Reborn Supporting Girl Won't Cater: Vampire Godfather, Rut Half-Wolf & CEO Lose Control

The stranger in the shadows didn't move. He just held out a matte black business card.

"Take it," the man said, his voice a low rumble over the distant hum of city traffic. "When you decide you want to tear their empires down to the studs, call that number."

I snatched the card from his fingers. "I don't need help."

"Everyone needs help, Miss Voss," he replied. "Especially when they are playing against a rigged deck. You walked out on the princes of the city tonight. Bold move. But walking away doesn't keep the wolves from your door."

"I'm not afraid of wolves," I told him, gripping my clutch.

"You should be," he said, turning toward the open door of his town car. "They're already circling your father's company. The name is Orion Thorne."

He slid into the back seat, and the car glided away into the night.

I glanced at the card. Just a phone number. No company name. No title. I shoved it into my bag and hailed a passing cab.

***

"Cancel the Apex acquisition."

My father blinked, dropping his gold pen onto the mahogany boardroom table. Seven senior executives turned their heads toward me.

I stood at the head of the room, tossing a thick manila folder onto the polished wood. It slid perfectly to a stop in front of my father.

"Elowen," my father started, his brow furrowing in confusion. "This is a closed board meeting."

"A meeting that will bankrupt Voss Industries in three years," I fired back, leaning my palms flat against the table. "Apex is bleeding cash. They hid their offshore debts in a shell company, and their lead developer just jumped ship."

A bald executive at the end of the table scoffed, adjusting his silk tie. "With all due respect, Elowen, shouldn't you be out shopping with Lucca Moretti? Leave the corporate strategy to us."

I shifted my gaze to him. The old Elowen would have shrunk back, embarrassed by the public dismissal.

"Mr. Briggs," I said, keeping my tone deadly even. "If you spent half as much time vetting our acquisitions as you do tracking my social calendar, we wouldn't be about to lose fifty million dollars."

Briggs's face flushed a deep, ugly red. "Excuse me?"

"Open the folder, Dad," I ordered.

My father flipped the cover open. His eyes scanned the documents. I had spent the entire night pulling the public records I remembered from my past life, connecting the dots that our internal auditors had conveniently missed.

"Where did you get this?" my father asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It doesn't matter," I told him. "What matters is pulling out of the deal before the ink dries. We invoke the morality clause on page four, paragraph two, and walk away clean."

"This is absurd!" Briggs slammed his hand on the table. "We've spent six months negotiating this merger!"

"And I just saved you from a sinking ship in six minutes," I countered, staring him down until he looked away. "We terminate Apex. Then, we buy out Nova Tech instead. Their stock is tanking today, but their new patent approval goes through next Tuesday. We buy low, we triple our valuation by quarter three."

The room fell dead silent.

Briggs opened his mouth to argue, but my father held up a hand.

"Meeting adjourned," my father announced, not looking up from the papers. "Briggs, get legal on the phone. We are terminating the Apex contract immediately."

I straightened up, smoothing the front of my blazer.

"Good call," I said.

I turned and walked out of the boardroom. Behind me, the whispers started. Not about my dresses, or my pathetic crush on Lucca, but about the shark that had just swum into their tank.

***

Two weeks later, the Crystal Pavilion hummed with the chatter of the city's elite.

I held a flute of sparkling water, nodding as an older tech magnate finished his pitch.

"We would love to have Voss Industries as a lead investor," the man said, offering a hopeful smile.

"Send the prospectus to my office by noon tomorrow," I replied, shaking his hand firmly. "I'll review it personally."

He beamed and hurried off into the crowd.

I took a sip of my water. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the stares. The socialites who used to mock me were huddled in corners, watching my every move. I had closed three major deals in fourteen days. The naive, lovesick heiress was dead.

"Playing dress-up as a CEO, El?"

I turned. Kael Arden stood by the champagne tower, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Better than playing pretend as a professional athlete, Kael," I shot back. "How's that shoulder injury you're hiding from your sponsors?"

Kael went completely pale. His smirk vanished. "How do you know about that?"

"I know a lot of things," I said, stepping past him. "Keep my name out of your mouth, or I'll make sure your sponsors know exactly why your swing is failing."

I didn't wait for his response. I moved toward the grand balcony, desperate for some fresh air.

But a solid chest blocked my path.

"You're avoiding me."

I tilted my head up. Lucca Moretti glared down at me. He wore a midnight blue tuxedo, his jaw set in a rigid line.

"I'm working, Lucca," I said, stepping to the right.

He mirrored my movement, trapping me against a marble pillar.

"You haven't answered my calls," Lucca snapped, his dark eyes searching my face. "You didn't show up to the charity gala on Friday. And now you're playing businesswoman?"

"I am a businesswoman," I corrected, keeping my voice light. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Lucca grabbed my wrist. His grip wasn't bruising, but it was firm enough to halt me.

"Didn't you always want to get close to me?" he demanded. The irritation in his voice cracked, revealing a strange, raw edge. "You followed me around for years. Why won't you even give me a glance now?"

I looked at his hand wrapped around my wrist. Then I looked up into his eyes.

In my past life, this proximity would have made my heart race. I would have melted into a puddle, desperate for any scrap of his attention. Now, all I felt was the phantom pain of freezing rain on asphalt and blood pooling in a gutter.

I yanked my arm free.

"Because I finally realized my life shouldn't revolve around you," I answered calmly.

Lucca physically recoiled. His shoulders stiffened, and a flash of genuine shock crossed his perfect features. It was the first time I had ever seen him look uncertain.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, his tone dropping.

"It means I'm bored, Lucca." I offered a polite, empty smile. "You were a childhood habit. I grew up. I suggest you do the same."

"You're lying," he spat, closing the distance again. "You're doing this for attention. You want me to chase you. You think this cold act makes you interesting?"

A sharp laugh escaped my lips. "I think it makes me unavailable. I don't want you in the same room as me."

Lucca's fists clenched at his sides. The muscle in his jaw jumped.

"You belong to me, El," he muttered, leaning in close. "You always have."

"I belong to myself," I shot back, my voice turning to ice. "Keep away from me. And keep your father away from my company's supply chains, or I'll bury your shipping division by Friday."

His eyes widened. He hadn't expected me to know about their underhanded tactics.

I didn't wait for him to recover. I stepped around him, leaving him standing frozen amidst the partygoers, and walked toward the grand staircase.

My phone buzzed in my clutch.

I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. An unknown number.

*Message: You handled the boy well. But you missed the real threat. Look up at the balcony.*

I stopped on the bottom step and raised my head.

Standing on the second-floor landing, looking down at the party, was Silas Hale. He wasn't smiling his usual charming smile. He was holding a folder.

The exact same manila folder I had given my father two weeks ago.

My phone buzzed again.

*Message: He stole the Nova Tech patent documents. Meet me outside if you want to get them back. - Thorne.*