Reborn Revenge: Married to My Ex’s Boss

The smell of blood mixed with burning gas was suffocating. Aria lay trapped inside the crushed black car, pinned under twisted metal. Heavy rain poured through the broken windshield, washing cold water and red blood over her face. She couldn't feel her legs. Every tiny breath felt like knives stabbing deep into her chest. Through the rain, she saw two people standing near the edge of the cliff. Under a black umbrella stood Julian, her husband of five years, and Chloe, her stepsister. Julian had his arm pulled tight around Chloe’s waist. It was an intimate, romantic gesture—one that Aria had been too blind to see for years. "Are you completely sure the police won't suspect us?" Chloe asked. Her voice was cold, without a single trace of guilt or sadness. "If they check the car..." "Don't worry, baby," Julian said smoothly, kissing Chloe’s cheek. "The storm is terrible tonight. The road was wet, and the car hit the guardrail going sixty miles an hour. It’s a sad accident. The police won't find anything." Aria tried to scream, but only thick blood spilled from her lips. Julian... Chloe... Why? She had loved Julian with all her heart. When her father died three years ago and left Aria the entire family fortune, Julian was her comforting angel. He promised to love her, protect her, and take care of her father’s company. She had trusted him with everything. And Chloe—sweet, helpless Chloe. Aria had welcomed her into the family mansion, bought her designer clothes, and gave her a high-paying job at the company. She had treated Chloe like a real sister. "What about her father's trust fund?" Chloe asked, pulling her expensive fur coat tighter around herself. "With Aria dead, everything goes straight to me," Julian laughed softly. It was a dark, evil sound that chilled Aria to the bone. "The money, the houses, the shares in the company... all of it. By Monday, I will be the chief executive of Sterling Enterprises. And you will finally be my real wife." Tears of pure rage mixed with the rain on Aria’s face. Her whole marriage had been a lie. She wasn't a beloved wife—she was just a target to be killed for her money. "She’s still alive down there," Chloe pointed down into the dark ravine. "Look, the car lights are flickering." Julian walked over to a heavy log on the muddy ground. With a strong kick, he rolled it down the cliff. The log slammed hard into the back of the wrecked car, sparking the broken gas tank. BOOM! A violent explosion of red and orange flames engulfed the vehicle. The scorching heat raced through the windows, burning Aria's skin. The pain was unbearable, a terrifying inferno burning her body, her lungs, and her mind. The last thing Aria heard was Julian's cold voice echoing above the storm: "Goodbye, Aria. You were always too stupid for this world." Aria gasped violently, her eyes snapping open. She slammed her hands against her chest, expecting to feel charred skin and broken bones. But there was no pain. Her hands touched soft, smooth silk. Her skin was completely dry and cool. The awful smell of smoke was gone. Instead, the room smelled of expensive jasmine perfume and warm vanilla. Aria looked around, her heart pounding like crazy. She wasn't in a burning car. She was sitting in a plush velvet armchair inside a glowing, luxurious dressing room. Bright crystal lights hung from the ceiling, reflecting off gold mirrors and shiny mahogany walls. She scrambled out of the chair, her legs shaking, and ran to the full-length mirror. The woman in the glass wasn't the weak, sick, pale wife Julian had been secretly poisoning for months. She looked radiant. Her skin was clear and glowing. Her long mahogany hair fell over her shoulders in perfect, soft waves. She was wearing a stunning emerald-green silk dress that fit her waist perfectly. Aria raised her trembling hands to her face. No scars. No burns. No blood. She looked down at her right hand. On her finger sat a delicate white-gold diamond ring. It wasn't her wedding ring—it was her engagement ring. Panic surged through her as she searched the room. Her eyes landed on a black smartphone lying next to a glass of champagne on the vanity table. She grabbed the phone with shaking hands and tapped the screen. Thursday, October 14, 8:15 PM. Aria stopped breathing. October 14th. This was the night of the Sterling Enterprise Anniversary Gala. The exact night two years ago when Julian had proposed to her in front of hundreds of rich guests, officially stepping into her family’s life. "No..." she whispered. "This can't be real." She picked up the desk calendar. The year showed two years in the past. Two years before the crash. Two years before she handed her father's company over to Julian. She hadn't just survived the fire. She had traveled back in time. Aria closed her eyes, letting the truth wash over her. The fiery pain, the cold rain, Julian's evil laugh—it hadn't been a dream. She had really died. She had been murdered by the two people she loved most. And now, life had handed her a second chance. A quiet, dangerous calm settled over Aria’s heart. The panic faded away, replaced by an icy, crystal-clear focus. The naive, gentle girl who trusted people blindly had died in that fiery crash. The woman who returned was a survivor out for blood. Julian wanted my family's money? she thought, her eyes flashing with a cold, deadly light in the mirror. I will make him lose every single penny until he is begging on the street. Chloe wanted my life? I will destroy her piece by piece. A soft knock sounded on the heavy wooden door. "Aria, darling?" The sound of that voice sent a shock through Aria’s body. Smooth, charming, and utterly fake. Julian. The door opened, and Julian walked into the room. He looked handsome in his tailored black tuxedo, his hair styled perfectly, carrying a small black box in his hand. He was the picture of a perfect, loving fiancé. "There you are, my love," Julian said with a warm smile, walking toward her. "The guests are arriving downstairs. The reporters are set up in the main ballroom, and your father's board members want to see us together." He reached out to take her hands, just like he always used to do. Every nerve in Aria’s body screamed at her to kill him right then and there. She clenched her fists so hard her nails nearly cut into her skin. Not yet, she told herself. If I attack him now, I go to jail. I have to ruin him first. I have to take his money, his status, his pride, and his future. With incredible self-control, Aria stepped back smoothly, pretending to fix her dress so his hands missed her. "Is everything ready downstairs, Julian?" she asked. Her voice was smooth, quiet, and completely cold. Julian froze for a second, his hands hanging in the air. He blinked, confused by her sudden distance, but he quickly put his fake smile back on. "Of course, darling," he said, standing behind her and looking at her reflection in the mirror. "Tonight changes our lives. Once we announce our wedding date to the news, the company board will let me become vice president. We will be an unstoppable team." An unstoppable team. Aria almost laughed at the bitter joke. He was already planning how to steal her father's company. "Yes," Aria murmured, turning around to face her killer directly. She looked right into his eyes with a slow, dark smile. "Tonight is going to change everything." Julian smiled back, completely unaware of the trap he was walking into. He bent his arm, offering it to her. "Shall we go down, my queen? Everyone is waiting." Aria looked at his arm, then looked up at his face. She didn't take it. Instead, she reached past him and picked up her champagne glass from the table. She took a slow, calm sip, letting the cold liquid soothe her throat. "You go down first, Julian," Aria said quietly, setting the glass down with a sharp clink. "I need a minute to put on my jewelry." Julian frowned, looking at his expensive watch. "Aria, the big announcement is in five minutes. Chloe is waiting downstairs to manage the photographers—" "I said," Aria interrupted, her voice dropping into a deep, commanding tone that made Julian stop talking immediately, "go down first. Don't make me repeat myself." Julian stared at her like he had never seen her before. The quiet, obedient rich girl he used to boss around was gone. Standing before him was a cold, powerful woman who gave orders, not took them. He swallowed hard, feeling an odd chill run down his spine. "Fine," he muttered, adjusting his tie. "Just don't take too long." "Don't worry, Julian," Aria said, watching him walk to the door. "The real show hasn't even started." As the heavy door closed behind him, Aria’s smile disappeared completely. She walked back to the mirror, picked up a bold lipstick, and painted her lips a striking blood-red. Tonight, Julian expected her to announce their engagement and give him power over her family's fortune. He had no idea she wasn't going downstairs to be his weak bride. She was going downstairs to find his boss—Alexander Vance, the most powerful, dangerous billionaire in the country, and the one man Julian was terrified of. Aria smoothed down her emerald dress, held her head high, and walked out the door. Let the game begin.