My Reborn Wife Wants Revenge and Power

The heavy smell of disinfectant hit her nose hard.

Elaine Foster blinked slowly, head pounding, and struggled to open her eyes. All she saw was blinding white.

Was this... heaven?

She vaguely remembered heading to work when suddenly, bam-Lydia Hawkins' people hit her with their car. Lydia: her stepmother. After a hit like that, she shouldn't have made it out alive.

Before she could fully process what was going on, a surprised voice rang out. "Mrs. Sinclair, you're awake!"

Mrs. Sinclair?

An older woman in her fifties appeared by her bedside. Elaine was sure she didn't know her, but right then, a flood of foreign memories came crashing into her mind.

Elaine was, indeed, dead. She now inhabited the body of Audrey Sinclair, the daughter of the Parker family and the wife of Marcus Sinclair, CEO of the Orion Axis Group.

Too bad this new wife status meant absolutely nothing.

Marcus only married Audrey to repay a debt-her father had saved his dad's life once. Beyond that? Zilch. Nada. No love. In just two years, Marcus had asked for a divorce so many times the count was lost. And every time, the elder Sinclairs stepped in to delay it.

The reason Audrey had ended up like this? Starvation. Her "tactic" to keep him from leaving-refusing to eat to force his hand. In the end, she still lost. Marcus didn't blink an eye. That's how Elaine got her second shot at life.

The woman beside her now, Mrs. Thompson, had been Audrey's long-time housekeeper. She stood there, worry plain on her face.

Elaine quickly offered a smile. "Don't worry, Mrs. Thompson. I'm feeling much better."

Mrs. Thompson sighed in relief. "That's good to hear, ma'am. I'll let you rest."

Over the next few days, Elaine gradually adapted to her new identity. Not once did Marcus show up, which, honestly, just confirmed how done he really was with Audrey.

Not that it mattered now. Fate had handed Elaine a fresh start-and she wasn't planning on wasting it.

The Orion Axis Group wasn't just big in Ravenfall-it was a whole empire. If she wanted to snatch back the shares of Valtros Group stolen by Lydia and her daughter, she might really need to hold on tight to Marcus's leg.

Before her dad passed, he'd wanted to transfer part of the company shares to her. That was what drove Lydia to try to get rid of her in the first place.

Valtros Group was built by her parents, brick by brick. While her mom held only a small stake, it had always been under Elaine's name. Lydia could get her hands on the rest if she wanted, but she had no right to claim it all for herself.

Since they wanted to go that far, Elaine wouldn't be holding back either.

Exactly a week later, Elaine was cleared to leave the hospital. Mrs. Thompson accompanied her throughout the whole process. Her "husband"? Still MIA.

Their car cruised smoothly into Ravenfall's most exclusive villa district. It stopped outside one of the most jaw-droppingly luxurious mansions she'd ever seen.

Elaine had thought her old place was fancy-but compared to this? Talk about humble pie.

She stepped inside, eyes barely getting a chance to explore before her stomach gave a loud protest. "Mrs. Thompson, I'm starving."

"Right away, ma'am. I'll get something started," she said, motioning the rest of the staff toward the kitchen.

Elaine couldn't help but gape-living with the ultrarich really was another world. This place looked like it was ripped straight out of a palace, and the number of maids? Couldn't even count.

But okay, she was seriously hungry right now. Time to grab a snack.

With eagle-like precision, Elaine zeroed in on the massive fridge. She dashed over, already fantasizing about all kinds of delicious food waiting inside. But the moment she swung the door open?

Instant disappointment. Her heart sank like a stone.

Except for a few drinks, there was barely anything edible left in the fridge. Elaine rummaged around in the corner and found a small bread roll. Didn't think twice-ripped it open and was about to take a bite.

But just as she raised it to her mouth, a cold voice cut through the air behind her. "What are you doing?"

The sudden sound made Elaine jump, her shoulders tensing up. Luckily, she hadn't taken a bite yet-or she'd probably be choking by now.

"What are you-ah, jeez, you scared me..." The sentence stuck midway in her throat.

A man stood there-tall, graceful, and devastatingly handsome, with the kind of quiet intensity that made you forget how to breathe. His eyes held no warmth, yet they were mesmerizing, like a storm held captive behind glass. He didn't smile, didn't speak, but somehow, his presence filled the room, like music only the heart could hear.

This was Marcus. Audrey's husband.

Elaine was instantly floored. She wasn't usually the type to drool over looks, but let's be real-he was next-level handsome.

Marcus's eyes were freezing cold as he stared her down. Unblinking. Elaine instinctively shoved her hand forward, offering him the piece of bread. "You want some?"

"What are you doing?" he repeated, same words, colder tone.

Elaine glanced at the bread in her hand, swallowed hard, and muttered, "I was hungry... just trying to find something to eat."

That made Marcus frown, his voice dropping to glacier temperature. "You can stick to starving."

"Why would I do that?" Elaine blurted out without thinking. "People gotta eat to function! You skip a meal, you feel like crap."

As the words left her mouth, Marcus's face grew even darker, like thunderclouds rolling over his expression.

It hit her a moment too late-Audrey had landed in the hospital from starving herself. No wonder he looked ready to kill.

Thank God Mrs. Thompson happened to walk in then. "Sir, you're home," she greeted, giving a polite nod.

Marcus didn't even glance at her. Eyes locked onto Elaine, he growled, "You think stunts like this are gonna let you keep playing Mrs. Sinclair?"

"Let me tell you-dream on."

Elaine blinked like an idiot, lost for words. Mrs. Thompson stood awkwardly nearby, clearly unsure what to do. Every time Marcus returned, he and his wife fought about divorce. The really messy ones? Those usually pulled in the old Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair to mediate.

"Sir, ma'am, dinner will be ready soon, if you..." Mrs. Thompson tried to smooth things over, but Marcus just yanked Elaine's wrist.

"Come with me."

Before Elaine could recover, he dragged her straight out. Mrs. Thompson was left standing there in full panic mode. Marcus had never laid a hand on his wife no matter how bad their arguments got. What the heck was going on today?

Marcus didn't stop until they got to the study. Once inside, he yanked his hand away from hers like he'd touched something gross. Then he pulled out a few pages-standard A4, packed with dense black print-and tossed them at her.

"Sign it," he snapped.

He'd never touched her before. Now that he had, he instantly regretted it. Probably wanted to scrub his hand with bleach.

Elaine picked the papers off the floor. The title at the top stared her right in the face.

Divorce Agreement.

So this is what Marcus had been after all along-hellbent on cutting ties. Meanwhile, Audrey had done everything she could to hold on.

Too bad. Elaine wasn't her. And she sure as hell wasn't going to keep living Audrey's life.

Even though Elaine felt nothing for Marcus, emotionally speaking, she wasn't dumb-she still needed the Orion Axis Group as her safety net. So yeah, divorce? Out of the question.

With that thought locked in, she did a 180 in attitude. Elaine gently placed the divorce papers on the table and flashed Marcus a sweet smile. "Mr. Sinclair, divorce is a big deal. Don't you think we should at least give our parents a heads-up?"

In the past, Audrey had always called him "Honey," but Elaine just couldn't bring herself to say that.

Marcus clearly wasn't expecting the sudden shift in how she addressed him. Still, she didn't hold back-once again dragging the parents into the mix as her bargaining chip.

But this time, her vibe was noticeably different. She wasn't tearing up the papers like before. Instead, she played it all lighthearted and cheeky.

Watching Marcus's unreadable expression, Elaine kept pushing, "Of course, I know even if they disagree, it won't change your mind. But still, courtesy, right? Just let them know."

She raised a brow at him. "What do you think?"

His gaze darkened, voice sinking into a low warning tone. "Audrey, how many times are you planning to use the same trick?"

"Trick?" Elaine faked confusion like a pro. "I honestly don't get what you're implying."

"I just figured it's polite to inform the elders. They're getting old-I don't want them getting a scare." Her innocent smile could fool just about anyone.

That look messed with Marcus a bit. The Audrey he used to know hardly ever smiled. Her face constantly looked like she'd just lost a fight. And even if she did smile, it definitely wasn't like this-so bright and genuine.

It took him a beat to compose himself before warning, voice soft but firm, "Don't push your luck."

Elaine opened her mouth to clap back, but just then, Mrs. Thompson's voice echoed from the hallway. "Sir, ma'am, dinner is ready."

"Perfect timing, I'm starving." Ignoring the tension, Elaine hopped off the couch and practically bounced downstairs.

For a split second, Marcus was thrown. This woman... felt different. Totally different from the Audrey he was used to. Her every move, even the way she smiled, was off-in a good way.

Elaine sat down at the dining table like she owned the place-but her excitement quickly fizzled. The food looked painfully bland. The only thing that caught her eye was the roasted chicken glazed with honey mustard. The rest? Mostly steamed veggies and a sad-looking quinoa salad.

Whatever. Hunger trumped everything.

Without hesitation, Elaine grabbed her plate and, right there in front of Marcus and the house staff, scarfed down half a plate of chicken and mashed potatoes like a competitive eater. And honestly? She had complaints. That portion? Definitely not enough.

No biggie-she'd just get seconds.

Holding out her plate, she looked at Mrs. Thompson and said, "Can I get another helping, please?"

Mrs. Thompson froze for a second, stunned. That amount of food already exceeded Elaine's usual appetite-and the speed? Ridiculous. And the fact that she was going after the roasted chicken like it was her absolute favorite? Totally bizarre.

She glanced at Marcus. He too was staring at Elaine like she'd just morphed into someone else entirely.

Elaine raised a brow at Mrs. Thompson. "What? We outta chicken?"

Snapping out of it, Mrs. Thompson quickly took the plate. "No, no, we have plenty. I'll bring you more right away."

"Thanks." Elaine grabbed the refilled plate and dove right back in. Mrs. Thompson nervously watched her eat, then finally blurted out, "Ma'am..."

Elaine looked up, mouth still half full. "Yeah?"