The Cold-Hearted CEO's Reborn Lover
SYNOPSIS
Reborn on the night her life shattered, Cleopatra has a second chance, a chance to rewrite her fate. Armed with the truths of her past, she will unmask lies, punish traitors, reclaim what was stolen, and fight to save the love she never knew she couldn't live without.
As she steps back into a world tangled in deception, manipulation, and long-buried sins, every choice carries weight. At the center of her reckoning is Calvin, the cold, brilliant CEO she once rejected, the man she loved without realizing it. Haunted by a past left unfinished, Cleopatra must decide: can she win back the heart she shattered before it's too late?
But revenge is a dangerous game, and desire is an even deadlier temptation. Caught between Calvin's manipulation, buried truths, and her own forbidden longing, Cleopatra faces an impossible choice: surrender to love, or burn everything and everyone who betrayed her to ashes.
The question is not how far she'll go but what she's willing to sacrifice, and whether returning to the modeling world that destroyed her family is worth the price of her soul.
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Chapter 3
Guinevere staggered to her feet, her chest heaving as ragged breaths tore in and out of her lungs. "Why are you just standing there?!" she barked, her voice sharp and frantic. "Go catch her!"
Cleopatra moved back again, but loose rocks tumbled into the sea below, forcing her to steady herself immediately.
"No, don't move!" Anthony cried, fear flooding his eyes. "Please... please come back!"
"You crazy fuck!" Guinevere screamed, grabbing his shirt. "Why are you telling her to come back? Just let her fall!"
The moment that word left Guinevere's mouth, rage flared within him. With a sharp shove, Anthony sent her tumbling to the ground.
"Shut up!" he cut in sharply.
"I can't lose her," he snarled. "I own her. She's mine!"
It dawned on both Cleopatra and Guinevere then, losing Cleopatra was a chink in Anthony's otherwise impenetrable armor.
"You're terrified of losing control because domination is all you crave, not love," Guinevere sneered. "You truly are pathetic. This is not love!"
Cleopatra raised her voice, cutting through them both.
"Over my dead body will I be your plaything." She laughed bitterly. "You fear losing me out of selfishness. That's why I'd choose Calvin over you a hundred times."
At the mention of Calvin, jealousy flared in Anthony's veins, heat twisting through him as fists clenched instinctively.
"And you think he's better than me?" he snapped. "If he was so great, why's he six feet under? Just a fool playing hero-"
Cleopatra cut him off.
"This is where you're wrong. He wasn't just a hero. He was a leader, someone who would do anything to protect those he loved. That isn't weakness; that's real love, something you'll never understand. He was a courageous soul who fought for love itself. I'd rather plunge into the abyss than spend another moment with you!"
She spun around at once, her gaze locking onto Guinevere.
"And you... you're utterly despicable. No wonder you never excel at anything. Your heart is poisoned with hate and bitterness, and even in another lifetime, Calvin would never love you."
"Shut the hell up, you trollop!" Guinevere screamed, her voice shaking.
"Guinevere, look at yourself just once," she whispered, exhaustion and grief weighing down her words. "You're beyond saving, beyond even being called human. I never thought the girl I grew up with would become this... this monster. We were best friends. We shared our childhood, our laughter, our tears. What happened to those years? What happened to the bond we had as sisters, as our mother's daughters?"
Right then, Cleopatra sobbed, her voice breaking. "Was it all so insignificant?" A hollow laugh escaped her lips. "Was I just being delusional, thinking we would always be together forever?" Her laughter faded into silence. "I suppose... I was alone in this thing called friendship."
"Guin, I'm still in denial that you hated me this much," Cleopatra whispered, her voice breaking. "It hurts so much. It really does-"
"Enough!" Guinevere snapped, cutting her off sharply.
"If you had truly cared about me, why did you keep stealing the things I loved most?!" Guinevere screamed, her voice unhinged, madness flashing in her eyes.
"Guinevere, you're deranged! I never stole anything from you!" Cleopatra shouted, her voice shaking with fury.
"Woe unto you and unto Anthony," Cleopatra said calmly. "Do you both truly lack a conscience, to take a human life without a shred of pity? Calvin may be dead, but he will always be the one I love; my selfless, unyielding shield."
Her laughter echoed as she stepped backward. She would rather die than let them capture her.
Just then, she fell. Her body tumbled down the cliff and plunged into the sea with a violent splash.
The deeper she sank, the quieter the world became. Time seemed to freeze as saltwater filled her lungs and darkness closed in.
Feeling her breath choke and fade, she muttered an earnest wish.
"If fate could be kinder, if there's a next life. Let me meet him again, I-"
Then everything went silent.
Cleopatra's consciousness returned slowly, shrouded in fog. Disoriented, her body felt broken, and a deep terror settled in her chest as distant music drifted in, making it seem as if she had been dragged back into a world that no longer felt real.
Her eyes snapped open. She gasped and coughed as though she had surfaced from deep water. Nausea twisted her stomach, and panic flooded her chest as she took in the familiar surroundings. Her gaze fell on a neatly folded uniform resting on the bench.
Suddenly, Ana grabbed her by the shoulders. A familiar face loomed before her, lips moving as if to soothe her, but no words reached Cleopatra. Her mind spun wildly, desperate to make sense of what was happening.
'Wait... this is the Atelier Club...?'
Her voice shook as she forced the words past her dry lips.
"H-How... How am I not underwater? Didn't I die?" she stammered
Her hand went to her skin, her fingers pinching sharply. Disbelief lingered, but the sharp sting searing through her confirmed it was real.
'I'm not dead. I'm ... alive.'
In the chaos, she wrenched free from Ana's grip and lunged toward the door only to slam headfirst into someone the moment it swung open.
"Ah, my head..." she groaned, clutching it. The pain confirmed it, she was truly reborn.
"Her head felt impossibly heavy as a familiar voice cut through the haze, calling her name. Soft, gentle hands steadied her, and the moment their eyes locked, her body froze every nerve ignited by a shock so profound it stole her breath."
"K-Ka...tie?" Cleopatra whispered, She couldn't believe Katie was alive and standing before her.
"Ka...tie... is this really you?" She struggled to steady herself, but faltered when Katie tried to help, Katie's movements hesitant."
Meanwhile, Cleopatra felt a strange wave of familiarity wash over her, as if déjà vu had settled in her chest. She barely had time to process it before Katie's voice cut through her thoughts.
"Are you okay?" Katie asked, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes. "Did you get hurt?" Her gaze swept over Cleopatra, widening as she searched for any sign of injury."
Cleopatra glimpsed the brief flicker of irritation in Katie's eyes, yet it stirred no reaction within her.
"You're alive, I can't believe you're alive," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry-so sorry for not believing you, and for treating you so badly."
Katie's chest constricted painfully, her words trembling yet heavy with disbelief, each one carrying the sting of years unacknowledged. "Since when did I ever matter?"
Meanwhile, confusion swirled through Katie's mind as she struggled to understand why Cleopatra was being unusually kind and asking such strange questions. Her eyes remained fixed on Cleopatra's tear-streaked face.
Still, Cleopatra drew her close, holding her as if the world itself were crumbling around them. Her grip tightened with unspoken desperation. Feeling the raw ache in her friend's soul, Katie mirrored the embrace, her hands gentle against Cleopatra's back, trying to soothe the storm within her.
"Stop crying, it's okay," Katie whispered, her hand lightly resting on Cleopatra's back, soothing yet hesitant.
Cleopatra raised her eyes to meet hers, calm on the surface but heavy with unspoken weight. "Katie, may I have a moment?"
Katie exhaled slowly, relief washing over her. 'Yes of course."
They found a quiet room where they could speak in peace. Once seated, Cleopatra wasted no time.
"Where is Calvin? How is he? Is he safe?" she asked abruptly.
Katie blinked. "Did I hear that correctly? Wow! you're asking about Calvin. He's fine," she said, astonished.
At that point, Cleopatra felt a wave of relief, a shy smile softening her lips. "We should keep in touch. Actually, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."
Katie fixed her gaze on her, giving her undivided attention. "Alright, go on."
In an instant she poured out everything to Katie. How Guinevere had harbored jealousy since high school, how she had manipulated her into giving up her INK Model debut after her parents' death, and how, behind a façade of friendliness, Guinevere's heart had held nothing but hatred. Katie listened in quiet composure, unsurprised; she had warned Cleopatra about Guinevere more times than she could count.
"Hello!" Katie's voice rang with unshakable confidence, sharp and unapologetic. She lifted both hands, twisting her index and middle fingers with effortless flair.
"I noticed it long ago, and I even told you back in school. She doesn't just despise you, she's envious that Calvin chose you over her."
Katie's eyes narrowed as she shook her head with sharp disdain. "You pushed my beloved brother aside and clung shamelessly to that damn Anthony."
Cleopatra smiled and offered an apology, her gaze lingering on Katie as echoes of her old, familiar warmth resurfaced only for the smile to slowly fade as she slipped into quiet reflection.
'I'm sorry, Katie. I can't tell you that I've been reborn.'
The words remained trapped in her chest. 'I'm truly disappointed in myself for pushing such a good person out of my life.'
Her gaze fell, regret tightening around her heart as the weight of everything she had lost finally settled in.
Without hesitation.
"Guinevere is still INK's model, right?" Cleopatra's voice carried a cold edge.
"Yeah. Why are you asking? Don't tell me-"
Cleopatra cut her off.
"I'm coming back into modeling." Cleopatra smirked
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8.7
For three years, Blair Guzman poured her resources into turning a broke waiter into an Oscar-winning actor, letting the world believe they were a couple just to keep him under her control.
But the night he won his Oscar, he publicly betrayed her by kissing Kiana—Blair’s estranged, rival sister.
Kiana and her mother brought the scandal right to the Glover family dinner table, trying to humiliate Blair.
"You're just mad because he dumped you for me," Kiana sneered in front of the entire family.
Instead of crying, Blair ruthlessly dismantled them, exposing how their cheap tabloid stunt tanked the family's corporate value.
Impressed by her cold logic, the family matriarch handed Blair the ultimate voting power, but it was a trap.
The matriarch immediately used Blair's elevated status to force her into an arranged marriage with a notorious, debt-ridden playboy just to secure a European shipping lane.
To her family, she was never a daughter—she was just a premium asset to be traded to the highest bidder.
What her greedy family didn't know was that Blair had already made a terrifying deal.
She was secretly married to the ruthless billionaire Butler McIntyre—a man who demanded absolute possession of her body and soul.
Now, her family's arranged parasite and her secret devil of a husband were on a collision course, and the wreckage was going to be spectacular.
9.4
As a "wolfless" Omega at the absolute bottom of the pack hierarchy, my only goal was to build a safe, normal life with my fiancé, Dan.
That illusion shattered the day I came home early from work. I found Dan completely naked, tangled in my bedsheets with my cousin, Laura.
The suffocating stench of their betrayal polluted my home. Dan frantically tried to blame Laura, while she shrieked that they had been sleeping together for months. My sanctuary was destroyed. With no family to turn to, I fled into the night. Heartbroken and desperate for oblivion, I ended up in the office of my terrifying boss, Alpha Kane Cain. Fueled by whiskey and grief, I recklessly surrendered to him, signing a note consenting to whatever he wanted just to make the pain stop.
But the next morning, the blinding pleasure was replaced by pure terror. Kane hadn't pulled out. In our brutal world, an unmarked, wolfless Omega carrying an Alpha's child would be cast out and hunted. I panicked, begging him to let me leave, convinced I was just another disposable mistake.
Instead of letting me go, the ruthless Alpha's eyes darkened with a terrifying, primal possessiveness. He pulled out the note I had signed in my drunken haze.
"You gave me this power, little wolf," he growled, ordering his men to move my belongings to his estate. "Don't pretend you can take it back now."
8.8
Kaia was diagnosed with late-stage bone cancer, with only three months left to live.
She wanted to give up her family's entire trust fund just to have Gerrit play the role of a loving husband for her final days.
But before she could show him the biopsy report, he looked at her with absolute disgust, declaring that their three-year marriage made him physically sick.
He only loved Seraphina.
To force Kaia out, Seraphina constantly framed her. When Seraphina faked a fall, Gerrit pushed Kaia so hard she tore her waist open on a glass table.
When Kaia writhed in agonizing pain from her failing organs, he stood over her coldly, mocking her pathetic acting.
Even when Gerrit finally discovered Seraphina had hired a fake stalker and maliciously burned Kaia's skin with boiling tea, he still chose to protect his mistress.
"I already signed the divorce papers with Kaia. We are going to bury this story temporarily to protect the company."
Hearing those words from behind the wall, the last shred of hope in Kaia's chest completely died.
She had endured his cruelty for three years, only to realize his bias for another woman defied all logic and morality.
Lying in the bathtub, coughing up mouthfuls of dark blood that turned the water crimson, Kaia picked up her phone and dialed her lawyer.
"Julian, initiate the final plan."
Since Gerrit despised her existence, she would make sure he never found her body.
7.8
For five years, I was the secret weapon behind A-list actor Johan Lee. As his top agent and devoted girlfriend, I cleaned up his scandals, secured his contracts, and deliberately dressed down so I would never outshine him. Tonight was his birthday, and I was waiting in his penthouse in black lace, ready to surprise him.
The only surprise was the one I got when he walked in with a 22-year-old actress. From inside his walk-in closet, my romantic evening turned into a nightmare as I listened to them fall into his bed.
But the cheating wasn't the worst part. It was hearing his cruel, dismissive laugh as he explained why he kept me around.
"She's safe," he told the other woman. "She dresses like a depressed librarian. I don't need a queen trying to steal my spotlight. I need an assistant."
An assistant. Five years of my life, my love, and my career-building genius, all reduced to a convenience. The grief in my chest instantly hardened into ice. The mousy girlfriend he took for granted was gone forever.
I walked out of that closet, ended his career with a single video, and thought I was finally free. But then my aunt called, screaming. My family's company was mysteriously facing bankruptcy, and their only way out was to enforce an old family contract. I was to be sold in marriage to the ruthless billionaire who engineered their downfall: the infamous Colvin Sykes.
9.4
Dorene survived a terrifying night with a bleeding, dangerous intruder in her hotel penthouse, only to receive a far more devastating blow the next morning.
A black and gold envelope arrived. It was an engagement invitation. Her boyfriend of seven years, Kadyn, was marrying her sweet, innocent best friend, Dolly.
Refusing to hide, Dorene crashed the gala in a blood-red gown. But Dolly was ready. Grabbing Dorene's wrists, Dolly purposely threw herself backward into a tower of champagne glasses, shrieking about her stomach and her unborn baby.
"If anything happens to Dolly or my child, I swear to God, I will destroy you!"
Kadyn roared, holding the weeping Dolly in the broken glass. He didn't ask a single question. He branded Dorene a jealous monster. To completely break her dignity, he publicly handed her over to the city's most notorious, sleazy playboy just to appease Dolly's fake tears.
"Give him a shot," Kadyn told her coldly.
Seven years of love were ground into the marble floor. She was framed, publicly humiliated, and discarded like trash by the two people she trusted most.
Dorene didn't shed a single tear. She gave them a smile of pure, freezing mockery and walked out of the gilded cage into the freezing Manhattan night. She didn't know that as she left, the lethal, blood-stained man from her penthouse was watching from the shadows, ready to help her burn their world to the ground.
9.8
"I didn't marry you for love, Elara. I married you for the land."
Five years ago, Elara Sterling wore a gold mask and shared a night of forbidden passion with Silas Vane, the "Ice King" of Seattle. Then, she vanished.
Now, she's back-not as a socialite, but as a struggling mother desperate to save her son. But Silas isn't the man she remembers. He's cold, powerful, and he just bought her father's debt.
The terms of the "Sterling Clause" are simple: Marry him for one year, and her debts are erased. But there's a catch. Silas doesn't just want the Sterling Port; he wants the son he never knew he had.
As Elara steps into a world of vipers and corporate sabotage, she must decide: Is she a wife, a prisoner, or the only woman powerful enough to melt the Ice King's heart?
In the game of power, love is the ultimate hostile takeover.