Reborn, But He Killed Me First

The ghost returns

The violet glow of the encrypted message reflected in my pupils, casting a ghostly light over the dark bedroom. My breath hitched.

K.D.

In my previous life, those initials belonged to the Dave family’s greatest tragedy: Kieran Dave. Kelvin’s older, more brilliant, and infinitely more ruthless brother. The man who was supposed to rule Dave Industries until his car went over a cliff in the Swiss Alps three years ago.

I looked at the locked door. Kelvin was on the other side, likely tearing his study apart or sobbing into a bottle of scotch. He wasn't the one who sent this. Kelvin didn't have the stomach for riddles.

My fingers flew across the keyboard, my medical training making my movements precise despite the tremor in my heart.

Me: “Kieran? That’s impossible. You’re dead.”

Unknown: “Dead is just a word for people who aren’t clever enough to hide. You of all people should know that, Jessica. Or should I say... Phoenix?”

I slammed the laptop shut. A cold sweat broke out across my neck. This wasn't just someone who knew about the Phoenix Group; this was someone who knew the essence of what I was doing. If Kieran was alive, the entire hierarchy of the Dave family was a lie. Kelvin wasn't a king; he was a puppet sitting on a throne kept warm by a ghost.

I couldn't sleep. I spent the remaining hours of the night in the shadows of the bedroom, watching the sun crawl over the horizon.

At 7:00 AM, a heavy pounding started on my door.

"Jessica! Open this damn door!" Kelvin’s voice was ragged.

I stood up, smoothed my silk robe, and checked my reflection. I looked tired, but my eyes were like flint. I unlocked the door and stepped back just as Kelvin burst in.

He looked pathetic. His tie was undone, his hair was a nest, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like a man who had spent the night watching his soul bleed out on a stock ticker.

"Where is it?" he hissed, stepping into my space. "The ledger. The vials. The watch. I know you were in the study, Jessica. Give them back, and maybe I won't kill you myself."

I didn't back away. I leaned in, my voice a low, dangerous purr.

"You’re vibrating, Kelvin. It’s unsightly for a CEO." I reached out and straightened his collar, a gesture that made him flinch. "And as for your little toys in the safe... they’ve been relocated. Somewhere safe. Somewhere you'll never find them unless I want you to."

He grabbed my wrist, his grip bruising. "I will ruin you. I’ll have your father’s life support cut before noon."

"Try it," I challenged, my smile widening. "The Phoenix Group just bought the private equity firm that owns Saint Jude’s Hospital this morning. I’m the landlord now, Kelvin. You touch a single wire in that room, and I’ll have you arrested for attempted murder before you can leave the parking lot."

He let go of me as if I were made of fire. "Who are you? You aren't Jessica. Jessica was a fool. She was... nothing."

"Jessica died," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper. "And the woman who took her place has friends in high places. Or low ones." I paused, watching the fear flicker in his eyes. "By the way... do you ever feel like someone is watching you, Kelvin? Someone who should be six feet under?"

The color drained from his face. "What are you talking about?"

"K.D.," I whispered.

Kelvin stumbled back, hitting the vanity. "How... how do you know those initials? Who told you?"

"The ghost told me," I said, picking up my earrings from the dresser. "He says he’ll see us at the Gala tonight. You might want to wear a more expensive suit, Kelvin. You’re looking a bit... disposable."

I brushed past him, leaving him trembling in the middle of the room.

The rest of the day was a blur of tactical movements. I met with the Phoenix Team in a secure location. We finalized the short-sell of Dave Industries’ textile holdings. By 4:00 PM, the stock was in freefall. Kelvin’s board of directors was calling for an emergency meeting, but he couldn't attend, he had a Charity Gala to host.

I chose a gown that felt like armor: a backless, floor-length number in deep, iridescent crimson. It looked like liquid blood.

As we pulled up to the Saint Jude’s Charity Gala, the flashes of the paparazzi were blinding. Kelvin put his arm around my waist, his hand shaking. To the world, we were the ultimate power couple. To me, he was a corpse I was dragging to its own funeral.

"Smile, Kelvin," I whispered through my teeth as we stepped onto the red carpet. "The cameras can smell your failure."

We entered the grand ballroom. Crystal chandeliers cast sharp light over the city’s elite. I felt eyes on me from every direction, but one set of eyes felt different. Heavy. Intentional.

A waiter approached us with a tray of champagne.

"Compliments of the gentleman at the bar, Mrs. Dave," the waiter said.

I took the glass. Tucked under the stem was a small, white card with gold embossed edges.

I flipped it over.

“Red suits you. It hides the blood. Welcome back to the world of the living, Little Phoenix. K.D.”

I looked toward the bar.

Standing there was a man who looked like Kelvin’s better half. Taller, broader, with a face that was strikingly handsome despite a jagged, faded scar that ran from his temple to his jawline.

He didn't look like he had been in a car accident. He looked like he had survived a war.

He raised his glass to me, a predatory smirk playing on his lips.

Beside me, Kelvin let out a choked, strangled sound. "No... it can't be. He’s dead. I saw the body!"

I gripped my champagne glass until it nearly shattered. The Ghost wasn't a hallucination or a message. He was here. And if Kelvin had seen the body, then this was a game of deception that went far deeper than a simple revenge.

The man started walking toward us. The crowd parted for him like he was royalty, his presence radiating a cold, suffocating power that made Kelvin look like a shivering child.

"Hello, little brother," the Ghost said. His voice was a deep, gravelly rasp that felt like a physical weight on my chest. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kelvin’s champagne glass shattered on the marble floor. "K-Kieran? No. You’re dead. I watched the car burn! I saw your dental records!"

Kieran didn't even look at him. His eyes were locked on mine—predatory, knowing, and terrifyingly dark. He reached for my hand, but he didn't just shake it. He pulled me flush against his chest, his hand sliding to the small of my back, right where the dress was open. His touch was searing.

"Jessica..." he murmured, leaning down so his lips brushed my ear. The scent of sandalwood and expensive tobacco swirled around me. "I think you and I have a lot to talk about. Starting with the fact that you’ve been using my offshore accounts to fund your little Phoenix project."

I went cold. My heart stopped.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I hissed, trying to pull away.

His grip tightened, his fingers digging into my waist with a possessiveness that was both a caress and a threat. He turned his gaze to the trembling Kelvin, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper.

"You really should have been more careful, Kelvin. You married a woman with a soul far too big for you. But don't worry..."

Kieran leaned in even closer to me, his voice vibrating through my skin.

"I didn't come back for the company, Jessica. I came back for what was promised to me ten years ago."

He pulled back just enough to look me in the eye, a cruel, beautiful smirk playing on his lips. Then, he reached out and flicked the diamond on my ring finger, the Marvin family heirloom.

"That ring looks better on a widow, doesn't it?"

Before I could breathe, he leaned in and whispered the final killing blow:

"I know why you're back, Jessica. I know because... I was at your funeral in the last life, too."

I felt the world tilt. My lungs seized. He remembered? He wasn't just a ghost, he was a traveler, just like me.

And he wasn't here to help. He was here to claim the one thing he couldn't have before.

"Dance with me," he commanded, his eyes flashing with a dangerous hunger. "Or I'll tell Kelvin exactly which tonic you used to wake your father up tonight."