Father hired two retired mercenaries as bodyguards. The younger one, steel-eyed, only had eyes for my sister. I got Allen—his hearing impaired, body trembling from neurotoxin damage. I chose him, unable to bear him becoming a training dummy for recruits. When his pain flared, I soothed his muscles through sleepless nights. Took him to specialists weekly, though he never thanked me. When he couldn’t protect me, I trained myself instead, begging Father not to send him away. I told myself war had broken him. That my care could fix him. Then came the lab explosion. He ripped the gas mask from my hands. "Rose needs this more," he rasped. As smoke swallowed me, his last words were: "Next life, I’ll repay you." That’s when I knew—his silence wasn’t trauma. It was a wall built just for me. I woke back in that sunlit room, the morning we chose our guards. ... I stared at the two brothers before me, the silence stretching. My sister, Rose, bit her lip, her gaze flickering nervously toward me. "Oh, Nina… maybe I should take Allen? You're so delicate, you really need someone strong like Finn to protect you." As she spoke, she took a tiny, deliberate step away from Finn and closer to Allen. The big, cold-shouldered man instantly went rigid, a flash of pure panic in his eyes. I remained silent, the memories of my first life crashing over me like a tidal wave. Last time, after Rose and Finn had all but chosen each other, I’d been caught in the same hesitation. And just like now, Rose had suddenly offered up the stronger brother, framing it as a sacrifice for my sake. Looking at her now, her face a perfect mask of concern, I remembered how I'd genuinely believed she was looking out for me. I’d been a fool, so sure of her goodness that I’d stubbornly refused. I didn't want my little sister to be saddled with a burden, and I couldn't stomach the thought of the frail-looking Allen being sent back to a place that would surely kill him. A decision that led to my death in a burning laboratory, where Rose, feigning reluctance, accepted the gas mask that both my bodyguards had ripped from me. Her chosen guard, Finn, had a perfect score in hazardous environment training. She had an emergency auto-injector of the antidote right there in her purse. But she’d only made a few token protests before accepting her prize. That was always her way. She knew I couldn’t stand to see anyone sacrifice for me, that I would always be the one to step back. She got what she wanted and the reputation of a saint for it. But not this time. "Fine," I said, my voice calm and even. "Let Allen be your guard." The self-satisfied smile waiting to bloom on Rose's face froze solid. She wasn't the only one stunned. Both brothers snapped their heads up, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief. "Don't be ridiculous!" my father's voice boomed, directed at Rose. "You are the heir to Leech Enterprises. Your safety is paramount. This man is a liability; he can't even take care of himself. How can he possibly protect you?" A small, knowing smile touched my lips. So, Father knew the full extent of Allen's condition. This whole selection process was just for show. But then… Rose’s tense shoulders visibly relaxed. She was just about to conjure up a tear when a voice, rough from disuse but clear, cut through the tension. "I'm fit for duty." My head shot up. The man who hadn't spoken a single word to me in five years in my past life was now speaking? My eyes met his. They were weary, haunted, but lucid. And in that moment, I knew. He remembered. He remembered everything. So much for repaying his debt in the next life. He’d come back just as terrified of being stuck with me as he was the first time. Too bad for him. This time, I had no intention of choosing him anyway. "My combat readiness can be tested, sir," Allen continued, his voice steady. I didn't doubt his skills for a second. After I died, my spirit had watched him take on three armed thugs to save Rose, his combat knife a silver blur as he slit their throats with chilling precision. The irony was bitter. I'd spent years training in martial arts just so Father wouldn't discard him like a broken tool. As expected, when he dropped the facade of weakness, it was over in five seconds. A blur of motion, a sharp crack, and our top combat instructor was flat on his back, gasping for air with Allen's boot on his chest. The tension in my father's face eased. The budding tears in Rose's eyes vanished without a trace. To be fair, Allen was handsomer than his brother. If not for the poison and the hearing damage, Rose would have picked him from the start. "Very well," Father declared. "Allen will be assigned to you. Finn, you'll protect Nina." At the final assignment, Finn’s gaze swept over me. When it fell to my legs—useless, twisted things hidden beneath a cashmere blanket—a flicker of undisguised revulsion crossed his face. Suddenly, he dropped to one knee. "Sir, I request a transfer. Back to the compound." Father's face darkened. "A seven-figure salary isn't enough to keep you? You'd rather go back there to die?" Finn didn't even try to hide it. He deliberately looked away from my wheelchair. "I'm not qualified to protect Miss Leech." A bitter smile played on my lips. The injury I'd gotten at twelve, saving Rose from being run over, was still the stain I could never wash away. Allen's coldness in my past life suddenly made a lot more sense. "Finn! How could you say that to my sister!" Rose cried, rushing to his side and striking his shoulder with a trembling hand. When Finn looked up at her, his eyes were blazing with a raw, fierce emotion. "I only came here for one person." The room fell silent. I let out a soft, humorless laugh. Rose quickly suppressed her triumphant smile, hitting his shoulder again, a little more theatrically this time. "Don't say things like that! I won't let you go back!" "Why make things difficult?" I said, my fingers tracing the armrest of my wheelchair. "Rose can just have them both." Rose's cheeks flushed. "Nina… what are you saying?" The Leech brothers were undeniably handsome. From the moment they had entered the room, Rose's gaze had been stuck to them like glue. Father considered it for a moment. "Are you sure you don't want a guard?" "I'm sure. I don't want them. Either of them." Both brothers looked at me then. I could see the question in their eyes, wondering what gave me the right to be so dismissive. Allen's stare was particularly intense, a storm of emotions I couldn't begin to decipher. I didn't want to. I couldn't be bothered. "Then what about your safety?" Father asked. "Then I suppose I'm not safe," I admitted, meeting his gaze without flinching. He was clearly taken aback. "In that case, Father," I continued, "why don't you send me to work with my uncle? He has more than enough security personnel." In my past life, all my energy had been poured into Allen. I’d missed every opportunity, every shift in the family's corporate landscape. My situation and my sister's were worlds apart. Father always said he loved us equally, but the stock distribution documents only ever had two names on them: Rose and my uncle. While my uncle was conquering markets overseas, growing the family fortune exponentially, Rose's annual dividends were enough to buy an entire financial district. Meanwhile, I had to grovel with the finance department just to get approval for Allen's specialized medication. If I wanted to change my fate, I had to get in the game myself. My uncle, who rarely saw his forgotten niece, was dismissive. His secretary assigned me to a dead-end department and left me there. I didn't complain. I didn't fight. I just quietly built my own little kingdom. The business acumen I’d never had a chance to use in my past life flourished, surprising even myself. After I landed the toughest multinational contract on the books, my uncle summoned me to his office for the first time. He threw me a belated welcome party and handed me control of the entire Asia-Pacific division. The company was on the verge of going public; even if he favored Rose, he needed my skills right now. Soon, the whispers in the business world began to change. My name was being mentioned alongside Rose's—the "Jewel of Leech Enterprises." One evening, returning to the family estate, Rose intercepted me on the veranda. "You're making a lot of noise, Nina," she said, her voice a sweet poison. I raised an eyebrow. "You've been everywhere lately, schmoozing at every event. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, sister, but a lucky streak doesn't make you a player. If you stumble, you'll tarnish the Leech name." She paused, her eyes darting toward Allen, who stood a few feet away. "Besides, with all this attention on… you… what respectable man would ever propose?" Her gaze lingered meaningfully on my wheelchair. "I think it's time you stopped bothering Uncle. From now on, I'll take you to the parties." I laughed, a cold, sharp sound. "Are you jealous I'm stealing your spotlight?" Her pupils contracted. "Let me ask you something, Rose. In what capacity are you telling me to stand down? As the official heir? The youngest member of the board?" I leaned forward. "No matter what happens, you benefit the most. So where do you get the nerve to tell me to sit down and be quiet?" "Nina, how could you…" Her eyes instantly filled with tears. I cut off her performance with a glacial stare. "And since you brought up my legs, maybe we should talk about that 'accident' when I was twelve." Her face went pale. "I shoved you out of the way of that car, didn't I? But tell me, who was it that gave me that final, decisive shove, right into the path of the wheels?" Rose stumbled back, her trembling fingers pressed to her lips. "Don't give me that look. You're not the one who ended up crippled for life." I began to turn my wheelchair to leave. "Go on, keep being the Jewel of Leech Enterprises." She crumpled to the marble floor, a perfect picture of wounded innocence, her tears splashing onto the polished stone. "No, sister… it wasn't like that… I was so scared…" she sobbed. "How can you think I'm so evil…" "Enough!" Finn strode forward, scooping her into his arms. "That's enough, Nina," he growled, his voice dangerously disrespectful. "You've gone too far!" Rose immediately clung to his shirt, her voice trembling. "Finn, don't… I'm fine… really…" The words were barely out before her whole body started to shake. A flicker of pain crossed Allen's face. He looked directly at me. "You should apologize." I almost laughed out loud. He just stood there, waiting. The slap echoed in the hallway. Rose gasped, throwing herself in front of him. "Nina! How could you hit him!" I slowly lowered my stinging hand. "You might want to teach your pet some manners, Rose. Before he forgets who signs his checks." "You—" Finn’s fists clenched, his knuckles cracking. Allen touched his own reddening cheek, his expression one of pure, unadulterated shock. I spun my wheelchair around and left them there, not giving them a chance to say another word. I had planned to pack my bags and move into the corporate apartment, to get away from this toxic swamp for good. But the next morning, my bedroom door splintered off its hinges. Finn burst in, and before I could even process what was happening, he was dragging me violently from my bed. "Rose has been kidnapped! You're coming with me, now!" In a flash, I had the handgun from the hidden compartment in my wheelchair. I pressed the cold muzzle to his temple. "Move, and you're dead." "And for the record," I hissed, "her being kidnapped has nothing to do with me!" "Still lying!" Finn's eyes were bloodshot, crazed. He hadn't slept. "If it wasn't for the vicious things you said yesterday, she never would have driven off in the middle of the night! The kidnappers want to trade. This is your chance to atone for what you did!" The door was thrown open again and Allen rushed in, his face ashen. He looked up at the second floor. "Did you find her?" Finn yanked on my collar. "The kidnappers agreed to a swap." His voice was low and menacing. "You started this. You're going to finish it." "You're asking to die," I snarled, slamming the butt of my gun into his face. His eyebrow split open, blood welling instantly. "A hired goon dares to lay a finger on me?" The blow dazed him, but it only made his eyes more feral. "With all due respect, Miss Leech, you don't have a choice in this." His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist in a vice grip. "For Rose, we'll take the punishment later! Allen! Restrain her!" Against Finn, my marksmanship gave me a fighting chance. Against Allen, I had none. With a deafening clang, my gun was on the floor and I was slammed back into my wheelchair. Allen’s combat boots filled my vision. I struggled, thrashed, but I was no match for the two of them. I looked up, my last shred of hope fixed on him. "Allen… don't do this… please…" His Adam's apple bobbed. He turned his face away. "I'm sorry." Click. The sound of the magazine being ejected from my gun was the sound of my world ending. I was completely at their mercy. On the way to the drop point, Allen himself stood guard over me. "You came back, too," he said suddenly. A mocking smile twisted my lips. "And you're still just as cruel to me." He was silent for a moment. Then, his voice was a low rasp. "I owe you." SLAP. I struck him again, with all the force I could muster. "Two lifetimes, and your apologies are still this cheap." His head snapped to the side, his hair falling over his eyes. I could only hear his voice, low and strained. "I swear, this is the last time." He grabbed my wrist, his grip painfully tight. "We trade you for her. The debt from our last life will be paid." His voice dropped to a desperate whisper. "After this, I'll protect you. I'll spend the rest of my life protecting you, I swear." I turned my head away and scoffed. His knuckles went white as he squeezed my wrist harder. "This is all for show," he insisted. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." The exchange was set for an abandoned shipyard. The moment I passed Rose, she suddenly stumbled, lurching forward with a cry. "Allen! Finn!" My head whipped around. Allen was the first to move, crossing the distance in a heartbeat to catch her. Finn was right behind him, expertly slicing the ropes from her wrists. Allen’s arms were wrapped around her so tightly his knuckles were white, his whole body trembling. I could just make out the shape of his words as he buried his face in her hair. "I'm so sorry… I failed you… I let you suffer…" A strange, dull ache bloomed in my chest. I had warned myself not to hope, not to expect anything. The rough scrape of rope against my skin broke my trance. Before I could even make a sound, a strip of cold, sticky tape was slapped across my mouth.
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