That was the beggining of a typical reincarnation story. The day I was shot dead by the hired killers, I opened my eyes as Laurencia Verdetti, the villainess of my favourite isekai manga and illegitimate daughter of Duke Verdetti. My father, who despised me but could not shake off his responsibilities, arranged my engagement to the son of Count Bonnard, Joshua Bonnard, who was also the cunning male lead of the novel. 'I really wanted to love you, my lady, but what to do? I already gave my heart to Elisha.' said he, with a sly smile and eyes that only showed hatred for me.
'Who wants your love, my Lord, all I seek is power!'
I replied with a smirk.
'A peaceful life full of love is not for me'
'I know you're afraid of being hated, Laura.' said Graham, the greatest magician and my only ally.
'You're wrong, Graham. What I'm afraid of the most is being loved.'
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]