Reborn as the Villain's Wife

I died in a mangled wreck of metal and fire, abandoned by the man I thought was my soulmate. But instead of the void, I woke up pinned against a cold marble wall, staring into the turbulent, storm-gray eyes of Damian Vincent. This was the night I destroyed my life. In my past world, I spat in Damian's face and ran into the arms of Eddie, a parasitic loser who was secretly plotting with my cousin Jill to strip me of my inheritance. My "escape" turned into a slow-motion suicide. My brother Donavan died in a horrific car crash while racing to save me from another one of my messes. Damian, consumed by a toxic mix of grief and vengeance, crushed the Nelson family empire until my father was a broken man. I spent years as a drugged-up social pariah, finally dying alone while the people I trusted laughed at my funeral. The most bitter realization didn't hit me until the end. The "controlling monster" I spent years fighting was the only person who ever truly protected me. I had traded a man who would burn the world for me for a man who would burn me for the world. Opening my eyes three years in the past, I find myself back at the airport, the rain lashing against the windows. My brother is pleading with me to run, and Damian is standing there, braced for the slap he thinks is coming. But I don't strike him. I press my palm to his burning cheek and give him the only piece of my soul he couldn't buy. "I'm not going anywhere, Dami. Keep this as my collateral." The game has changed. This time, I'm not the victim-I'm the one holding the match.

Chapters

Chapter 5

The Grand Ballroom at The Plaza Hotel smelled of lilies and old money.

Crystal chandeliers dripped light onto the guests below. The elite of Manhattan stood in clusters, sipping champagne and murmuring.

Damian stood alone near a pillar. He held a glass of whiskey he hadn't touched. His tuxedo was sharp, tailored to perfection, but his posture was rigid.

"She's not coming, Damian," Conrad Vincent said, walking up to his grandson. The old man leaned on a cane, his face a map of disapproval. "The girl is unstable. You're making a fool of this family by waiting for her."

"She'll be here," Damian said. His voice was tight.

"She's probably high in a gutter somewhere with that painter," Conrad scoffed.

Across the room, Arthur Nelson looked at his watch and wiped sweat from his forehead. Jill stood next to him, looking sympathetic.

"I'm so sorry, Uncle Arthur," Jill said loudly enough for the nearby guests to hear. "I tried to call her. She just... hung up. You know how she gets when she's having an episode."

A ripple of laughter went through the crowd. Poor Arthur. Saddled with that disaster of a daughter.

Damian's grip on his glass tightened. If she didn't show... if she had run...

The heavy double doors at the entrance swung open.

The room went quiet.

Elise Nelson stood in the doorway.

She was flanked by Donavan, but no one was looking at him.

The emerald velvet dress caught the light, shimmering with every movement. Her black hair cascaded over one shoulder. Her head was held high, her chin tilted at an angle of absolute arrogance.

She didn't look like a disaster. She looked like a weapon.

She stepped into the room. The crowd parted for her like the Red Sea.

Jill dropped her fork. It clattered loudly against her china plate.

Arthur Nelson gasped. For a second, he thought he was seeing his late wife.

Elise walked straight toward Damian. She didn't look at the guests. She didn't look at her father. She only had eyes for him.

Damian felt the air leave his lungs. He had seen the photo Sterling sent, but the reality was visceral. She was stunning. And she was walking toward him.

Elise stopped in front of him. She smiled-a small, private smile that didn't reach the rest of the room.

"Sorry I'm late, Dami," she said, her voice smooth like honey. "Traffic was murder."

She reached out and took his arm.

Damian looked down at her hand on his sleeve. He covered it with his own. His thumb stroked her knuckles.

"You're not late," he said, his voice rough. He looked up, challenging the room with a glare. "We haven't started."

Jill recovered from her shock. She marched over, her face a mask of concern.

"Elise! Oh my god, you actually came. And you're wearing... velvet? In June? That's certainly a choice."

Elise turned to her. She looked Jill up and down.

"And you're wearing white, Jill," Elise said. "Trying to communicate your innocence? It's a bit on the nose, don't you think?"

A few guests snickered. Jill's smile faltered.

"I was just worried," Jill said. "We all were. We thought you might have... relapsed."

"Relapsed into what?" Elise asked innocently. "Good taste? Clearly, it's not contagious. You should try to catch it sometime."

Damian let out a short, sharp laugh. He looked at Elise with a mixture of shock and delight.

Irma Hayes, Jill's mother, bustled forward. She was a large woman in a dress that was too tight.

"Elise!" she barked. "Show some respect to your cousin! She has been organizing this dinner for weeks while you were out partying!"

Elise opened her mouth, but Damian stepped forward. He placed his body between Elise and Irma.

"I kept her," Damian said coldly. "She was with me. Do you have a problem with my schedule, Mrs. Hayes?"

Irma's mouth snapped shut. She shrank back under Damian's glare.

"No... no, of course not, Mr. Vincent."

Damian looked down at Elise. "Hungry?"

"Starving," she said.

He led her to the head table. As she sat down, she felt Conrad Vincent's eyes on her. The old man was studying her like a bug under a microscope.

She met his gaze and nodded politely.

Conrad didn't smile. But he didn't look away either.

The game was on.

Continue to next part

Ami Cleveland's family empire was destroyed overnight by a malicious short-selling attack, leaving her mother facing federal prison and hunted by ruthless loan sharks. To secure a hundred-million-dollar lifeline, Ami risked her life as a blindfolded co-pilot in a deadly cliffside street race, all just to get five minutes alone with Jerad Kidd, the elusive Wall Street titan she had accidentally slept with the night before. But instead of saving her, Jerad completely crushed her dignity. "What makes you think you are worth a hundred million dollars?" He mocked her desperate pitch, calling her family's equity garbage, and coldly walked away. Two days later, he forced her onto his Miami superyacht as a political decoy, making her wear a backless silk gown that offered zero protection and throwing her into a sea of wealthy predators. When a drunk tech billionaire pinned her against a sofa and tried to rip the thin straps of her dress, Ami screamed for help. She looked up at the VIP balcony in absolute despair, only to see Jerad looking away, treating her like she didn't even exist. She didn't understand why he was torturing her. Why did he let her risk her life in his car, only to humiliate her and feed her to the wolves? With no one to save her, Ami grabbed a whiskey glass and violently smashed it into her attacker's face. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the man's brutal retaliation slap. But the hit never came. A large hand, wearing a heavy Patek Philippe watch, shot out of nowhere and clamped down on the man's raised arm like a steel vice.

Action Billionaire Modern

7.7

He Chose Her Over Our Dead Child

7.7

Deidre went to the clinic and learned she was finally pregnant, but her failing heart meant carrying the baby would kill her. Before she could process the grief, she received an anonymous photo of her husband, Danial, tenderly escorting a heavily pregnant woman into a VIP hospital. The woman was his cousin, Daria. Following them, Deidre overheard Danial call her a "sterile decoration," promising to get rid of her while securing a Cayman trust fund for his illegitimate child. The nightmare only worsened when Daria gloatingly confessed to a horrifying truth. Daria had stolen the credit for saving Danial in a fire—a heroic act that had actually destroyed Deidre's heart. Even more sickening, Daria had bribed a doctor two years ago to fake Deidre's ectopic pregnancy, tricking Danial into authorizing the surgery that murdered their perfectly healthy baby daughter. When a grief-stricken Deidre attacked the murderer, Danial furiously shoved his wife to the ground. Ignoring her heart spasms and gasps for air, he threw her out into a freezing New York blizzard to die. Lying in the snow, Deidre's love turned to pure ash as she realized she had sacrificed her body and her child for a blind monster. But she didn't die that night. Rescued by Danial's biggest Wall Street rival, Deidre marched into her husband's office the next morning alongside New York's most ruthless divorce lawyer. "Sign it, or I'll freeze your offshore trust and burn your empire to the ground."

Action Modern Romance

8.7

Heartbreak And Wars

8.7

BLUR Aloe reaches her limit in her toxic marriage when she discovers her billionaire husband was cheating on her on their matrimonial bed and wasn't remorseful about it. Pregnant and desperate to escape her toxic husband, she flees into the arms of his sworn enemy, Blake Matthew. Caught in a war between two old sworn rivalers, Aloe must fight for her life and her child... But now the question is, can she reclaim her future without losing herself to the war between two men who want to destroy each other?

Action Modern Romance

8.9

I Said YES To An Open Marriage

8.9

Rachel gave her marriage everything-love, loyalty, and endless second chances. Jeremy gave her betrayal. When he demands an open marriage and moves his girlfriend into their home, Rachel's world shatters. But leaving isn't as easy as it seems... and staying might destroy her completely. Caught between love and self-respect, Rachel must decide how far she's willing to go. Because sometimes, saying yes... is the beginning of revenge.

Action Modern Romance

8.0

TANGLED: Crazy For You

8.0

Twenty-one-year-old Hazel has always lived in a safe, comfortable bubble, meticulously guarded by her fiercely protective older brother. Her life is predictable, quiet, and perfectly ordinary. Until he steps into it. Silas is twenty-four, dangerously captivating, and her brother's best friend. He brings with him an aura of dark secrets, ink-stained skin, and a predatory gaze that strips away all her carefully built defenses. He is everything she has been taught to avoid, yet living under the same roof makes him impossible to escape. What starts as a temporary living arrangement quickly spirals into a suffocating web of stolen glances, unspoken desires, and a dangerous obsession. Silas isn't just looking for a place to crash; he's looking at her. And once he pins her in his sights, the thorns of their forbidden attraction will bind them together in ways that could destroy them both. In a house where walls have ears and her brother is always watching, giving in to the madness is a risk. But Silas is a temptation she might not survive.

Action Adventure Modern

7.9

The Disgraced Teacher's Ruthless Return

7.9

Ten years ago, Cameron Vinson destroyed my Wall Street career to build his empire, leaving me a disgraced schoolteacher. Now, he was back, paying for my father' s life-saving surgery to play the benevolent hero. But his fiancée, jealous of his attention, decided to reveal the truth to my father on his deathbed, killing him instantly with the shock. "Emilia, look what you've done! You're hysterical!" Cameron shouted, shoving me away from my father's cooling body while comforting the woman who had just murdered him. Hailee had shown my father a video proving we were both framed, just to watch the light leave his eyes. Yet, Cameron stood there protecting her, gaslighting me into believing I was the crazy one. They thought I was still the helpless victim they could manipulate. They thought my father' s death was just another loose end tied up. But as the heart monitor flatlined, my phone buzzed with a message from a ghost of our shared past. "I have enough evidence to bury Cameron Vinson. Do you need help?" I looked at the monsters preening over my father's corpse. I wiped my tears and typed back a single word: "Yes." The time for grief was over. The time for a hostile takeover had begun.

Action Horror Mystery

Reborn as the Villain's Wife

Chapter 5

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