All Chapters of Reborn The White Dog I Chose Was an Ancient Celestial Lion: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Alistair was the first to come out of the bedroom the next morning. His shirt was only half-buttoned, and a faint red scratch marked his collarbone.He rubbed his aching arm. I pretended not to notice. Instead, I spread peanut butter on a slice of toast just the way he liked it and handed it to him. "Good morning. Why are you up so early?"He ignored the toast and stared at me. "Nika is still asleep. Keep your voice down. Whatever you do, don't wake her."I nodded. "She's a guest. I should be considerate."Satisfied, he ruffled my hair. "That's the Elena I know."Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he added, "Nika doesn't like being around strangers. Pack your things today and move out for a while."I was the one paying the rent.Still, I only said, "All right."He smiled, pleased with my answer. Just then, the bedroom door cracked open.An hour later, Alistair left with Nika. He said she needed someone with her at all times, so naturally, he had to take her to wor

A new follow request from Augustine popped up on Instagram.I accepted it right away.Half an hour later, I messed up my hair, smudged dark makeup under my eyes, and took a tired-looking selfie in the mirror.I posted it with the caption, "My boyfriend has always treated me well. But lately, another woman has been by his side. They eat together, give interviews together, and go home together. I don't know where I belong in his life anymore."Within minutes, the post blew up.That afternoon, a reporter asked Alistair about it during an interview. Nika immediately tensed and bit her lip as though she might cry.Alistair put an arm around her and held the reporters back with his other hand. "None of it is true. Nika is a kind person who suffers from panic attacks. I've only been looking after her because she needs extra care."Right on cue, Nika began to tremble."As for Elena, she takes everything too personally." Alistair frowned as he steadied Nika.Almost immediately, people online st

Alistair crumpled the newspaper in his fist."The Dark Side of Love: How Manipulators Control You."The article listed one form of emotional manipulation after another.The examples included gripping his girlfriend's shoulder while pretending to put an arm around her in public, twisting the ring on his left pinky whenever he lied, and dismissing accusations of cheating by telling his girlfriend she was too sensitive and he only saw the other woman as a sister.Alistair used to come up behind me, wrap his arms around me, rest his chin on my shoulder, and kiss my ear. Then he'd whisper, "Be a good girl. I'm doing this for your own good."Back then, I'd mistaken control for affection.Sweat beaded on Alistair's forehead. He read the article from beginning to end a second time before finally relaxing.He snorted. "Dad, you aren't seriously blaming the loss of the company's partnerships on one article, are you? I promise I'll win those deals back. As for this garbage, nobody with half a bra

I slammed into the doorframe.Pain exploded across my forehead, and warm blood trickled down my cheek.Still, I reached out my hand. "Give it back."Nika took off the necklace and held it out to me, her eyes red. "If you want it so badly, take it back."Then she suddenly hurled it across the room.I was still dazed and reacted too late. The necklace flew past me and hit the living room floor. The glass bead shattered, sending the two tiny spheres rolling toward the couch.I gasped and crawled toward the couch until I found both spheres.Behind me, Alistair helped Nika to her feet. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck while I sat bleeding on the floor.Without even looking back, Alistair said, "It was only a necklace. Was it worth making such a scene?"I stared at him. "My grandmother left it to me."His voice hardened with impatience. "She didn't know, and she apologized. Nika liked it. Why couldn't you just let her have it?"Nika sniffled softly. "I really didn't mean to d

I'd always assumed Augustine was just being kind to me. Then one day, I learned there was more to it.I found a file about me in his office.My name was printed on the cover, along with the words "Caldwell family."My chest tightened. I reached for the file, but Augustine closed it before I could grab it.I looked up at him. He didn't try to explain. He simply asked, "What do you want to know?"I studied him for a few seconds, then gave him a deliberate smile. "I lied to you.""I know." His expression didn't change, as though he'd known all along. "The first time we were formally introduced, I knew you weren't an ordinary woman."My heart raced. "And you still approached me?""Because you've never lied to me." He took a seat.I frowned. "I've been hiding my identity all this time.""Hiding your identity isn't the same as lying to me." He said it so casually that I didn't know how to respond.Augustine slid the file toward me. His voice softened. "I haven't investigated your private lif