All Chapters of Reborn: Leave Me Alone, Billionaire Ex: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

The perfume competition was held in a vast glass hall whose arched ceiling caught the late-morning sun and sprayed a spectrum of colors across marbled floors. Exhibitors and contestants milled about in near silence—everyone was hyperaware of the judges with their clipped, evaluating steps and the possibility that greatness or disgrace hinged on a single errant note.Ophelia hadn’t slept properly in four days. She’d moved between her grandmother’s house and her makeshift lab in the shed, collecting notes in a battered leather journal, forever changing her mind about the balance of orange flower and hay, of musk and cedar. Perfume bottles, little vials, and mysterious drops littered her bench. She lived in a haze—rose absolute and orris stuck to her skin, vanilla sweetening the air.Her family arrived early on the day of the competition. Sandra wore a peacock-blue coat and kissed Ophelia, leaving a faint powdery scent on her cheek.“Remember, you come from a long line of perfumers,” she

Alexander appeared at Ophelia’s grandmother’s garden gate just as the rain had resumed its steady drumming atop the lush-leafed rose bushes. Dressed in a crisp coat and holding a bundled parcel, he managed to look both perfectly at ease and unmistakably out of place among the earthy clutter of old flowerpots, drying herbs, and the unmistakable smell of steeped jasmine from Ophelia’s recent batch.Ophelia was hauling an armful of glass vials—new bottles for her latest perfume formulas—carefully from her grandmother’s workshop to the front of the house. Her hair was pinned up in a messy coil, streaked with the remnants of rose oil and late-night fatigue.She stopped abruptly when she saw Alexander waiting just inside the low gate, shoes already splattered with mud. He greeted her with a broad, open smile, as if he expected her to be delighted to see him.“There she is! The newly acclaimed perfumer,” Alexander declared, voice warm as a fire in winter.She nearly dropped one of the vials a

On the morning the perfume competition results were announced, Ophelia felt as if a thousand invisible birds were flapping inside her chest. She had barely slept, spending the night tossing and turning and reviewing every note, every moment of creation in her head. Sunlight spilled through the window of her grandmother’s house in delicate stripes, painting the breakfast table with pale gold. Even the scent of fresh coffee and pastries couldn’t settle her nerves.Her gmother watched from across the tea set, a reassuring presence. “You’ll do just fine, sweetheart,” she said, pouring a cup with steady hands. “No one worked harder than you.”But all Ophelia could think about was the judges—their steely, discerning noses, their years in the field, the way they’d looked at her vial as if searching for flaws. And, behind everything, lingered Alexander’s face in her memory, earnest and annoyingly steadfast. She pressed her palm over her heart, trying to will the uneasiness away.At noon, her p

To ease the awkward silence that has crept over the grand hall like a velvet curtain drawn too soon. Marcus steps forward, taking command of the room with the easy confidence that comes with privilege. His eyes gleam with anticipation as he crosses to the stage, shoes silent upon the polished marble, and gently lifts the microphone from its stand.“Ladies and gentlemen,” he begins, his voice resonating across the high, painted ceiling. “Tonight, we have witnessed brilliance—a performance that will not soon be forgotten. Ophelia—” he turns, searching the front row, his eyes alight, “your artistry leaves us humbled. Your future shines as bright as the chandelier above us; there is no higher praise, nor deeper admiration, than I offer now, before all assembled.”A soft, collective sigh passes through the crowd as heads turn to watch Ophelia: slender and regal in her gown, her cheeks gently flushed beneath the candles’ glow. She manages a grateful smile—measured, composed, holding herself

“Let me go,” she hissed, her wrist straining against his grip as he half-led, half-dragged her down the gravel path. Their shoes crushed soaked petals into the dirt, the scent of wet earth rising between them.Alexander paused near the shade of a lopsided cedar. The garden’s hush around them was broken only by distant thunder and their tangled breaths. He released her as though burned.She whirled on him, cheeks flushed, fury radiating. “What is wrong with you? You just humiliated me in front of everyone! Who do you think you are?”He refused to step back, his jaw clenched, the muscles in his forearm flickering under his shirt. “I couldn’t stand to watch anymore! Watching you smile for him—letting him parade you around as if you’re his—”“You had no right!” Her voice shook, but she held his gaze, glowering. “You dragged me out like I’m some… some doll you can just snatch up when you feel like it! What do you think that makes me look like, Alexander? You talk about Marcus, but you’re th