Her Rebirth.

Within moments, the office had been wiped clean, and it was as if nothing bloody had just occurred.

Secretary Wen placed the Annual Report before Kai, and he took it, studying it intently. But it was only for a short while, as Kai found his thoughts drifting to Amelia.

What was she doing now? He couldn’t help but ask himself. She was probably sketching, as she always did.

He imagined her sketching, completely lost in her own world, her brows furrowed in concentration. The image was oddly... endearing.

Kai drummed his fingers on the desk. The office was suddenly too quiet and quite boring. He needed a distraction. Or rather, he needed to hear her voice.

Picking up his phone, he hovered over her number.

They had exchanged contacts a while ago, yet neither had reached out. It was ridiculous, really. Someone had to take the first step, right?

After a moment’s hesitation, he typed a simple message:

"Hi."

Kai stared at the screen, waiting. Seconds turned to minutes. His brows furrowed.

No response.

A strange pang of disappointment settled in his chest.

His fingers tightened around the phone, a faint frown appearing on his face.

Maybe she was busy, he reasoned, attempting to brush off the unusual irritation curling within him. Yet, the thought did little to appease him. His mood soured further.

He heard a little ding from his phone and looked at it—a bit too excited—but his excitement vanished as quickly as it came.

It was Dan reminding him about the upcoming charity banquet.

His expression turned cold, the softness in his eyes vanishing. With a sharp exhale, he tossed the phone aside.

"Wen."

Secretary Wen, who had been silently watching his boss go through five distinct stages of emotion—anticipation, doubt, disappointment, irritation, and cold indifference—finally spoke.

"Sir...?"

Kai didn’t look up. "Get the most expensive gown and jewelry set available and deliver them to my house."

"For Miss Amelia?"

"Yes. For Miss Amelia."

He wanted Amelia to look the most stunning that night. And she would.

She would like that, right?

At this point, Kai realized that he didn’t feel so enthusiastic about hiding his true identity from her.

---

Damien flipped through Amelia’s sketches, his lips pursed as he studied them with concentration.

For an amateur, her work was remarkably good.

He leaned back in his chair, resting his chin against his left hand as he studied a particular design. The composition, the flow—it was almost as if she instinctively knew what would work on a body.

"These are... good," he admitted. "For an amateur, at least."

Amelia arched a brow at his backhanded compliment.

"That’s very generous of you, Boss," she said dryly.

He chuckled, setting the sketches down. "I mean it. For someone who claims to be a beginner, your designs show a natural understanding of structure and elegance."

Amelia, seated across from him, let a small smile slip onto her lips. She had been working on the sketches for quite some time now, so seeing them being complimented made her heart flutter.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"Tell me, have you ever considered showcasing your work?" he asked seriously.

She hesitated. "Showcasing?"

Damien leaned forward, setting the sketches down. "If you don’t mind, I’d like to add some of your pieces to my collection for Fashion Week. We’d be co-designers."

Her eyes widened. "You want us to be co-designers?"

"That’s the idea."

For a second, Amelia said nothing. Then, a slow, genuine smile spread across her face, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

Damien found himself momentarily taken aback.

This Amelia... was nothing like the rumors.

They had painted her as a wild, brutish woman who often bullied her stepsister and brought disgrace to the Cosgrove family name. And yet, the one before him was passionate, creative, and—

Beautiful.

He pushed the thought aside.

"So?" he prompted.

"I’d love to," she said, still glowing with excitement.

Damien gave a slow nod, pleased. "Good. Then do well—I expect great things from you."

---

After a long, exhausting day, Amelia finally arrived home, her mind still reeling with Damien’s proposal.

Pushing the door open, she stepped inside—only to pause at the sight before her.

Kai sat on the couch, arms crossed, his expression dark and somewhat... aggrieved? His normally sharp gaze was narrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at nothing in particular.

Amelia blinked. "You’re home early."

He didn’t respond.

Frowning slightly, she stepped closer. "Kai?"

He let out a short, cold scoff. "I don’t feel like talking to people who ignore messages."

It took her a second to register his words. Then, she remembered his text.

She had seen his message earlier, but before she could reply, Damien had pulled her into a conversation about Fashion Week. So she had completely forgotten about it.

"...Ah."

Kai’s expression became darker as she hesitated. "So you did see it."

"I was going to respond," she admitted, trying to smooth things over. "But I got distracted."

Kai huffed, looking away like a petulant child.

Suppressing a sigh, Amelia sat beside him. "I’m sorry, Kai."

He didn’t react.

She tried again. "Really. I didn’t mean to ignore you."

Still, nothing.

Amelia didn’t know why she was even trying to coax him, but she did it anyway.

Finally, with an exasperated sigh, Kai grabbed a box from the table and shoved it into her hands.

Amelia blinked in confusion. "What’s this?"

"A dress." His voice was flat, indifferent. "And something extra."

Curious, she opened the lid.

The gown inside was breathtaking, obviously crafted from the finest silk, with gold-thread embroidery that shimmered like stars. Luxury poured from every inch of fabric.

She reached for the second box, smaller but equally elegant.

Inside lay a jewelry set—a necklace and earrings crafted from rare pink diamonds.

Amelia sucked in a breath.

Expensive. Unbelievably so.

Even without her past as an Empress, she knew quality when she saw it.

She turned to Kai, suspicion filling her gaze.

How was he able to afford this?

Kai was supposed to be... kind of poor. An illegitimate child, ignored and dismissed. But this...

She wasn’t even sure her father could afford it.

Kai noticed her suspicion but remained quiet. It would be even better if she dug deeper—then it wouldn’t be so troublesome when he revealed who he was to her.

"Thank you," Amelia said with a soft smile.

Seeing the smile he had so looked forward to, Kai felt elated. Getting her something expensive was really the way to go.

And in this gown, all eyes were bound to be on her.