rose up, ruining the bell beyond repair.

My heart shattered as I stared at the bell I had risked everything to retrieve. "Cedric, why are you doing this to me?"

Cedric's hand clamped down on my chin. "Why? Tanya, you stole a hundred million dollars from my grandfather. Do you really think I wouldn't see through it?"

Chapter 3

"No, Cedric! That hundred million…"

I tried to explain, but Cedric yanked my hair and dragged me into the basement. Everything I hadn't managed to say turned into screams of pain.

"Strap her in!"

The bodyguards forced me into a chair in the center of the basement, blindfolded me, and tied my arms and legs tight.

"Gold diggers are nothing new to the Stone family, but no one's ever pulled something like this. Today, you'll learn the price of such ambition."

The sudden darkness sent me into an instant panic. I struggled desperately. "Cedric, I didn't take Mr. Stone Senior's money. That hundred million dollars was ransom money to buy your life from the Underworld!"

"What did you say?" Cedric asked, staring at me in shock.

"Back then, your fever just wouldn't go down. Mr. Stone Senior had no choice but to turn to the Underworld, but mortals can't enter. So, I took the hundred million dollars he offered as a life-price and brought him inside. That's why you're still alive."

"So, you really are a Grim Reaper?" Cedric hesitantly asked.

I thought he finally believed me. Just as I was about to nod, his manic laughter filled the room. "Did everyone hear that? This crazy woman actually believes she can take Arianna's place as the future Mrs. Stone. She has no idea what she's in for."

Cedric had started a livestream by then, and what I'd said made everyone watching think I had lost my mind.

The comments blew up.

"Damn, that's really Mr. Stone. She just walked straight into the lion's den."

"She's not bad looking, but how is she so crazy?"

"I've got a project worth tens of billions. I could 'invest' in her tonight."

"Women these days are obsessed with money. She even tried to scam Mr. Stone."

The livestream was full of people mocking me.

Meanwhile, Arianna rested against Cedric, looking pleased. "Cedric, why bother arguing? Let her experience the electric chair for herself. It'll show her that being rich doesn't mean you're a fool."

The words "electric chair" made my heart drop. With my powers completely gone, I was even more fragile than a mortal.

Ignoring the comments, I urgently said, "Cedric, I'm telling the truth. You're cursed with ten short lifetimes and were never supposed to live past 30. You destroyed the Eternity Bell that was keeping you alive. If you don't stop now, you'll be dead in seven days."

But before I could finish, my head snapped to the side as I was struck.

Cedric's large hand clamped tightly around my throat. "Bitch, how dare you curse me? The Stone family's power is destiny.

"You claim I won't last seven days? Well, let's see if you can even save yourself now."

"Please, don't. I'm begging you," I cried.

But Arianna flipped the switch before I could do anything.

My plea instantly turned into a piercing scream that tore through the basement.

The electricity surged through me like tangled wire. Tears and saliva ran unchecked as my mind was flooded with white light, and my teeth chattered uncontrollably.

It felt as if an invisible hand was crushing my organs, and the pain was so intense that I kept retching.

All the while, Cedric held Arianna in his arms, laughing like a madman as the room filled with the smell of charr.

…

Meanwhile, Noah Blake, the world's richest man, saw the whole thing live.

Chapter 4

"This is insane! No wonder it's Mr. Stone. He even dared to stream something like this."

"A gold-digging woman deserves it! Mr. Stone is amazing. Let's see who dares try him next."

Suddenly, the system notification sounded, and the livestream was finally shut down.

My ears still rang, and my body kept twitching uncontrollably.

"Cedric, you bastard. Open the door!"

Something slammed hard against the door. It was Richard.

"Mr. Stone Senior, save me!" I cried, struggling with everything I had left.

Cedric coldly chuckled. "Tanya, do you really think Grandpa can save you? I built this room just for you. The door's reinforced. Even he can't get in." He grabbed my chin, yanked off the blindfold, and stared at me with a satisfaction that made my blood run cold.

"What do you want from me? What will it take for you to let me go?"

"Let you go? So now you're afraid? Too bad. When you leaned on Grandpa's favor to push Arianna around, did it never occur to you that this would happen?"

"Push Arianna around?" I laughed bitterly. "Do you mean the first time, when I told you to quit smoking and drinking, and she made ten men hold me down in a wine barrel all night just to get you to a bar?

"Or the second time, when I told you to restrain yourself, and she locked me in a cage and made me watch you two together every night for a month?"

Cedric slapped me across the face. "So what? Ari's kind. If you hadn't used your fake rituals to keep her away from me, she wouldn't have done any of that."

Richard continued pounding the door in frustration. "What kind of curse made me raise a monster like you?

"Pathetic! None of you can even get this door open!"

Arianna's eyes flickered as she hooked her arm around Cedric's. "Cedric, why don't we keep Tanya? I'm bored of Coco. Let's break her hands and feet and keep her as my pet."

Cedric laughed, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Clever. We'll do just that.

"But if she's going to be a pet, she'll need to learn how to behave." He took the red-hot branding iron from the bodyguard and pressed it against my face.

My scream echoed through the room as the stench of burning flesh filled my nose.

Richard begged him to stop from outside, but Cedric only seemed to get more excited.

He replaced the branding iron with a hammer and leaned in, gripping my chin and saying, "Sooner or later, Grandpa will see the truth and know Arianna is the better choice."

I couldn't take it anymore. I bit down hard on his hand.

Cedric's fury boiled over as he raised the hammer.

Just then, the sound of a chainsaw cut through the room. The reinforced door splintered, and Noah charged in with his men. "Take them down!"

As the richest man in the country, Noah's team was highly trained. They quickly overpowered Cedric's men.

"Ms. White, are you alright? I'm getting you out of here."

I had no strength to resist, so I let him pick me up.

"Tanya, if you leave, don't ever return!" Cedric shouted, then abruptly vomited a mouthful of blood.

"What's happening to me?" he muttered, staring at his blood-covered hands as his vision blurred.

Richard finally reached him and grabbed his arm. "You monster. Everything Tanya said was true. This is your punishment."

Cedric looked at his hands in shock. Then, his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground.

Chapter 5

"Bullshit! How can I possibly die in seven days? None of it is real! Tanya, I'll never believe you!"

Cedric rushed at me with his fists up, but Noah quickly sent him crashing down. "Cedric, isn't it? People like you will always have to pay for your deeds in the end. Even the gods won't save you this time. Just face it."

Richard hobbled over on his cane and dropped to his knees before me. "Tanya, the Stone family has wronged you. But Cedric's so young. Please, think of a way to save him. I'll give you anything you want, even my life," he helplessly pleaded, just as he had three years ago in the Hall of Judgement.

"She's a fraud. Why are you begging her?" Cedric asked, dragging Richard to his feet.

Under the cold fluorescent lighting, his face twisted in anger. "Tanya, you really would do anything to marry into the Stone family, huh?

"Who is this stranger you've brought here? Do you think this little act can fool me? If you dare go with him today, I'll cancel the engagement right now."

Every part of me hurt as I weakly said, "Do as you wish."

For a brief moment, shock flickered across Cedric's face. Then, it was replaced by fury. "You said it! Don't come crawling back afterward!"

"I'll take her to the hospital first." Noah shoved Cedric aside and carried me away.

As things began to spiral out of control, Arianna, who had been hiding, finally stepped forward. She nervously tugged at Cedric's sleeve. "Cedric…"

However, Cedric was still furious. He shoved her away and kicked the broken door behind him. Then, he walked off without looking back.

He returned to our room, where the air still carried the scent of him and Arianna from their earlier indulgence.

"She won't leave. She's been devoted to me for three years. There's no way she could walk away so easily. If she won't yield softly, then we'll see who's stronger."

Cedric didn't understand why he felt so furious. He just knew he couldn't bear another moment of it.

He immediately gathered all the reporters for a press conference, announced the cancellation of our engagement, and publicly declared that Arianna would be his only wife.

After the press conference, Arianna was ecstatic. However, not a flicker of joy appeared on Cedric's face.

He'd expected me to angrily confront him and try to reason with him, just as I had in the past.

"She'll be back begging me in less than three hours!"

At the club, he gathered his cronies.

"Exactly! Everyone knows Tanya is nothing but Mr. Stone's lapdog!"

"She's been trailing Mr. Stone everywhere all these years. If he's so much as an hour late, she shows up in person to fetch him. There's no way she could ever actually walk away."

Listening to their chatter eased Cedric slightly, and he immediately summoned 99 hostesses, proudly waiting for me to appear.

In the past, I'd always showed up, warning him not to smoke, drink, or indulge. I'd even begged him to value his life.

He was certain I wouldn't give up on him, so he ignored the faint unease in his heart.

But hours passed, and everyone grew exhausted, yet I still hadn't arrived.

The mood cooled, and his friends sensed something was off.

"Cedric, Tanya really isn't coming back, is she?"

Cedric's face darkened, and the room fell silent for a moment.

One friend raised a glass to break the tension. "Better if she doesn't! Who cares about her?"

"Today we celebrate Cedric's freedom! From now on, he and Arianna will be together forever!"

Cedric loudly agreed and reached for the glass, but his body uncontrollably collapsed backward.

…

When Cedric opened his eyes again, he was lying in bed at home.

Richard stood beside him, listening to the doctor with a grim expression. "We've done all the tests, but we couldn't find the cause. We can only see that Mr. Stone's organs are rapidly failing. You should prepare for the worst…"

But before the doctor could finish, Cedric grabbed him by the collar. "Are you working for Tanya? Did she send you to scare me because she regrets it?"

He wanted to ask more but was pushed aside by Richard. "You fool! Even now, you refuse to see the truth!"

Cedric finally panicked. "No, Grandpa! Tell me where Tanya is! Did you hide her?"

"Shut up!" Richard slammed his cane, knocking Cedric to the floor. "I personally brought Tanya back from the Hall of Judgement! She was no liar. It was Arianna, the one you idolize, who has been deceiving you all along!"

Cedric couldn't bear to hear a single word against Arianna. He sprang to his feet. "Arianna is the kindest person I've ever known! I won't allow anyone to slander her!"

"Kind?" Richard roared. "You're truly blind! Bring her here!"