Reborn To Love The Ruthless Billionaire

"Sign it, Chloe. Or the next time you see Axel, it will be his name on a tombstone. You'll find out just how many ways there are to disappear from this city without a trace."

The voice ripped through the darkness. Chloe snapped her eyes open. A blinding halogen light stabbed her retinas, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut. The stench of rust, mold, and chemical rot flooded her nasal cavity. She tried to lift her hands to block the light. Her arms did not move.

Thick industrial zip ties dug into her wrists. As she jerked her arms, the rigid plastic sliced through her skin. Warm blood trickled down her forearms, dripping onto the concrete floor.

She forced her eyes open, blinking against the glare. Richard Miller stood ten feet away. He tapped a stack of trust fund transfer documents against his thigh.

Brenda Miller stepped out from the shadows behind him. She walked up to Chloe and swung her arm. Her palm cracked against Chloe's cheek. The force snapped Chloe's head to the side. A metallic taste filled her mouth.

"Worthless ingrate," Brenda spat, wiping her hand on her designer coat as if touching Chloe had soiled her.

Footsteps echoed to the left. Mia Miller walked into the light, clinging to Julian Stone's arm. Mia raised her left hand, making sure the massive diamond engagement ring caught the halogen glare.

Chloe stared at the ring. Her chest tightened. Her lungs refused to expand. The people who raised her, the sister she protected, the man she loved. They were all looking at her like a piece of garbage ready for the incinerator.

Richard pulled a small black remote from his pocket. He pressed a button.

A mechanical grinding noise echoed above Chloe. She looked up. A massive industrial vat hung directly over her head. A digital timer on the side lit up in red. Sixty seconds. The smell of concentrated sulfuric acid leaked from the seams.

"Time is up," Richard said.

A deafening crash shattered the heavy iron doors at the back of the warehouse. A black Maybach tore through the metal, sending sparks and shrapnel flying across the room. The car slammed into a concrete pillar and stopped.

The driver's door kicked open. Axel Stone stepped out.

He wore a black trench coat. The air around him seemed to freeze. He did not look at the Millers. His eyes locked onto Chloe.

"You gave up a ten billion dollar merger for this trash?" Mia shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at Axel.

Axel adjusted his right cuff. He reached under his coat, pulled out a Glock, and fired.

The bullet shattered Richard's right kneecap. Richard screamed, a wet, tearing sound, and collapsed into the dirt. The black remote slipped from his fingers and skittered across the concrete.

Julian lunged for the remote. Axel shifted his aim and pointed the barrel directly at Julian's face. Julian froze. His knees knocked together. He backed away, pressing himself against the damp brick wall.

Above Chloe, a sharp buzzer sounded. The digital timer hit zero. The mechanical valves at the bottom of the vat snapped open.

Axel dropped the gun. He sprinted across the concrete.

The thick, yellow acid poured down. Axel threw his massive body over Chloe. He wrapped his arms around the back of her chair, burying her face in his chest.

The acid hit his back.

The sound of sizzling meat filled the warehouse. White smoke billowed off Axel's coat. The fabric melted instantly. The acid ate into his flesh. Axel's muscles locked into rigid stone. He did not scream. He did not make a single sound.

Chloe's pupils dilated. Her vocal cords paralyzed. Drops of Axel's blood mixed with the acid, dripping onto her cheek. The liquid burned her skin, but the heat of his blood burned deeper.

Axel's breathing turned into a wet rattle. He forced his hand down to her wrist. He pressed a small, hard object into her palm. A micro C4 detonator.

His hand moved up to her face. His thumb smeared the blood on her cheek.

"Live," he whispered.

His arm dropped. His massive frame went entirely slack, crushing Chloe against the chair. His heart stopped beating against her chest.

A sound tore out of Chloe's throat. It was not a scream. It was the howl of a slaughtered animal. Her stomach violently contracted.

Brenda screamed. She grabbed Mia and Julian, dragging them toward the broken iron doors.

Chloe shoved Axel's heavy body off her. The zip ties had melted enough for her to rip her hands free. She stood up. Her legs shook, but she locked her knees. She looked at the Millers scrambling through the mud.

Mia looked back. She saw the red light blinking on the detonator in Chloe's hand. Mia's legs gave out. She fell face-first into a puddle of dirty water.

Chloe did not hesitate. She pressed her thumb down on the red button.

The shockwave hit her before the sound. A wall of white fire consumed the warehouse, melting the concrete, incinerating the bodies, erasing the world.

The white fire flashed into the soft glow of a crystal chandelier.

Chloe gasped, sucking in a massive breath of air. She shot up from the mattress. Her hands clawed at the silk sheets. She whipped her head around.

She was sitting in the center of a California king bed. The walls were painted a soft cream. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the Manhattan skyline.