Semua Bab Reborn! Princess Leila's Second Chance: Bab 51 - Bab 60

LeilaLucas sat beside me at the dinner table, his arm slung casually over the back of my chair as he chatted with his uncle—about quarterly profits, the new golf course downtown, last weekend's horse races, a yacht he was thinking of buying. His laughter was easy, practiced, like he'd spent years perfecting the cadence of a man who had nothing to hide. I stared at the crystal chandelier above, its light refracting into a thousand tiny prisms, and my head buzzed with static. What was he playing at? Around us, the relatives watched like hawks. They'd all heard the rumors—the screaming matches, the nights I'd spent locked in the guest room, the way Lucas had taken to sleeping in his office. Tonight, though, we were a picture of marital bliss. Lucas refilled my wine glass without asking, laughed at my half-hearted jokes, even reached over to tuck a stray hair behind my ear. The whispers had shifted from glee to disappointment, their attempts to find cracks in our performance falling fla

DarrenThe palace loomed behind her, a monolith of gray stone and gilded spires, its shadow swallowing the courtyard whole. Leila stood at the edge of that shadow, small and fragile, like a bird with a broken wing. Her dress hung loose on her frame, once vibrant fabric now dulled, as if the very air around the imperial walls had sucked the life from it. Her hair straggled in damp strands down her back, and when she lifted her head, her eyes were sunken, pupils dilated—hollow, except for the flicker of recognition when she saw the car. It hit me then, the way a painting hits you sometimes—not for the brushstrokes, but for the weight of it. She was that painting. All raw, aching color, a portrait of something breaking. The car hadn't fully stopped, tires still hissing against the cobblestones, when I threw open the door. The hinges creaked, loud in the silence. I barely registered my feet hitting the ground, just the urgency to close the distance between us. When I reached her, she sw

LeilaRecovery was a dull hum - nurses checking vitals at odd hours, the beep of machines that measured my heartbeat like it was a task, not a gift. Simple, they'd called it. Monotonous, I'd learned.Darren and Cassius took turns. Darren brought books, thick things with dog-eared pages that he'd read aloud in a voice that rumbled like distant thunder, even when the words were about stocks or ancient wars. Cassius brought coffee, black and bitter, and sat by the window, watching the clouds drift past like he was cataloging their shapes for later. They rarely left. Even when one stepped out to stretch or take a call, the other stayed, a silent sentinel. It was suffocating, in a way. But safer than being alone.I thought about the poison a lot. The way it had burned going down, like swallowing a handful of needles. Josephine wasn't clever enough for this. She'd tried to have me killed once. Using poison twice? It was absurd. Reckless. She wanted my money, not my corpse. Dead girls don't

Leila"Does he have a bad relationship with his grandfather?" I asked, and my voice came out softer than I meant it to. Darren rarely talked about his family, just like he rarely talked about the scar on his arm or the way he flinched when someone raised their voice too suddenly.Cassius closed the book with a snap, like he'd said too much. "His grandfather never intended to recognize him, and indirectly caused his mother's death. He never mentions his grandfather in front of me. Now that he sees Darren has been thriving in the human world over the years, the old man also wants to develop in the human world, which is why he announced his identity at the last banquet." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "There is no room for sentiment in the world of business; everything is driven by interests."This ordinary passage sent shivers down my spine. It was the casual way he said it, like it was a fact of life, as unremarkable as the sky being blue.Although I was a merchant's wife in my pre

DarrenI opened the car door before I realized what I was doing. The hinges creaked. Cassius glanced over, but he didn't say anything. Just watched.The asphalt was hot under my shoes. I crossed the lot, steps quick, and when I reached them, I didn't slow down. I wrapped an arm around Leila's waist, pulled her into me. She yelped, then relaxed when she saw it was me. Her hair smelled like lavender."All done?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the redhead. He'd stepped back, but he wasn't leaving. Just watching, that smirk still on his face.Leila nodded, looking up at me. Her cheeks were pink, like she was flustered. "Yeah. Just need to get textbooks. The bookstore's this way."I didn't look away from the redhead. "Good. Cassius'll drive you."The redhead held up his hands, mock-surrender. "Relax, man. Just helping a new student find her way." He turned to Leila, grinning. "See you tonight, yeah? Welcome party. Eight o'clock."Leila smiled. "Sure. Thanks, Ryan."Ryan. I filed the name away