If during the first week after her rebirth Evelyn had been a tightly drawn bowstring, now she was the arrow in flight—released, focused, and hurtling toward her target with deadly precision.

She had not a single moment to waste.


The day after forming her alliance with Arthur, Evelyn systematically dismantled her former life. The plush, overly soft bed that had contributed to her physical deterioration was immediately replaced with a custom orthopedic mattress. Her refrigerator was purged of processed foods and sugar-laden treats, restocked with fresh organic produce delivered daily by Arthur's personal wellness team.

At five each morning, while Mark slept off his nightly indulgences, Evelyn pounded the running path along the Hudson River. Sweat drenched her technical fabrics as her lungs transformed—from burning protest to powerful efficiency. Each stride and breath reminded her that this body was becoming a weapon under her command. In the gym, an elite trainer handpicked by Arthur guided her through precisely calibrated workouts, methodically erasing years of sedentary weakness from her muscles.

She absorbed every opportunity for improvement like parched earth soaking up rain. This absolute control over her physical destiny gave her a heady sense of power she'd never known before.


Meanwhile, the intricate web she was spinning around Mark and Chloe began to contract, drawing them inexorably toward their fate.

After taking control of the Alpha Energy project, Mark's opportunistic nature emerged in full force. He drove his team relentlessly, demanding all-night sessions and weekend work. Within weeks, the project's financial projections were "optimized" to show spectacular returns. During morning meetings, he strutted before his colleagues, showcasing fabricated growth metrics with smug satisfaction. His glances toward Evelyn grew increasingly dismissive, as though she were some quaint relic he'd outgrown.


Evelyn met his arrogance with only a serene smile, which Mark predictably mistook for naïveté.

And Chloe—that parasitic vine who had always coveted everything Evelyn possessed—began wrapping herself around Mark's seemingly sturdy trunk, exactly as Evelyn had orchestrated.

Evelyn would "absentmindedly" mention to Mark how swamped she was with work, unable to join him for dinner. Minutes later, Chloe would "happen" to call, suggesting drinks to lift his spirits. Evelyn would "innocently" mention Chloe's favorite restaurant in passing, and like clockwork, the pair would appear there that very evening.

One evening in the company parking garage, Evelyn "accidentally" discovered them in Mark's car, Chloe straddling him in the driver's seat. Chloe froze in horror at being caught, while Mark merely straightened his tie, his expression betraying a perverse thrill at being discovered.

"What are you doing down here?" Mark asked, not bothering to hide his irritation at the interruption.

Evelyn displayed neither anger nor accusation—only a perfectly calibrated blend of hurt and dignified restraint. "I… forgot some files in my car," she murmured, voice trembling slightly. "Please… don't let me interrupt."

Her pathetic acceptance only reinforced Mark's contempt while completely disarming his suspicions. He grew increasingly convinced that Evelyn was a dull workaholic, while Chloe—with her passionate adoration—was his destined partner.

Intoxicated by Alpha Energy's phantom profits and Chloe's insatiable materialism, Mark eventually made his move—a suggestion he considered brilliantly strategic.

"Sweetheart," he said during a phone call, his voice dripping with calculated charm, "that trust fund your parents left you is just sitting in our joint account gathering dust. Let me move it to my personal investment portfolio—I guarantee I'll double it within six months."

On her end of the line, Evelyn's lips curved into a predatory smile.

Right on schedule.

In her previous life, this was precisely how it had begun—his silver-tongued manipulation that eventually transferred her entire inheritance into his control, funding his lifestyle with Chloe while she wasted away in a hospital bed.

"But Mark," she protested with carefully manufactured hesitation, "that's all I have left from my parents…"

"That's exactly why it should be working for us, not collecting dust in some low-interest account! Don't you trust my financial expertise?" His voice swelled with the unearned confidence of a born con man.

"Well…" Evelyn allowed a prolonged silence before sighing with apparent resignation. "I suppose you're right. I trust you, Mark."

The following day, before a witness and notary, Evelyn signed an asset management agreement. She watched with apparent trepidation as her substantial fortune transferred to Mark's control. The attorney—handpicked by Arthur—had crafted a document that appeared standard but contained crucial protections: the funds remained legally "entrusted" rather than "gifted," recoverable at any time with proper documentation.

Mark, blinded by greed, never bothered to examine the fine print. He was too busy mentally spending his windfall.

He couldn't see that this money wasn't rocket fuel for his ascent but cement for his eventual burial. He remained oblivious that his precious Alpha Energy project—that voracious financial black hole—would soon devour every penny, leaving nothing but evidence of his fraud.

He had willingly slipped his neck into the noose Evelyn had crafted with such care.

And still he dreamed of soaring to the stars.