Never Yours Again: Too Late To Chase Me Back, Mr. CEO!
Ever since Ryan took her in, Kailey had tried to be sensible and pleasing, shaping herself around his moods.
He'd raised her, but she never saw him as family; she'd been sure they'd end up together.
On the day she turned twenty, ready to confess her feelings again, his beloved woman came back.
Kailey overheard, "Kailey is just a kid to me; I could never look at her that way. The only person I love is Olivia."
She walked away, and Ryan fell apart.
Later, at her wedding, Kailey smiled in white. Ryan pleaded, "I regret it, Kailey. Please don't marry him."
Calmly, she said, "Can you let go? My groom won't appreciate it."
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Chapter 4
Kyson seemed caught off guard by the shift in Kailey's voice. For a moment, everything went quiet except for the faint rustle on his end.
He finally spoke, his voice sounding parched. "Did something happen? Did you go to the hospital already? Where are you? I can get someone to drive over and help."
One concern after another tumbled out of him, each word packed with worry he did not bother to hide.
Kailey couldn't help but find his anxiousness a little endearing.
"It's nothing dramatic, just a small bruise on my waist." She drew in a few calming breaths, letting the frustration fade as she settled onto the couch. "I already saw a doctor. He gave me some ointment and said it's not a fracture or anything."
Kyson went quiet, then let out a breath that sounded almost relieved. "Since I can't be there, could you do me a favor and watch over my future wife for me?"
He dropped the word "wife" so easily it made her heart skip.
A flush crept up Kailey's cheeks. "You're talking nonsense again."
"That's not nonsense at all. I'm serious, Kailey." He chuckled, and she could make out the sound of soft footsteps as he wandered somewhere.
Kailey fumbled for words, feeling thrown. Changing their dynamic so suddenly left her flustered and strangely exhilarated.
Trying to steer the conversation elsewhere, she tossed out a playful question. "Were you about to hop on a plane just to check up on me?"
Kyson took a beat before answering, "Honestly, the thought did cross my mind. But I'm out of the country right now. I flew off for a last-minute business trip yesterday."
For a second, Kailey didn't know what to say. Her teasing had landed closer to the truth than she'd expected. Something soft and bittersweet settled in her chest.
Kyson spoke up again before she found her words. "Listen, I've got a friend who runs a top-notch wellness center. She's an expert with massages. Go see her tomorrow and let her take care of you. I think it'll speed up your recovery."
"That's really not necessary."
"Kailey, don't say no." Kyson's voice was firm. "We're about to get married, remember? It's only natural I want to look after you, especially when I'm so far away. Get upset with me if you have to, but at least let me do this much for you, okay?"
It had been a long time since Kailey had felt someone fuss over her this way—not since Olivia came back home.
A small sniffle escaped as she nodded.
Then, remembering he couldn't see her, she whispered, "Alright."
The next day, Kailey made her way to the wellness center Kyson had recommended. Tucked in the heart of the city, the place was known for its luxury and exclusivity. Even with money, you couldn't just walk in—you needed a membership and a prior booking.
Running the place was Nora Barrett, a stunning woman and an old classmate of Kyson's.
Once Kailey's treatment was done, Nora walked her all the way to the exit herself.
"If you ever come back, just ask for me. You're Kyson's girlfriend now. No matter how packed my schedule gets, I'll always fit you in," Nora said warmly, her eyes shining with interest. "But in return, you have to spill the details. I want to know everything about how you and Kyson ended up together."
Her curiosity was genuine. For someone like Kyson, always so untouchable, to finally fall for someone? It was a story worth hearing.
After spending some time together, Kailey had grown comfortable with Nora's open nature. She found herself genuinely liking the woman's bold charm.
She gave a light shrug and answered honestly, "There's really nothing dramatic about us. We're just... partnering up."
Nora's eyes grew round, clearly not buying it.
Before she could press further, a surprised voice rang out from nearby. "Kailey, I can't believe that's actually you!"
Both Kailey and Nora turned toward the sound.
Standing just ahead was a couple, hands linked together, looking effortlessly in sync.
Ryan's sharp eyes quickly swept over the scene, and he frowned. "Why are you here, Kailey?"
Kailey opened her mouth, but Nora beat her to it with a teasing laugh. "Isn't that a funny question coming from you? Obviously, she's here to recover from an injury."
Nora had never been one to tiptoe around anyone, no matter their background. She'd built her reputation on honesty, not empty compliments.
The remark left Ryan and Olivia momentarily stunned, their expressions shifting from surprise to mild embarrassment in an instant.
Kailey nearly let out a laugh, but held it in. Ryan hadn't even remembered her injury, yet he'd brought Olivia to this place for recovery. The difference in how they each mattered to him was suddenly obvious. Still, it was probably for the best—less drama for her.
She leaned closer to Nora and whispered, "That's my uncle, though we're not related by blood. And the woman with him is his girlfriend."
Nora's eyes flickered with interest, catching on to the odd tension right away.
With a mischievous "oh," she flashed a polite smile. "My apologies. I didn't realize you're Kailey's uncle. I'm known for speaking my mind, so I hope you'll excuse me if I sounded too blunt."
The remark was innocent enough, but Kailey heard the underlying irony.
Ryan's expression grew shadowed. After a moment, his gaze drifted to the two women standing together. "So, Ms. Barrett, are you and Kailey good friends?"
Nora started to answer, "Not especially, but when it comes to her—" She caught Kailey's warning look and smoothly changed direction. "Let's just say, most of my clients start as strangers and end up regulars."
Relief washed over Kailey, and she chimed in, "Nora's got a real talent for what she does, and I enjoyed our chat."
It was only then that Ryan seemed to recall why Kailey might have come in the first place. Yesterday she'd brushed off her injury, and it had slipped his mind.
Now he gave her a more thoughtful look. "How's your waist? Is it feeling any better today?"
Olivia lingered quietly on the sidelines, the concern etched in Ryan's expression not lost on her.
A flicker of something unreadable crossed her face, but she held her tongue.
Kailey, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by this sudden burst of attention. She replied causally, "It's much better now."
Ryan misread her detachment as irritation. He gave Olivia's hand a gentle squeeze, then quickly released it. He knew all too well that Kailey had a temper, and the last thing he wanted was to draw everyone's eyes with family drama.
Olivia glanced at her empty hand, squeezing her palm tight as if to steady herself.
Ryan didn't notice. He switched to a more authoritative tone. "If you're feeling better, Kailey, go home and get some rest. Don't push yourself running around, or you'll be complaining to me again if it flares up."
The remark struck Kailey as odd, as if she were always turning to him with her troubles.
She met his gaze, a cool smile on her lips. "No need to worry. I won't make that mistake again."
That simple promise—delivered so firmly—left a brief sting in Ryan's chest.
He looked away, masking the reaction. "You should take a taxi home. I'm staying for Olivia's appointment."
Kailey simply looked his way without offering a response.
Choosing not to engage, she slipped her hand into Nora's and said, "I'm heading out now, Nora. Let's meet up sometime soon."
Nora caught the underlying message, offering a knowing smile as she gently pinched Kailey's cheek. "Of course. Next time, bring him along when you visit."
Of course, she was referring to Kyson. Ryan, however, took it another way.
No sooner had Kailey walked out than he fixed Nora with a firm look. "Ms. Barrett, let's be clear—Kailey is just my niece. I'd prefer if you didn't try to set her up with me."
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7.6
When Christine Woods collapses into a hospital bed from unbearable pain, her husband's response is colder than the IV dripping into her veins: "Stop pretending to be sick."
That same night, a single social media post shatters her marriage--Neil Caffery, intimate with the first love he once claimed was dead.
Three years of marriage. Three years of neglect, indifference, and quiet self-deception.
In that moment, Christine finally understands the truth: she was never a wife--only a substitute.
Not wanting to live as a substitute any longer, she divorced her husband.
After divorce, Christine started her new life, achieving success both in career and love.
Seeing her so radiant and successful, her scumbag husband beg her to come back.
"Hazel, I know I was wrong. Please come back."
However, before Christine could respond, the country's richest man kicked him and held Christine's waist, "Who are you? Stop pestering my wife!"
His voice was cold, his presence imposing.
Christine looked at him and snorted, "When did I agree to marry you?"
"Baby, are you still angry about last night? I promise, I will be gentle next time." The man said, looking at her playfully.
Christine hit his chest playfully, her face turning red.
8.6
On the night of her third wedding anniversary, Isabella Hart discovered her husband in another woman's bed.
By morning, she was divorced.
Humiliated. Replaced. Erased.
After three years of loving a man who treated her like a shadow in her own marriage, Isabella walks away with nothing but her pride - and a secret she refuses to tell him.
But fate has a cruel sense of humor.
Hours after signing the divorce papers, she accidentally marries the most powerful and dangerously untouchable man in the city - billionaire CEO Alexander Laurent - in a legally binding contract mistake that cannot be undone.
Alexander needs a wife to secure his inheritance.
Isabella needs revenge.
What begins as a cold-blooded deal soon turns into something neither of them expected.
Because her ex-husband suddenly wants her back.
And this time... she's no longer the woman he threw away.
But when secrets unravel and the truth about that anniversary night comes to light, Isabella must decide-
Is this marriage her salvation... or her greatest mistake?
7.0
At their first meeting, Vanessa dazzled as the heiress of an elite family, while Shawn survived as a broke, hardworking student.
He fell for her-then she shattered his illusion with a sneer. "Do you think you're even in my league?"
Years later, Shawn returned as a rising attorney and heir to a powerful family, backed by wealth and influence.
Disgraced and frantic, Vanessa fought to free her parents, framed and jailed.
She dropped to her knees and begged for his help.
He said coolly, "Be my lover-until I'm done with you."
To her, it was his revenge. But Shawn knew it was the love he'd wanted.
7.5
In a world ruled by power and illusion, the most dangerous role is playing yourself.
When scandal detonates inside the powerful Laurent empire, its fragile heiress, Georgia Laurent, vanishes from public view. Investors panic. Markets wobble. The media circles like vultures.
Then Georgia returns.
Perfectly styled. Perfectly composed. Perfectly convincing.
There's just one problem.
She isn't Georgia Laurent.
She's Sharon Beckley - a struggling actress drowning in debt and one missed audition away from losing everything. When the enigmatic fixer James Barnett offers her an obscene amount of money to impersonate the heiress "temporarily," Sharon accepts. It's a role with strict rules: smile for cameras, memorize the biography, sign where instructed, and never ask questions.
But behind the mirrored walls of the Laurent estate, Sharon discovers this isn't damage control.
It's containment.
Locked wings of the mansion. Security systems recently upgraded. Burned files in marble fireplaces. Offshore accounts bleeding billions from Laurent Global Holdings. And whispers of a former executive whose fatal accident may have been murder.
When Sharon pushes too far, the pressure shifts. Surveillance tightens. James grows colder. The board becomes ruthless.
Then the real Georgia disappears.
No flight records. No secure messages. No proof she's alive.
And suddenly Sharon understands the truth: she wasn't hired to stand in.
She was selected to replace.
Now trapped inside a stolen identity with powerful men determined to preserve the illusion, Sharon faces an impossible choice - become Georgia completely and inherit an empire built on blood...
Or expose the conspiracy and risk being erased permanently.
Because in the Laurent world, identities are assets.
And only one Georgia Laurent is allowed to exist.
7.2
My family arranged my marriage to Silas Thorne, a Wall Street titan. There was just one problem: everyone, including my powerful new husband, believed I was a crippled, helpless girl from the countryside.
On the day of my physical therapy, my father called, not to ask how I was, but to demand I give up the marriage for his illegitimate daughter, Chloe.
"You can barely walk without a limp," he sneered. "You are going to embarrass the Vance family."
My new husband treated me with cold duty, carrying me like a fragile doll but refusing to share a bed, citing my ‘soft tissue injury’ as a pathetic excuse. The rejection was humiliating. To make matters worse, Chloe tracked me down while I was shopping, eager to mock me in public.
"Silas doesn't value you," she said, flashing a cheap ring from my father. "You’re just a crippled placeholder."
They all saw a weak girl they could push around, completely blind to the fact that my limp was a carefully crafted lie.
So I took the unlimited black card Silas gave me and bought a fifty-seven-million-dollar pink diamond, crushing her in front of New York’s elite. When I returned to our penthouse, Silas was waiting for me, a dangerous smirk on his face.
"I heard," he said, his voice a low rumble, "that you bought a star with my money today?"
7.1
I was the top commander of a black-ops military program. After slaughtering my way through a hellish mission, I reached the extraction helicopter, trusting my second-in-command to watch my back.
But the moment our hands locked, he didn't pull me up. Instead, he plunged a syringe of lethal neurotoxin directly into my neck.
He aimed his gun at my chest, coldly stating that I was too dangerous to live. My lungs stopped, and I died in a pool of my own blood. But the endless blackness suddenly shattered. My consciousness violently forced its way into a new, broken shell. I woke up in a freezing alley, soaked in muddy rain.
This body belonged to seventeen-year-old Eliza Wyatt. A massive wave of foreign memories crashed into my brain. Her own younger sister had just stood at the top of the stairs with a mocking smile, watching street thugs beat Eliza to death.
"Take good care of the Wyatt family's eldest daughter. Tonight is the night she finally disappears."
The endless humiliation, the cold stares of her family, and the brutal betrayal by her own blood flashed before my eyes. Why was this fragile girl treated like garbage and pushed to her death by the very people who should have protected her?
I looked down at my pale, trembling hands. The top commander was dead, but in this bleeding shell, Eliza Wyatt was very much alive. I picked up a switchblade from the bloody puddle and stood up in the storm. It was time to hunt.