Reborn To Love The Ruthless Billionaire

"Sign it, Chloe. Or the next time you see Axel, it will be his name on a tombstone. You'll find out just how many ways there are to disappear from this city without a trace."

The voice ripped through the darkness. Chloe snapped her eyes open. A blinding halogen light stabbed her retinas, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut. The stench of rust, mold, and chemical rot flooded her nasal cavity. She tried to lift her hands to block the light. Her arms did not move.

Thick industrial zip ties dug into her wrists. As she jerked her arms, the rigid plastic sliced through her skin. Warm blood trickled down her forearms, dripping onto the concrete floor.

She forced her eyes open, blinking against the glare. Richard Miller stood ten feet away. He tapped a stack of trust fund transfer documents against his thigh.

Brenda Miller stepped out from the shadows behind him. She walked up to Chloe and swung her arm. Her palm cracked against Chloe's cheek. The force snapped Chloe's head to the side. A metallic taste filled her mouth.

"Worthless ingrate," Brenda spat, wiping her hand on her designer coat as if touching Chloe had soiled her.

Footsteps echoed to the left. Mia Miller walked into the light, clinging to Julian Stone's arm. Mia raised her left hand, making sure the massive diamond engagement ring caught the halogen glare.

Chloe stared at the ring. Her chest tightened. Her lungs refused to expand. The people who raised her, the sister she protected, the man she loved. They were all looking at her like a piece of garbage ready for the incinerator.

Richard pulled a small black remote from his pocket. He pressed a button.

A mechanical grinding noise echoed above Chloe. She looked up. A massive industrial vat hung directly over her head. A digital timer on the side lit up in red. Sixty seconds. The smell of concentrated sulfuric acid leaked from the seams.

"Time is up," Richard said.

A deafening crash shattered the heavy iron doors at the back of the warehouse. A black Maybach tore through the metal, sending sparks and shrapnel flying across the room. The car slammed into a concrete pillar and stopped.

The driver's door kicked open. Axel Stone stepped out.

He wore a black trench coat. The air around him seemed to freeze. He did not look at the Millers. His eyes locked onto Chloe.

"You gave up a ten billion dollar merger for this trash?" Mia shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at Axel.

Axel adjusted his right cuff. He reached under his coat, pulled out a Glock, and fired.

The bullet shattered Richard's right kneecap. Richard screamed, a wet, tearing sound, and collapsed into the dirt. The black remote slipped from his fingers and skittered across the concrete.

Julian lunged for the remote. Axel shifted his aim and pointed the barrel directly at Julian's face. Julian froze. His knees knocked together. He backed away, pressing himself against the damp brick wall.

Above Chloe, a sharp buzzer sounded. The digital timer hit zero. The mechanical valves at the bottom of the vat snapped open.

Axel dropped the gun. He sprinted across the concrete.

The thick, yellow acid poured down. Axel threw his massive body over Chloe. He wrapped his arms around the back of her chair, burying her face in his chest.

The acid hit his back.

The sound of sizzling meat filled the warehouse. White smoke billowed off Axel's coat. The fabric melted instantly. The acid ate into his flesh. Axel's muscles locked into rigid stone. He did not scream. He did not make a single sound.

Chloe's pupils dilated. Her vocal cords paralyzed. Drops of Axel's blood mixed with the acid, dripping onto her cheek. The liquid burned her skin, but the heat of his blood burned deeper.

Axel's breathing turned into a wet rattle. He forced his hand down to her wrist. He pressed a small, hard object into her palm. A micro C4 detonator.

His hand moved up to her face. His thumb smeared the blood on her cheek.

"Live," he whispered.

His arm dropped. His massive frame went entirely slack, crushing Chloe against the chair. His heart stopped beating against her chest.

A sound tore out of Chloe's throat. It was not a scream. It was the howl of a slaughtered animal. Her stomach violently contracted.

Brenda screamed. She grabbed Mia and Julian, dragging them toward the broken iron doors.

Chloe shoved Axel's heavy body off her. The zip ties had melted enough for her to rip her hands free. She stood up. Her legs shook, but she locked her knees. She looked at the Millers scrambling through the mud.

Mia looked back. She saw the red light blinking on the detonator in Chloe's hand. Mia's legs gave out. She fell face-first into a puddle of dirty water.

Chloe did not hesitate. She pressed her thumb down on the red button.

The shockwave hit her before the sound. A wall of white fire consumed the warehouse, melting the concrete, incinerating the bodies, erasing the world.

The white fire flashed into the soft glow of a crystal chandelier.

Chloe gasped, sucking in a massive breath of air. She shot up from the mattress. Her hands clawed at the silk sheets. She whipped her head around.

She was sitting in the center of a California king bed. The walls were painted a soft cream. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the Manhattan skyline.

Chloe gripped the silk sheets. Her chest heaved. Sweat dripped down her spine. The phantom smell of burning flesh and sulfuric acid clung to the inside of her nose. She looked down at her wrists. The skin was smooth. No zip tie cuts. No blood.

She threw the covers off and lunged for the nightstand. Her fingers closed around a brand new iPhone. She tapped the screen. The date glowed in stark white numbers.

It was two years ago. The exact day Axel forced her to sign the non-disclosure agreement and locked her in this penthouse.

Experiencing all this familiarity once again.

Suddenly, an unbelievable guess popped into Chloe's mind.

-Rebirth!

Right then and there, she took a big bite on the tip of her tongue.

The excruciating pain instantly brought her to her senses.

She was reborn!

On this day in her previous life, Axel forced her to sign an agreement.

No matter how much goodwill he showed later, Chloe refused to believe his sincerity.

To be honest, aside from restricting her freedom, Axel treated her extremely well.

Her food, clothing, and daily necessities were always the best.

To keep her from getting bored, Axel hired someone to teach her all sorts of things.

Wine tasting, flower arranging, etiquette, painting, various musical instruments, and even self-defense and computer hacking techniques...

Even though he was imprisoned, she lived a very fulfilling life.

However, due to Mia's encouragement and various negative suggestions over the phone...

This made her completely blind to Axel's care and doting affection for her.

Their hatred for him grew stronger day by day, eventually leading to a complete and irreconcilable falling out.

She had been kept in the dark by that family the whole time.

Only on the verge of death did she see their selfish and vicious true colors...

Chloe made a silent vow in her heart.

In this life, she will never be blind to the truth again, and she will never be swayed by anyone again.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway. The sound vibrated through the hardwood floor, traveling straight up Chloe's bare legs.

She took a deep breath. She forced her heart rate to slow. The panic in her veins turned into ice water.

The heavy oak door swung open, hitting the wall with a loud crack.

Axel strode into the room. He wore a dark grey suit. His jaw was locked tight. He threw a thick stack of legal documents onto the black walnut console table near the door.

"If you try to contact Julian again, I will cut off every cent of your trust fund," Axel said. His voice was a low rumble that rattled the windows.

He loosened his silk tie, his eyes dark and volatile. He waited for her to scream. He watched her every micro-expression, waiting for her to grab the heavy crystal lamp from the nightstand and hurl it at his head, just like she had done in her past life. His muscles were already tensed for the impact, prepared for the familiar chaos. But she wouldn't. Not this time. The endless cycle of hatred was over.

Chloe stepped off the rug. Her bare feet hit the cold hardwood. She walked across the room, moving in a straight line toward him.

She stopped six inches from his chest.

Axel's muscles instantly coiled. His right hand twitched, preparing to block a strike.

Chloe tilted her head up. She looked at his face. No acid burns. No melted skin. Just sharp jawlines and perfect, terrifying intensity.

She raised both arms and wrapped them around his waist. She pressed the side of her face against the center of his chest. She listened to the heavy, rapid thud of his heart.

Axel froze. His entire body turned into a steel beam. His pupils dilated in pure shock.

He grabbed her shoulders, his fingers digging into her collarbones. He tried to push her away.

"What kind of sick game is this?" he demanded.

Chloe tightened her grip around his waist. She buried her face deeper into his shirt.

"I am not going anywhere," she said. Her voice cracked.

Axel stared down at the top of her head. His breathing turned ragged. The violence in his eyes warred with something desperate and broken.

He shifted his grip. His long fingers clamped around her jaw. He forced her head up. His grip was entirely too rough.

"Tell me what you are planning," he ground out.

Chloe did not blink. She rose onto her toes, closing the final inch between them.

"I had a nightmare," she said. "I dreamt I lost you. I realized how stupid I have been."

Axel's thumb stopped pressing into her jawbone. He slowly stroked the soft skin under her ear.

He let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "You starved yourself yesterday because I wouldn't let you see Julian."

"Julian is garbage," Chloe said flatly. "He isn't worth a single hair on your head. I was blind."

The air pressure in the room shifted. The crushing weight of Axel's anger vanished.

He wrapped his massive arms around her back and crushed her against him. He held her so tight her ribs ached.

He buried his face in the curve of her neck. He inhaled sharply, pulling her scent into his lungs.

"You said it," Axel whispered against her skin. "You don't get to take it back. You try to run now, and I will break your legs."

Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his collar.

Axel pulled back slightly. He looked down at her, his eyes narrowing into dark slits. He adjusted his right cuff. He was going to find out if she was lying. Right now.

Axel kept his hand on the small of Chloe's back as he guided her out of the bedroom. They walked down the long corridor to the dining room.

Charles Sullivan, the head butler, stood by the mahogany table. He had already set out plates of eggs benedict and fresh fruit.

When Charles saw Axel's hand resting on Chloe's waist, his eyes widened for a fraction of a second. He immediately bowed his head and stared at the floor.

Axel pulled out a custom leather chair for Chloe. She sat down. Axel took the seat directly next to her, ignoring his usual place at the head of the table.

Chloe picked up her knife and fork. She cut into the poached egg. The yolk spilled over the muffin. She took a bite and chewed slowly.

Axel watched her throat swallow. The rigid line of his jaw relaxed. He picked up the silver carafe and poured black coffee into her cup.

"Get dressed," Axel said, setting the carafe down. "We are leaving."

Chloe wiped her mouth with a linen napkin. She did not ask where they were going. She nodded, stood up, and walked back toward the bedroom.

Axel tracked her every movement, his eyes burning holes into her back.

Twenty minutes later, they stepped out of the private elevator into the underground garage. Axel bypassed the driver. He opened the passenger door of a bulletproof Maybach for Chloe, then got behind the wheel.

He drove out of Manhattan, merging onto the highway toward the Bronx.

Low cello music played through the speakers. Axel drove with his left hand. His right hand reached across the center console and locked his fingers with hers. His grip was tight, almost painful.

The Maybach pulled into a secluded private estate. Axel parked in front of a massive glass dome structure.

He got out and opened her door. A cold wind whipped across the driveway. Axel took off his suit jacket and draped it over Chloe's shoulders. The fabric was heavy and smelled of cedar and gunpowder.

They walked to the glass doors. Axel scanned his iris. The doors slid open.

A wave of humid, tropical air hit Chloe's face. The smell of damp earth and vegetation filled her lungs. This was Axel's private reptile greenhouse.

Huge reinforced glass enclosures lined the walls. Thick coils of scales moved in the shadows of the artificial foliage.

Axel walked to a standalone enclosure in the center of the room. He stared at the thick black snake inside.

He turned to Chloe. "Black mamba. The venom stops a human heart in twenty minutes."

Axel punched a code into the keypad. The glass lid unlocked. He reached to the side and grabbed a long metal snake hook.

He slid the hook into the tank, pinned the snake mid-body, and lifted it out.

The black mamba hissed. Its mouth opened, revealing the ink-black interior. The fangs dripped clear liquid.

Axel stepped toward Chloe. He held the hook steady. He watched her face, waiting for the mask to slip, waiting for the screaming to start.

Chloe stood perfectly still. Her breathing did not speed up. Her eyes remained dead calm.

The snake's head swayed ten inches from her nose. She could feel the displacement of air as it hissed.

Axel frowned. The muscle in his jaw ticked.

Chloe raised her right hand. She did not swat at the snake. She wrapped her fingers around Axel's hand holding the metal hook.

She looked past the snake, straight into Axel's eyes.

"As long as I am with you, I am not afraid of hell," she said.

Axel's pupils dilated. The suspicion in his eyes shattered.

He swung the hook over the tank, dropped the snake in, and slammed the lid shut. The lock clicked.

He spun around, grabbed Chloe by the waist, and slammed her back against the glass wall of the enclosure.

He crashed his mouth down on hers. His teeth scraped against her bottom lip. He forced her mouth open, kissing her with a violent, consuming hunger.

Chloe opened her mouth wider. She slid her hands up his chest and gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer.

Axel broke the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers. His chest heaved.

"You are mine," he rasped. "No one takes you from me."

Chloe smiled.

Axel's expression hardened. "Prove it. Call Julian."

Chloe reached into her coat pocket. She pulled out her iPhone and unlocked the screen.