Reborn as a villain: A Sassy twist of Fate

Prologue

     The cold night air sliced through Alistair's thin coat as he walked through the darkened alleyways of a busy city. He staggered, blood streaming from a cut he couldn't quite place. His life had never been kind to him, and now that it was going to end cruelly, he knew it.

    As he breathed his last, Alistair pondered what might have happened if he had been born into a life of privilege rather than hardship and had experienced love rather than loneliness. A small prayer escaped his lips as darkness engulfed him completely: "Let me live again, and find happiness."

    The grimy alley of his dying moments had disappeared from Alistair's vision when he opened it. Rather, he was in an opulent bedchamber, a far cry from the impoverished conditions he had been accustomed to. The room's morning light was filtered by thick velvet curtains that framed the windows. The bed beneath him was the softest thing he had ever felt, and the air was scented with old books and lavender.

    As he attempted to make sense of his surroundings, panic struck. He glanced over at a gilded mirror on the opposite wall and stepped trembling closer to it. It was not his reflection that was staring back at him. The face was handsome, with sharp features and piercing blue eyes, and yet it was strangely familiar.

    His mind was filled with memories that were not his own. He was Duke Edwin Thornwood's son, the infamous villain Remy Thornwood. Lady Elara Windermere, to whom he was engaged, detested him for his cunning and cruel behavior. And he was doomed to die of rage and jealousy at the hands of his own vengeful hand.

     But now he was also Alistair, a gay man reborn into a life of power and wealth, cute and sassy. Alistair knew he had to play the villain, but he had to do it in a unique way if he was going to escape the fate that was waiting for him. With his new identity, he intended to alter the course of events and alter his fate.

     Alistair skillfully navigated the perilous waters of high society in the days that followed, keeping up Remy's merciless façade while surreptitiously trying to undo the damage his predecessor had caused. He had to see to it that Lady Elara fell in love with Prince Kael Ashford, the good-hearted but unloved man. That was the only way he could guarantee his own safety and possibly even have a shot at real happiness.

         Alistair's path happened to cross with everyone's favorite prince, Prince Lucian Valmont, during one of these covert operations. Alistair's façade was penetrated by Lucian's piercing gaze and warm smile, evoking emotions he had long suppressed.

      Alistair understood that salvation was possible as he stood at the fork in his new life. And maybe, in this second shot at life, happiness and love weren't just far-off ideals, but actually within reach. Alistair pledged to change his destiny and seize the opportunities that lay ahead with renewed vigor.