Chapter 2: Rebirth from the Flames

Just as Oliver was about to lose all patience and leave, a phone call interrupted him. In the once-quiet room, the voice on the other end of the receiver was magnified. “Daddy, where are you? Come home, Mommy and I are waiting for you.” Oliver’s previously irritated expression softened instantly. “I’ll be there soon,” he replied. Without even realizing it, Oliver’s once-low, gruff voice lifted, and his pace quickened. He didn’t notice anything unusual about the woman sitting on the sofa. Moonlight poured into the villa, casting a pale glow over the once-dark room. Alison gently placed the birthday cake she had prepared for Natalia on the table and lit seven candles. She softly began to sing: “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...” With a calm expression, Alison pulled out the lighter she had prepared earlier and set the curtains ablaze. Gasoline had already been poured across the floor and walls. Alison had no intention of letting Natalia walk this path alone. If only she had refused the arranged marriage with Oliver, none of this pain would have happened. Alison sat back in front of the cake, cradling Natalia’s urn on her lap. “Natalia, happy birthday. Be Mommy’s guiding angel.” Flames slowly consumed the villa. --- At the White family’s gala, Oliver held a small boy in his left arm and had his right hand linked with a woman—Jenny Black. The attendees, all business partners of the White family, complimented Oliver’s seemingly perfect family. Suddenly, a doctor approached Oliver with a sorrowful expression. “Mr. White, my deepest condolences.” Oliver frowned, puzzled by the doctor’s words. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “After surgery, Natalia passed away due to a bacterial infection. Mrs. White has already collected her from the funeral home today.” Oliver sneered. “How much did Alison pay you to say that?” With a cold face, he downed the glass of wine in his hand. “Oliver, I sent you the death certificate this morning. You even replied to it.” As the doctor spoke, Jenny gripped her son’s hand tightly. The sudden ringing of Oliver’s phone cut through the tension at the gala. “Mr. White, the villa is on fire.” Without another word, Oliver dropped everything, leaving Jenny and her son behind, and rushed out. Standing in front of the burning villa, Oliver had no idea how he had managed to get there. Watching the flames engulf the house, he felt as if a knife had pierced his heart. Through the dining room window, he could vaguely make out Alison sitting in front of the birthday cake, holding Natalia’s urn tightly in her arms. Alison glanced up at the sharply dressed man standing outside, her lips curling into a faint smile. “Oliver, I hate you. If I could do it all over again, I’d rather...” Before Alison could finish her sentence, the entire house collapsed, preventing her from seeing Oliver’s expression. Perhaps Alison had hoped to see Oliver’s regret. In her mind, she imagined him kneeling on the ground. But none of that mattered anymore. Alison saw Natalia coming to greet her. “Mommy.” --- The searing heat crept over Alison’s skin, but the expected pain never came. Instead, she felt an overwhelming pressure on her mind. The sound of a glass shattering echoed in her ears, and then the pain in her arm hit her, snapping her back to reality. Alison found herself kneeling on the living room carpet, surrounded by people judging her actions. The scene before her was eerily familiar, causing a moment of disorientation. As Alison realized she had returned to the past, her body trembled uncontrollably. Ignoring the stares around her, she pinched her arm hard, sending a jolt of pain to her brain. Tears filled her eyes. “Crying again? All you know how to do is cry! What, are you saying someone from the White family has bullied you?” A stern voice echoed in Alison’s ears. She looked up and saw Aiden White, the elder of the White family, sitting on the sofa. She quickly lowered her head, trying to suppress the excitement welling up inside her. The voices around her grew louder, each one condemning her actions. “She’s barely in her twenties, and she dared to drug the White family’s heir. Everyone knows the shameful things she’s done, but now she won’t even admit it. How disgraceful, coming from the White family!” “She’s not truly part of the White family. We don’t raise shameless women like her. The internet is full of her diaries about secretly being in love with Oliver. It’s disgusting! How did the White family end up raising someone like her, turning her into such a seductive disgrace!” “I’ve said it before: you can’t just bring anyone into the family. It’s like letting a wolf into the sheepfold. Poor Oliver—who knows where she learned these tricks to seduce him. Must be in the genes.” Several people turned their sharp gazes to Alison’s mother, Jane Lane, who stood silently at the back. Jane’s eyes hardened, her lips nearly bleeding from how tightly she bit them, yet she dared not defend her daughter. The root of it all was Alison’s unusual status. Alison was the stepdaughter of Lucas White, Oliver’s older brother. By bloodline, Oliver was Alison’s uncle. But the White family never acknowledged Alison’s place, so she wasn’t even allowed to call Oliver “uncle.” In her previous life, Alison had been accused, forced to apologize, and ultimately confessed to drugging Oliver, though it hadn’t been her. This might not have been such a big deal, but since Oliver was the heir to the White family, his marriage was crucial to the family’s future. A scandal like an out-of-wedlock pregnancy couldn’t tarnish his reputation. Yes, Alison was pregnant now, and confessing everything had turned the entire White family against her. They believed she had resorted to these disgraceful actions just to secure a permanent place within the family. Now, Alison was determined to rewrite her fate. She would not let the same tragedy repeat itself. Her gaze swept over the people in the room, lingering on the key members of the White family sitting on the sofa. Gone was the fear that had once plagued her. She was about to speak when familiar footsteps echoed from behind. Except for the elder in the center, everyone else’s expression became respectful. The man in the tailored suit didn’t spare Alison a glance. The butler stepped forward to take Oliver’s coat, bowing slightly. “Oliver, you’re back.” Oliver nodded in acknowledgment. He bent toward Aiden White, then sat in the chair beside him. Oliver completely ignored Alison, as though she wasn’t there. But Alison’s gaze was fixed on him, unwavering. It wasn’t until Oliver felt the weight of her stare that he finally looked at her. In that moment of eye contact, Alison felt a wave of fear rise within her, her hands clenching tightly together as she looked at his familiar face, filled with resentment.