Phoenix Mode, Activated: Burn Me Once, Watch Me Rise
Chelsey loved Brett for seven years and tried everything for a baby-doctors, IVF, surgeries. Then she found out he'd been dosing her food with contraceptives.
She woke back at the fire years earlier and watched Brett carry another woman out, leaving Chelsey to choke in smoke. She realized he'd been reborn too-and picked his "true love."
Chelsey walked away and married Julian, her friend's cousin and the hot firefighter who saved her; he gave her all his money the day they married.
Brett scoffed... until Chelsey shone at an AI summit and Julian's real identity shocked him.
Seeing her with twins and another baby coming, Brett begged, "Come back to me! Please!"
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Chapter 6
Phyllis gave a quick nod in response. "Understood, Mrs. Holden."
Without another glance, she gathered several servants, passed by Jorge, and headed straight for the upper floor.
Unable to contain himself, Jorge jabbed a finger toward Gretchen and shouted, "You're being completely unreasonable!"
Still, once he met the force of Gretchen's rage, his anger wavered and lost its edge.
In the end, he lacked the courage to challenge her further.
Before long, a handful of servants came back downstairs, their arms filled with carefully wrapped boxes and branded bags, which they placed in a messy pile at Lydia's feet.
Pointing toward the scattered belongings, Gretchen gave a cold order to Lydia. "Pick up your things and leave. Now."
At once, Lydia's eyes turned red, and tears slid down her cheeks.
Her expression made it seem as though the Holden family was using their authority to torment a poor, innocent girl.
Without hesitation, Brett stepped forward and pulled Lydia behind him, his voice low but firm. "Mrs. Holden, this is going too far. If you don't want her here, then I'll take her away."
After a brief pause, he turned to face Chelsey. "What happened today was because of me, and I regret hurting you. Even so, my choice hasn't changed."
Holding Lydia's hand more tightly, he said with conviction, "I won't ever let go of the person I've chosen in this life. Come with me, Lydia."
Without another word, he led Lydia away and never once glanced behind him.
Letting out a weary breath, Jorge muttered to himself, "This has turned into a complete disaster."
After that, he rushed after them and called out, "Brett. Lydia. Please wait."
Hearing his voice, Lydia came to a halt and turned around, and tears still lingered in her eyes. "Mr. Holden, I'm truly sorry for bringing so much trouble to you."
Her fragile state stirred sympathy in Jorge, and he shook his head gently. "You don't need to apologize. None of this is on you."
Closing the distance between them, he leaned in and whispered, "Lydia, don't forget what we agreed on. Come to the company next Monday. The role of technical director is still yours."
In response, Lydia gave a respectful nod. "I won't forget. Thank you very much, Mr. Holden."
Once Brett guided Lydia beyond the gates of the Holden residence, chaos suddenly broke out behind them.
Boxes and shopping bags that the servants had carried earlier were hurled outside one after another.
Several finely crafted containers cracked open when they hit the ground, and their contents spilled messily across the pavement.
Turning around, Lydia stared at the jewelry she had treasured for half a year, now abandoned as if it meant nothing, and her face showed both hurt and embarrassment.
After briefly scanning the scattered items, Brett pulled Lydia closer and reassured her, "Don't dwell on it anymore. From now on, if you want anything, I'll get it for you. None of those things were ever worth holding on to."
Inside the living room, Gretchen pulled Chelsey into her arms. Her chest felt tight, and tears fell without restraint. "Dear, this happened because I was too blind. I trusted the wrong people, and because of that, you had to endure so much humiliation."
In response, Chelsey lifted her hand and gently rubbed Gretchen's back.
She understood that Lydia's betrayal likely cut deeper for Gretchen than Brett's actions ever could.
During the past six months, Gretchen had treated Lydia with genuine care and affection.
"Mom, please don't blame yourself. None of this is on you. Some people enter this world without empathy, and they never develop a sense of right or wrong."
At that moment, Jorge stepped into the living room, his expression tense and unyielding.
Instead of acknowledging the sight of them holding each other, he let out a sharp scoff and walked straight toward his study.
After watching his retreating figure, Chelsey frowned slightly and asked, "Mom, don't you think Dad has been acting odd today?"
"He's likely just worried about crossing Brett." The thought came to Gretchen at once, and she spoke up in Jorge's defense, even though her tone sounded uncertain.
On hearing that explanation, Chelsey scoffed silently.
Coming from an ordinary background, Jorge had only climbed to his current position because of the backing from Gretchen's family.
Even after so many years navigating the business world, some of his old ways still clung to him.
Still, Chelsey could not fully accept that he was as simple as he seemed on the surface.
Carrying that doubt, she pressed the issue further and asked, "Mom, even if Dad is cautious around the Haynes family, he wouldn't really ignore his own daughter just to support an outsider, would he?"
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7.4
In a world ruled by dominance and desire, being an Omega is a curse, especially when you're mine.
On his eighteenth birthday, Luca wakes to a nightmare, his wolf has chosen the lowest rank of all. An Omega. The scent of submission, the mark of shame and the kind of wolf others own, use, and discard.
But Luca isn't broken, he's burning and the only one who's ever made him feel safe is Rafe, his best friend, his protector and his temptation.
Then Rafe shifts and becomes an Alpha and their wolves recognize each other, the bond between them is instant, magnetic, and utterly forbidden.
Because an Alpha claiming a Male Omega?
That's forbidden, but this Omega? He's different
Now their connection is more than a secret, It's a sin to their world, a deadly craving, slow, delicious and primal to fall into.
And when one bite can seal a bond or spark a war, how long can they resist it?
He's not supposed to want him.
But gods, he does.
And once an Alpha touches what's his... he never lets go.
8.2
In my previous life, I, Claire Holloway, was eight months pregnant, kneeling in a storm, begging Lucas Ashford to save the bankrupt Holloway family.
But he held his first love, Vanessa Wren, in his arms, looking down at me with cold disdain.
"The Holloway family's downfall was orchestrated by me. Did you really think I'd fall for a spoiled rich girl like you? If it weren't for getting my revenge today, I'd have found even touching you disgusting."
In despair, I died that freezing night—two lives lost with me.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I was diagnosed with pregnancy.
Lucas was gently peeling shrimp for me, smiling as he asked what kind of diamond ring I wanted.
I looked at his hypocritical face and let out a quiet, cold laugh.
This time, I wouldn't make the same mistake again.
7.2
The Royal Pack’s glowing moonstone token rested in my palm.
Before I could even process the miracle of my rebirth, my half-sister Alyssa snatched it right out of my hand.
"This destiny is mine, little sister. Enjoy your cursed Alpha," she sneered.
My family easily caved to her whining. They forced me to take her place and marry Alpha Kaelen, a man they called an insane, crippled monster with three feral adopted sons. They laughed, expecting his beast to tear me apart before the honeymoon was over.
Alyssa thought she was stealing my crown. She didn't know she had just stolen my death sentence.
In my previous life, that exact token had made me the Alpha King’s Luna. But I was just a convenient, disposable meat shield for his true human mate. I died agonizingly, choking on poison meant for her, while the King didn't even blink.
I lowered my head, forcing my shoulders to tremble as if holding back terrified sobs. I played the part of the pathetic, wolfless Omega they all believed me to be.
But beneath my fake tears, I felt a profound relief.
I remembered the Kaelen from my past life. He wasn't a monster. He was powerful, agonizingly lonely, and slowly destroyed by a dark magic no one understood.
I wisely accepted the marriage pact and walked right into his freezing manor.
I know exactly who cursed him. And this time, I will save him, protect his boys, and make his entire pack mine.
7.2
Christa discovered her adopted daughter Evelyn was sneaking around with a street thug named Dante.
When she furiously confronted her, Evelyn squeezed out a few tears and played the tragic, abused orphan.
"Mom is so cruel to me, I just want someone to love me," Evelyn cried to the men of the house, who instantly took her side.
Christa didn't realize her anger only gave the girl the perfect victim card. Evelyn manipulated the family's guilt to drain their wealth and orchestrate a massive corporate fraud.
When the authorities closed in, Evelyn let Christa's eldest daughter Julianna take the fall, sending her to federal prison.
The Stephenson family went completely bankrupt.
Christa's husband Grant, crushed by the betrayal and debt, jumped off a Manhattan skyscraper.
Until her family was entirely destroyed, Christa couldn't understand. They had given the orphan a home, a trust fund, and endless love.
Why did Evelyn treat them like easy marks? Why did she use their kindness as a weapon to tear them apart?
Opening her eyes again, Christa saw the heavy velvet drapes letting in the pale morning light.
She was back seven years ago, on the exact day she first caught Evelyn texting that thug.
This time, Christa wouldn't scream or fight. She would cut off the money, drop the rules, and watch the parasite dig her own grave.
8.7
On the day of our mating ceremony, I wore a beautiful white dress, waiting to become the Luna of the pack. To ensure my Fated Mate, Kade, loved me for my soul and not my rank, I had hidden my true Alpha nature and lived as a fragile Omega.
But instead of my groom, my best friend Selena walked into the room. She flashed a fresh silver rejection rune on her wrist, smiling as she told me the ceremony was canceled. Kade had chosen her, the daughter of a powerful Beta, to secure his Alpha transition.
When I rushed to his study in disbelief, the words I heard through the cracked door shattered my heart completely.
"She's just an Omega. Her value doesn't compare to the loyalty of Selena's father."
Kade laughed coldly with his friends, calling our sacred bond a leash. He even planned to keep me trapped in the packhouse as a docile, broken toy under his and Selena's rule.
Every whispered promise of love was just a lie built for power. My disguise to test his true heart became the very excuse he used to discard me like trash. How could the man who promised to cherish my soul be so utterly ruthless?
Wiping my tears, I kicked the door open and publicly initiated the impossible: I, the "weak Omega," formally rejected him. After smashing a whiskey bottle over his head, I walked straight into the territory of his most feared rival—his older brother, Rowan. This time, I would tear his world apart.
7.4
As a princess who could not wield magic, Princess Daphne's only value to her kingdom was her arranged marriage. The task was simple, but when Daphne was kidnapped and brought to the cold mountains of Vramid, she realized that she was in over her head.
She had heard of these cursed mountains before― rocky terrain, freezing temperatures, and the land was ruled by a man feared by many within the continent.
King Atticus Heinvres, the blood-thirsty ruler of the North.
Even though she had never met him before, tales were spread of King Atticus's ruthlessness. Some said he was a monster, others claimed he was the devil himself, but whatever the story was, everyone knew of the man who had powers beyond anyone's imagination. He could topple armies and crumble nations with just one wave of his hand, aided by what others rumored to be a cursed obsidian ring.
No one outside of Vramid had ever met the fearsome king before. Not until Daphne.
However, upon meeting the formidable man, Daphne found out that the king might not really be the monster others had claimed him to be.
In fact, what was hidden under that obsidian shield could just be a diamond in the rough.
―
[Excerpt]
"Now... where should I put you both?" he asked casually, not expecting a reply. "It's regretful that I only have one chandelier."
"Underneath my bed? No, no, too dirty. My dust bunnies don't deserve this," Atticus mused to himself. "The mantlepiece? How about the vanity table? I suppose if I lop off one of your heads I could mount it over... Wife, which head do you want to stare at while you do your hair?"
"Atticus!" Daphne screamed. "I don't want any heads! Let them go."
"Fair enough." Atticus shrugged, and flicked his fingers.
There were two identical cracks as both necks snapped at once.
Daphne gasped, horrified. This man, her husband, had just killed two men with a flick of his finger, as though he was snuffing out candles.
"I told you to let them go!" Daphne cried out.
"Yes, I let them go," Atticus said. Then, his eyes darkened. "To receive divine judgment from the heavens."