Reincarnated In The Body Of His True Love

Leonardo

Reincarnated 4

Emerald

It was a bright afternoon. The sun burned into my skin, but after weeks trapped inside sterile white walls of my hospital room, the heat felt almost pleasant. Bees buzzed around and flowers bloomed in neat rows. Birds chirped somewhere overhead.

I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, savoring the breeze that rustled through my hair as a nurse wheeled me through the hospital garden.

“Let’s sit here for a while, Miss Francesca,” the nurse said, parking me beneath a sprawling oak tree.

Francesca. That was my name now and I was slowly getting used to it. It’s been a month. Thirty dragging, suffocating days since I woke up in this body that wasn’t mine, surrounded by people I hated, suffocated by affection I didn’t want, and haunted by screams only I seemed to hear.

Dr. Yusuf said I was healing remarkably well and that all I needed now is to rebuild your muscle strength. He said physiotherapy will help get me back on my feet.

His words made it sound easy. Simple. As if learning to walk again after two years in a coma was like flipping a switch. Only it wasn’t.

It was humiliating, painful, and frustrating. Every session felt like I was dragging my legs through wet cement. My muscles trembled pathetically with the slightest exertion. Sweat poured down my face even when all I’d done was try to lift my leg an inch off the therapy mat.

I hated every moment but I couldn’t stop either. I had to keep going. I asked for a second chance and I returned in grand style, no way will I sit back. I had a new family now, I’m going to enjoy every privilege that comes with being Francesca Ainsleigh.

I never brought up Francesca to anyone. Not to Marcus, who hovered like an annoying guard dog. Not to Rebecca, who fussed and wept over every tremble of my lips. Not to Landon, who barked orders at the nurses and demanded silence when I slept. As if in silent agreement that bringing her up would disrupt my peace, nobody has spoken about her either.

I was curious as to how she was faring now living in my body as me. I wondered what Marcus did to her after the day she tried to suffocate me while demanding I return her body but I refused to bring it up. Hearing about her suffering would do nothing to ease the hatred in my soul, I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

I used to want Francesca’s family to suffer. I wanted to see them lose everything. But now they were my family, so I kept quiet. I pretended to smile at them even though I felt nothing but hate inside. Their love felt strange because it wasn’t meant for me. Maybe one day I’d get used to it, but not with Marcus.

My skin prickled with unease and I felt a pair of eyes drilling a hole into my skull. My eyes snapped open and I looked around, trying to place who I could feel watching me.

My breath caught in my throat and my mouth went dry as I laid my eyes upon him.

Standing near a rose trellis was a man. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair that curled slightly at the ends, tousled by the wind. His skin was olive-toned, kissed by the sun. He was handsome in a way that made my chest clench. Sharp cheekbones, a strong jaw, and lips pressed into a thin line of disdain.

But it was his eyes that stole my breath. Dark as obsidian, sharp and piercing. My heart flickered when they met mine, narrowing at me with unfiltered disgust.

Huh? Why was he staring at me like I was a filth or like he hated me? Then I remembered, I was no longer Emerald. I was now Francesca. And Francesca was a spoilt, evil brat who collected enemies the way other women collected perfumes. I wondered what Francesca did to this man to warrant the level of hatred I could see in his eyes.

I saw a man handsome enough to put the gods to shame, but the way he looked at me, like I was something rotten, made my shoulders slump in defeat.

If he hated Francesca, then he hated me now. The thought should have bothered me, but instead, it thrilled me. I loved his glare, loved how his dark eyes narrowed even further when I smiled sweetly at him.

His scowl deepened, and my heart fluttered with unexpected amusement. The man was just too attractive for his own good and that scowl of his that was supposed to be scary had the opposite effect on me. It made me want to walk over and climb him like a monkey. If I could move, I probably wouldn’t have been able to stop myself. But alas, I couldn’t.

An old man in a wheelchair was wheeled out to him by an orderly. Immediately, the stranger’s expression shifted. His eyes softened as he looked down at the man. He dismissed the orderly with a curt nod and took over, pushing the old man himself with gentle hands.

The old man turned his head slightly and caught sight of me. His eyes, light blue and still sharp despite his age, lit up with delight. He slapped the young man’s wrist with surprising force, causing him to flinch.

“Drive me over there. Now.” The old man snapped in Italian-accented English while pointing at me.

The young man frowned. “Nonno, you asked me to come because we have an important discussion. Can’t you pretend to not see her?”

The old man jabbed him with his cane. “Go.”

My lips raised in a smug smirk as I watch the young man argue with who I now knew to be his grandfather and with each words that left their mouth, I could see the young man slowly slumping in defeat. I could easily ask my nurse to wheel me over just to make the Mr handsome angry. But do you know what will make him even angrier, moving over to me with his two legs. I wanted to see the fire in his eyes when he glare at me again. He’s just so delightful.

A shadow fell over me and I shut my eyes, anger welling up inside me. Without looking up, I already knew who it was.

“Why are you outside?” Marcus asked with so much care. He crouched down beside my wheelchair, his hand coming to rest over mine. I forced myself not to recoil at his touch. “You should be resting.”

No, fuckface, I shouldn’t.

“I was suffocating in my room,” I looked away from Mr handsome to stare at Marcus.

“Babe,” He sighed, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. “You should have waited for me to bring you out. I’ll take you inside now.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, praying to the heavens to give me strength to not snap at Marcus. If he knew how much I hated his touch and him calling me babe, if he knew how much I wanted to stab him in the throat, he would be running the other way.

“Marcus,” the old man’s voice boomed across the garden. “Bring Franny over here,”

Marcus stiffened. He looked across the garden at the two men and his eyes darkened. For a second, rage flickered across his face before he masked it with a cold smile. His reaction to them surprised the hell out of me.

Marcus turned to me. “Do you want to go over?” He asked.

“Ahh…” I pretended to hesitate before finally saying, “Yes,”

“You hate him.” I knew he must be talking about that young man. “You also dislike his grandpa, Mr Caruso,”

Really?

I shrugged without a care, “Does not matter if I do. We need to show grandpa some respect,”

Confusion filtered across Marcus face and for a minute I thought he would ask if I was alright but he sighed and stood to push me over since Mr handsome refused to budge.

Marcus grumbled under his breath, something about ‘meddling old men and bastard grandsons,’ but he wheeled me across the grass anyway.

As we approached, I watched the young man and Marcus exchange stiff nods. They shook hands briefly, gripping each other’s fingers so hard I half-expected to hear bones c***k. Their smiles were fake, their hatred so potent I could almost taste it. Now, I’m intrigued. I wanted to know the story behind all the animosity.

“Francesca, darling,” the old man greeted me warmly, ignoring the tension radiating from the two men. “Finally awake, I see.”

I smiled politely, hiding my unease under practiced sweetness. “Yes, sir. It’s good to see you again.”

“Ha! Look at you, being polite for once,” he chuckled, eyes crinkling at the corners before sympathy filled his gaze, “We thought we’ve lost you but I’m happy to see that you’re back,”

Mr handsome grumbled something under his breath but slammed his mouth shut when his grandfather shot him a sharp look.

“You remember my grandson, don’t you? Leonardo.”

Leonardo. The name suited him. Sharp. Regal.

He merely inclined his head at me, his lips twitching in disdain. “Miss Francesca.”

His voice was deep and smooth, with a clipped accent that sent shivers down my spine. God, he was even hotter up close.

Granpa’s brow furrowed and I tore my gaze away from his handsome grandson, “You still remember us, don’t you? Your parents told me you were diagnosed with retrograde amnesia,”

Yeah, that diagnosis might have come from when Francesca’s extended family and her friends flocked in to see me. I might know her close family and two of her friends but I do not know her extended family. It was mighty awkward when I kept staring at them like they were strangers. They really were strangers to me but they just didn’t know it and I plan to keep it that way. They called Dr Yusuf and told him about it hence the diagnosis. Time to use it to my advantage.

“No, grandpa. I cannot remember you or your son but it does not matter. You’re very handsome grandpa,” I said just to f**k with Mr handsome who I now know to be Leonardo.

Grandpa Caruso threw his head back and laughed happily and I glanced at Leonardo who now wore a thunderous expression. I swear, the man looked like he was a minute away from choking me. Yeah, I would love for him to choke me, not just in the way he wants to.

“Ahh, my darling girl, I see your accident has done nothing to curb that sweet and sharp tongue of yours.

The old man jerked his chin at Marcus. “If you ever get tired of this brute, Leo is always available.”

Marcus bristled. “Francesca would never leave me.”

Leonardo scoffed, his dark eyes flicking over me with bored distaste. “I don’t want a snotty heiress anyway. You can keep her. You both suit each other,”

A thrill shot through me at his rejection. The fact that he didn’t want me, that he didn’t fawn over Francesca like everyone else, made him even more attractive. And Marcus’s glare of pure rage only sweetened the moment further.

I tilted my head, studying Leonardo’s hard profile as he moved away to stand by the roses, trying to remove himself from the conversation.

In that moment, a plan began to form in my mind. Dark. Dangerous. Delicious.

Marcus thought he owned me. That I was Francesca his beloved fiancé.

Looking at Leonardo, I realized there was a way to punish Marcus. A way to hurt him so deeply it would make everything worth it. Marcus love Francesca and loosing her would drive him to madness.

Nearly loosing her to the accident caused him to almost kill me in my past life. He drank everyday and started at her pictures and cried for hours.

I would pursue Leonardo.

I would make him want me. Need me. I would worm my way into his life, his heart, and his bed.

And then… then I would dump Marcus like the trash he was.

Slowly. Painfully. Publicly.

I smiled to myself as Marcus told Grandpa Caruso that have been out for long and needed to rest. I said goodbye to Grandpa and smiled devilishly at Leonardo as Marcus wheeled me past him.

My muscles still ached. My bones still felt hollow. But for the first time since I woke up in Francesca’s body, a spark of excitement burned in my chest.

Leonardo might hate me, or not, he might hate the old Francesca but that would change. It was only a matter of time.