Killed By Curse Reborn By Love

"Good morning, Miss Greco."

A young woman with long blonde hair, wearing a pastel-coloured business suit, walked gracefully through the lobby of the office building where she worked. Several colleagues greeted her warmly, to which she responded with a smile and a nod.

She then stepped into the lift, which took her to the floor where she worked as an executive at Constantine Corporation. A corporate giant that dominates various industrial sectors; indeed, its owner is widely regarded as the richest person in the world today.

As soon as she arrived at her office, the woman set down her bag and sat on the sofa opposite her desk. Her eyes were fixed on the light, though her focus was not on it.

"How many times now? Seventeen or eighteen times?" she muttered.

"Fortunately, this time it seems the life of this body's original owner is quite safe compared to before," she continued.

Her eyes then closed, taking her on a journey into memories from more than five decades ago-specifically, her first life before the entire cycle of her soul's reincarnation into other people's bodies began.

*******

November 1940-London, England

A young woman woke up when she heard a commotion outside her bedroom window, which faced the street. She sat up, roughly rubbing her face.

Grumbling a little because her sleep had been disturbed, she got out of bed, grabbed a shawl to drape over her shoulders, and stepped out of the room.

"Grandma, what's going on? Why is it so noisy out there?" she asked when she saw that her grandmother had also come out of her room and was looking out the living room window.

"I don't know, Lexie. I can't hear them clearly," the old woman replied.

"Wait a minute. I'll go out and find out," Lexie said, then continued on her way out of the house.

Upon stepping outside, she furrowed her brow in puzzlement upon seeing a group of people gathered at the end of the street. They appeared to be arguing and looked agitated.

Lexie decided to walk over to them and ask, "Excuse me, ma'am. But could you tell me what's actually going on?"

"We just got word that the enemy has violated the ceasefire and started aggressively attacking the demilitarized zone," said a woman standing not far from the crowd.

"Isn't that pretty close to here?" Lexie muttered, recalling their location on the city's outskirts.

"You're right-that's exactly why they're all so confused about whether to evacuate or stay," the woman replied, responding to Lexie's mutter.

"They could stay, but if the enemy makes it this far, it'll be worse than death," she added.

Lexie fell silent for a moment. "You're right. Thank you for answering my question, ma'am. I'll be going now, may good fortune be with you."

The young woman then turned and walked back toward her grandmother's house. She was in a bit of a hurry now; in her mind, it would be better to take her grandmother away from that location.

"Grandma! We have to go!" Lexie exclaimed as soon as she entered and found her grandmother waiting for her.

"What do you mean? Go where? Do you even have any money? What's going on, Lexie?" her grandmother asked, bombarding her with questions.

"The war is coming here, Grandma. We have to leave right away. Don't worry about money-I have enough savings for us to get by for a while," Lexie explained.

She had, in fact, been worrying for quite some time about the possibility that the war would eventually reach the area where she lived. That was why she had been saving little by little to prepare for the worst.

"Come on, Grandma. We don't have much time. No one can predict when the attack will happen," Lexie's words snapped her grandmother out of her reverie.

"Ah, all right. "Wait, let me grab our emergency bag and some provisions first," the old woman replied.

Lexie nodded, then hurried to her room to grab the bag and some money she'd set aside in case they ever had to flee.

Knock... knock... knock...

"Lexie!" The voice of a woman she knew very well made Lexie rush to the door and open it.

"They're asking us to gather for a moment," said the woman, who was their next-door neighbor.

"Now?" Lexie asked in disbelief.

"Yes, are you going?" the woman asked again.

"That's the plan," Lexie replied, then stepped outside, following the woman to the meeting place.

When they arrived, residents were already crowded in the area, anxiously waiting to see what else would be discussed this time.

"You've surely heard that they've attacked the demilitarized zone," a man around 55 years old, dressed in uniform, said firmly to everyone present.

"We've received orders to evacuate immediately," he continued.

As the residents began to murmur in protest, the man started shouting in frustration because his message was being taken so lightly.

"DO YOU ALL WANT TO DIE?! IF SO, THEN GO AHEAD AND STAY HERE AND MEET YOUR DOOM WITH A SMILE!"

The uniformed man could no longer control his emotions and exploded in anger after slamming his fist hard on the table in front of him.

Instantly, the murmur that had been heard gradually faded and finally stopped. The man glared sharply at all the residents there before turning to his soldiers.

"Help and escort the compliant residents to the camp, then leave the troublemakers behind. We don't need residents who don't want to be saved!" he ordered.

NGUUUUUNGGG...

Before the soldier could carry out the order, the sound of a siren-signaling that they must take shelter immediately from the attack-caused everyone there to suddenly scramble to get out.

"Aakh!"

"Damn it! Watch where you're going!"

"EVERYONE, PLEASE DON'T PUSH AND SHOVE. GET OUT CALMLY," another soldier shouted loudly upon hearing the cries of pain and curses echoing back and forth.

Lexie herself was caught up in the human tide; fortunately, she didn't fall and get trampled there. She followed the flow until she made it outside before running as fast as she could toward her house.

SIIINGGG...

The sudden silence made Lexie stop in her tracks. She looked up at the sky, and her eyes widened instantly when she saw a missile heading straight for her house.

Lexie then looked away and saw her grandmother standing in the doorway of her house. The young woman started running again, reaching out to pull her grandmother to safety.

BOOM..

*******

"It feels as if it were only yesterday."

The woman, born Alexandria Higgins and now inhabiting the body of a woman with the same first name as her, Alexandria Greco, opened her eyes with a faint smile.

Eighty-five years had slipped by since 1940. The day she lost her grandmother was also the day of her own death.

Her eyes then turned towards the large window behind her desk. "At least, please let me see the snow this time."

"Ms. Greco, the CEO is calling for you," said a man she knew as the CEO's assistant and secretary.

"All right, I'll be there in a moment," Lexie replied.

As soon as the call ended, Lexie stood up from her seat and began walking out of the room toward the elevator that would take her to the CEO's private floor.

Knock... knock... knock...

Lexie knocked on the large door to the CEO's office and waited until it opened on its own before pushing it open a little wider so she could enter.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Constantine. Did you call for me?" Lexie asked, bowing her head politely.

She furrowed her brow slightly as she felt the young man's piercing gaze on her. She wondered if she'd done something wrong to warrant a summons from the CEO, who was known for his strictness.

After all, every executive at the company knew that Gavin Constantine, their CEO, was not only a businessman but also the head of the most feared mafia family in America.

"What's your name?" Gavin's deep, sharp voice pierced Lexie's ears.

"I'm Alexandria Greco, sir," Lexie replied, her head still bowed.

"Look up," Gavin commanded.

Lexie swallowed hard, then raised her face and looked the CEO straight in the eyes. The beautiful woman frowned slightly when she caught a fleeting change in the expression on Gavin's impassive face, as if he were surprised to see her.

"Is there something wrong with my face?" Lexie wondered to herself.

"You're not Alexandria Greco. Who are you, really?" Gavin said sharply.

Lexie raised one eyebrow in surprise. She truly didn't understand what the young man was trying to say.

"What do you mean, Mr. Constantine? I really don't understand," Lexie said.

"Let me rephrase my question: whose soul is controlling Alexandria Greco's body right now?" Gavin said, still in a sharp tone.

Lexie blinked. "I don't get it, Sir?"

In truth, Lexie could follow the direction of Gavin's line of questioning. But what she didn't understand was how this man knew about her and if he did know, Lexie needed to figure out whether Gavin was a friend or foe.

She'd been through so much that she'd become extremely wary of everyone. Lexie was also so used to not relying on others, knowing she'd surely die again within a year at most.

So rather than sparking her curiosity, Gavin's words only heightened her fear and wariness.

"Ah, you're certainly no fool," Gavin muttered, loud enough for Lexie to hear.

The beautiful woman squeezed the hem of her dress slightly upon hearing the young CEO's mutter. She wanted to yell at the man, but remembering Gavin's reputation as a mobster, Lexie held back.

"Don't break your death record this time by making it the shortest one yet, Lexie. That man is dangerous," she thought to herself.

Gavin stared intently at Lexie, who had now lowered her gaze again. "All right, you may go."

"Ah,"

"Excuse me, sir,"

Lexie, taken aback that Gavin had suddenly told her to leave after asking such a strange question, chose to obey his order immediately rather than linger any longer.

Lexie flung herself into her chair as soon as she reached her own office. "Damn! That guy is really creepy."

Knock... knock... knock...

Lexie jumped in surprise upon hearing a knock at the door. She calmed her racing heart before asking whoever was behind the door to come in.

"Ms. Greco, the meeting is about to start," it turned out to be her assistant who had knocked on the door and reminded her about their important meeting.

"Ah, I'll be right there," Lexie replied.

The beautiful woman breathed a sigh of relief before standing up again and walking out with a notebook in her hand.

"Lexie, I heard the CEO called for you?" Vivi, another executive who was a close friend of Alexandria Greco, whispered to her as Lexie sat down in the chair right next to her.

"Yes," Lexie replied.

"What for?" Vivi asked curiously, since the CEO rarely called employees into his office.

"Just to discuss some work there's a report of mine he didn't understand," Lexie explained.

"Oh, for a moment there I thought our CEO had finally taken an interest in the goddess of Constantine Corp," Vivi teased.

As soon as Lexie began to adjust to her new body, she immediately realized that at this company, Alexandria Greco was nicknamed by her friends as the "goddess of Constantine Corp."

That nickname wasn't surprising, given Alexandria's above-average looks. She was tall and slender with perfect curves like a top model, a beautiful face framed by blonde hair, and mesmerizing gray eyes.

Something that clearly didn't belong to Alexandria Higgins, the young woman who had been a victim of World War II in the 1940s.

"What are you talking about? As if our CEO just likes women. I'm sure he's not normal," Lexie snapped.

Vivi fell silent, causing Lexie to turn toward her and find the woman looking down intently. Instantly, Lexie got a bad feeling; she turned and saw Gavin Constantine standing tall right beside her. The man had clearly heard her last comment.

Gavin gave her a wry smile before leaning in close to Lexie's ear and whispering, "I assure you that I'm still perfectly normal, Miss Greco."

After saying that, Gavin walked over to the large chair in the center of the conference room, ignoring the shocked stares of all the employees present who had witnessed his behavior just moments ago.

"Let's start the meeting," he said calmly, completely unfazed.

Throughout the meeting, Lexie who had been extremely unsettled ever since Gavin whispered in her ear couldn't concentrate on the meeting's agenda. Her mind seemed to be urging her to run away immediately from the predator who was targeting her.

"I'll really go crazy if this keeps up."

Fortunately, that day's meeting ended without incident especially on Lexie's part since she hadn't been able to focus at all on following the proceedings. She hurried to gather her things and headed out of the room before a deep voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Miss Greco, please stay a moment. I still need to discuss something regarding your report," Gavin said, paying no attention to the other employees still present.

Lexie instinctively held her breath, then turned back to sit with her back straight. When the room was empty and only the two of them remained, Gavin said something that made her eyes widen in disbelief.

"I still want an answer to my question from earlier, Miss Greco. I'm giving you one week to give me an answer, or I'll fire you."

*******

A few hours before Gavin's confrontation with Lexie regarding her identity, he was seen looking intently at Charles, the head butler who had faithfully served him for the past few hundred years.

"What do you think? I'm sure she's no ordinary person there's something about her that draws me in-but she's also not like me," Gavin remarked.

"I'm still trying to figure it out, young master. My initial guess is that this might have something to do with Circe's curse (the goddess of magic in Greek mythology)," said Charles.

"Ugh! That old woman again," Gavin said sarcastically.

"All right, find out more and give me a report."

*******

Lexie walked down a deserted street toward her apartment. That night, she felt the streets she was passing through were much quieter than usual.

BANG...

The sound of a gunshot made her stop in her tracks. Lexie looked around warily, trying to figure out where the shot came from but saw nothing.

BANG... BANG... BANG...

The sound of gunfire rang out again and again; this time, it was getting closer to where Lexie was standing. She then frantically quickened her pace.

"Damn! It can't be time yet, can it? The tattoo is still faint have the rules changed?" Lexie muttered as she half ran.

The woman let out a slight sigh of relief when she realized she had reached the final turn, just a few dozen meters from her apartment.

"Damn it!" Lexie cursed when she saw several men blocking her path.

She turned and ran toward one of the narrow alleys, trying to evade them, she knew they were chasing her.

Lexie recognized one of them; the tattoos on their arms bore the symbol of a mafia group she knew to be extremely dangerous.

They were responsible for several murders and the flow of illegal drugs in the city. Even the police and the government were powerless against them. Furthermore, several mysterious murders which had surged sharply in the city were also linked to them.

"I guess I can't rely on my tattoo anymore," Lexie thought gloomily.

DRAP... DRAP... DRAP...

The sound of her pursuers' footsteps grew closer as Lexie emerged from the narrow alley. The beautiful woman picked up her pace without looking back.

"Damn it!"

Lexie spotted a man standing upright not far ahead of her, a gun pointed right at her. She abruptly stopped in her tracks.

Panting heavily, she squinted, trying to recognize the man, but the pitch-black darkness where he stood made it nearly impossible.

As her pursuers closed in, Lexie could do nothing but freeze in resignation. She clearly couldn't move forward, nor could she retreat.

CLICK...

The sound of the pistol's safety being disengaged made Lexie instantly close her eyes, bracing herself for the pain she might feel once again as she faced her death this time.

BANG... BANG... BANG... BANG...

The man fired a rapid burst without hesitation. Lexie reflexively covered both her ears with her hands.

However, when she realized not a single bullet had struck her, Lexie opened her eyes and turned around to find that all her pursuers had already collapsed with fatal gunshot wounds.

Tap... tap... tap...

The sound of firm footsteps behind her-coming from the person who had fired the rapid-fire shots-made Lexie swallow hard. She turned her head slowly, and her eyes widened in shock when she finally recognized who it was.

"Mr. Constantine."

"Mr. Constantine,"

Lexie said softly, her eyes wide, while Gavin merely gave her a faint smile. The young man then took Lexie's hand and practically dragged her along with him.

"Get in!" he ordered as he opened the door to his luxury car.

"W-where are you taking me?" Lexie stammered.

"Take your pick, miss. Stay here and become a target for those mobsters because you're a witness to their crimes, or come with me," Gavin said sharply.

Lexie immediately got into the car after hearing that. She even reached for the seatbelt and fastened it right away.

Vrooom...

Gavin immediately sped off as soon as he got behind the wheel. He stared straight ahead at the road in front of him without glancing at Lexie, who had been nervously staring at him the whole time.

"Mr. Constantine, where are you taking me?" Lexie asked.

"My mansion," Gavin replied curtly.

Lexie finally shifted her attention out the window after seeing the cold expression on her CEO's face. She lost the courage to ask any more questions after that and simply let the man take her wherever he wanted.

Gavin steered the car into the driveway of a magnificent mansion. Lexie's eyes sparkled with awe at the beauty of the mansion. With its Mediterranean style blended with contemporary design, the mansion truly left her in awe.

"Let's get out," Gavin said after parking the car.

Lexie nodded, unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and stepped out of the car.

"Follow me," Gavin ordered, and Lexie obediently followed in his footsteps.

The young man led her to the dining room, where a variety of dishes were already laid out on the table.

"Have dinner with me, and then I'll show you to your room. You can rest there tonight tomorrow morning I'll take you back to your apartment," Gavin stated in a final, non-negotiable tone.

Lexie obediently pulled out a chair, sat down, and began serving herself once Gavin had started eating.

She enjoyed the delicious dinner in silence, not daring to speak to the CEO, who also seemed focused on his meal. After dinner, Gavin led her upstairs and took her to a very spacious room.

"This is your room. Towels and toiletries are already there get some rest," Gavin said, pointing toward the bathroom before stepping out of the room.

"Um, Mr. Constantine," Lexie called out, causing the man to stop in his tracks and turn to face her.

"May I ask what you were doing in that area earlier? Were you involved in any trouble with those people?" Lexie asked, having been curious all along about why the man was there.

"I wasn't the one causing trouble they were the ones causing trouble for me. Dealing in illegal drugs as a cover for committing murder in my territory is just asking for trouble. I was there to clean up the mess," Gavin explained bluntly.

"Murder?" Lexie squeaked, confused.

Gavin just gave her a knowing smile. "You'll probably see it in the news later."

Lexie fell silent and decided not to pursue the topic any further.

"Thank you for saving me, for the delicious dinner, and for a place to stay tonight," said Lexie with a sincere smile, mentally listing each of the favors she owed the man.

Gavin simply nodded, "Yes, get some rest, Alexandria."

Lexie was taken aback when she heard Gavin no longer call her Miss Greco but by her first name. Not wanting to dwell on it any further, she finally decided to freshen up before heading to bed and falling asleep shortly afterward.

The woman had only been asleep for a few minutes when her breathing began to quicken, a dream was making her restless in her sleep.

******

"Mom, Dad, I'm heading out," a young woman dressed in a nurse's uniform said, saying goodbye to a middle-aged couple who nodded in response.

"Good morning!" she greeted her fellow nurses cheerfully as she joined those who had arrived before her.

"Good morning, Hera. Looks like you're in a great mood today," one of them teased.

She chuckled softly. "Ah, maybe because I finally get to take a day off tomorrow."

"Oh, nice! What are you planning to do on your day off?" her colleague asked curiously.

"Sleep." That single-word answer brought a burst of laughter from everyone around her.

"Hey, look! Isn't that Dr. Constantine?" another nurse chimed in excitedly, pointing at a young man in a doctor's coat who had just walked into the area.

"Right? He's so handsome," another agreed.

Hera simply rolled her eyes, having no intention of joining in as they immediately got absorbed in gossiping about the new doctor.

"I'm going to make my rounds first," she told her colleagues, who nodded in response.

She stepped away to visit each ward and check on her patients, occasionally chatting warmly with a few she knew quite well.

This was her daily routine at work, and without her realizing it, nearly a year had passed since Lexie woke up in the body of Hera Visser.

"The tattoo is becoming much clearer," Lexie murmured, furrowing her brow.

A few days after her soul had somehow awakened in Hera Visser's body-specifically in the year 1945, five years after her death in 1940-Lexie had noticed an intricately carved tattoo on her back. At first, the mark had been faint, but now it was growing increasingly prominent.

The young woman bit her lower lip, thinking how strange it all was. Deep down, she couldn't shake a bad feeling about it.

Lexie took a slow breath, exhaled, and whispered to herself, "No, nothing is going to happen. You've already died once, Lexie. There's nothing left to fear."

_____

"WATCH OUT!"

CRASH!

It was too late. Lexie, who was about to cross the street and had only just turned her head upon hearing someone yell, didn't have time to dodge as a speeding truck slammed straight into her.

The impact sent her flying, slamming her down onto the asphalt with a sickening thud. An excruciating surge of pain paralyzed her entire body.

Through her open eyes, she caught a glimpse of a man in a doctor's coat standing at the side of the road where she had been just moments before.

"Dr. Constantine," she thought, right before darkness swallowed her whole.

_______

"Susan, look at that guy-he's so handsome!" a young woman, Susan's best friend, said while pointing toward a man who had just walked into the bar.

The year was 1975 in Salt Lake City, and Lexie had once again awakened, this time in the body of a young college student named Susan Curtis.

Her life had been quite peaceful over the past few months, allowing her to genuinely enjoy this latest iteration of her reincarnation cycle-so much so that she had decided to join her friend for a night out at a local club.

The young man they were talking about was indeed striking, but for some reason, Lexie felt like she had seen him somewhere before.

She watched him intently until their eyes suddenly met, causing her to instantly look away, embarrassed at getting caught staring.

"Looks like you're interested," her friend teased.

"It's not like that. He just looks familiar, like I've seen him somewhere," Lexie countered.

"You're definitely imagining things, Susan. This is the first time we've ever seen a guy that good-looking," her friend ribbed her again.

Lexie simply rolled her eyes and shrugged indifferently, realizing it was pointless to explain. The two of them then headed down to the dance floor and began to blend into the crowd.

As she got lost in the music, Lexie didn't notice that the young man they had been talking about earlier was now staring right back at her, his eyes fixed firmly on her.

******

"Haaaaah!"

"Hosh... hosh..."

Once again, Lexie woke up in the middle of the night after having a dream-this time, not a flashback of Alexandria Greco's life, but a glimpse of her own life as Hera Visser and Susan Curtis.

"It can't be, it can't be him," Lexie whispered as she recalled her dream.

In that dream, Lexie finally remembered why she felt so familiar with Gavin. He had been there-80 years ago in 1945 when she was Hera Visser, and 50 years ago in 1975 when she was Susan Curtis.