Chapter Two
Rein's heart hardened and her fist tightened as she looked at them both. Then, without hesitation, she stormed over, grabbed him—her supposed boyfriend by the arm, and yanked him upright. Her hours at the gym had clearly paid off as he wasn't a trouble.
Pak!
A sound resounded in the room, and it went silent for a while. Both of them looked at each other with different expressions. Rein was smiling at the fact that she managed to give him a slap, while her boyfriend looked in shock.
He raised his hand to his face, grazing over the stinging feeling over them, and stammered as he stared at Rein, "You… you slapped me…"
"Yeah. And what are you going to do about it?" Rein hissed, her face red from anger.
She took a stride towards him and shoved him aside in disgust and turned to look at her stepsister who stood beside him.
"And you. How could you do this to me?"
Her icy glare sent a shiver down the girl's spine.
"Ehm…" she fumbled, too afraid to speak.
"Even though we aren't blood-related, I treated you like family. I pampered you like a sister. Why would you do this to me?" Rein's voice cracked, her eyes bloodshot.
"Rein, wait—let me explain," her boyfriend stammered.
"Explain? So you can feed me lies?" she barked. "You two can keep your little affair, I don't give a damn."
Rein wasn't the type to offer second chances. She slammed the door and stormed out.
Outside, she jumped into her car, ignited the engine, and sped off, blinded by fury. Her head was filled with different memories she and her boyfriend shared, now stained with the painful scene she had seen, and her head throbbed.
Blinded by rage, she was slow to pick up a truck speeding down the road, the police in pursuit.
"AHHHHHHH!"
They collided. Screams rang out. And Rein couldn't do much as she had been too unfocused on the road. She lost control of her engine, and her car was sent skidding and flipping violently across the road.
Pain exploded in her body. Blood poured from her forehead. And as she lay there, the same stained memories and thoughts filled her head.
'Why?' she thought, regret seeping into her pores, her best friend's warning returning to her. 'Why now?'
Tears streamed down her face.
Then… evil laughter.
And then, her vision blurred and she felt disoriented from the surroundings, and she heard a voice she had heard before.
"You are mine to play with. A breeder to sire my child. Mine—not my brothers'."
'This dream again?' she pondered, as it rang in her head like a haunting whisper from another world.
She felt herself drifting, floating toward darkness.
"I don't want to die…" she whispered, paralyzed.
But everything went black.
And silence.
Then... light.
___________
Rein blinked her eyes, and she was confused about what was next. After seeing her boyfriend in a devastating state, getting into an accident, and dying…she had thought nothing would happen next but reopening her eyes straight to a clear view made her so confused that her brain stung.
Because she wasn't in a car—or her car. Rather, she was sitting on a soft bed, clothed in striking red lingerie and a lacy thong.
Her eyes traced the room, her hands placed on her lap as they tightened on the clothes. Then she saw a mirror, and her eyes fixed on it.
"Ah…" she gasped as she saw her reflection in the mirror.
She was different. Her hair was now honey-gold. Her lips, once pale pink, were a bold, seductive red. Only her brown eyes remained the same.
She bolted upright.
"This... this isn't me. This isn't my room," Rein whispered, heart pounding.
Before she could think, the door opened, and a tall man stepped inside.
"Is she the one? The one who can bear an heir for me?" he asked someone outside.
"Him…" Rein gasped.
That voice—it was exactly the same as the man from her dreams who always claimed to own her, want her, possess her! Her head throbbed, and unfamiliar memories crashed in, flooding her mind.
And then she realized what was happening. She wasn't on Earth anymore.
According to the memory she had received, the body she was currently inhabiting was called Mireya, and she was a princess whose kingdom was destroyed, and thus, an orphan.
She survived only by pretending to be a war casualty.
And the world was what baffled and annoyed Rein the most, because in the world she was currently in, birth rates were dangerously low, and thus women were tested for fertility and those with high ratings were sold as breeders.
And the body of hers had scored high.
She had been sold to a brothel.
A breeder.
Rein snapped out of her trance. The two men had already left. She needed to do something.
She scanned the room for an exit, but it had no windows, no vents, no way out.
She stood up, determined, but as she stood abruptly, she noticed something strapped to her thigh.
Lifting her skirt, she found a dagger tied with ribbon.
Her brows furrowed as she untied it, examining it. It had a silver handle, etched with ancient symbols and a dragon she didn't recognize.
"Little girl, where do you think you're going?" That same energetic voice echoed through the room.
She turned sharply.
And there he was, his piercing blue eyes locked onto hers.
She instinctively hid the knife behind her back.
"What are you holding?" he asked, eyes narrowing.
"None of your business," she snapped, standing her ground.
"Oh?" He raised a brow, smirking. "What if I want it to be?"
He took slow, deliberate steps toward her, which only made Rein step back more.
"Why… are you coming closer?" she asked, stepping back with each of his steps until she hit the bed.
"Where do you think you can run to?" he mocked, eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Don't come any closer, or I will…" Rein warned, trying to sound fierce.
"You will?" he teased, trapping her between himself and the bed, impressed by her defiance.
"Ahh!" Rein screeched when he cornered her.
'What am I going to do?' she pondered, fear creeping in. But then she realized, 'Oh wait!'
She brought out the knife she hid and swung it without warning, barely missing his face.
He chuckled as he dodged her. "W–ow, you're a fierce one. Be careful with that knife, you might hurt someone."
"Don't come any closer, or else…" she warned again, swinging the blade as a warning.
Using the knife as a shield, Rein backed toward the door.
Just as she reached for the handle, he yanked her back, and she collided with his muscular chest. Before she could react, he flicked the knife from her hand.
In his arms, Rein's heartbeat thundered erratically.
His chest rumbled with a dark chuckle. "Where do you think you were going? In case you weren't informed, my name is Rohan, the man who bought you. You belong to me, and there is no escaping that."
"I think you've got the wrong person. I'm not the original owner of this body, and I'll never belong to anyone. I'm not an object!" she snapped.
But Rohan wasn't interested in explanations. He hoisted her up like a sack and slung her over his shoulder.
"Where are you taking me? I don't want to go anywhere!" Rein screamed, panic rising in her voice.
Unbothered, Rohan descended the staircase and approached the front desk to check out with his "goods."
"Where do you think you're taking her?" a cold, commanding, and domineering voice echoed across the lobby.