Reborn And Crowned: She's Now Her Own Queen

Chelsey stopped short, her eyes narrowing as she recognized the woman approaching.

Valerie Collins, her half-sister—and every bit the picture of manipulative innocence Chelsey remembered.

Valerie's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile as she positioned herself directly in Chelsey's path. "Chelsey. Moving out, are you?"

Chelsey rolled her eyes, her own smile completely hollow. "Still asking questions you already know the answer to? Some things never change, Valerie."

Valerie's face tightened, a spark of rage flaring in her eyes. But she recovered fast, slipping back into her fragile, pitiful act.

"I was only worried about you. How can you think so poorly of me?"

Worried?

More like she was here to enjoy the show.

Kellan stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "Mrs. Marshall, it's time to go. Mr. Marshall will be back soon."

Chelsey's lips twitched. She pointed at Valerie while addressing Kellan. "I'd love to, but an annoying person is blocking the way."

Kellan said nothing.

Valerie's eyes welled up instantly, tears trembling on her lashes, her voice dripping with feigned hurt. "Chelsey, I knew Vincent was divorcing you today. I was worried you'd be upset, so I dropped everything to come see you. How... how can you say such things? I'm your sister."

"We're not family. And we are not sisters." Chelsey's denial was sharp and absolute. She looked back at Kellan. "You see? How am I supposed to leave?"

A muscle in Kellan's jaw twitched. His cold composure cracked just slightly as he turned to Valerie. "Ms. Collins, please step aside."

Valerie bit her lip, fury simmering just beneath the surface as her hair fell forward, partially hiding her face.

"Kellan," Chelsey said, her voice laced with deliberate smugness, "some creatures just don't understand human speech."

Valerie's hands clenched. She glared at Chelsey. Chelsey tilted her head slightly, a slow, taunting smile spreading across her face as she watched Valerie struggle to maintain control.

Valerie's breath caught at the sight of that unapologetic smile.

What was going on? Chelsey had always been timid, easy to manipulate, pathetically grateful for any scrap of attention Valerie threw her way. Where was this sharp-tongued defiance coming from? The change was jarring.

"Ms. Collins." Kellan's tone was noticeably sharper now.

Valerie pressed her lips together, suppressing her questions. "Mr. Fowler," she said, her voice deliberately soft, "it's not that I'm stopping her. It's... Mr. Marshall's orders."

Kellan and Chelsey both froze.

"Vincent knew I was coming. He specifically asked me to watch Chelsey pack and make sure she leaves with nothing." Valerie paused, letting the words settle. "The divorce agreement states she forfeits everything. She's not to take a single item belonging to the Marshall family." Valerie's gaze slid to the suitcase beside Chelsey.

"So I'll need you to open it so I can check."

Chelsey frowned. "It's just some clothes. I didn't take anything from the Marshalls."

Valerie stepped forward and grabbed the suitcase. "That's not for you to decide, is it? And if you've really taken nothing, what's there to hide?"

Without waiting for a reply, Valerie tipped the suitcase onto its side and unzipped it.

Inside, a few pieces of clothing lay in a messy pile. That was it.

Valerie's jaw tightened. She hadn't expected Chelsey to actually leave with only a handful of clothes. Still unwilling to let it go, she rifled through the clothes again and again, as if determined to find some evidence of theft.

It was only a few items, yet Valerie spent several long minutes rummaging through them.

"Done inspecting?" Chelsey looked down at her, one brow raised.

"Chelsey," Valerie said, keeping her voice syrupy sweet, "I'm only following Vincent's orders. Better to be thorough."

"Keep searching, then. I don't want them anymore." Chelsey shrugged. The ache still lingered in her body from earlier, and she had no interest in dragging this out with Valerie. More than anything, she didn't want to be here when Vincent returned—not after what happened this morning. The memory of his hand around her throat was still too fresh.

She stepped around Valerie and headed for the elevator. Kellan followed close behind.

Just then, the elevator chimed.

The doors slid open. Before Chelsey could step inside, an icy presence washed over her. It was so sharp and sudden that she shivered, her feet freezing to the floor.

First, a pair of polished leather shoes. Then, as her gaze traveled upward, Vincent's icy features cut into view.

"Mr. Marshall." Kellan recovered first, lowering his head in deference.

Vincent's deep eyes blazed with cold fury, his deep voice thick with restrained rage. "Chelsey. It seems you've forgotten what I told you this morning."

The moment she saw him, the memory surged back—his hand around her throat, the suffocating pressure, the blackness creeping in at the edges of her vision. Her heart jolted with raw, instinctive terror.

She forced herself to hold his gaze. "I remember."

"You remember? Then explain why you're still here!" He closed the distance between them in two long strides, his voice rising dangerously.

Chelsey stumbled backward until her back hit the wall. There was nowhere left to go. She squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment, then forced herself to meet his glare.

"You should ask Valerie." Her words came out in a desperate rush. "I was trying to leave. She appeared out of nowhere and blocked me. I—"

"Chelsey!" Valerie rushed forward, cutting her off, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"How can you lie like that?"

"I'm not lying!" Chelsey shot back instinctively, mentally cursing Valerie to hell. If it weren't for that manipulative brat, she'd have been long gone. She would never have been standing here when Vincent came home.

Shit.

Valerie looked on the verge of tears. "Vincent, I swear I wasn't stopping her. I only checked her things because you asked me to—just so she wouldn't walk off with anything that belonged to you." She paused, her voice trembling with manufactured hurt. "Chelsey's always been dishonest, but I didn't think she'd lie even now." Valerie's words were like gasoline on a flame.

Vincent's expression turned murderous. "Are you trying to die?"

Suddenly, his hand closed around her throat. Her head slammed back against the wall with a sickening thud. Chelsey didn't have time to think. Her hands flew up, clawing at his grip. Pain exploded at the back of her skull as the world swam around her.

"Vin- Vincent, " she choked out, her voice strangled and hoarse.

Vincent's voice dropped, icy and merciless. "Who gave you permission to test my patience?" God, she couldn't breathe.

No matter how hard she pulled, his hand wouldn't budge.

Panic seized Kellan. He rushed forward and dropped to one knee. "Mr. Marshall, if anything happens to Mrs. Marshall, the board will use this to attack you. It will block your plans to consolidate power."

"Get out!" Vincent snarled. His fingers, still locked around Chelsey's throat, had gone white at the knuckles.