Her Rebirth.

Amelia woke up, her head splitting. She could barely remember what had happened the night before. All she remembered was trying to take Sera home and being harassed by some guy... then Kai... After that, her memory was really blurry.

Amelia decided not to dwell too much on it. Looking at the clock, it seemed like she only had about 40 minutes to get to work, so she quickly went to shower. After she was done, she quickly dressed up, and within no time, she was rushing down the stairs.

As she got down, she saw Kai in the kitchen, attentively frying some vegetables in the pan. Seeing that she had just come down, Kai barely glanced at her before saying,

"There’s hangover soup on the table."

Amelia quickly realized that Kai had probably been the one to pick her up, so she said gratefully,

"Thank you for yesterday."

Kai paused for a second before turning to her with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "So you remember the events of yesterday?"

Amelia touched her temples due to the hangover headache and said, "Not really... just some fragments."

Kai, seeing she probably had a hangover, frowned.

"Take the hangover soup."

Amelia nodded and took the soup in one gulp. Kai had helped her once more. It seemed like she owed him one.

When she was done taking the soup, Kai asked softly, "Do you feel better?"

Amelia, feeling the headache lighten, nodded.

She soon felt the warmth of the soup settle in her stomach, easing the last traces of her hangover. She sighed in relief and placed the bowl back on the table.

Kai, who had been watching her quietly, turned off the stove and placed the stir-fried vegetables onto a plate. But there was something unreadable in his gaze as he leaned against the counter, crossing his arms.

"You should be more careful," he said.

Amelia blinked at him, confused. "Careful?"

Kai tilted his head slightly, studying her. "Do you even remember how you ended up in that situation last night?"

Her brows furrowed as she tried to recall, but her memory was fragmented. "I just remember going out with Sera... I was trying to take her home, and then some guy... He wouldn’t let me go."

Kai’s expression darkened at the mention of the man. "You should’ve called me to come take you home instead of trying to handle it on your own. Luckily, I was there just in time."

Amelia bit her lip, feeling quite aggrieved. "I tried, but I discovered I didn’t even have your number." She wanted to defend herself, to tell him that it was none of his business, but recalling that he had been the one to save her, she decided against it. Besides, he did care about her safety. That’s why he was scolding her.

Kai paused.

That was true. Ever since they had begun living with each other, they hadn’t even exchanged numbers. He knew that the whole engagement was a sham; that was why they didn’t even bother. But since she was going to be living with him for quite some time, it was only appropriate they exchanged numbers, right?

Kai sighed, stretching out his hand.

"Give me your phone so that I can give you my number."

Amelia handed him her phone, and he typed it in before giving it back to her.

She took the phone and muttered a soft thank you before putting it back into her bag. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

She glanced at the clock and, realizing she was going to be late for work, quickly stood up and muttered, "Shit, I’m going to be late for work."

Amelia hurriedly grabbed her bag, about to dash out the door when Kai’s deep voice stopped her.

"Let me take you."

She turned, surprised, as he casually picked up his car keys.

A grateful smile bloomed on her lips as she looked at him. "Thank you."

Kai stilled.

The way the morning light hit her features made her look... breathtaking. Her smile was genuine and warm, different from the fake smiles she usually donned. And for some reason, he found himself thinking that he wouldn’t mind seeing it more often.

His grip on the keys tightened.

What the hell am I even thinking?

He snapped himself out of it, his brows furrowing slightly as if irritated by his own thoughts.

Amelia, noticing his sudden frown, blinked in confusion. Had she done something wrong?

"...Kai?"

"Tch." He turned away, walking towards the door. "Hurry up, or you’ll really be late."

Still puzzled, Amelia followed him out, wondering what had caused his sudden shift in mood.

---

Mason stood outside the heavy wooden doors of Grandfather Cosgrove’s study, his heart pounding harder than he’d like to admit.

The old man rarely summoned him unless it was for something very important.

He swallowed, straightening his posture. Hopefully, he hadn’t heard about Amelia leaving yet.

He had done everything to suppress the news, blocking it from reaching the old man’s ears. But it was only a matter of time before the news got to him.

That stupid daughter of mine, refusing to come back.

The doors creaked open, and a woman in her early forties, Grandfather Cosgrove’s long-time caretaker, stepped out. She gave Mason a neutral glance before saying, "The Master is waiting for you."

Mason clenched his fists before stepping inside.

Grandfather Cosgrove sat in his usual high-backed chair, his sharp eyes locking onto Mason the moment he walked in.

Before Mason could even greet him, a porcelain vase came hurtling toward him.

Crash!

Mason barely dodged it in time as it shattered against the floor.

"You unfilial son!" Grandfather Cosgrove’s voice thundered through the room. His wrinkled face was red with anger, his cane gripped tightly in one hand. "Did you really think you could hide this from me?!"

Mason’s expression remained calm, though inside, his mind was racing. So he knows.

Still, he decided to feign ignorance. "Father, I don’t understand what you mean."

"Don’t try to act dumb!" the old man roared, slamming his cane against the floor. "You deliberately blocked the news of you driving Amelia away! Who gave you that right?!"

Mason inhaled slowly before finally admitting, "I didn’t drive her away. She ran away. I’ve been trying to bring her back, but she refuses."

Grandfather Cosgrove’s sharp eyes narrowed. "And why wouldn’t she refuse? When you’ve decided to keep that slut and her daughter in the house while casting away your own flesh and blood?"

Mason’s jaw tightened. "Eve is not a slut—"

"I don’t care what she is!" Grandfather Cosgrove snapped, cutting him off. "I don’t care about your excuses or how much you favor that woman. I only care about Amelia," he said harshly. "Find her and bring her back."

Mason gritted his teeth. His father’s words were absolute, and going against them was not an option, especially since he still held a majority of the shares in the Cosgrove Company.

After a long pause, he finally forced out, "Yes, Father."

Grandfather Cosgrove waved his hand dismissively. "Get out."

Mason turned on his heel, exiting the room. The moment the door closed behind him, he clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Damn it.

Why don’t you just die?