Chapter 1

I, Tanya White, was the White Reaper personally hired by Richard Stone at a staggering cost to extend the life of his short-lived grandson, Cedric Stone. I told Cedric to stay away from alcohol and cigarettes during the ritual, but he locked me in a bathtub filled with liquor and had ten burly men smoke beside me nonstop. I warned him that once the ritual reached its critical stage, he absolutely could not indulge in lust. In response, he immediately summoned his first love, Arianna Jones, and spent the next month drinking and partying with her every single night. I begged the Lord of the Underworld to give him 99 chances. Yet on the final chance, he locked me up and went off to help his beloved Arianna look for her dog. "Tanya White, you are a total fraud. That so-called short life curse is complete nonsense. Only Grandpa would be old enough to fall for that kind of superstition. "I didn't cooperate at all, and yet here I am, perfectly fine." This time, I didn't try to convince him. If he didn't want to live, then I would honor that choice. … "That jerk. How could he do this to Tanya? Find him, and bring him back no matter what." Richard was shaking with rage as he repeatedly slammed his cane against the floor. I coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The metallic taste burned my mouth, making me choke and cough uncontrollably. "Tanya! How are you doing? It's all my fault! I never thought that idiot would hurt you like this!" I shook my head, unable to speak. Today was Cedric's final chance to extend his life. He had promised he would cooperate, yet the moment Arianna called, he left and never returned. I was already defying the natural order by extending a mortal's lifespan, but Cedric's stubborn refusal to cooperate the initial 99 times had almost exhausted my spiritual power. I never imagined the heavens would unleash a lightning strike that would rip through my very soul. Blood seeped from every inch of my skin. All my magical energy was destroyed, and I collapsed unconscious inside the ritual array. Yet, when I saw the guilt on Richard's face, I couldn't bring myself to blame him. The ground was covered with corpses. Adding mine to the pile would have changed nothing. Richard had taken pity on me. With the last three coins he had set aside for his own survival, he bought me a straw mat to keep me from being ripped apart by wild wolves. After I became a White Reaper, I saw Richard kneeling before the Hall of Judgment in this life. His grandson Cedric had been sickly since childhood. He was destined for a short life, and in his ten consecutive lifetimes, he had never lived past 30. Richard took Cedric to countless doctors and prayed to every god he knew, but nothing worked. In desperation, he even went so far as to knock on the gates of the Underworld. "Lord of the Underworld, please see the truth. The Stone family has never done anything wrong. Why has my grandson failed to meet a good end for ten lifetimes in a row?" He had cried and kneeled until his knees were bruised and bleeding. I remembered his kindness, so I brought him into the Underworld and begged the Lord of the Underworld to allow me to extend Cedric's life. I never expected that a single act of repaying a debt would nearly cost me my own existence. "Tanya, Cedric's the one at fault. Can you give him one more chance?" Richard pleaded. "There are no more chances," I calmly said. "You buried me in your previous life. I've already destroyed all my power to repay that debt. Now, there is nothing left I can do." "This will be the end of the Stone family…" Richard's voice shook with grief as he tried to persuade me further. Then one of his men burst in with a phone in hand. "Mr. Stone Senior, we managed to reach Mr. Stone!" Richard's grief quickly turned to fury. He snatched the phone and shouted, "You ungrateful fool! Where have you run off to this time?" Cedric's mocking drawl came through, "That shameless woman complained to you again, didn't she?" Richard barked back, "What shameless woman? She's your fiancée!" Cedric's laughter echoed from the line. "My fiancée? Tell her this—the only woman I recognize as my wife in this life is Ari. That gold-digging witch isn't even worth mentioning alongside her." He paused for a moment before adding, "I have to go. Coco ran off, and Ari's crying her eyes out. I'm going to help her find Coco." Richard nearly choked on his anger. "All this just for a dog?" Then, the line went dead with a beep. Richard slammed his fist against his chest and stomped his feet in anger. "Tanya, don't worry. I'll bring him back and give you an explanation!" I took a deep breath and stood up. "No need, Richard. I heard him loud and clear. Everyone has to face the consequences of their own actions. I was the one forcing things before." "But if you leave the Stone family, where will you go?" Richard asked. He knew about my wager with the Lord of the Underworld and was worried for me. But I no longer felt any attachment to this place. I went back to my room to pack and leave as quickly as possible. However, it was only to walk in and find Cedric and Arianna entwined together.