Rachel Blake's face was the last one Aarika expected to see trending online. A promotional clip for a Women in Tech conference featured Rachel, smiling and poised as she spoke into the camera.
"Integrity is not just a policy," Rachel said with conviction. "It's a legacy."
Aarika nearly laughed.
She clicked the link. Rachel had launched a new startup called Verity—a cybersecurity consultancy built on 'ethical transparency.' The irony made Aarika's hands shake.
In her past life, Rachel had betrayed her at the hospital, withheld key code before the Cobalt deal, and vanished after Zayden's empire collapsed. Now she was selling virtue like a product.
Aarika bought a VIP pass to the summit under a different name.
The event was held in a gleaming downtown auditorium, all glass walls and artificial smiles. She dressed plainly and stayed at the back.
When Rachel stepped onto the stage, Aarika barely recognized her. She had changed—older, sharper. She was wearing the same diamond ear cuff from that fateful year.
During the Q&A, Aarika stood.
"Ms. Blake," she said, watching Rachel squint under the lights. "How do you define loyalty in leadership?"
Rachel blinked.
Then—recognition.
"Aarika?" Her voice trembled.
"I came to congratulate you," Aarika replied evenly. "You've built quite the empire… again."
Rachel's mask slipped for a second. "Again?" she echoed.
Aarika smiled coldly. "We're all reborn in some way, aren't we?"
That night, as Aarika drove home, she received another message.
"She doesn't remember—yet. But she will."
Twist: That night, Rachel wakes up from a vivid dream—hospital lights, blood, a crying baby—and writes down one name in a panic: "Soren."