đź–¤ Previously on Reset My Life: The Billionaire's Broken Pawn
The final memory unlocked.
And the man beside her was there—five years ago.
Not as a savior.
But as the beginning.
—Rhea Lin
He looked just like he does now.
Same haunted eyes.
Same hand brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Only this time, in the memory flickering on the vault screen—he was the one whispering "Don't trust them."
And Rhea… had believed him.
Even then.
Even before everything burned.
The air in the vault was heavy with the static of exposed truths.
Lucien didn't speak.
He didn't blink.
He just stared at the screen like it was rewriting everything he thought he knew about himself.
Rhea's fingers curled into her palms.
Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Why were you there?"
Lucien met her eyes. His silence screamed louder than any answer.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Her words cracked mid-sentence, betrayal blooming beneath her ribs.
"I didn't remember," he said at last. "Not until now."
Rhea backed away, but Lucien stepped forward—slowly, cautiously—like she might vanish if he moved too fast.
"Don't," she said. "Don't touch me unless you're sure."
He stopped.
Then… he was sure.
Lucien reached out and held her face in both hands like it might be the last time.
"No secrets," he said. "Not anymore."
And when he kissed her—it wasn't gentle.
It was desperate. Real.
Like he was trying to make her feel the truth he couldn't explain.
Like he needed to kiss her before everything fell apart again.
Rhea's world tilted.
Because for one breathless second… she let him.
And in the next—
[⚠️ SYSTEM ALERT: MEMORY INTEGRATION SYNC – 79% COMPLETE]
Rhea broke away, her lips swollen, breath ragged.
"We're not done."
Lucien's voice was hoarse. "No."
"But this time…" she said, eyes dark with resolve, "we finish it together."
Rhea stepped back from Lucien, grounding herself, pulse still erratic from everything—past and present colliding in one brutal kiss.
The screen behind them pulsed again.
[🧬 MEMORY INTEGRATION COMPLETE – 100%]
[🔓 ORIGIN FILE RESTORED: "Project Cicada – Phase Zero"]
A file loaded.
Encrypted.
Kairo watched her with a strange mix of admiration and fear. "Once you open that file… everything changes."
Rhea didn't hesitate.
She tapped in the final override.
The terminal blinked.
Dozens of documents spilled onto the screen—internal logs, test results, psychological conditioning plans, and video clips. But one stood out.
A line of text burned at the top of the folder:
"Primary Directive: Create a Loyal Asset Through Emotional Imprinting."
Lucien's breath caught. "What the hell is that?"
Rhea clicked the first clip.
Her own face appeared on screen, younger, pale, hooked to monitors. Arden and another figure—her former handler—stood nearby.
But then… Lucien walked in.
Not this Lucien.
Younger. Colder.
"Emotionally stable subjects respond faster when attachment is built early," a voice said offscreen. "He's the imprint. The anchor."
Lucien staggered back.
"They used me… to manipulate you," he said.
Rhea stared blankly at the footage.
"No. They used both of us."
Kairo cleared his throat. "You were their prototype. Lucien was the trigger. It was always about controlling choice through connection."
Rhea looked up at Lucien, her voice dangerously calm. "So every memory, every pull I felt… was it real, or part of the experiment?"
Lucien's face was agony.
"I don't know anymore," he whispered. "But this—what we have now—it's not a protocol."
He reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
A chain.
Her chain.
From years ago.
The one she'd given to "someone she trusted" during the final trial.
"I found it in the vault when I went off-grid," he said. "I didn't know why I kept it. Until now."
Rhea took it with shaking fingers.
Her voice cracked. "Then maybe… something was real."
Before either of them could say more, the vault lights flickered.
An automated voice spoke overhead:
[⚠️ FINAL BACKUP UPLOAD INITIATED]
[⏳ TIME TO SYSTEM WIPE: 00:14:22]
Kairo swore. "He's triggering the clone override. If that version of you wakes up and syncs with the system, this version—everything you are now—gets overwritten."
Lucien grabbed Rhea's hand. "Then we stop it."
Skyspire Labs – Sub-Level 7 – The Chamber of Mirrors
They reached it with two minutes to spare.
And inside the cylindrical pod—was her.
The original Rhea. Asleep. Breathing.
And the system? Already syncing.
Lucien raised the gun, ready to shoot the control console.
Rhea stopped him.
"No. Let me."
She walked up to the glass, pressed her hand against it.
"I'm not killing her," she said. "I'm choosing me."
She slid in the master key.
One final command appeared:
[💾 TERMINATE BACKUP – ERASE ORIGINAL DATA?]
[YES] – [NO]
Lucien looked at her.
Kairo looked away.
Rhea didn't.
She pressed YES.
The lights dimmed.
The pod went dark.
And the sync countdown disappeared.
She exhaled.
For the first time, it felt like breathing wasn't a lie.
Hours Later – Rooftop of Skyspire
The city below was just starting to wake.
Rhea leaned against the ledge, eyes distant, chain clutched in her palm.
Lucien joined her, silent for a while.
"You're quiet," she said softly.
"I'm scared," he admitted.
"Of me?"
"Of losing you again."
She turned toward him.
"You won't."
And this time, when he kissed her, it wasn't desperate.
It was everything they'd survived.
Everything still left to fight for.
And maybe—just maybe—everything they were finally choosing to build.
Together.
[To be continued…]