Echoes of Blood: The Sullivan Heir

I pressed the cotton ball to my bruised vein. A few feet away, Aspen smoothed a new name label over my blood vial—hers.

At the same time, the floating text in my line of sight began to scroll. [Hehe, only the reborn Aspen knows this blood drive is how the billionaire Spencers finally track down their biological daughter.] [But Sage's face is a dead giveaway.

Aspen better keep her hidden when the Spencers pull up tomorrow.] [Who cares? The Spencer parents and both brothers are reborn too.

They literally killed Sage for Aspen in the last life. There's zero chance they leave Aspen behind this time.] So they all remembered.

In the last life, the Spencers did take me home.

Aspen, who grew up in the exact same group home, used her constant visits to siphon away every drop of my parents' guilt and affection.

If they wanted a family reunion in this life, they could have it. I dropped the bloody cotton ball into the trash.

Chapter 1 The day after the blood drive, my biological parents and two older brothers showed up at the group home. Their eyes were redrimmed.

Since they all remembered their past lives, they rushed straight past me without missing a beat and pulled Aspen into a crushing hug. "Aspen, come home with Mom and Dad." "Director, this is our biological daughter.

We need the paperwork rushed." While they spoke, not a single one of the four spared me a glance.

Aspen, however, paused while zipping her duffel bag to shoot me a halfsmile. "Let's see what you have to fight me with this time, Sage." I offered a faint smile and kept my mouth shut.

In my head, I was already mapping out the timeline. When did the city's richest man come to adopt a child in the last life?

As my biological parents turned to lead Aspen out the door, my mother stopped. She looked back at me, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her face.

Then she turned to the director, her voice dripping with artificial pity. "That girl over there… she looks so unfortunate. We can't take her with us, but we can sponsor her tuition.

Hopefully, it'll help her grow up to be… a decent person." I met her gaze deadon. "Don't bother." In our last life, when I first went home with them, my parents and brothers actually treated me well.

They doted on me. But Aspen used the "best friend" card to visit the Spencer estate constantly.

Every time she came over, she'd "accidentally" let slip fabricated stories about me bullying the younger kids at the group home.

Or she'd pocket valuables around the house and plant them in my room. She couldn't stomach the fact that I had turned into a billionaire's daughter overnight.

She wanted to burn my new life to the ground. That was just human nature. But the real punch to the gut hadn't been Aspen. It was my parents and brothers.

The second the lies started, their trust in me evaporated. Instead of having my back, they filed the paperwork and brought Aspen into the family for good.

That was the day the real nightmare started. Once Aspen unpacked her bags, she worked fulltime to sever every tie I had with the family.

Frameup after frameup, and soon I was nothing to them. She manipulated our parents into sending me to their business partners' beds.

She called it "doing my part for the family." Every time a black car dropped me back off, I was dumped on the front porch like a piece of used trash.

The more it happened, the less human I became in their eyes. My two older brothers started using me as a literal punching bag.

Whenever they had a bad day, they strung me up from the ceiling beams and took it out on my ribs. The rest of the family would sit on the velvet sofas and watch.

I didn't survive the final beating. I choked on a mouthful of my own blood and my vision went dark. In this life? They could get on their knees and beg.

I was never stepping foot in that house again.

Chapter 2 The second my biological parents' car pulled away with Aspen, the glowing text in the air surged again. [Hehe, her parents totally dumped her this time.

Aspen's going to crush her like a bug.] [They might be out of the group home, but tracking her down will be a breeze~ Sage's nightmare is just getting started.] I dug my nails into my palms and kept my eyes locked on the clock on my phone screen.

At exactly 3:00 PM, I pushed through the front doors. Right on schedule. A couple stood by the front gates, hesitating.

Their clothes were understated, but the cut of the fabric and the quiet gleam of a Patek Philippe watch screamed old money. [?

Wait, is Sage about to bump into the billionaires?] [No way. The Sullivans didn't adopt anyone in the last timeline.] I ignored them.

I crossed the yard and crouched down to help adjust the leg braces for one of the younger kids, just like any other Tuesday. A prickle of heat crawled up my neck.

Two pairs of eyes were locked dead onto me. [What the hell!

Did the Sullivans just notice Sage?] In the last life, shortly after I moved into the Spencer house, the director had called me.

She told me a billionaire family had come to the group home looking for me because I was a dead ringer for their late daughter. But the Spencers had already dragged me away.

Over the phone, the director had hesitated before lowering her voice. "The Spencers have money, Sage, but their business practices… there are rumors.

Shady dealings." "The Sullivans are different. They fund the veterans' hospital. They singlehandedly keep this group home running.

If you had just…" She had sighed. "Just watch your back with your biological family, okay? Keep your guard up." I knew exactly what she meant.

She smelled the rot in the Spencer family. The Sullivans would have been my ticket out. Footsteps crunched on the gravel behind me. A gentle hand rested on my shoulder. I turned.

Mrs. Sullivan's breath hitched. Tears instantly welled in her eyes. "Arthur, it's her." She gripped her husband's arm. "She looks exactly like Celeste.

If Celeste were still here… she'd be exactly this tall." I pressed my lips into a thin line. Mr. Sullivan turned straight to the director. "We want to adopt this girl. Today.

And we'll fully fund the living expenses for every other child in this facility," he added.

The director looked at me, her eyes wide. "Sage?" I didn't blink. "Yes." I looked up at the couple. "Mom. Dad." Mrs. Sullivan let out a choked sob.

She pulled me into a crushing embrace, her tears soaking into my cheap cotton shirt. "You're ours now," Mr.

Sullivan whispered, wrapping his arms around both of us, forming a shield against the world. "We're going to give you everything." The black Maybach smoothly pulled up to our new home.

It was the exact ultraexclusive gated estate the Spencers had drooled over in my last life but could never afford. [Holy shit, how did Sage just unlock the billionaire heiress route?

Look at that room! Her walkin closet is bigger than my entire house!] [That panoramic skyline view… those floortoceiling windows.

Just the renovations for this one bedroom cost more than a Ferrari!] My new mother held my hands.

Her thumbs gently traced over my calluses, her eyes brimming with a fierce, protective warmth. "Sage," she said softly. "You're our blood now.

We are going to give you every advantage this world has to offer." Chapter 3 I threw myself into mastering every elite skill a billionaire's heir was supposed to know.

But I didn't stop at etiquette and horseback riding. I made Mom hire me a private boxing coach. Every morning, long before the sun came up, I was already pounding the heavy bag.

I wrapped my hands in athletic tape and hit the leather until my knuckles bled and my arms were painted in bruises. I never stopped.

Mom rubbed arnica cream into my bruised shoulders, a deep crease forming between her brows. "Sage, you aren't at the group home anymore.

No one can touch you now." "You don't have to punish yourself like this," Dad added.

I clenched my jaw and took the sting, ignoring the neon text scrolling across my vision. [How insecure do you have to be to torture yourself like that?

She's terrified the Sullivans are going to throw her back.] [Our Aspen is living the actual dream. Hand and foot service, zero pressure to learn useless richkid tricks.

She just has to exist and smile to keep the Spencers happy.] [Aspen casually mentioned yesterday she'd never been out of the country, and boom—the whole family flew out to Paris today.

She's starting at the elite prep school next month.

Hehe~ The evil side character could never compete.] A month later, I knocked on my parents' master suite door. "Everything okay, Sage?" Mom asked. "Mom. Dad.

I want to transfer to St. Jude's Preparatory Academy." [?? Wait, isn't that Aspen's new school?] [She just wants to flex her new billionaire status in front of Aspen.

Lol, wait until Aspen's brothers literally end her!] I read the floating words without blinking.

The memory of being strung from the ceiling rafters and beaten until my ribs snapped was seared into my bones. In this life, my fists were going to do the talking.

I bypassed the admissions office and walked straight to Aspen's homeroom. I pushed the heavy classroom door open. My eyes locked onto the third row, dead center.

Aspen sat there, completely surrounded by a flock of preppy students, her eyes curved into sweet, innocent crescents.

The homeroom teacher tapped a marker against the whiteboard. "Class, settle down. Let our new transfer introduce herself." I stepped up to the podium.

I ignored the sea of faces and pinned my stare directly on Aspen. "My name is Sage." The smile slid right off Aspen's face. Her pupils dilated.

But the mask slipped back on a second later. She tipped her chin up, a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.

She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and mouthed two words. Dead meat. I looked away and claimed an empty desk in the back row.

I dropped my bag onto the floor, my thumb quietly tracing the thick calluses on my knuckles. The bell hadn't even stopped ringing when Aspen materialized at my desk.

She slammed both hands flat against the wood, looming over me to make sure half the class was listening. "Sage.

You're going to school here?" She pitched her voice up. "Tuition at St. Jude's isn't exactly cheap. Where did you get that kind of cash?" Every eye in the room snapped toward us.

I slowly closed my textbook. I leaned back and met her gaze. "None of your business." Aspen blinked, caught off guard. "I'm just looking out for you!

Don't be a bitch." She leaned in closer, dropping her voice. "A girl fresh out of the group home… you didn't do anything shady to scrape together that tuition, did you?" I stood up.

Months of heavy protein and brutal training had shot my height up.

Now, I was the one looking down at her. "How I pay my tuition isn't up for discussion." Aspen opened her mouth to snap back, but I cut her off. "You got the rich family.

Play the perfect little heiress. Stop obsessing over me." I tilted my head. "What? Terrified I'm going to take something away from you?" Chapter 4 Aspen's breath caught.

She dug her nails into her palms, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. "What is that supposed to mean?

You're jealous?" She pointed a trembling finger at my face. "Just wait, Sage. You're dead." [Hehe, Aspen is going straight to her brothers.

They'd literally burn the world down for her.] Less than five minutes later, Chase and Declan appeared at the far end of the hallway. Their faces were dark. My lungs seized.

A phantom ache radiated through my ribs. I stared at them, a tremor traveling down my fingers, before I forced my hands into whiteknuckled fists. [Haha, Sage is terrified.

That's the biological submission kicking in.] [I can still picture her on her knees, covered in blood like a dog, begging them to stop.] Aspen stomped her foot, pointing right at my face. "Chase!

Declan! It's her. She just got here and she's already coming after me!" Chase closed the distance first.

He dragged his gaze up and down my uniform, a sickening smirk playing on his lips. "Sage from the group home.

What, so bitter you aren't the real billionaire heir that you stalked her all the way here for attention?" Declan didn't even look at me like a person.

He leaned lazily against the lockers and let out a cold laugh. "I don't care who you scammed to pay your tuition, Sage.

Stay the hell away from Aspen." He reached out and jabbed two fingers hard into my collarbone. "Transfer out. Don't make us do it for you." [Sage is pale as a ghost!

Serves her right for crossing Aspen!] [Tsk, the aura on those two… I'd be crying on the spot.] Aspen tucked herself safely behind her brothers.

She peeked out over Declan's shoulder and flashed me a triumphant smile. I stood my ground, but before I could open my mouth, the warning bell screamed overhead.

Both brothers instantly turned their attention back to Aspen.

Their faces went dead serious. "We heard the Sullivan heiress just transferred here," Chase muttered. "Total lockdown on her identity.

Keep your head down around the new kids." Declan nodded. "Aspen, the Sullivan girl is the only person in this school you need to worry about." Chase threw a sideways glance at me. "Trash like her, we can crush in a heartbeat." A smile crept up the corners of my mouth.

The monster they were terrified of… was me. I walked straight into an empty stairwell and dialed my phone. "Mom. Dad.

A girl named Aspen Spencer is targeting me because I'm from the group home." "Aspen Spencer?" My father's voice dropped to a dangerous octave through the receiver. "Who the hell is Aspen Spencer?

I'm having my assistant pull her files right now.

Nobody touches my daughter." By midnight, news ripped through the city's financial elite that the Spencer family's supply chains were being systematically butchered by the Sullivan conglomerate.

The next morning at school, Aspen was a wreck. She couldn't focus on the board, frantically passing folded notes under her desk all through first period. [Is Sage literally insane?

Who drags their entire family into a high school hallway beef?] [Now our Aspen is stressing out trying to figure out who the Sullivan heiress is so she can apologize!] [They literally grew up in the same group home.

Did she really have to take it this far?] Chapter 5 The second the bell rang, the classroom erupted. "Did you hear? Anyone know who the mystery Sullivan heiress is yet?

I'm terrified of breathing wrong around her." "She's gotta be flawless. If I can get into her inner circle, my life is set!

Honestly, I'd scrub the princess's floors." I let a smirk touch my lips. In my peripheral vision, Aspen shoved her chair back and stood up. [Hehe, unbelievable.

Sage must be having the time of her life hearing them suck up to her like that.] Obviously. This was exactly what I came back from the dead for. "Sage!

What the hell are you smiling at?" Aspen snapped. She stormed across the aisle. "God, your smug face makes me sick!" She grabbed the edge of my desk, trying to flip it over.

Her hands clamped onto the wood. I slammed it flat back onto the floor. Her eyes bugged out. "Are you seriously pushing back?" I didn't laugh.

I planted my feet, pivoted my hips, and drove my palm hard across her cheek. The crack echoed off the walls. "Why wouldn't I?" The entire classroom went dead silent.

Thirty pairs of eyes stared at me, mouths hanging open. Aspen clutched her bright red cheek.

Her chest heaved. "Sage…" She pointed a shaking finger at me. "Don't think just because my family took a financial hit, you can step on me.

You're dead!" [Holy shit, did she literally train in boxing just to beat people up?] I rolled my wrist. For once, the floating text got it right.

It didn't take long for the Spencer brothers to hunt me down. Chase marched straight up to my desk and grabbed me by the collar.

Before his other hand could reach me, I clamped onto his wrist. I pivoted, dropped my center of gravity, and flipped him clean over my shoulder.

Chase hit the ground hard, smashing into the neighboring desk and sending metal crashing across the floor. Girls screamed. Aspen instantly burst into tears. "Chase!

Are you okay?!" She whipped her head toward me. "Sage, how could you hit my brother?!" Declan stepped over the wreckage.

His jaw tightened. "Looks like you forgot what happens when you act out." He locked eyes with me, closing the distance. In the last life, he was the one who broke the most bones.

I didn't wait for him to swing. I drove my heavy boot straight into his stomach with a hundred percent of my strength. Declan literally flew backward into the metal lockers.

I looked down at the three of them tangled on the floor. I dusted my hands off. "What's the big deal? They aren't my brothers." Aspen lost her mind. Her face flushed dark red.

She screamed, "You're done! I'm getting the dean to expel you right now!" She pulled her groaning brothers to their feet and scrambled out the door with them.

The rest of the class stared at me like I held a live grenade.

The girl in the next aisle leaned over. "Sage… you should probably go home and hide." I looked back at her and offered a polite smile. "It's fine." My parents had already taken care of everything.

Sure enough, when Aspen marched back into homeroom with her swollen cheek, her face was completely dark. The homeroom teacher walked in right behind her. He didn't even look at me.

He pointed Aspen to the back wall for detention. The class exchanged bewildered looks.

I leaned back and spun a pen around my thumb. [Damn it, Sage must be feeling so smug right now!] Smug? I was just returning the favor.

This was exactly how she treated me the second she got comfortable in her last life. Chapter 6 The final bell rang.

I stepped out the front doors and instantly spotted my biological parents waiting by the school gates. Their faces were thunderous.

The second I walked into their line of sight, they marched straight toward me. My biological mother didn't waste a single breath.

She raised her hand, winding up to slap me exactly like she had in our last life. "You little brat.

Who gave you the nerve to touch my boys?" I shot my hand up and clamped my fingers around her wrist. I didn't hold back my grip strength.

Her face instantly twisted in pain. "Let go of me, you little bitch!" She wrenched her arm, trying to rip it out of my grip. "You're laying hands on me now?!" My biological father stepped in, trying to pry my fingers off his wife's arm.

He pointed a finger right in my face. "You ungrateful little delinquent!" I shoved her arm away and let out a dry laugh. "Ungrateful? Sir, ma'am, I'm not your daughter.

Don't throw words like that around." They both froze.

It took them a full second to process that before they scrambled to backtrack. "We—we meant you assaulting people!" my father sputtered. "You're an absolute animal.

Don't think we don't know what you're doing. You're just jealous of Aspen." He glared at me. "You two grew up in the same group home.

Now that she has a real family and a good life, you can't stand it.

You're completely toxic." I tilted my head and smiled. "You're absolutely right." "My deadbeat parents dumped me at a group home.

They're probably rotting in the ground somewhere by now.

Since I grew up like a stray dog with no mother to raise me, it makes perfect sense that I'd turn out a little toxic, doesn't it?" Every word drained another shade of color from their faces. "You… you…" My mother pointed a shaking finger at me. "You've got a filthy mouth!

You're shameless. No wonder your real parents threw you away!" I let out a harsh scoff. "Like I'd ever want them anyway.

They sound like complete trash to me." I didn't stick around to watch their faces turn green. I turned on my heel and walked away.

The second I stepped through the front door of the estate, the scent of a homecooked roast hit me. Mom and Dad were already waiting at the dining table.

Mom pulled out my chair for me and spent the first ten minutes of dinner piling my plate high with food. "Sage," Dad started, pouring me a glass of juice. "We heard there was an incident at school today.

Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?" Mom set her fork down. "If we aren't doing enough to protect you, just say the word.

We can bankrupt the Spencers by tomorrow morning." Looking at how fiercely they wanted to protect me, the lingering irritation from the school gates vanished.

I rested my fork on my plate. "Mom. Dad." "You mentioned before that you wanted to host a banquet to officially announce my adoption.

Can we do it this Sunday?" They exchanged a thrilled look and nodded without hesitation.

Dad instantly dropped his napkin on the table and stood up. "Arthur, where are you going?" Mom called out. "Sage isn't done eating!" Dad didn't even look back as he strode toward his office. "I'm calling the event planners right now!" Mom shook her head, a fond smile on her face. "Grown man acting like a teenager." She turned back to me, her eyes softening. "Sage, sweetie, is there anyone specific you want on the guest list?" [Wait, is she actually going to dominate this timeline?

Her status and her fists literally crush Aspen's family.] [Aspen's family is losing their minds over the supply chain cuts.

They're literally begging everyone in the city for an introduction to the Sullivan family right now.] I reached out and gently squeezed Mom's hand. "I want you to invite the Spencers." Chapter 7 The next day at school, almost everyone in class had received a heavy, foilstamped invitation from the Sullivan family.

Aspen's cheek was still slightly swollen, but the dark cloud that had been hanging over her head was gone.

She even had the nerve to march right up to my desk and gloat. "The whole class got an invite. Where's yours?" She crossed her arms. "I heard some random family took you in.

Must be pretty middleclass, right? Scraping together St.

Jude's tuition is probably bleeding them dry." She leaned closer, dropping her voice to a malicious whisper. "So what if my family's supply chains took a hit a few days ago?" "The Sullivans clearly regret it.

That's why they invited us." Her eyes narrowed. "Once this banquet is over, Sage, we're settling every score." I gave her a halfsmile and nodded. "Sure." [Why am I getting so hyped?

How is Aspen going to survive this level?] [The Spencers will literally never guess that the legendary billionaire heiress is their own biological daughter…] Early Sunday morning, Mom and Dad flew in a team of elite stylists.

I was laced into a custom haute couture gown. The moment my stilettos clicked against the marble floor of the grand ballroom, the ambient murmur of the crowd died.

Hundreds of eyes snapped toward the grand entrance. From across the room, I easily spotted the five Spencers.

Aspen was squeezed into a bubblegumpink dress, clutching a crystal champagne flute.

She trailed tightly behind my biological parents, pasting on a desperate, peoplepleasing smile as they tried to network with the city's elite.

Chase and Declan flanked her, playing the role of loyal guard dogs. Until I closed the distance. Aspen's champagne glass froze halfway to her mouth.

Her smile stiffened before her upper lip curled. Declan spoke first. "Sage?" He sneered. "How did trash like you get past security?

You're dragging down the property value just by breathing the air." My biological father shot me a look of pure exasperation. "Are you stalking us?

Everywhere we go, you follow like a stray dog." I let out a low scoff. Up on the main stage, Mr. Sullivan tapped the microphone.

The sharp feedback sliced through the ballroom chatter. "Tonight," his voice boomed over the speakers, "I want to formally introduce my daughter to society." He extended a hand directly toward where I stood. "Sage, come up here." Chase whipped his head around.

His pupils pinned. Declan took a stumbling step backward, all the blood draining from his face.

My biological parents stared at me, their jaws slack, looking like they had just been struck by a physical blow. I kept the smirk on my lips.

Under the crushing weight of a hundred stares, I lifted the hem of my gown and walked past them, taking the crystal stairs one by one.

As I brushed past Aspen, a violent tremor racked her entire body. "No… impossible…" she breathed out. Mrs.

Sullivan wrapped a warm, diamondclad arm around my waist and smiled out at the sea of frozen faces. "This is our daughter, Sage." Absolute dead silence suffocated the ballroom