《Ascension of a Reborn Woman》 Prologue Prologue In the middle of the day, the busy downtown traffic suddenly exploded when a car crashed into a woman who suddenly rushed out from the sidewalk and sent her flying. The woman¡¯s body drew a parabolic arc in the air before crashing into the windscreen of a car that was coming from the other direction. The lady in the car¡¯s front seat screamed and slammed down on her brakes. The car immediately stopped but the other vehicles behind, without any warning, weren¡¯t able to stop and one after the other ran into each other¡¯s backs. It was instant chaos. The woman in the car at the front was shaking like crazy as she stared at the broken, blood splattered windscreen, her face pale. ¡°Mom!¡± Suddenly, wailing filled the air as two children dashed out from the sidewalk and into the chaotic street. A young boy and girl, both wearing the uniform of a famous, prestigious foreign academy, fell down by the woman¡¯s body and began to cry. ¡°Mom! Mom, don¡¯t die!¡± ¡°Mama, please open your eyes! Please!¡± As the two children threw themselves onto the woman whose body was badly mangled and bloody, murmurs rippled in the crowd. ¡°How did this happen? Why did she step into the road like that?¡± ¡°Those poor children, without their mother¡­¡± Standing in the crowd, a pregnant woman who was being held protectively in the arms of a handsome man suddenly burst into tears. The woman was of small stature and her face was very young, the said ¡®baby face¡¯. She had big black eyes that were now filled with endless tears and with her curly black hair falling down to frame her little face, she looked sweet and pitiful in her white drees as she leaned weakly against the sturdy man in the black suit. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry Brycen; I didn¡¯t mean to push her but, when she rushed at me I was afraid she would hurt the baby and I just reacted. Please don¡¯t be mad at me.¡± The pregnant woman sobbed pitifully while gripping tightly unto the man¡¯s jacket as though she was desperate and afraid. She looked like a frightened little animal that had been soaked in the rain, making people want to take her in their arms, hold her close and pamper her carefully. The man she was holding onto was no exception.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not mad at you.¡± The man wiped her tears as he took on a doting expression and softly kissed her head while hugging her close. ¡°Really, you¡¯re not mad? But she¡¯s your ex-wife_¡± ¡°Exactly, ex-wife. You are my wife now and she tried to hurt you. What you did was self-defense and you didn¡¯t mean to kill her.¡± Hearing the words exchanged between the man and woman, the crowd was suddenly enlightened and they couldn¡¯t help but shake their heads and some even felt scorn. Who in A Country didn¡¯t know that the CEO of Jaeger Entertainment and self-made billionaire Brycen Jaeger and his first wife, third rate actress Isabel Rogers had divorced? Stories of their divorce lawyers fighting wars back and forth had flooded the country¡¯s media waves for years along with Isabel¡¯s constant harassment of Brycen¡¯s new flame who was a young and upcoming broker in his company, Susan Walker. After almost four whole years of back and forth, the divorce between them was settled and everyone believed that things would finally become peaceful but, who knew that Isabel would use her twins, Kelvin and Phoenix Jaeger as a way to harass Brycen. And, to make matters worse, Brycen¡¯s new wife had trouble conceiving, leaving Brycen at Isabel¡¯s mercy since she held sole physical custody of the twins as was her request at the time she agreed to sign the divorce. Back then, if Brycen had known the woman would use her entitlement like this, he would have never agreed to those terms. She constantly used her position as ¡®the mother of his children¡¯ to make the man¡¯s life a living hell until news of her drinking problem came to light two years ago and Brycen was able to win sole legal custody of the twins from the court. It was only a month ago that news of Susan Walker¡¯s pregnancy had broken the media and threw the entertainment world into a frenzy. In the ten or so years that she had been a manger, Susan showed that she was capable by managing several artists, all of whom had made it to stardom and gave her great praises. So, when she suddenly stopped appearing at work and her current artist had her manager changed without a proper explanation, reporters had begun to snoop only to find out that the gold-broker manager was six months pregnant and she and her husband were trying to keep it a secret from the world or, from what anyone would infer from this incident, Isabel Rogers. It was the first time since the news of her pregnancy broke that Susan made a public appearance and she was instantly attacked by Brycen¡¯s obviously jealous ex-wife. People couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It wasn¡¯t that Isabel wasn¡¯t pretty or people thought Susan was better suited for Brycen, but the gap in the two women¡¯s personalities were just too big that people couldn¡¯t help but have negative feelings toward Isabel and that had transferred to her career as well. Although she was a good actress and also a very beautiful woman, she was too vicious, how could anyone like her when she was like that? In the distance, the sounds of sirens wailing could finally be heard, but from her limbs that were twisted at impossible angles and the amount of blood that was flooding the street, everyone knew that Isabel Rogers was already dead. Chapter 1 Inside a private room at A country¡¯s First Citizen¡¯s Hospital, a woman was lying comatose on a queen sized bed. At the side of the bed, a young nurse whom had just finished checking the patient¡¯s numbers was standing aside while watching the sleeping woman¡¯s face in rapture. The woman was very beautiful. Her skin was clean and white, looking almost translucent under the sunlight that was streaming through the open window. She had a small but prominent nose and as she slept, her red lips were slightly parted and expelled small, captivating breaths. Suddenly, the door swung open and a woman in a business suit with short cropped brown hair and wearing a pair of large Prada sunglasses entered the room. ¡°What are you doing?¡± The woman¡¯s tone was harsh as she took off her sunglasses to reveal a pair of intense phoenix eyes and glared at the young nurse who instantly deteriorated into a stuttering mess. ¡°I- I¡¯m sorry, I was just watching¡­ I¡¯m a fan.¡± The nurse confessed with a face red from embarrassment. ¡°Thank you for your support, but as you can see she is currently unconscious so it would be appreciated if you would just focus on doing your job.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The nurse¡¯s face became even redder. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Both women instantly turned around to face the source of the sudden gasp and felt their hearts rising at the frown on the beautiful woman¡¯s face and her fingers that were moving at her side. ¡°Call a doctor¡­ Call a doctor!¡± Only when the woman with phoenix eyes shouted for the second time and rushed to the bed side to support the woman who was trying to sit up did the young nurse snap out of her daze. ¡°Y- yes! I¡¯ll call the doctor. Doctor! Doctor!¡± While the young nurse ran out of the room yelling, the woman with phoenix eyes went to the woman on the bed. ¡°Hey. Hey, hey, no. Don¡¯t try to get up, Izzy. Lie down, lie down.¡± She spoke to the woman on the bed like coaxing a child as she carefully combed her fingers through her silky black hair. The woman groaned in pain and slowly opened her misty, golden eyes. There was a dull ache all through her body and her head was pounding like a drum. When Isabel opened her eyes, everything was out of focus and she even thought she was hallucinating when she saw her ex-manager, Davina Small looming near her side. ¡°To be seeing you here¡­ Did I die and go to hell?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you¡¯ve retained your sense of humor even after that fall. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Like I was hit by a car. Dammit!¡± As she tried to move up on the bed, a sharp jolt of pain shot through Isabel and went straight to her head and it also alerted her of something ridiculous. She wasn¡¯t hallucinating. Rushing into a sitting position despite the pain that ripped through her, Isabel ripped off the sheet covering and stared down at her body that was perfectly fine and her skin that was smooth and white like she hadn¡¯t seen it in years then she turned to the side and slapped Davina across the cheek. ¡°Ow! What the hell?!¡± ¡°Geez, it really stings.¡± Isabel mumbled with a dazed look as she shook her palm that was still tingling with the sensation of slapping someone. ¡°It more than stings, it hurts, you stupid bitch!¡± Davina cursed and glowered at her but Isabel wasn¡¯t even looking at her as her attention was fixed on the calendar hung on the wall next to the bed that had bold red numbers at the top that read ¡®2007¡¯. It was the month of May. ¡°May, 2007.¡± Isabel felt as though she had been struck by lightning. ¡°Is this real?¡± ¡°Hey, hey, are you alright? You worked really hard to finish ¡®My Lord, My Lady¡¯ and you really pushed yourself to the brink of exhaustion this time, so you should relax.¡± ¡®My Lord, My Lady¡¯ was one of the first TV dramas Isabel had stared in and was also one of her most popular and iconic projects that followed her for the rest of her life. ¡°Davi¡­¡± ¡°What? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Davina Small was the first manager Isabel ever had in her career and also the best friend she had ever made in her life, a friend who truly cared about her. The short couple of years she spent with Davina could be counted as some of the happiest years of her life. However, because of her own stubbornness, blindness and idiocy, she lost that friend for good but now; fate was giving her a second chance.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°I¡¯m really glad to have you as a friend.¡± Isabel Rogers had been reborn. A few minutes later, the young nurse returned with a doctor and after checking, it was determined that Isabel was only heavily fatigued but had been very unfortunate that when she collapsed she was at the top of a flight of stairs. However, thankfully, she didn¡¯t have a concussion and there was no damage to her brain or any other part of her body. ¡°So you collapsed from fatigue. I could¡¯ve sworn it was the shock that punched you out.¡± Davina teased while poking Isabel¡¯s face with a foil wrapped lollipop which Isabel snatched from her hand with a small laugh. ¡°Hey, Davi, help me find a good lawyer.¡± Isabel popped the blue candy on the stick into her mouth and lay down while tossing the crumpled wrapper at Davina who caught it then looked at Isabel weirdly. ¡°Why a lawyer? Aren¡¯t you going to confront the son-of-a-bitch?¡± Davina knew how much Isabel loved her husband. To help Brycen start his business, Isabel gave him all the money her parents had saved for her tuition and didn¡¯t go to college then she worked several jobs back to back to help make ends meet while he was trying to get the company on its feet. It was around that time that Davina met her. A young girl who just finished high school was working two, sometimes three jobs a day, every day of the week and doing odd jobs on weekends. Even though she was obviously so pretty, why was she wasting her time with all that hard labor? Davina who was a broker for a minor entertainment company called Sunshine Entertainment, contracted Isabel as a model where she was an instant hit with her pretty face, unique eye color and full proportions. For the first time in her life, Isabel was making more than 100,000 a month but, that didn¡¯t mean that her workload decreased because in the same way as before, all her money still went toward helping Brycen build his company until a wealthy real-estate agent took notice of the promising young company and made an investment in Brycen. Things got better from there. ¡°Confront him for what?¡± Isabel took the lollipop out of her mouth and waved it around. ¡°Davi, how long have we known each other?¡± ¡°Almost ten years.¡± ¡°Ten years. And even after ten years, you still don¡¯t understand?¡± Seeing the bitter look of self-mockery on Isabel¡¯s face, Davina couldn¡¯t help but widen her eyes before blinking them furiously to hold back the tears. ¡°You¡¯re a fool, Izzy.¡± ¡°Tell me something I don¡¯t know.¡± Isabel threw a hand over her face and laughed but her voice broke and tears slid down the side of her face. ¡°He never loved me.¡± ¡°Hey now.¡± Davina stood up and climbed onto the bed. ¡°That idiot may be blind but I and countless fans out there still love you, so don¡¯t waste your tears. Okay? Okay?¡± She pulled Isabel into a hug and rubbed her back soothingly. ¡°Okay.¡± Isabel nodded but still buried her face in Davina¡¯s shirt and continued crying. After living her last life, if it was one thing that Isabel understood, it was that Brycen had never loved her. She knew Brycen from the time they were in high school, they lived together, hand to mouth for three years, had children together and were married for six years and the kind of words that Brycen would say to Susan Walker and the way he would look at her, the things he would do for her, Isabel had never known him to be capable of those things. When she was younger, she used to think that it was because he didn¡¯t love her enough yet; then, as time went by, she slowly came to think that maybe, that was just the way Brycen was, but that day- which would now be yesterday- when she saw him hugging Susan Walker for the first time, kissing her, smiling while teasing her, she was rudely awakened to the fact that Brycen was more than capable of such things, but she just wasn¡¯t the person he wanted. The past her had thrown a tantrum and refused to believe what was right in front of her eyes and spent years blaming Susan Walker for stealing her husband and destroying her family. She wasted years in jealousy and hatred and let countless opportunities to move on with her life slip by. She reduced her children to pawns in a childish attempt to monopolize Brycen. She was so blinded by what she thought was love that she didn¡¯t treasure the people that truly loved her. But she knew now that what she felt then wasn¡¯t love but a twisted sense of superiority. Isabel sacrificed her youth for Brycen. She supported him through college and the initial stages of building his company. The capital for his first few minor projects all came from her earnings and because of that, she believed that Brycen owed her. No, she believed that she owned him. After everything that she had been through, she didn¡¯t believe that Brycen would have the guts or audacity to leave her and having her own superiority overturned right in front of her face had crushed her pride and fueled her obsession. All those years of hounding Susan Walker and acting like a rabid wolf for nothing but a bit of crushed pride. Behind her closed eyes, Isabel recalled the last moments of her previous existence. *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ It had already been three years since she last saw her children after Brycen took legal custody and sent them off to boarding school, refusing to let her see them. She wanted to see her children, that was all she wanted so she waited at the company for Brycen to arrive. Even if she had to beg him, she wanted to see her kids. But it wasn¡¯t until noon that he finally showed up. Beyond her expectation, when Brycen arrived at the company, he wasn¡¯t alone; the twins were with him as well as the pregnant Susan. Like everybody else, she had heard the news about Susan¡¯s pregnancy and if it had been before, she would have definitely hounded the woman but now, she just wanted to see her kids. The four Jaegers descended from the car. Isabel was standing to the side, waiting for them to come closer. She was itching to reach out and touch her children, they were right in front of her. It was at that moment that it happened. Susan suddenly lost strength in her legs and stumbled. Even though Brycen was obviously closer, she stretched out her hand toward Kelvin who was being absentminded with his back toward her. Isabel didn¡¯t know where she found the speed or strength, but she launched herself forward while letting out a feral scream and grabbed onto Kelvin who had begun to fall, pulling him back from the road. Because of too much momentum, she stumbled forward for a few steps but still managed to stabilize herself, however, in the next moment she felt that she was pushed from behind right in the path of an oncoming car. As she lay in the street, red filling her vision, the last thing Isabel heard were the wailing voices of her children calling for her. Chapter 2 ¡°You must think that I''m stupid You must think that I''m a fool You must think that I''m new to this But I have seen this all before I''m never gonna let you close to me Even though you mean the most to me ''Cause every time I open up, it hurts So I''m never gonna get too close to you Even when I mean the most to you In case you go and leave me in the dirt But every time you hurt me, the less that I cry And every time you leave me, the quicker these tears dry And every time you walk out, the less I love you Baby, we don''t stand a chance, it''s sad but it''s true I''m way too good at goodbyes¡­¡± It was ten years too soon for the song to even exist, but lying awake in bed the first night of her rebirth and gazing out at the flashing city lights and obscure moon, Isabel couldn¡¯t help but quietly sing these words as the last tears she would ever cry over Brycen Jaeger slid down her cheeks, over her smiling red lips and dripped from her ivory chin, disappearing into the blanket. *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* When she went to the hospital the next day to visit Isabel and drop off some stuff, Davina also brought along an old friend of hers. ¡°Izzy, this is my friend from college, Steven Bell, a lawyer. Steven, this is Isabel Jaeger, soon to be Rogers. She wants you to handle her divorce suite.¡± At first, Steven was shocked. Everyone in A country knew who Brycen Jaeger was and as a result, they also knew about his wife and there were countless women eyeing the position even though it was already filled. Stories about countless young starlets and even successful business women throwing themselves left and right into Brycen¡¯s arms and even employing trickery to get into his bed were everywhere. So now, he would really like to know, why would this woman who had the man every woman wants, want to divorce Brycen Jaeger? But, after listening to Isabel¡¯s story, as a man with a wife and family, the original respect Steven held for the self-made business man came crumbling down pathetically. ¡°Mrs. Jaeger, are you certain that these are all the demands you want to make on your husband for this divorce?¡± Steven was skeptical as he looked over the draft document held in his hands. ¡°You two were together before Jaeger Corp became what it is today, by law, no less than half of what he is worth is what you deserve.¡± ¡°No, no. This is fine.¡± Isabel had a small smile on her mouth as she leaned over to peak at the letter, unaware that her sudden close proximity was causing the man a bit of unease as her light jasmine scent wafted close to him. ¡°The things that are Brycen¡¯s are Brycen¡¯s and what are mine I will have. Thank you for your concern Mr. Bell, but this is all I need.¡± Steven didn¡¯t insist on pushing his opinion and after exchanging a few more words and getting a better understanding of Isabel and Brycen¡¯s marriage and family situation, he bade the two women farewell and left to prepare the proper documents before contacting Brycen¡¯s lawyer to file the suite. ¡°So, what are your plans after things go through?¡± Davina asked while gorging on a bowl of spicy ramen noodles. ¡°Pursue my dream¡­ and take care of my kids.¡± Isabel sighed and closed her eyes as she reclined into the sofa, but she didn¡¯t miss the small jolt in Davina¡¯s shoulders and the electric light that flashed through her black phoenix eyes. ¡°By ¡®pursue your dream¡¯ do you mean¡­?¡± Isabel curved the corner of her mouth and peeked through one eye to look at Davina who had gotten much closer to her, her eyes sparkling like a child anxious with anticipation for their Christmas present. ¡°Pfft!¡± Isabel laughed as she got up and went over to the mini bar for a bottled water. ¡°You said sometime before that you were going to help a friend returning from overseas pursue a certain business venture.¡± Isabel cracked the seal and took a long drink of water, until the bottle was half empty. ¡°Back then, you also extended an invitation to me¡­¡± Isabel ran her finger around the mouth of the bottle mischievously before flicking her eyes to look at Davina¡¯s face that was red with excitement. She smiled. ¡°Does that offer still stand?¡± ¡°Fuck, yes!¡± Davina didn¡¯t try to mask her enthusiasm. Jumping up from the couch, she screamed in delight and rushed to squeeze Isabel in a hug as she spun around. ¡°Omigod, omigod, omigod! Izzy, this is amazing! I just knew you wouldn¡¯t let me down.¡± Isabel laughed as she spun around with Davina, but the smile on her face was wry. Davina said that she knew Isabel wouldn¡¯t let her down, but the truth was, Isabel did let her down, in the last life. Davina had also extended her invitation back then, but because she was so caught up with Brycen and Susan¡¯s situation, Isabel had ignored the offer, continuing down the beaten path of acting which she was only so-so at. And because she was hostile towards Susan, all the managers that Isabel was assigned after Davina resigned didn¡¯t even bother to give her advice or chart her career properly, leaving her to run her own course haphazardly. If it wasn¡¯t that she at least had some talent for entertainment, her career would have gone up in smoke a long time ago. ¡°I¡¯ve got to call Lauren and tell her the good news.¡± Still hyper like a kid on Christmas, Davina grabbed her cellphone and rushed out of the room. Isabel didn¡¯t stop her and turned around to grab her own cellphone. Climbing onto the bed and making herself comfortable, she dialed a string of numbers that she was very familiar with. As usual, the phone only rang twice before the voice on the other end picked up. ¡°Hello?¡± Hearing the flat and expressionless tone used by the other person, Isabel felt her eye twitch. ¡°So, you were like this even in the past, huh.¡± ¡°¡­Hello?¡± ¡°You really won¡¯t say anything else?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing the familiar silence on the other end of the line, Isabel rolled her eyes. Even ten years before she met him, this guy was like this. ¡°This is ¡®Tom¡¯, right?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Why should I tell you? Besides, you¡¯ll know once you finish tracking my call, right?¡± Isabel grinned at the small clattering sound she heard on the other side. Finally, she managed to one-up this bastard. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you know who I am, or not. I have a story for you, are you interested?¡± Inside the sick room, the woman wearing a white hospital gown was reclining on the pillows with her legs crossed. The thin gown had rolled up her thigh, fully exposing her slender legs as she twirled a lock of dark hair around her ivory fingers with a devilish, toying smile playing on her red lips while she spoke into the phone. In the hallway, the young nurse that had wanted to enter quickly closed the door after being greeted by such a seductive and dazzling sight. She was still slightly dizzy from the star effect and her face was bright red as she patted her chest to quiet her heart. Hugging the autograph material to her chest, she made the quick decision to come back later when her heart didn¡¯t feel like it would fall in love at next glance. *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* Later that afternoon, Isabel was curled up on her bed like a lazy cat while sucking a lollipop and doing some online shopping on her phone when the room door was suddenly and violently pushed open and someone that she never expected to visit her while she was in the hospital came through the doors. Dressed in a dark blue, Armani chrome suit, his dark hair combed back to show off his killer facial contours that seemed even more pronounced and deeply set in his anger, Brycen Jaeger at 5¡± 9, with stellar body proportions was definitely the embodiment of every woman¡¯s dream. Although he was now worth less than scum in her heart, Isabel couldn¡¯t stop herself from appreciating Brycen¡¯s posture, the man was hot. Coming into the room and seeing the woman curled languidly on the bed, Brycen couldn¡¯t help but halt momentarily in his tracks as all angry thoughts he had been brewing flew out the window. Isabel was wearing a red spaghetti strapped mini dress that, because of her unruly posture, was barely covering her butt as she sprawled on her tummy. Because it had been a really long time since she last relaxed, after having a bath and changing into her own clothes, Isabel didn¡¯t bother to comb or style her hair and it was an unkempt, dark mess, scattering across her shoulders, down her back and splaying onto the bed around her, giving her a kind of natural, seductive air. Between her teeth, a flesh colored lollipop was lightly trapped, the tongue she was using to toy with it paused in a half caressing motion and her golden eyes were open big with surprise, looking like a startled deer in headlights. The image was provocative and cute, tempting anyone who saw to want to pounce on her. For a moment, Brycen was stunned and unable to return to himself as he stared at the woman on the bed. Was this really that clingy and nauseating wife of his whom he had ignored for the past several years? When did she become so¡­ dazzling? He could have sworn that when he last saw her she wasn¡¯t this pleasing to the eyes. Something changed. Aware of the man¡¯s eyes skimming over her body, Isabel wasn¡¯t particularly bothered. What part of her hadn¡¯t Brycen seen? In order to entice him, Isabel had always bought short and skimpy clothes that showed off her body to wear around the house, always hoping that his eyes would stay on her a little bit longer. In fact, at one point in their relationship, she had been so desperate for his attention that she had learnt pole dancing and after making countless arrangements to make sure that he had a night off, gave him a full, live strip show. Kelvin and Phoenix were the result of that one time and after that, he had never touched her in bed again, he even avoided sleeping in the same room with her and after several months of cat and mouse in the house, when he found out she was pregnant, he directly had a penthouse built on top of his office at the company and hardly ever came back to the house to sleep. Thinking back on it, Isabel really wondered where her IQ had gone that she hadn¡¯t seen the man¡¯s obvious contempt for her. After ogling the eye candy standing at her door for long enough, Isabel put down her phone, pulled the lollipop from her mouth and swung around to sit up at the edge of the bed, crossing her thighs, completely oblivious the hike in her skirt as she did so. ¡°How come you¡¯re here? Is it really okay for you to be here instead of at the company? You¡¯re needed there.¡± Isabel¡¯s voice managed to pull Brycen¡¯s thoughts back from the shadows under her skirt and for a moment he was drawn in by the flesh colored candy dancing against her lips, but black lines immediately filled his forehead when he heard her words. If it was any other day, Brycen would have taken it for her usual concern about his business, but after Kyle came to his office today, how could he not notice the real meaning behind her words. ¡°You came to see me, even though all this time you¡¯ve been ignoring me? I don¡¯t need you here.¡± Is basically what she was saying. And, usually, he wouldn¡¯t care about whatever tantrum she threw, but somehow, that seemingly spoiled and complaining tone of hers scratched at Brycen¡¯s heart and made him feel irritated in a complex sort of way. (A/N: The key word here is ¡®seemingly¡¯.) Gripping the papers in his hand that he had gotten from Kyle, Brycen held them out to her. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Still rolling the lollipop against her lips, Isabel raised a slender eyebrow as she glanced over the papers in front of her face and she was surprised, because these papers were the very ones she and Steven had discussed and drawn up this morning. ¡°Wow, Mr. Bell works fast, doesn¡¯t he? I thought it would take him a few days at least, but it¡¯s hardly been five hours.¡± Isabel¡¯s words and the smile on her bright, moist and seductive lips were like a slap to Brycen¡¯s face. ¡°You¡ªyou really want to divorce me?¡± Brycen couldn¡¯t believe it. This woman had stubbornly clung on to him for twelve whole years despite his neglect and cold treatment and even went as far as to seduce him into having sex with her and getting pregnant. She loved him more that she cared about herself. She wouldn¡¯t give up on him; this had to be another one of her tantrums. Unknowingly, Brycen tried to convince himself like that, but Isabel¡¯s easy and careless reply shot down his delusions. ¡°Is that a problem?¡± In a little red dress with her dark hair falling about her carelessly, one arm was propping her up against the bed and her legs were crossed. The woman raised one eyebrow lazily as she didn¡¯t even bother looking at him, instead focusing on the lollipop she was spinning between her fingers. She opened her red lips and stretched out her small pink tongue to wrap around the flesh colored candy. She licked it round and around then pushed it into her mouth before retrieving it to tap against her smiling lips. ¡°Brycen, let¡¯s be real; we¡¯ve never had any true feelings in our relationship no matter how much we tried. We should have ended things long ago but I was selfish and stubborn, for that, I¡¯ll apologize. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Isabel gave a sweet smile and continued. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize how much of a nuisance I was to you until I saw you with that girl on the roof yesterday. That smile of yours gave me quite a scare, knocked me right out. I didn¡¯t know you could smile like that; you never smiled like that to me. So, I¡¯ve made the decision to give you your freedom and all I want in return, is full custody of the twins.¡± Isabel had been flipping through her phone while she talked so she didn¡¯t see that with every word she spoke, the color of Brycen¡¯s face became worse and worse until it became frightfully pale when she mentioned that he never smiled at her. Brycen couldn¡¯t help but touch his clean shaved jaw as he watched the woman who looked so free and at ease while scrolling through her phone and licking at her lollipop without paying him the slightest attention. In all the years they were together, had he really, truly, never once smiled at her? That wasn¡¯t possible, right? Done messing around on her phone, Isabel looked up to see Brycen, caressing his jaw in a slow motion while looking at her with a thoughtful (?) expression, but she could care less about what he was thinking. She asked directly. ¡°Will you sign? I haven¡¯t made any outrageous requests or anything.¡± Feeling a nagging ache in her lower back, Isabel frowned and stretched her arms above her head, unaware that because there was too little fabric in her dress, the garment was straining due her actions, pulling the neckline and revealing the flesh of her full chest and even the beginnings of her cherry blossom, pink colored areola since she wasn¡¯t wearing a bra. . Seeing her actions, a thought flashed through Brycen¡¯s mind and his moment of muddle-headedness caused by the change in Isabel¡¯s temperament was quickly replaced by derision. Sure enough, this woman really wasn¡¯t able to let him go. Playing this tactic of loosening the reigns to grasp them firmer, did she take him for an idiot? Well, granted that he almost fell for it; if she hadn¡¯t made such a blatant move of seduction by purposely revealing her chest to him, she might have succeeded As usual, she only knew how to use her body and good looks to trick him. It was disgusting. ¡°Nothing outrageous you say? You¡¯re practically trying to take my children away from me. Phoenix and Kelvin are my own blood, I will never allow that.¡± Who knows how his kids would turn out if they were to be raised by such a shameless woman. If only Isabel knew Brycen¡¯s thoughts at that moment she would have stared wide eyed and cursed. Fuck! What was called being narcissistic? This was, ah! Her back was only hurting after hitting it when she fell, alright! Who the hell wanted to seduce him? She was over him a whole lifetime ago. And, hasn¡¯t she been the one raising her children all this time without him? GTFO! Unfortunately, or fortunately, she didn¡¯t know his thoughts. So after stretching like a lazy cat and yawning, producing some tears that brightened her eyes, she only looked at him, propping her elbow on her crossed legs and putting her chin in her palm before stating blandly. ¡°You can¡¯t have them.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Phoenix and Kelvin are mine. I won¡¯t give them to you.¡± ¡°Woman, don¡¯t reach too far. Do you really think you have the capability?¡± Brycen gave her fierce glare but Isabel only smiled while biting down on the soft center of the lollipop she had reached, chewing the thin candy coat and the gum within before flicking the stick away towards the corner. The white plastic stick flew, hit the wall and bounced back, straight into the waste bin. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in court.¡± Chapter 3 For a while, Brycen could only stare at Isabel''s challenging smile, but he soon took back the divorce documents he was holding out, tucking them under his arm and put on a placid expression. "Fine." If she wanted to get divorced, then he would go along with her little game and get divorced, he wouldn''t lose anything from it. To begin with, Brycen had only married Isabel because of a sense of responsibility and he believed it was what he owed her. Regardless of whether he liked it or not, the fact was that she had stayed with him for years, supported and aided him through his most difficult time. However, that debt he owed her had nothing to do with affection. He gave the woman what she wanted and made her his wife, yet she still had the audacity to seduce him into bed. Whenever he thought back to that night, Brycen would feel his head burn with the indignation His eyes flashed maliciously. He couldn''t wait to see the look on Isabel''s face when she finally realizes that her little scheme fell through and she was left with nothing. He, Brycen Jaeger, wasn''t a man that any woman could twist around their finger. "Then, I''ll trouble you to show yourself out, I''m tired." The instant she said the words, the atmosphere around Isabel instantly went from challenging and playful to lazy and she directly rolled over on the bed with her back facing Brycen and her dress rolled up to show the soft curve of her lower butt. Glimpsing at the view, Brycen swallowed a mouthful of saliva then snorted scornfully before leaving, not forgetting to slam the door on his way. With her head nestled in the curve of her elbow, Isabel smiled at the wall. She had known Brycen since she was sixteen years old; she knew what he was like: arrogant, narcissistic and self-absorbed. It was precisely that aristocratic-like, noble feeling that drew her young and na?ve self to him. He was the kind who would overlook the most basic details because he believed those things were obvious. Why should he bother to study things that others had definitely already done for him? He thought like that, like a noble with his many servants ready to run their selves to the bone for him; Isabel was an example of one such ''servant'' and- if she were to say- was probably one of the most selfless ones. She was definitely the most obsessed. But, if there was one thing that Isabel learned from being obsessed with Brycen for a lifetime, it was that once a person spent enough time with him, (in his good graces) that person would become very much like Brycen; just as conceited, arrogant and short sighted. "He won''t come around here anymore." Isabel giggled to herself as she inserted her earbuds and closed her eyes, drifting off to the sound of a certain ''Wake Up Call'' song. *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* Two days later, Isabel was discharged from the hospital. She didn''t have any major injuries or health complications and although Isabel would have loved to continue staying at the hospital where there were nurses to wait on her hand and foot, she had work. In the middle of packing her stuff, for the second time since she had been staying in the room, the door was thrown open violently and two little figures came rushing in. "Mommy!" "Mum!" Turning around just in time, Isabel was knocked over onto the bed as she hugged the two little bundles in her arms and laughed before she flipped over and startled tickling them mercilessly. "No, no! Mommy, stop!" "No tickles, no!" "This is punishment for scaring me. Rawr!" ""Ahhhhh!"" "Oooh! I''m going to eat you up. Nom, nom, nom! Oh, I love you so much. Nom, nom..." The room was filled with happy squeals and peals of laughter, but as Isabel buried her face in her children''s necks, pretending to eat them, her eyes overflowed with warm tears. How long had it been for her, since she last hugged and played with her kids like this? Since she heard them laugh? She couldn''t remember. Somewhere along the line she had lost sight of absolutely everything, only mindlessly pursuing Brycen. She had neglected her children. "Mommy?" Isabel couldn''t hold it in and hugged the two children close to her and cried. "Mum, what''s wrong? Does it hurt? I''ll call a doctor." Feeling Kelvin''s small hand on her forehead as if he was checking her temperature, Isabel sniggled then took his hand in hers. "No, no. Don''t call the doctor, I''m fine. I''m just really happy to see you two." "Tears of joy?" Phoenix asked while using her little Hello Kitty handkerchief to wipe Isabel''s face. "Yep. Lots of joy." Holding the hands of her two children to her face, Isabel looked at their little faces and felt endless affection and warmth. "Oh! I love my little Onyx and Kelly!"If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. She couldn''t stop herself from glomping onto them and holding them tightly in her arms as she rolled all over the queen sized bed. "Mommy, cut it out!" Phoenix giggled. "Don''t call me Kelly, it''s a girl''s name!" Kelvin complained, but he didn''t put up a struggle against Isabel''s tousling, in fact, he held tightly onto her waist so he wouldn''t get thrown off as they rolled around. "You know, I could''ve sworn I brought two kids to the hospital to pick up their mother, but all I see here are three brats messing around." "Oh, Davi, stop it." A woman with almond shaped brown eyes and short blonde hair stepped around Davina in the doorway while laughing. "Hey, Isabel, how do you feel?" "I''m good Kim. Thank you for always taking care of the twins for me." "It''s my job and my pleasure. No thanks needed." "Well, technically, that''s not your job." Davina quipped while leaning against the door post. "Well, at least this way I actually have a job to do without a certain someone stealing all my tasks." Kim replied to Davina with a smile on her lips, but her tone was snarky. "You are the first person I have ever met to complain about someone else doing your work for you." Davin folded her arms while making her eyes wide with a look of incredulity. "Normally, people would be thankful." "Alright, alright. You two, that''s enough." Isabel shook her head while coming forward to settle this old dispute. Kimberly Russell worked at Sunshine Entertainment as an Assistant Manager, the second artist she was assigned to was Isabel Jaeger whose manager was Davina Small. Kim had always prided herself on her work efficiency and management skills and after being assigned to Sunshine''s top model and promising young actress, she was excited to display her capabilities, but sadly, what she found was a situation where she was not needed. No matter what it was that was required, when it was required, Kim would always be two steps behind Davina who seemed able to read every situation before it happened and catered to Isabel''s every need perfectly. And sadly, she was unable to be transferred to another artist because she was signed to a three year contract under Isabel''s name. But, it was in the last year of that contract that Isabel had found herself pregnant and after giving birth, was in a position where she wasn''t sure if to quit her job or not. She didn''t like the idea of leaving her children in the care of some hired help she didn''t even know, but Sunshine had taken her in at her most desperate hour and given her so much and at that time, she was their biggest earner, holding down several modeling contracts and endorsements plus a few minor movie roles. To cut them off just like that even for the sake of her own children made Isabel feel very guilty and uncomfortable. It was then that Kim, who was being paid without actually working, suggested that she be the one to take care of the twins while Isabel continued working since Davina was a one man support team with ridiculous efficiency anyway and that arrangement had continued for the past six years. "Look, I have two bags, one for each of you. Isn''t that perfect? Help me bring them downstairs, okay." With an easy smile, Isabel took Phoenix''s and Kelvin''s hands in each of hers and led them out of the room, down the hall towards the elevator, leaving the two women behind to tow her luggage. "Mommy, are you going back to work? Aunty Kim said that we could stay with you today." Swinging Isabel''s arm, Phoenix looked up at her mother, her darker than dark blue eyes that both she and her brother got from their father glowing with anticipation and on the other side, although he didn''t look up or say anything, Kelvin had perked his ears up to hear Isabel''s answer. "Well..." Isabel rolled her eyes around, pretending to think and only when Kelvin finally turned his head to look at her with pitiful puppy dog eyes, did she laugh and bend down to kiss them both on the cheek. "Let''s go to the Moon Kingdom, howbow dah?" "Yay! The Moon Kingdom!" Phoenix shrieked in joy and swung on Isabel''s arm and Kelvin only showed a little smile while he clung closer to Isabel''s side, showing his happiness in a more subdued but intimate manner. "You runts, I took you to the Moon Kingdom last weekend." Kim smiled helplessly as she and Davina came up behind them. "But mommy wasn''t there. Me and Kelly want to go with mommy." "Don''t call me that, idiot." Despite his ears turning red, Kelvin pouted in dissatisfaction as Phoenix called him by his nickname and although she found it cute how shy her son could be at times, Isabel didn''t neglect to flick Kelvin hard in the middle of his forehead before scolding, "Don''t call your sister an idiot." Once the doors opened, they took the lift down to the ground floor and after Davina handled several other formalities on Isabel''s behalf because the other woman was too lazy to do it herself, they were just about to leave the building when someone called out loudly for Isabel to wait. When she turned around, Isabel noticed that it was the young nurse that had been frequently assigned to her room these past few days. "I''m sorry for waiting until the last minute to ask this but, can I please have your autograph?" Looking at the young nurse who was out of breath as she earnestly held out a picture of Isabel''s character from ''My Lord, My Lady'', the young Lady Clarisse, along with a pen, Isabel found the girl to be very cute and with a smile that could melt hearts of steel, accepted the pen to sign the photograph. "Thank you so much!" Looking at the picture of a cute, gothic young lady with a melancholy look sitting under a tree that now had the addition of the cursive word ''Izzy'' on the lower left, the young nurse felt her heart bubble with excitement. She couldn''t wait to show this off to her sister who was also a huge fan of the show. But, in the next moment, she found that treasured photo missing from her grasp. Looking up, the young nurse felt her face heat up as she watched Isabel seal a kiss against the picture''s surface, her lowered eyelashes trembling as they caught the sunlight coming through the glass doors. "Count it as a special service." Isabel giggled as she raised her eyes and smiled playfully before handing back the photo with the additional kiss stain to the stunned little nurse. "Thank you for taking care of me." Standing in place and looking after Isabel''s retreating figure under the sun, the nurse felt her body go weak as her heart hammered away in her chest. "It''s no use, I can''t deny it anymore. I''m in love." *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* "It''s the Moon Kingdom!" Phoenix screamed while looking around the amusement park with sparkling eyes. "You''ve been here like, a hundred times before. Why are you still so excited?" Isabel who had a pair of black cat ears on her head and a matching tail tied to her waist with a gold, crescent moon sticker in the middle of her forehead, laughed as she watched Phoenix in a pink, mini sailor scout outfit prancing around. "It''s magic, mama. Magic!" "Mmm. So I see." Raising her head to look around the theme park jam packed with families with the occasional sailor scout, star warrior, evil guardian, prince in mask and long haired princess in the mix, Isabel couldn''t even remember how many times she had been to the place in the past, and now, she had to repeat this segment of her life again. Should she laugh or cry about the situation? "What about you Kelvin, are you feeling the magic?" "Mum, let''s go see the Three Lights'' show." Looking down at her usually fickle and taciturn son who was now watching her with a face full of smiles while wearing a little black tuxedo and looking absolutely dashing, Isabel felt her heart melt. "Oh my gosh, my kids are so cute." She stooped down and pulled them both into a hug. "You guys are adorable, freaking adorable! Muah, muah! I love you, I love you. I love you to bits!" "Mommy, stop!" Phoenix giggled while attempting to push Isabel away, but contrariwise, Kelvin who was in a good mood clung to her while returning her kisses, making Isabel''s heart ecstatic and she almost passed out from the sheer joy. Really, she must have definitely had some kind of brain deficiency in the past to pass up these darling little treasures for Brycen. Well, regardless of what happened before, she knew now that Kelvin and Phoenix were the best and most important part of her life. She was never going to let them go. Chapter 4 "Um, Izzy, what the hell is all this?" Looking at the people coming in and out of the house and the countless bags and racks of clothes and shoes they brought, Davina was speechless and turned to consult the most likely source of the mayhem. Isabel was happily going through the numerous bags and packages together with Kelvin and Phoenix, trying on this and that while Kimberly was spectating on the side. "Clothes, what else does it look like?" "Lots and lots of pretty clothes." Phoenix squealed almost inaudibly while hugging a t-shirt with a unicorn on it to her chest. "Obviously Isabel. What I mean is where did you get them? When did you find time to do this much shopping? How did you pay for all this?... You did pay for all this, right?" It wasn''t that Davina didn''t think Isabel couldn''t buy this much clothes for herself, but she knew that there was absolutely no way that Isabel could pay for this many high branded clothes. "Don''t be ridiculous Davi." Isabel laughed while posing in front of a brand new mirror and holding a red and black checkered top to herself. "Of course I didn''t pay, Brycen did." "Huh?" "What?" Kim and Davina both took on blank looks as they watched Isabel who was grinning while turning herself this way and that in the mirror. Kelvin who was holding up a Ben 10 t-shirt with a small smile on his face suddenly scrunched his nose as if he smelt something bad and dumped the jersey on the floor, kicking it away for good measure. However, his actions went unnoticed by everyone else in the room. "Daddy bought this?" Phoenix looked over with her clear eyes. "Only his money was spent for it sweetie, mummy was the one who picked it out. Do you like it?" "Mmm. I really like it. Can I wear it now?" "Maybe a little later when we go out." Isabel patted Phoenix''s head as the little girl posed in the mirror in front of her. "Wait, wait. Isabel, just wait a minute." Waving her hands in confusion, Davina shook her head to clear it. "What do you mean Brycen paid? For all of this?" "Yeah." Isabel nodded. She picked up a medium length, tutu skirt near her foot and threw it over the back of a chair before dropping down into the sofa. "I never used it before, but Brycen did give me a black card back then." "I worked my ass off for more than five years for his sake and got nothing in return besides what I looked for myself." She pulled Phoenix who was climbing her legs into her lap and hugged her. "Now that things have reached the end, I''ll obviously take my own reward." "Mommy, look, look. They match." "Yeah, I know." Davina and Kim exchanged glances while smiling helplessly at Isabel who was now squealing together with Phoenix over their matching tutu skirts. This was Izzy who both they and the world loved. She was cute, playful, funny and unfettered, she didn''t worry about anything except her kids and didn''t let anything bother her; and it would seem that even ousting her twelve year flame couldn''t make her burdened. If Isabel only knew what the two were thinking, she would smile wryly while crying her heart out on the inside. Did others also have this perception of her? Then she surely let down many people when she lost her mind over Susan and Brycen in the last life. Sitting by the foot of the love seat sofa on the floor, Kelvin who heard every word of the three women''s conversation looked at the Ben 10 t-shirt he had kicked away with wrinkled brows then moved forward to pick it up. He looked at Isabel and Phoenix gushing over their matching pink tutu skirts and looked around his area before picking out a shirt from a bag with a slightly softer shade of pink and he hugged it to his chest, revealing a soft smile. "You said that you were going out later, where to?" "House shopping."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ""House shopping?"" "I''m not living in Brycen''s ex-den with my kids once the papers get signed." Isabel wrinkled her nose at the thought of sleeping in the same bed she had sex with Brycen in, walking the halls where she had tried to seduce the man at every turn or spending days off lazing in the living room where she performed as a stripper to get a drunk man to sleep with her. Even in her last life when Kelvin and Phoenix were taken from her and she finally came to her senses, Isabel had moved out of Brycen''s condo, taking up residence in the apartment the company had given her when she became the spokesmodel for the ''Rachel Sweetheart'' brand. "Okay, fine. We''ll go house shopping." Davina rolled her eyes. "I have a friend in Reign Real Estate; I''ll give him a call and see if he can help." "You know someone from Reign? Who?" Davina''s eyes bulged with incredulity as she now looked at Kim like some sort of rare animal. "We''re only mere acquaintances. I helped him once before and he owes me a favor. Hang on, it''s ringing..." "Kim... Kim knows a Reigner..." Davina wobbled as she moved to sit down on the arm of a nearby chair; the news obviously dealt her a big blow. Networking was the thing she prided herself on most right after her managerial capabilities, but even she didn''t have connections with Reign. You have to know that Reign wasn''t just any old company; it was a super-giant in the business world with a hand in just about every industry and occupied a high position every time. The previous President of Reign died from cancer, leaving the business empire to be inherited by one of his three sons however, one son died in a car accident along with his wife and as for which of the other two sons inherited the business? That remains a mystery. Even Isabel who had already lived the next coming ten years didn''t know the identity of the elusive Reigning Emperor. All the employees who worked at Reign were top talents in their respective fields and were known for being very strict and keeping to their regulations. For Kim to be able to have a Reigner, as people called them, owe her a favor, even if it was only a real estate agent, it was a major deal. Talking for less than five minutes, Kim hung up and smiled at Isabel. "I snagged us an appointment for this evening." "So soon?" "Mmm. I explained that kid friendly environments close to the city were the key features in your search so he was able to narrow down the choices and there really aren''t many. So, once you''re free this evening he''ll see you." "Thank you Kim." "Don''t mention it. It was nothing." Isabel smiled with squinted eyes as she watched the two children on the floor choosing clothes for each other. After another fifteen minutes, the delivery people brought a document for her to sign before they finally left. The five then took about a half hour to pack things in some sort of order around the living room before Isabel and Kim made lunch and they all got ready to leave for Reign. Stepping off the elevator and exiting the high rise building, Isabel shielded her eyes from the noon sun then smiled down at her kids. At Phoenix''s request, they were both wearing the brand new tutu skirts and Isabel paired it with a white tank top and heels. Phoenix wore wedge heeled sandals. They looked so cute in their matching outfits and even their hair was put up in the same style. Standing next to them, Kelvin had wanted to shy out of it, but Isabel talked him into wearing the light pink shirt he had been trying to hide and a pair of white jeans with a pair of white loafers. With his ink black hair combed in an emo style that covered his forehead and enhanced his naturally docile demeanor, he looked like the kind of quiet cutie that would make girls squeal. "Oh gosh, my kids are so cute." Isabel placed her hands over her mouth and squealed as she watched Phoenix brush Kelvin''s bangs out of his eye while the other just stood there with his hands in his pockets looking slightly annoyed but not doing anything to stop her. They looked like a role play of a na?ve princess and an arrogant young master. "So adorable." "Just take a picture, would you?" Davina suggested as she came up behind her. "Good idea. Let''s go over to the park. Onyx, Kelly, do you guys want to see how mummy works?" "I was joking." Davina watched incredulously after Isabel who was already dragging Kelvin and Phoenix across the road to the park enthusiastically. "Come on you." Kim chuckled while pulling Davina along. Once they arrived at the park, Isabel took the role of director while Davina became the photographer and Kim was on makeup. "What? No. I don''t want to put on makeup." "But you''re sweating. It''ll make the picture look bad." Kim was trying to coax Kelvin to putting on face powder, but he wasn''t having it. "Kelly, please. Won''t you do this for mommy?" Isabel blinked her big golden eyes at her son while making the most pitiful face possible. The struggle in his eyes was evident. "Okay, fine... but this is the only time." "Thank you darling! I love you." With slightly teary eyes, Kelvin looked at the powder puff in Kim''s hand before squeezing them shut and accepting the make up with the heart of a martyr. Davina who was watching this scene from afar felt her integrity suddenly decrease for Isabel''s sake... if that makes sense. Because there were a lot of places to do a lot of different poses, Isabel''s imagination began to run wild and it turned into a live photo shoot. It was a Sunday evening and many people were at the park, it wasn''t long until Isabel was recognized as Lady Clarisse from the hot and trending drama ''My Lord, My Lady'' and from many of her popular modeling works which sparked a mini autograph session. Phoenix and Kelvin with their ridiculous good looks were hard to ignore, plus Isabel and Phoenix were wearing the same outfit while Kelvin was clinging to Isabel, refusing to move an inch in the crowd of strangers. It wasn''t long before it was found out that the two were Isabel and Brycen Jaeger''s well-hidden twins. Because they were usually cared for by Kim and before this Isabel mainly preferred to spend her days off at home with them unless they went to Moon Kingdom and Brycen never took them out, Kelvin and Phoenix''s faces were still not known in public even after six years. Many photos and videos of the three messing around at the park were taken and posted on the internet, earning huge popularity and in the end; it was a whole three hours before the five finally left for Reign.