Chapter 5: The Man Who Shouldn't Be Here

The message remained on Sophia's screen.

"The game has begun."

The words sent a chill through her body.

She read them again. And again.

The unknown sender seemed to know far too much.

Almost as much as she did.

Sophia tried calling the number.

The call failed instantly.

She sent a message. No reply.

It was as if the person existed only when they wanted to.

Slowly, she lowered her phone.

Whoever they were, they weren't her biggest problem right now.

Emily was.

And if Sophia wanted to survive this second life, she needed proof.

Proof of every lie. Every scheme.

Every betrayal.

This time, she wouldn't rely on memories alone.

She would gather evidence.

Enough evidence to destroy Emily completely.

The next morning, Sophia arrived at her university earlier than usual.

Students filled the campus.

Laughter echoed through the pathways.

Everything looked peaceful. Normal.

Yet Sophia knew darkness often hid beneath beautiful things.

Her eyes searched the crowd.

Soon, she spotted Emily.

Standing beneath a tree.

Talking to Daniel. Sophia froze.

Daniel. Her former fiancé.

The man who would eventually betray her.

Back then, Sophia would have walked over immediately.

Jealous. Possessive. Afraid of losing him.

Today, she simply watched.

And because she wasn't blinded by love anymore, she noticed things.

Small things. Important things.

Emily touched Daniel's arm while speaking.

Daniel didn't move away.

Emily laughed. Daniel smiled back.

A familiar pain twisted inside Sophia's chest.

Even knowing the future didn't completely erase old wounds.

After all...

She once loved him. Truly loved him.

But that love had died the day he chose Emily.

Sophia quietly took out her phone.

Click. A photo. Click. Another.

Then another. Evidence.

Not because she needed proof of Daniel's betrayal.

She already knew that.

But because evidence was power.

And this time, she intended to keep every weapon she could find.

Over the next few days, Sophia continued watching.

Carefully. Patiently.

Like a hunter waiting in the shadows.

She collected screenshots.

Messages. Photos. Records.

Every suspicious interaction.

Every hidden meeting.

Every lie.

The more she gathered, the more she realized something horrifying.

Emily's schemes had started much earlier than Sophia remembered.

Far earlier.

It wasn't a sudden betrayal.

It was years of manipulation.

Years of planning. Years of pretending.

Sophia felt sick.

How had she been so blind?

How had she trusted Emily so completely?

The answer was simple.

Because she loved her.

And love often made people stupid.

Three days later.

Sophia left a café after meeting with one of her contacts.

Inside her handbag was a flash drive.

Small.

Ordinary. Dangerous.

The flash drive contained information she had been collecting.

The beginning of her evidence archive.

Her insurance. Her protection.

Her future weapon.

As she stepped onto the sidewalk, her phone rang.

Unknown Number.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Immediately, she answered.

"Who are you?" Silence.

Then a deep male voice spoke.

"Someone who doesn't want to see you die again."

Sophia stopped walking.

Her blood turned cold.

Die again. Not die. Die again.

The exact words echoed inside her head.

Her breathing became uneven.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

But the line went dead.

The call ended. Sophia stood frozen.

The world around her suddenly felt distant.

No. Impossible.

There was no way.

No way someone could know about her rebirth.

Unless, a loud horn suddenly blared.

Sophia looked up. And froze.

A speeding truck was racing toward her.

Too fast. Too close.

Exactly like the accident that happened five years ago.

The accident that nearly killed her.

The accident Emily secretly arranged.

Her body reacted before her mind.

She jumped back.

The truck missed her by inches.

People screamed.

The driver lost control.

Chaos erupted across the street.

Sophia's heart pounded violently.

This wasn't supposed to happen yet.

Not yet.

The timeline was changing.

And someone had just tried to kill her. Again.

"Miss, are you alright?"

A calm voice spoke beside her.

Sophia turned.

And for a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

The man standing before her was breathtaking.

Tall. Elegant. Powerful.

His black suit looked custom-made.

His sharp features carried an air of authority that demanded attention.

But it wasn't his appearance that shocked her.

It was his face.

Because she knew him.

Very well.

Alexander Kingsley.

The future billionaire.

The man who would dominate the business world.

The man Sophia met years later in her previous life.

The man who attended her funeral.

Her eyes widened. Why was he here?

Now? Five years too early.

Alexander studied her carefully.

His dark eyes revealed nothing.

Yet Sophia felt strangely exposed beneath his gaze.

As though he could see every secret she carried.

"You should be more careful," he said.

His voice was calm.

Steady. Dangerously attractive.

Sophia swallowed.

"I know."

For a moment, neither spoke.

The city noise faded around them.

An uncomfortable tension settled between them.

Then Alexander's eyes drifted toward the flash drive sticking slightly out of her bag.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Small.

Almost invisible.

Yet somehow it made Sophia nervous.

"Collecting evidence?" he asked.

Sophia's heart nearly stopped.

"What?"

Alexander looked directly into her eyes.

And for the first time since her rebirth.

Sophia felt genuinely unsettled.

Because the look in his eyes wasn't curiosity.

It was recognition.

As if he knew exactly what she was doing.

Exactly who she was.

Exactly what she planned to become.

And then he said something that made her blood run cold.

"Be careful, Sophia."

His smile deepened slightly.

"Some enemies are much closer than you think."

Before she could respond, he walked away.

Leaving Sophia standing alone on the sidewalk.

Staring after him. Her pulse racing.

Her thoughts in chaos.

Because Alexander Kingsley wasn't supposed to know her.

And yet...

He spoke as though they had met before.

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