REBORN TO RUIN HIM, CROWNED BEYOND HIS REACH

Chapter 5The Woman He Doesn’t Recognize

Elara’s POV

Dominic laughed like he was forcing himself to regain control of a situation that had already slipped from his hands.

“Is this some kind of joke?” he asked coldly as his gaze shifted toward Matteo. “Who’s actually running this deal?”

He stood at the edge of the conference table with a file in one hand, posture calm but rigid in the way powerful men became when something unsettled them and despite trying not to, his attention kept returning to me like he couldn’t figure out where I belonged anymore.

Matteo remained perfectly composed. “The Virelli Group,” he replied smoothly.

Dominic’s jaw tightened. “That’s not what I asked.”

Silence stretched across the room. I didn’t look at Matteo, but I felt the subtle shift in the atmosphere immediately.

Dominic hated losing access. Hated uncertainty even more.

“If I’m expected to sign anything,” he said coolly, “I need to know exactly who I’m dealing with.”

There it was. The Dominic Ashford I remembered perfectly. A man who only respected power when he could measure it.

I lowered my gaze briefly to the documents in front of me before glancing toward Matteo.

That single look was enough. He understood immediately.

Matteo adjusted his cufflinks calmly. “You are dealing with the Virelli Group,” he repeated. “That should be more than sufficient.”

At that exact moment, two security personnel stepped quietly into the room and positioned themselves near the entrance.

Dominic noticed instantly. Of course he did, nothing escaped him. His eyes flickered toward them briefly before returning to me again.

“It isn’t sufficient,” he said coldly. “Especially when unfamiliar people are suddenly sitting at the head of the table.”

Beside him, Isabella followed his gaze toward me. Unlike Dominic, her expression carried something uglier beneath the surface.

Fear.

Dominic rested his fingers lightly against the table. “Elara.” My name sounded strange coming from him now. “You still haven’t explained what you’re doing here.”

I met his eyes calmly. “I wasn’t aware I owed you an explanation.”

His brows drew together slightly, but before he could speak again, Isabella stepped in smoothly.

“She probably just works with the team somehow,” she said lightly. “An assistant maybe.”

Interesting. Five years later and she still underestimated me first before fearing me.

I leaned back in my chair slowly, crossing one leg over the other. Matteo stepped forward again and slid another document across the table.

“Shall we continue?”

Dominic ignored the file completely, his attention remained fixed on me. “You’ve changed.”

I tilted my head slightly. “So have you.” Then deliberately, I looked away from him and dismissed him.

And that? That unsettled him more than anything else had so far. Finally, Dominic picked up the file and opened it. The deeper he read, the colder his expression became.

Beside him, Isabella leaned closer to glance at the contents. I saw the exact moment tension entered her face.

“There’s a discrepancy here,” Dominic said after a moment. “These projections don’t align with Ashford Group’s current market position.”

Matteo folded his hands neatly behind his back. “They reflect your projected position.”

Dominic’s eyes sharpened instantly. “Based on what?” Another file slid across the table toward him.

Dominic opened it, then looked up sharply.

“What is this?”

“Internal movements,” Matteo replied calmly. “Investor withdrawals. Delayed partnerships. Pending board concerns.”

Isabella straightened immediately.

I caught the flicker of panic in her eyes before she masked it, then Dominic lifted the documents slowly.

“Those reports are confidential.”

“They’re accurate,” Matteo corrected.

The room went silent again as Dominic closed the file carefully before looking at me once more, longer this time.

“You’re involved in this.” His voice lowered.

“You did this.”

I simply folded my arms across my chest. Silence was useful that way. People exposed themselves trying to fill it.

Dominic took a slow step closer. “You’re working with the Virellis now?”

Still, I said nothing. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied me like I had transformed into something dangerous while he wasn’t looking.

Beside him, Isabella forced out a soft laugh.

“They wouldn’t place someone unqualified in a position like this,” she said sweetly. “So whatever role she has here must be minor.”

Then her eyes slid toward me. “Unless she found another way to earn her position.”

The insult hung heavily in the room. Matteo’s expression darkened instantly but I only smiled faintly.

Interesting. The woman who slept with her best friend’s husband was trying to shame me. Some people truly lacked self-awareness.

I straightened slightly in my seat, then finally I spoke. “If your concern is authority,” I said calmly, “then you’re already sitting in front of it.”

Dominic’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly does that mean?”

“You’ll get your answers when they become relevant.”

His jaw flexed, then after a long pause. “Fine,” he said quietly. “I’ll wait.”

Of course he would because Dominic Ashford hated mysteries. And right now? I had become one.

Matteo resumed the briefing afterward, but Dominic barely looked at the documents anymore. His attention kept drifting back toward me, trying to connect the woman sitting in front of him with the wife he once discarded.

He couldn’t and that frustration was beginning to show. By the time the meeting finally ended, no contracts had been signed, but something else had happened. The balance of power had shifted and Dominic knew it.

He stood first, slower than before. “You’ve positioned yourself well,” he said quietly, his gaze fixed on me.

I remained silent, then he stepped closer. “And whatever game you think you’re playing…” His voice lowered dangerously. “Stop now.”

I almost laughed. Instead, I met his gaze calmly. “Are you worried, Mr. Ashford?”

He scoffed immediately. “In your dreams.”

But the answer came too quickly.

He turned toward the door before stopping suddenly, then he glanced back at me one last time. “Be careful,” he said coldly. “The real Virelli heiress might not appreciate imposters sitting in her chair.”

Then he walked out. Isabella followed quickly behind him and the door shut.

Silence returned instantly, then Matteo stepped forward. “All contained,” he said quietly.

I rose from my seat and walked toward the window overlooking the city skyline. Below us, millions of lights glittered through the darkness.

“He’ll investigate,” Matteo added.

“I know.”

I didn’t even look back. “Make sure he finds nothing.”

Matteo nodded. “He won’t.”

Buzz. My phone vibrated against the table behind me. I turned slowly and picked it up, but it was an unknown number.

Something about it immediately felt wrong.

I answered anyway.

“Who is this?”

There was silence at first, then a distorted voice spoke quietly through the line. “You should’ve died that night.”

Every muscle in my body froze as my grip tightened around the phone.

“You weren’t the target,” the voice continued.

My heartbeat slammed hard against my ribs.

Then came the sentence that stopped my breathing completely. “The baby was.”

The line went dead.