Who Exactly Owns the Richest Man’s Engagement Ring
In my first life, the fake heiress secretly had the ring resized and married him. The magnate lashed her face raw and screamed, Its not her!
In my second life, my adopted sister lost sixty pounds to fit into the ring. The magnate shoved her from a balcony and snarled, Its not her either!
In my third life, my stepmother, in a grim act of determination, shaved the flesh from her own finger to force it on. The magnate just laughed coldly and drowned her in the bathtub.
In my fourth life, they ran out of ideas. Terrified, they pushed me forward.
I slipped the ring on. It was a perfect fit. The whole family breathed a sigh of relief.
But the moment the magnate saw me, he drew a knife and gutted me, his voice a roar of despair: How are you still not her? Where is she!
In this, my final life, the magnates secretary delivered the ring. This time, all four of us said it didnt fit.
But the secretary gave us a strange look. Mr. Sterling was very clear. The owner of this ring is among you.
The four of us stared at the diamond, the size of a pigeons egg, completely baffled.
Every eligible woman in the family had already tried marrying him. Who on earth did this man actually want?
My stepmother, Meredith, repeatedly questioned the secretary. Are you certain there hasn't been a mistake? I dont believe anyone in the Ashwood family is Mr. Sterlings beloved.
Otherwise, we wouldnt have nearly completed a collection of family corpses over four attempts.
But the secretarys brow furrowed in annoyance. His voice was stern and serious. At Mr. Sterlings gala, the four of you occupied a table alone. He glanced your way and told me explicitly that the rings owner was among the four ladies of the Ashwood family. There is absolutely no mistake.
He held out the velvet box, his posture oozing arrogance. Shall we try it on, one by one?
Seraphina, the fake heiress who cared most about her appearance, shrank back. Im allergic to diamonds. Ill die on the spot.
Lily, my adopted sister who would do anything for money, waved her hands frantically. Im so fat, Id break the ring!
Meredith, who had been looking for a way out of her widowhood for years, forced a smile that was uglier than a grimace. My heart belongs to my late husband. Mr. Sterling couldn't possibly be in love with me.
Finally, all eyes fell on me. The secretarys face crinkled into a wide grin. Miss Elara Ashwood, wasnt it you who shared a fateful glance with Mr. Sterling? Love at first sight, I believe?
This ring must be meant for you.
Love at first sight? My heart was barely beating at all.
In my last life, when I heard those words, I had been moved to tears. After all, Alistair Sterling and I had been in a secret relationship. Hed even had the ring made using my measurements. So when I finally escaped the clutches of the other three and married him, I thought my suffering was over. I waited for him in our marriage bed, trembling with a mix of excitement and shy anticipation.
But the moment he saw my face clearly, his expression contorted with rage. He grabbed a fruit knife and stabbed me until I was nothing but holes. His eyes, reflecting my own terrified face, burned with an inferno of fury.
How dare you take her place? You are not her!
I bled out in agony, and even after I woke up in this new life, I couldnt understand it. If the woman Alistair was searching for wasnt me, then who could it possibly be?
Lost in thought, I stood frozen, not taking the ring from the secretarys hand.
He smiled condescendingly. Marrying into the Sterling family is a great deal of pressure. I suppose you need some time to prepare yourselves mentally. Very well. Mr. Sterling will come in person tomorrow. That gives you one night to think it over. Ill leave the ring here for now.
He left the box on the table and departed in a diamond-studded, stretch Maybach. But as we stared at the blindingly brilliant diamond, none of us dared to touch it. We were all too afraid to die.
For the first time in years, the three women who had made my life a living hell were on my side. We held an emergency meeting in the living room. They took turns trying to slip the ring on, but in the end, they confirmed it again: my finger was the only one that came close.
Meredith looked at me suspiciously. Are you sure he killed you on your wedding night too?
I rolled my eyes. My body was delivered back to this house looking like a sieve. You all saw it, didnt you?
Lily nodded vigorously. It was brutal. There wasnt an inch of skin left untouched.
Even Seraphina sighed. I spent ten years fighting with Elara, but when I saw that even I felt sorry for her.
We looked at each other and let out a collective, hopeless sigh.
Meredith broke down. If we cant produce the right woman tomorrow, is he going to kill us all?
The other two looked just as grim.
Suddenly, I had an idea. There might be a way. The gala there must be security footage, right? If the person hes looking for isnt one of us, maybe we can find his real beloved on the tape.
Driven by the need to save our own skins, we sprang into action, immediately hailing a cab to the hotel where the gala was held.
Lily, a master of playing the victim, used her crocodile tears to gain us access to the security room.
The footage began. As the gala opened, the Ashwood family, having lost its patriarch, was relegated to a lowly table in the corner.
Meredith frowned. Thats definitely us, tucked away in the back.
And because the four of us radiated a force field of animosity, no one else dared to sit with us. Not even our distant relatives.
Seraphina was puzzled. And its only the four of us.
Then, Alistair Sterling made his grand entrance, striding down the red carpet. But as he passed our table, he stopped. He turned with unnerving precision, his gaze landing directly on us. A shockingly tender smile spread across his face as he leaned over and said something to his secretary.
Watching that smile now, we felt nothing but a cold, creeping dread.
It seems, I said, my voice hollow, that his beloved really is one of us.
Four pairs of eyes met, and in each, I saw the same stark terror. If we didnt all share the memories of our past four lives, this would be an unsolvable mystery.
Lily shivered. If its really one of us then why would he kill us in such horrible ways?
I took a deep breath. A single, desperate plan began to form in my mind.
I looked at them with newfound resolve. I think I need to go to the Sterling mansion. Wait for my signal.
Under their gazes of awe and gratitude, I set off. They had no idea that I was the most bewildered of all.
Because, up until this very moment, Alistair Sterling and I were still in a secret relationship.
And he was the one who had pursued me.
Using the private entrance we always used for our clandestine meetings, I easily slipped into Alistairs private study.
He started when he saw me, then his expression smoothed over. Youre here. Why didnt you call first?
The gentle man before me flickered, overlapping with the image of the madman who had butchered me in my last life. I suppressed a tremor of fear and stepped forward. The woman you intend to marry is it me?
Alistair paused, a strange, unnatural flicker in his eyes. Weve been together for so long. Dont you know my heart by now? I sent the ring to the Ashwood family to ask for my beloveds hand. Of course, it was for you.
He smiled, pulling me onto his lap in an intimate gesture. But I detected a critical omission in his words.
He said he was marrying his beloved, but he never explicitly said his beloved was me.
I dug my nails into my palm and forced a smile. So, who is she, then? Your beloved?
He fell silent, his eyes raking over me. You should know. Why are you asking me this?
I thought he would continue to be evasive, but then he added, Of course, its you, Elara. As long as you want it to be you, it will be you. Marry me tomorrow, and I promise Ill treat you well.
I stared into his eyes, seeing nothing but deep affection. Ever since our affair began, he had been incredibly good to me. I wasnt the brightest, I was constantly bullied by Meredith and the others, and I had no shares in the family company. But Alistair had supported me in secret, giving me gifts that the Ashwood family could only dream of. A man born with a silver spoon, he would personally tie my shoelaces and cook for me.
I had once been so sure that I was the one he wanted to marry.
But I had also seen him transform into a deranged monster, screaming as he plunged a knife into my heart.
Youre not her! Why do you get to marry me in her place?
A hollow title is all you have! Do you really think youre worthy of me?
You were just a toy to pass the time! How dare you dream of replacing her!
I snapped back to reality as he took my hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. I had to fight the urge to snatch it away. But that one gesture sparked a thoughtan insane, yet terrifyingly logical theory.
I looked at him, my eyes wide with disbelief. Your beloved is
He cut me off, placing a finger over my lips. His eyes flashed with a dangerous glint. Youre asking a few too many questions tonight, aren't you? The warmth returned to his expression just as quickly. Tomorrow is our big day. You should go home and get some rest.
A fine, chilling fear prickled my skin. I nodded quickly and left.
When I got back to the Ashwood house, the other three were still awake, pacing anxiously. They swarmed me the moment I walked in.
What happened? Do you know who his beloved is?
I said nothing, just shaking my head.
Their faces fell, filled with a mixture of frustration and despair.
Lily started to cry. I dont want to die! Maybe we should just run away!
Meredith snapped at her. Run where? Alistair Sterling is the most powerful man in the country. Hed find us no matter how far we went.
Seraphinas jaw was set. There are only four hours until dawn. Running would at least buy us a few more days. Its better than dying tomorrow.
But I cut in, my voice firm. We cant run.
Someone has to marry him.
And its going to be me.
Seraphina stared at me in disbelief. I know I despise you, Elara, but have you forgotten how horribly you died last time?
Meredith frowned. If youre still this blinded by love, Im starting to think I was too easy on you all these years.
The billion-dollar ring still sat on the table, its massive diamond glittering under the light.
If Seraphina wore it, her face would be beaten to a pulp and shed be left to die of infection in a cellar.
If Lily wore it, shed be pushed from a balcony, her body shattering on impact, left to die in agony.
If Meredith wore it, shed be drowned in a tub, her body bloating before being unceremoniously dumped back on our doorstep.
And if I wore it, my death would be the most painful of all. To punish his impudent mistress, Alistair had stabbed me twenty times, each wound carefully placed to avoid a quick death. I had bled out slowly, feeling the life drain from my body, a terrifying, drawn-out execution that had left even my worst enemies shaken.
The perfectly cut diamond sparkled, a beautiful guillotine waiting for one of us.
I walked over and slid the ring onto my finger without hesitation.
Of course I know the risks. But this is the only way for all of us to survive.
Lily stared at me, her eyes wide. What do you know?
Telling them the truth would certainly increase our chances of success. But if my theory was correct, the truth was too bizarre, too horrifying. I couldnt drag them all into it.
I shook my head. Im sorry. I cant tell you yet.
Seraphinas expression was grave. What do you need us to do?
I lowered my eyes. I need you to attend the wedding tomorrow and act as if you know nothing.
Merediths brow furrowed deeply. Hes going to stab you to death after the ceremony, and you want us to pretend everything is normal?!
The three of them looked at me, their faces etched with genuine concern. For the first time, we were truly on the same side. I thought about all the petty things they had done to me over the yearssmall schemes to get more money or make my life difficult, but never anything that threatened my life.
And yet the man I loved and trusted had tortured me to death on our wedding night.
I took a deep breath and decided to tell them a part of the truth.
When I went to see Alistair tonight, he grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. Thats when I realized who his beloved is.
She is one of the four of us. Someone we would never, ever suspect. She is
I looked each of them in the eye, delivering the answer they had been waiting for. Lowering my gaze to hide the guilt and sorrow, I pointed to myself.
Alistair Sterlings beloved is me.
The other three were aghast, shaking their heads in disbelief.
Lily grabbed my arm. Thats impossible! If you were really the one he wanted to marry, why would he kill you so brutally?
Seraphinas eyes were red. I saw your body with my own eyes. It was you. It makes no sense for him to marry you just to murder you in such a cruel way!
Meredith couldnt wrap her head around it. The Ashwood and Sterling families have been business partners for generations. Theres no feud between us. He has no reason to torture the woman he loves like this.
Believe me or not, I said, its me. Thats all I can tell you.
Though they didnt believe me, there was nothing they could do. The next morning, Alistair arrived with his secretary. I went to greet him, wearing the ring, and studied his face carefully. He smiled warmly, his eyes filled with adoration as he looked at me. For a moment, even Meredith, Seraphina, and Lily started to believe my story. If only they hadn't seen my mangled corpse in a past life.
The wedding proceeded as planned. At Alistairs supposed request, we both walked down the aisle wearing veils. In front of all the guests, he recited his vows with heartfelt sincerity and placed the wedding band on my finger. When we lifted our veils, he looked at me with an expression of profound love, as if he had finally found the person hed been searching for his entire life.
This ring belongs to you, he said gently. It suits you perfectly.
The massive diamond was a perfect fit, clearly made just for me.
I looked at his familiar face, and a memory flashed through my mind: him, holding my face with such tenderness as he drafted the papers to transfer company shares to my name. He had hated seeing me bullied at home and wanted to give me the power to stand up for myself. When I was sick, he would drop everything to take care of me. The time I spent with him had been the happiest of my life.
I smiled at him. I love you.
The room erupted in applause, the guests moved by his devotion and my love. There wasn't a single crack in Alistairs facade.
During the reception, I changed into a traditional gown and went with him to greet my familys table.
Seraphina leaned in close, her face a mask of confusion. Is my memory failing me? Does he actually love you?
Lily looked just as baffled. You werent lying to us, were you?
After all, in our previous lives, there had been no wedding ceremony, just a quick, perfunctory process before I was sent to the bridal suite. But this time, there was a grand wedding, and Alistair was looking at me with eyes reserved only for a beloved.
I forced a smile and said nothing. If only I had been lying. But the fact that he had brutally murdered me in my last life was an unchangeable truth.
I tilted my head back, drank my wine, and waited for the night to fall.
Even the grandest reception must end. When the last guest had departed, I went to the bridal suite to await my husband.
On the table sat a sharp fruit knife next to a peeled apple. I knew hiding it would be useless. In my last life, the knife hed used had been hidden under the mattress. He had likely stashed weapons all over the room, all for the purpose of killing me.
As the night deepened, the servants of the Sterling estate discreetly withdrew, leaving the two of us alone.
I glanced at the clock. He would be here any second.
The door opened, and Alistair walked in.
The moment he saw me, his brow furrowed, his face twisting into a mask of madness.
You are not her! How dare you marry me in her place!
He snatched the fruit knife from the table. Ill kill you!
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