The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 168 You... You Were Reborn Too?

Karl didn’t deny a word Megan said. His eyes locked onto her face, burning with intensity, like he’d been holding all this in for years.

"I was five when I first saw you. That cute, doll-like face of yours... I was hooked right then."

She frowned slightly, and he reached out to smooth the lines between her brows. "Don’t scrunch your forehead like that—it’s a bad habit for girls."

Megan immediately turned her face away, disgusted by his touch. "Don’t touch me."

"Alright." Karl gave a half-smile. "Got a lot of questions? Want me to spill the truth?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Megan shot him a sideways glance but stayed silent.

"One question for one kiss. Sound fair?"

Realizing he was messing with her, Megan rolled her eyes and simply refused to look at him.

Karl chuckled, clearly enjoying her stubbornness. "I love it when you’re mad. But honestly, your smile? That’s what gets me."

He stood, walked to the liquor cabinet, casually pulled out a bottle of Petrus, and opened it with a butterfly corkscrew. The red wine swirled smoothly into the crystal glass, rich and alluring.

He brought the glass to his nose, took in the scent, then gave a satisfied sip. "Smooth. Sweet. Pretty damn good."

Then he sat on the chair by the bed, his gaze never leaving her. "The day you were born, my grandpa took me to the hospital. Coincidentally, he heard about the birth of the Lewis family’s daughter. That’s when he planned to switch you. I was waiting outside the nursery for him to grab a blanket when Bernard beat us to it—he switched you out himself. Even crazier? Not long after, a poor-looking couple switched Bernard’s grandkid with their baby. That girl ended up being Amelia. Bernard kept such a close watch on you, we never stood a chance."

Megan gave a cold laugh. "So you witnessed it all. If I had fallen into your hands back then, I probably wouldn’t be alive now, huh?"

Karl knocked back the remaining wine, his eyes hazy. "No way. If it were up to me, with how much I liked you, you’d have belonged to me a long time ago. Tristan wouldn’t even be in the picture. But whatever. To me, you’re still flawless."

"You’re just using me to mess with the Reid and Lewis families. Kidnapping me right after my identity got announced... You just wanted to stir the stock value, didn’t you?"

Karl gave a wicked grin. "Sounds harsh when you say it like that. It was just... good timing." He opened his phone and pulled up photos. "Look—these are all pictures of you growing up. I had people take them. I just wanted to know you were okay. When I heard you ditched your engagement, I was thrilled. Then that guy locked you up."

He reached out, fingers grazing her soft cheek again, and she jerked away, disgusted.

Without warning, he grabbed her by the chin, his sharp eyes narrowing. "But why’d you give up? You tried escaping, went on a hunger strike—you wanted out. When did you suddenly start loving him?"

Megan smiled, eyes calm but full of fire. "Why? Because when I was dying, he died with me. That alone... is enough to make me love him."Karl’s grip on her jaw tightened, eyes tinted red with brewing tears. "You only noticed how he died for you. What about me? My grandfather had me locked away—I had no idea what Molly and Wyatt did to you. I never imagined it was my grandfather pulling the strings... not until I heard you were dead."

Megan stared at him, stunned. "What did you say?"

He leaned in close, nearly growling, "Cold sea water rushed into my nose, burned through my lungs, but holding your dead body—I still felt some twisted kind of joy. Megan, can you just look at me for once?"

She blinked, lips trembling. It took her a while before whispering, "You... you were reborn too?"

Karl gave a bitter smile as he let go, gently tracing the red mark on her face he’d caused. "Disappointed, huh? If I hadn’t come back, none of this would’ve happened? This wasn’t an accident. I built the time machine myself—set it to take me back two days before your wedding escape. I wanted a shot to find you first, take you away. I even had ways to make you forget everything. But something went wrong. I ended up half a year late. When you woke up, you were already starving yourself again."

He gave a low, joyless laugh. "It tore me apart, watching you run back to him. But how could I make you die again just to time travel?"

Megan couldn’t say a word, her lashes trembling as she watched the man in front of her.

She’d never imagined someone else could love her this deeply. All this time, she thought Karl’s obsession was nothing more than control. Never had she guessed he’d died for her too.

"Ever wonder why Tristan doesn’t remember anything from his past life?"

"Why?"

Karl leaned in close to her ear. "Because I wiped his memory—crushed the part responsible for it, just like what happened to Amelia’s mother. Sound familiar?"

A sharp pain clenched in Megan’s chest. "Leave!"

"Oh? That got to you?" Karl straightened up, voice calm. "I don’t care if you’re not pure, but I care that you still love him. So I’ll help you forget. After that, you’ll only love me."

"No..." Tears rolled down Megan’s cheeks. "I’d rather die than forget about him."

Karl bent down slightly, voice dropping low. "So, what’s it gonna be? You lose your memory, or he loses his life. Hm?"

He walked to the table and pulled off a white cloth, revealing rows of jars, each containing strange insects.

For the first time, Megan felt completely hopeless. The idea of never being able to love Tristan again crushed her—like her heart was gripped tight in a fist, suffocating her.

"I don’t want to forget. I don’t want him to die. I’ll go with you."

Karl chuckled dryly. "You’re cunning. I don’t trust a word. Unless... I plant this sorcery worm in him."

That helpless, on-the-edge feeling—just like being a prisoner in her past life—it all came rushing back.

"Please... don’t hurt him."

Karl’s chest ached—seeing the woman he loved begging for someone else... there was nothing romantic about it.

He stood, grabbing the cashmere coat draped over the chair. "Fine, I won’t kill him. But keeping you here means I’ll have to use some... extra measures."

Once the door clicked shut behind him, Megan clenched her fists. There was no way she’d just sit and wait.

She dragged her tied legs over the ground, forcing herself up. Hopping over to the table, she scanned every jar carefully.

One jar held two tiny, bean-sized bugs. Her eyes locked onto the label—and suddenly, a spark of hope lit within her.