CH.1 Juliette wasn't the first born

Owen Reign, Juliette's father, was the second son of the prominent Reign family. Unlike his elder brother, he was born to take after their second family business. That's how it was supposed to be. Firstborns of the Reign family were gifted when it came to the other family business. It was also the reason why the other elite families, even the Pendragons, couldn't disregard the Reigns, who were better known for their cosmetic and clothing brand, as well as their department stores. A family business that was only kept among the patrons who could afford it and the people who had an affinity towards the unseen.

Spirits and the supernatural were more involved in our daily lives than one would believe. And Reigns were adept at dealing with them among the many spiritually affluent families. Even among the Reign children, who were always born with spiritual affinity, firstborns were abnormally powerful. And since Juliette wasn't the firstborn besides being of tainted blood, She had a low spiritual affinity that could barely allow her to feel something when it came to anything supernatural. Now add the fact that she was born to a wife that the whole family was against, Juliette wins by a landslide when it came to being an outcast.

Jasmine Angel, Juliette's mother, left the Yves family and married Owen Reign. It wasn't for love. Jasmine Angel wanted a powerful enough partner to escape Yves's name and people. The Reign family was against their union as they didn't want their son's firstborn to be birthed by someone who had no drop of spiritual power in them. But Owen Reign wasn't bothered because he already had a lover who was carrying his firstborn. Owen Reign just wanted Angel J, the famous bridal boutique that Jasmine Angel found. He thought it would be his if he married the woman but he couldn't be more wrong. Jasmine Angel was a clever woman who made sure that her daughter would be safe and sound even after her passing, even if it was at the cost of her life's work. So she left a Will before her passing.

Either Juliette would receive the inheritance or no one would.

Now Owen Reign was stuck with a daughter with almost no spiritual affinity and his most coveted golden goose just out of his hand's reach. His only way to get his hand on that golden goose was to have his daughter give it to him after receiving it or make sure that she wouldn't be able to attend the inheritance meeting that would take place on her twenty-first birthday.

Three months before her twenty-first birthday, Juliette met with an accident that rendered her paralysed from head to toe.

Juliette didn't hate being an outcast. She didn't feel envious of her step-siblings who got all her father's and grandparents' affection. It was because she thought all the love she ever wanted was given to her by her late mother. Even in Jasmine Angel's death, she gave her daughter the care and protection that Juliette never received from her father. Angel J was the proof of her mother's love, care and protection. So Juliette secretly waited for her twenty-first birthday more than anyone. She wanted to get out of this family she didn't care about. But Juliette couldn't be more naive.

As she lay there in the hospital bed with her eyes closed, pretending she was asleep, she would hear all the things her stepsister would blabber about.

"Stay put like this for a few more months, dear sister and Angel J will be mine. Dad promised to give it to me." Evelyn Reign, Evy, announced happily to the sleeping Juliette.

It is mine! Juliette wanted to slap this obnoxious stepsister of hers. But she could barely open her eyes, let alone move a finger.

"God! Look at all the energy around her. Poor thing. Can't you fend them off a little? She must be feeling cold. At least show some sympathy now that she is a patient." It was Axel, Evelyn's twin brother. If Evy was the beautiful omega daughter then Axel was the proud alpha son in the family. It was a good thing the other young twins were alphas as well, otherwise they would have suffered like Juliette did. Evy always wanted to be the only one, the one existence that was loved by everyone and stood out more than anyone. Juliette's cousins, her uncle's children, were all lucky betas.

The second gender wasn't that important in the Reign family but god does it help to have one as both alphas and omegas were the most sought-after marriage partners in the current society. People with second genders excelled no matter what they did and they had the most charming looks. With the highly effective drugs and almost no side effects these days, their heats and ruts were no longer a problem and they didn't live in isolation for the duration like in the old days. While some find their second gender a burden, most wear it proudly. Her stepsiblings were the latter sort.

"Serves her right. She shouldn't covet what's mine." Evy scoffed.

They must be talking about all the ghosts looming in my face to take a good look at me. I'm not a piece in the museum, You stupid! stupid! ghosts! Juliette wanted to shout but couldn't.

Reign family was a family of powerful exorcists for generations. Juliette being the tainted blood that she was, couldn't see them but feel them to an extent.

Some say that 'You can't fear what you can't see'. But what about the things that you can't see but feel? Juliette lived all her life feeling like being chased by something cold and creepy. She cried to her father but he didn't care when he could get rid of whatever entity it was torturing her with a flick of his hand. Her stepsiblings would laugh and set even more creatures on her. Juliette would suffer from nightmares after that. It wasn't until she almost died of sleep deprivation that her father finally got rid of the ones that were stuck on her. He can't have her dead after all. But after her near-death experience in the accident, she began to see them as clear as day.

At first, she thought the man in the white coat, was a doctor who came to check up on her. So she tried to call out to him, she tried screaming but her body wouldn't move an inch. In the end, he didn't hear a thing before he left. Then she heard another voice beside her.

tsk tsk someone clicked their tongue disapprovingly.

"How many times have I told him to leave for the afterlife? But he still insists on playing the doctor in this crappy hospital. Why stay in the place that overworked you to death?!" When Juliette looked in the direction of the voice, she almost had a heart attack. It was Juliette, who almost left for the afterlife instead of that ghost doctor!

"W-why?! What happened to you now?! Where is that ghost doctor when you need one!" The pale face, half covered by a curtain of long hair, looked panicked as it stared at me. The thin, robed body ran in and out of the room, calling for a doctor, forgetting that not just anyone could hear a ghost's voice. Watching the ghost's bony hands fussing over the beeping machine, Juliette slowly calmed down.

"Do not scare me like that!" The ghost sighed after the ECG machine stopped making sounds.

"Why?! What happened!" A few panicked voices entered the room but the door was still closed without any sign of being opened. Juliette almost panicked again before calming down. It was a bunch of ghosts that came rushing after hearing the long-haired ghost's call a minute before.

"What use are you now? Go bring the ghost doctor!" The long-haired ghost chastised and Juliette found it comical. And since then she spent her days in bed watching their antics. It was never a boring sight. But the ghosts would disappear whenever someone from the Reign family came for a visit. However, after learning that Reign family visitors wouldn't do anything to them if they stayed around Juliette, the ghosts would stay to hear all the interesting conversations from time to time. Today was one of those days.

"It was technically hers." Axel said but soon raised his hands in defeat at Evy's glaring eyes.

"It was mine. Angel J belongs to me." Evy gritted her teeth.

"That girl is your sister? You must have had a hard time." The long-haired ghost clicked her tongue like a disapproving mother-in-law.

I know right! Tell me about it. Juliette rolled her eyes inside. No! That's not the point! Get away from here! What if Evy snapped and exorcised you?! Juliette shouted but her body didn't move just like the times before.

"That one sitting at the window is a little annoying, though." Evy raised her hand towards the window where the long-haired ghost was sitting.

Run! Juliette screamed and tried to move forgetting that she was bedridden. The ECG machine began beeping again and Evy stopped halfway from chanting a spell.

As the room fell into chaos, Juliette calmed down as she watched the ghosts scurry out of the room like a bunch of rats escaping through crevices. It reminded her of cartoons that she used to watch.

A few days later, Juliette opened her eyes in the dead of the night. The look in her eyes was sparkling and brilliant, not one you would expect of someone bedridden for more than a month. Checking that she was truly alone, she sighed and moved her hand clenching and unclenching her fists.