Reborn to Ruin Them All

Chapter 7: Checkmate Begins

The moment Adrian uttered the words "my wife," something shifted.

Not only inside Scarlett.

But inside the game itself.

Someone had crossed a line.

And Adrian Kingsley wasn't the type of man who ignored threats.

Especially threats directed at people under his protection.

The café suddenly felt smaller.

More dangerous.

Scarlett watched Adrian's expression carefully.

The calm billionaire everyone admired was gone.

The man sitting across from her now was the real Adrian Kingsley.

The ruler of Kingsley Global.

The man competitors feared.

The man newspapers called untouchable.

The man capable of destroying companies with a single signature.

His dark eyes remained fixed on the threatening messages.

The temperature around him seemed to drop.

"Adrian."

His gaze shifted toward her.

"You don't need to get involved."

The answer came instantly.

"Too late."

Scarlett sighed.

Of course.

Why had she expected anything else?

A few minutes later, Adrian's security director arrived.

Within thirty minutes, Hart Mansion's security system was upgraded.

Within an hour, additional guards were deployed.

Within two hours, surveillance coverage doubled.

Richard Hart had absolutely no idea why armed professionals suddenly appeared around his property.

His confusion was honestly impressive.

Scarlett nearly laughed when her father called.

"Sweetheart."

"Yes?"

"Why are there security personnel inspecting my rose garden?"

Scarlett bit back a smile.

"Maintenance."

"Maintenance?"

"Very expensive maintenance."

Richard sounded unconvinced.

Very unconvinced.

...

Meanwhile.

Several miles away.

Inside the penthouse office of Blackwood Capital.

Damien Blackwood watched everything unfold.

The security upgrades.

The new patrol routes.

The additional cameras.

Every movement.

Every response.

His assistant stood nearby.

Nervous.

As always.

Most people became nervous around Damien.

For good reason.

The billionaire leaned back in his chair.

Dark suit.

Dark eyes.

Dark thoughts.

The photograph on his desk showed Scarlett.

His finger tapped lightly against the image.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

A slow smile appeared.

"She's adapting faster than before."

The assistant frowned.

"Before?"

Damien ignored the question.

Because answering it would be impossible.

Instead, he focused on the city skyline.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

History was changing.

Again.

And he couldn't decide whether he enjoyed that or hated it.

Perhaps both.

...

The following morning.

Silvercrest University.

Scarlett stepped out of her car.

Instantly, whispers erupted around campus.

Students stared.

Phones appeared.

Conversations stopped.

She was becoming used to it.

Unfortunately.

The viral photographs with Adrian continued spreading online.

Apparently society had collectively decided they were dating.

Or engaged.

Or secretly married.

The theories became more ridiculous every day.

A student rushed past her.

"Oh my gosh, that's her!"

Another whispered loudly.

"That's Adrian Kingsley's girl."

Scarlett nearly tripped.

Adrian's girl?

Seriously?

The internet needed hobbies.

Immediately.

As she entered the main building, her phone vibrated.

A message.

Adrian.

Adrian:

"Did you arrive safely?"

Scarlett stared at the screen.

Then smiled.

A small smile.

One she couldn't stop.

Scarlett:

"Yes."

Three dots appeared.

Then—

Adrian:

"Good."

That was it.

Just one word.

Yet somehow it made her heart beat faster.

Annoying.

Very annoying.

She was supposed to be focusing on revenge.

Not getting distracted by attractive billionaires.

...

Across campus.

Mason Reed watched everything.

The smiles.

The whispers.

The messages.

The rumors.

Every single thing fueled his frustration.

His hands clenched into fists.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Scarlett was supposed to need him.

Depend on him.

Love him.

Instead she was drifting further away every day.

And somehow Adrian Kingsley kept appearing.

The worst part?

Mason couldn't compete.

Not with Adrian.

Not with that level of wealth.

Power.

Influence.

The realization ate at him.

Then his phone rang.

Chloe.

Immediately he answered.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything."

Her voice sounded irritated.

Typical.

Mason rubbed his forehead.

"What happened now?"

"Scarlett."

Of course.

Always Scarlett.

The girl was becoming impossible to ignore.

Chloe lowered her voice.

"I think she's investigating us."

Silence.

Mason's expression changed.

"What?"

"I don't have proof."

"Then why do you think that?"

Chloe hesitated.

Then answered.

"Instinct."

Normally, Mason would've dismissed that.

Today he couldn't.

Because he felt it too.

The pressure.

The uneasiness.

The sense that something invisible was happening behind the scenes.

And they weren't controlling it.

For the first time, fear crept into his mind.

Small.

Quiet.

But growing.

...

Later that afternoon.

Scarlett sat inside her private office.

Several screens glowed before her.

Data streamed continuously.

Market reports.

Company records.

Encrypted files.

She worked quickly.

Efficiently.

Methodically.

Her fingers danced across the keyboard.

Most people saw hacking as dramatic.

Exciting.

Dangerous.

Reality was different.

It required patience.

Observation.

Discipline.

And Scarlett possessed all three.

A notification suddenly appeared.

Unauthorized Access Attempt Detected.

Scarlett froze.

Someone was trying to enter her system.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Immediately she began tracing the intrusion.

The attack was sophisticated.

Extremely sophisticated.

Much better than anything Mason or Chloe could manage.

Which left only one possibility.

Damien.

The realization made her smile.

Because she finally had something.

A lead.

A connection.

A clue.

The digital battle intensified.

Lines of code filled her screen.

Firewalls activated.

Security protocols shifted.

Algorithms responded.

For nearly twenty minutes neither side gained an advantage.

Then—

A message appeared.

Directly on her monitor.

Hello, Scarlett.

She stopped typing.

The message changed.

Your skills improved.

Another line appeared.

I'm impressed.

Scarlett narrowed her eyes.

Then typed.

You're rude.

A pause.

Then—

I've been called worse.

Another pause.

Then—

How much do you remember?

Scarlett's pulse accelerated.

There it was.

Confirmation.

Absolute confirmation.

He remembered.

Everything.

She typed carefully.

Enough.

A few seconds passed.

Then his response arrived.

Not enough.

The screen suddenly went black.

The connection vanished.

Gone.

Just like that.

Scarlett stared at the monitor.

Her heart pounded.

Her thoughts raced.

The situation had become infinitely more complicated.

Because Damien wasn't merely another reborn person.

He clearly knew things she didn't.

Which meant his knowledge extended beyond her own memories.

And that was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

...

That evening.

Kingsley Tower.

Scarlett explained everything to Adrian.

Well—

Not everything.

Just enough.

The hacking attempt.

The messages.

The threats.

The concerns.

Adrian listened quietly.

As always.

Patiently.

Carefully.

When she finished, silence filled the office.

Then—

"Move in."

Scarlett blinked.

"What?"

"Move into Kingsley Manor."

She stared.

Surely she misheard.

"No."

Adrian looked unimpressed.

"That wasn't a question."

Scarlett laughed.

Actually laughed.

"You sound ridiculous."

"You sound stubborn."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"It is now."

For a brief moment, neither spoke.

Then Adrian sighed.

The action surprised her.

Because Adrian Kingsley almost never sighed.

It felt strangely human.

Almost cute.

Almost.

"Scarlett."

His voice softened.

Rare.

Very rare.

"This isn't a game anymore."

The humor disappeared instantly.

Because he was right.

Someone was watching her.

Threatening her.

Testing her.

The stakes had changed.

And both of them knew it.

Scarlett lowered her gaze.

"I know."

Adrian stood.

Then slowly walked toward the window.

The city lights illuminated his silhouette.

For a moment he remained silent.

Then finally spoke.

"When I was sixteen..."

Scarlett looked up.

Surprised.

Adrian rarely discussed himself.

Almost never.

"I learned something important."

"What?"

His eyes met hers.

"The most dangerous people aren't the strongest."

Scarlett listened carefully.

"They're the ones who know something you don't."

The words hit harder than expected.

Because they described Damien perfectly.

A man hiding information.

A man operating from the shadows.

A man playing a game whose rules remained unclear.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Scarlett smiled.

A real smile.

Not forced.

Not strategic.

Just genuine.

"You're worried about me."

Adrian's expression remained unchanged.

Which was answer enough.

Scarlett felt warmth spread through her chest.

Again.

Dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

Before she could say anything else—

A phone call interrupted them.

Adrian answered.

His expression immediately darkened.

Then became colder.

Then colder still.

Scarlett sat upright.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

When the call ended, Adrian's jaw tightened.

"What happened?"

For the first time all evening—

He looked genuinely angry.

"Someone broke into Blackwood Capital."

Scarlett frowned.

"What does that have to do with us?"

Adrian's eyes locked onto hers.

"Because they stole a file."

A chill ran through her body.

"What file?"

Silence.

Then—

"A file containing information about Scarlett Hart."

The room became completely silent.

Neither moved.

Neither spoke.

Because suddenly the question wasn't whether Damien Blackwood was involved in her past death.

The question was much worse.

Why had Damien Blackwood been collecting information on Scarlett years before she ever met him?

And what exactly did he know?

Outside the tower windows, the city glittered peacefully.

But somewhere in the darkness, Damien Blackwood smiled.

Because the first move had been made.

And soon...

Everyone would learn why Scarlett Hart had died in the first place.