Blurb：
In the elite world of Crownridge, the Sage family’s genetic enhancement program handpicks brilliant minds like Miles—ranked first nationally for three years. But when the pampered heiress Aveline Sage publicly confesses her love, Miles rejects her, knowing the deadly truth from his past life.
After topping the national exam last time, Miles became Aveline’s fiancé, only to witness her obsession with her first love, Caspian Lorne. When Caspian’s suicide shattered their engagement, Aveline blamed Miles, drugging him into a agonizing death.
Reborn on exam day, Miles deliberately loses to Caspian, hoping to avoid his grim fate. But Aveline’s hatred burns brighter than ever. Did she cheat to ensure Caspian’s victory? Why does the principal attack Miles in secret?
Uncover a twisted tale of love, betrayal, and revenge where top scores decide destinies, and the Sage family’s dark legacy threatens to consume them all.
Content：
At the celebration, the pampered heiress in Crownridge, Aveline Sage, confessed her love for me in front of the entire school. I turned her down flat.
I was one of the Sage family’s candidateshandpicked top students from every stateto improve their next generation’s genes.
In a few days, when the exam results came out, whoever earned the highest national score would become her fiance.
For three years straight, I had been ranked first in the country.
In my previous life, I achieved that top score. I got engaged to Aveline and became the envy of everyonethe son-in-law of Crownridge’s most powerful family.
But on the day of our engagement, her first love, Caspian Lorne, jumped off the top of the Sage Group building. His body was shattered beyond recognition.
Aveline hired the best mortician to restore his face and placed him in a crystal coffin, where she slept beside him every night.
During our honeymoon, she brought Caspian’s body along, then kissed and clung to him right in front of me.
When I confronted her, she looked at me with disgust.
“The Sage family sponsored your education for twelve years. You knew Caspian and I were in love. Couldn’t you let him win just once? You’ve been in first place for twelve years. What would it have cost you to lose? You ruined his future, ruined our love. You deserve to die.”
She drugged me, turned me into a fool with the mind of a three-year-old.
I couldn’t recognize my parents. I lost control of my own body. And I died in agony.
Then, I opened my eyes again, back on the morning of the exam.
Last time, I beat Caspian by a single point. This time, I left an answer blank. Let him be the top scorer. Let him marry her.
I hoped they grew old together, with plenty of children to match their love.
Chapter 1 The Day the Exam Broke Me
The day exam scores came out, the entire school was buzzing.
“Caspian’s the national top scorer!”
The students around me groaned in frustration. Everyone here had IQs over 140, true prodigies. But like me, we all came from poor families. From first grade, we’d been handpicked for sponsorship.
They started with a hundred students, then the first round of selection cut down the numbers after the middle school exams. The state top scorers, along with regional champions, totaled forty. All of us were sent to Crownridge to spend three years at Crownridge High School, sponsored by the Sage family.
“Even if I had no chance, shouldn’t Miles have taken first?” someone muttered. “Did Caspian cheat?”
“Maybe Aveline helped him behind the scenes! They’ve been dating secretly since freshman year. Otherwise, how could he score three points higher than Miles?”
I glanced at my own score and felt a flicker of doubt. Something didn’t add up.
Last life, I had scored one point higher than Caspian. This time, I’d only missed one true-or-false question, so I should be one point behind him. Why was I three points behind instead? Had there been a glitch in this second chance at life?
Aveline saw Caspian’s score and squealed like a bird, clinging to him in excitement. “Caspian, there’s no escaping now!”
Caspian grinned smugly, parading around the school with Aveline draped over him. When they passed by me, Aveline shot me a cold, hostile look.
My heart skipped a beat. I wasn’t the top scorer this time, so why the intense hostility?
Aveline had to have been reborn too. That explained the three-point gap. She’d secretly given Caspian extra pointsprobably two, just to be safeunaware I had also come back to this life, missing a true-or-false question.
That was why I ended up three points behind him.
“You losers who couldn’t beat Caspian, don’t be too sad!” Aveline crowed from Caspian’s shoulders. “My dad will sponsor your college, and he’ll even cover your weddings and kids!”
She looked down at us like we were stray dogs.
I was still frozen in disbelief when the principal grabbed me and dragged me to his office. He closed the blinds, cut the security feed, and slammed two fists into my face.
“What’s wrong with you? Twelve years as the national top scorer, and you mess up at the crucial moment?” he yelled, glaring at me.
Blood ran from my mouth. I tasted iron. “Mr. Duskwood”
“Did you know people were betting online on your score? I put in ten million! You brat! That was my life’s savings!” He smashed another pair of punches into me.
I was bruised and battered all over. He threw me out of his office, and I slumped in the hallway, watching Caspian stroll out of the vice principal’s office, smug as ever.
The only person who’d bet correctly in this game? The vice principal. Caspian was the top scorer, and she had just pocketed nearly a hundred million dollars.
I dragged myself home, clutching my score sheet, only to be beaten again by my dad.
“I already bragged about it! Told everyone my son was the national top scorer! What the hell happened? You drop the ball at the most important moment! How am I supposed to face people?
“The principal had handed me the money, and I’d have to return it! What a curse, giving birth to a useless son like you!”
I froze. “Money? What money?”
Dad slammed a thick stack of cash on the table. “The principal knew you were the top scorer and had a bonus ready! I thought for sure you had it in the bag! I’ve already spent eighty thousand. How the hell am I supposed to give it back?”
I collapsed on the floor. A second chance at life had not prepared me for this mess.
In my last life, I was the top scorer. My dad was proud, the principal was supportive, and none of this ever came to light. This time, just to stay alive, I had to give up the top score, and then I discovered that the principal had been playing games behind the scenes.
And that eighty thousand? Of course, my dad had used it for gambling.
I forced a bitter smile. A son must repay his father’s debts.
“Dad, Clara Lark has always liked me. You offended her family back then because you refused to move your fish shop. Maybe I can appeal to her. With her backing, you could start your seafood chain.”
Dad’s expression softened. “Well, if the heiress is out of reach, marrying a mafia princess will work just fine.”
Chapter 2 The Doll Named Lyra
I spent the whole night tending to my wounds, carefully covering every bruise with ointment until my face looked almost normal.
The next morning, I took my transcript and headed to the psychiatric hospital.
My mom had been living there for ten years. When I was in first grade, my dad beat her so badly in a drunken rage that her mind broke. Now, she only recognized me.
After Mom’s breakdown left the family without her support, my dad forced me into a program designed to train boys to marry the pampered heiress in Crownridge, Aveline.
“Mom, I’m here. I know I disappointed you by not being number one, but I really had no choice”
She sat on the bed clutching a rag doll to her chest. That doll was Aveline’s gift to me when I was in sixth grade.
Mom rocked it gently and mumbled with a dreamy smile, “Lyra, look who’s here. Say hi to Miles.”
Lyra Arden was my unborn little sister. Ten years ago, my father’s fists didn’t just destroy my mother’s mind. They killed the baby she was carrying.
That was when everything shattered.
Thinking about how powerless we were, how our lives were toyed with by the Sage Group like we were nothing but weeds underfoot, I felt tears sting my eyes.
Then, a loud, mocking voice broke the quiet. “Well, aren’t you Miles? What are you doing here? Got yourself a room at the psych ward?”
Caspian’s tone dripped with fake surprise. “Huh! You actually took the exam despite everything! Really motivational. Nearly got the same score as me.”
They were both wearing volunteer vests, probably here for some charity project that would earn them extra credit for college applications.
Aveline wrinkled her nose at me and said to him, loud enough for the whole ward to hear, “Don’t be afraid, Caspian. I’m here. He’s not the crazy one; his mother is. She’s been out of her mind for ten years.”
Their mocking voices cut through the air like glass. My mom flinched. Then, as if trying to protect her doll, she lifted her shirt to breastfeed it. “Don’t be scared, Lyra. I’m here.”
I lunged forward, snatching the doll from her and covering her up with trembling hands. My eyes were wet, but I forced myself to stay calm.
Aveline curled her lip. “What a family of lunatics.”
Her gaze landed on the doll I was holding. She pinched her nose in disgust. “Miles, this thing looks like it’s from the last century. Why are you still keeping it? God, you’re pathetic. It’s disgusting.”
Disgusting? That same doll used to be her favorite.
Unlike the other candidates, I was the only one actually born in Crownridge. During summers, I got to be Aveline’s study partner and her playmate.
Once, when we were kids, she handed me this doll and said, giggling, “Miles, this is the baby I’m giving you.”
The adults laughed, but I held that doll like a treasure.
Now, to keep my mother from spiraling again, I clutched it tight and said softly, “I’m sorry, Ms. Sage. My mother’s behavior upset Caspian. She’s not well. Please forgive us.”
Before I could say more, my mother’s voice rose behind me, sharp and trembling. “Miles! Who’s hurting you? I’ll beat them up!”
Caspian clutched his chest dramatically and crouched to the floor. “Miles, what are you doing?” He gasped weakly. “Just because I scored three points higher than you, you’re having your crazy mother attack me?” His voice cracked as if he were about to cry.
Aveline’s heart ached for him. She hugged Caspian tight and soothed him endlessly. “Caspian, are you okay? Don’t worry. I’ll deal with this crazy family for you!”
Once he caught his breath, she stood up and slapped me twice across the face hard, one on each cheek.
Aveline warned, “Keep that deranged mother of yours under control. If she ever hurts Caspian again, I’ll make you both wish you’d never been born.”
My mother screamed back, “I won’t die, but you will!”
Aveline, trembling with anger, jerked the doll free and said flatly, “Mrs. Arden, that’s not Lyra. It’s an old, tattered toy from when I was small. Lyra is gone; she was lost when you were pregnant. Quit living in denial.”
Then, as if words weren’t cruel enough, she pulled her car key from her purse and stabbed the doll, ripping it open until the fabric split. My mother’s screams filled the room as Aveline tore it into shreds.
“She’s dead! Do you hear me? Dead!”
My mother stared at the pile of fabric scraps, her face blank, then collapsed to the floor, sobbing so violently her body shook. She tried to piece the torn cloth together with trembling fingers, whispering, “My Lyra Oh, my Lyra”
I held her tightly, afraid she’d hurt herself, my heart pounding with anger, sorrow, and helplessness all at once.
When I finally looked up, my eyes locked on Aveline’s. My voice was cold and steady. “Aveline, you won’t have to worry about seeing me again. I’m leaving the country soon.”
Chapter 3 The Price of Leaving
Aveline stared at me in disbelief before letting out a sharp, mocking laugh. “You? Study abroad? Your dad’s broke, your mom’s crazy. Where would you even get the money? Are you dreaming?”
“I’m not dreaming,” I said evenly. “You and Caspian are getting engaged soon. My twelve years of standing in your shadow are finally over. I don’t need the Sage Group to pay for my tuition. I can earn my own way. And you don’t get to question my future anymore.”
A flicker of panic crossed Aveline’s usually cold eyes. She jabbed a finger at my mom, her voice sharp and venomous. “Even if you manage to work your way through college abroad, what about your mom? Who’s going to take care of her? Are you planning to throw her into some institution and leave her to rot? From what I know, your dad wouldn’t lift a finger.”
“That’s none of your business,” I replied coldly.
She stepped right up to me, her slender fingers gripping my chin. Her beautiful eyes were sharp and cold, like a snake ready to strike. “You really think that in Crownridge, you can just walk away? You think you can slip out of my grasp?
“A few days from now, Caspian and I are hosting a banquet to celebrate our upcoming college life. You will be there.”
Before I could respond, my mother screamed again.
She had gathered every piece of that broken doll from the floor and shoved the bundle into my arms. “Miles, my good boy, your sister’s hurting. Save her, please!”
My throat burned as tears blurred my vision. I took the scraps from her trembling hands. “Mom, Lyra’s sick. I’ll go find a doctor for her.”
Then, I turned on Aveline, glaring at her with every ounce of fury I had left. “I’ve already called for a nurse. This room has cameras. Don’t you dare touch my mom again.”
I had never raised my voice at her before. For once, she looked startled. She bit her lip, the smallest trace of hurt passing through her expression before she looked away.
I borrowed a needle and thread from the nurse and sat in the waiting room, stitching the doll back together, one clumsy stitch at a time.
When I finally carried it toward my mother’s room and pushed the door open, my heart nearly stopped.
Aveline and Caspian were tangled together on the attendant’s bed, lost in each other, violating every line that should never have been crossed.
And my mother was perched on the balcony rail of the third floor, her body swaying, ready to fall.
Those two were too lost in their pleasure to notice the woman about to die right behind them.
I wanted to run to her, to pull her down, but I was terrified that the sudden movement might startle her into jumping. I froze in the doorway, hardly daring to breathe.
Then, as Aveline and Caspian reached their peak, their cries filled the room, just loud enough to shatter the last fragile thread of my mother’s sanity.
The truth was, her madness hadn’t started when Lyra died. It had started long before, when my father cheated.
I had been a child then, not even in elementary school, when he brought a prostitute home and did everything in front of my mother, just like what I was seeing now.
My mother’s eyes went crimson. She screamed, “Ronan! I hate you!”
And then she jumped.
It happened so fast I couldn’t even scream. It felt like someone had ripped my heart out while I was still alive.
My hands shook violently as I dialed 911 and called for the hospital staff, shouting until my voice broke.
Aveline and Caspian were frozen, pale and trembling, fumbling with their clothes as nurses and orderlies rushed in and out.
I ran downstairs and saw that my mom was still breathing. I dropped to my knees beside her, sobbing. “Mom, please! Hang on! Don’t go! I can’t live without you!”
The ambulance arrived. They lifted her onto the stretcher and carried her away. I collapsed on the cold floor, gasping for air.
Then, I saw a pair of designer heels stop right in front of meAveline’s.
“A fall from the third floor won’t kill anyone,” she said, her voice dripping with contempt. “Quit the act. I saw her breathing just now.”
Something in me snapped. I looked up at her, my voice breaking into a roar. “Get lost! I never want to see you again!”
For a moment, her face twisted with anger, but she quickly masked it with that practiced, cruel poise. Looping her arm through Caspian’s, she glanced back at me and said coldly, “You’ll pay for this, Miles. One day, you’ll crawl to me and beg for forgiveness.”
Chapter 4 The Uninvited Surprise
Aveline’s banquet was nothing short of a presidential inaugurationevery elite in Crownridge seemed to have shown up.
She wore a custom gown stitched with gold thread, radiating pure elegance and authority.
Yet, despite being the center of attention, she seemed restless, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for someoneme.
As the evening dragged on and I still hadn’t appeared, she couldn’t help asking, “Why isn’t Miles here?”
“His mother’s sick, isn’t she? He’s probably taking care of her,” one of the top students replied.
Ever since losing the chance to be Aveline’s fiance, these top students had let themselves go, each one noticeably rounder than before.
A flicker of unease passed across Aveline’s face. She suddenly remembered my close relationship with the principal.
Dropping Caspian’s hand, she strode toward Tobias Duskwood. “Mr. Duskwood, I invited Miles. Why isn’t he here?”
Tobias’ expression was unreadable. He pulled out a folder, opening it to reveal a copy of my acceptance letter.
Aveline took it, confused, and then froze.
Briarwood University. Full scholarship.
Her eyes widened. She finally realized I had been serious about leaving the country.
“Miles may have stumbled on the exam, but back in his sophomore year, he recorded an act of bravery. He saved a girl from jumping into the river. Combine that with good scores during last few years, and he earned an offer from Briarwood University. And Briarwood ranks even higher than Crownridge University.”
The principal spoke of me with a hint of pride, as if that ten-million-dollar loss had never even happened.
Aveline clutched the acceptance letter, stunned for a moment, then, humiliated and enraged, shredded the copy into pieces. “Who gave him permission to go abroad? Was this approved by me? This has to be fake! Mr. Duskwood, are you in on this with Miles to trick me?”
The room fell utterly silent. Everyone stared as Aveline lost her composure at her own banquet.
Evander Sage, her father, frowned and scolded gently, “Aveline! What are you doing?”
Caspian came running, out of breath. Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, he wrapped her in his arms, trying to soothe her. “Aveline, what’s wrong? Who upset you?”
Aveline crouched to the floor, clutching her belly. The shock was so intense that it triggered a physiological stomachache.
She didn’t understand. Reborn into this life, she knew that in the last life, I was vain and selfish, that I had ruined her and Caspian’s chance at happiness. Yet now, the thought of me leaving Crownridge struck her with such anguish.
Caspian noticed the torn fragments of the acceptance letter on the floor. He grabbed a few pieces and realized I had truly been accepted to Briarwood University. His face flushed with anger.
“Did Miles pull some trick behind our backs? My scores aren’t even enough to get into Briarwood University. He scored three points less than me. How is that possible?”
Aveline stood abruptly, her gaze locking on Caspian with sudden intensity. “You will not speak of Miles that way!”
Without another word, she strode out, ignoring the guests gathered for her celebration. As she exited the hotel, she nearly collided with a sharply dressed man exuding a hint of streetwise confidence.
He held out an invitation. “Ms. Sage, this is an invitation to the banquet of Ms. Lark’s fiance, Miles Arden. It’s at the Padley Hotel tonight at eight. Don’t miss it.”
“Did you just say fiance?”
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