Rebirth: Love me Again

[

BONUS

Chapter

for reaching 200 PS! Thank you all! 🤍]

=== 🤍 ===

[EVE]

Lily's perfect facade cracked. Her voice shrill with disbelief, she snapped, "Wait. Why her? She doesn't even have a membership card!"

The guard didn't even blink. He raised an eyebrow, coolly unbothered. "Stand down, or any more misbehavior and we'll revoke your membership."

"What?!" Lily's angelic face contorted with indignation, and Sophie rushed up to the guard, her tone dripping with venom.

"Do you even know who we are?"

The guard gave a small, knowing smile. "Yes, we know."

Sophie's face twisted into a sneer. "Then you should also know we could shut your sorry little store down if we wanted."

Little store?

I thought, amused. Haus Couture was anything but "

little

." With branches worldwide, it was the ultimate destination for celebrities, influencers, and socialites seeking the latest in luxury fashion.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

From exclusive designer pieces to limited-edition bags and shoes, this place was a treasure trove of high-end items that everyone coveted.

The guard didn't flinch. He didn't need to. Lily and Sophie exchanged a look, stunned into silence.

"Wait, why are we being held back when we have VIP cards, and she, who doesn't, gets to go in?" Sophie demanded, her voice rising in disbelief.

The guard remained unfazed, his expression stern. "The owner of Haus Couture has specifically requested to meet Miss Eve Rosette," he replied.

Then, as if a switch had flipped, his stern demeanor softened. He turned to me with a respectful bow, almost as if I were royalty. "Miss Eve, the owner is waiting to see you personally. Please, come this way."

A stunned silence fell over Sophie, Lily, and their friends. Their jaws practically hit the floor.

"The owner?!" Lily spluttered, her face turning red with a mix of confusion and indignation. "No one even knows who the owner of this store is!"

It was true—Haus Couture's elusive owner was a mystery even to the top socialites. The fact that I was getting an invitation while they were left at the door was like a slap in the face, and they knew it.

Their smug grins from earlier had evaporated, replaced with wide eyes and open mouths as they processed what was happening.

As much as I enjoyed seeing their stunned faces, I wasn't actually interested in going inside if Sophie wasn't coming along. The whole reason I even came here was to make her spend a fortune!

But before I could protest, Cole had already grabbed my arm and pulled me in.

"Let's go."

"Hey, wait!" I could still hear the girls' voices calling after us, their protests trailing off as the heavy glass doors swung shut.

Inside, the scene was a total contrast to the drama outside. The store was luxurious, filled with a few buyers lounging on plush couches, sipping champagne, and nibbling on expensive chocolates.

Each shopper had at least two or three staff members at their beck and call, catering to their every need.

"Eve!"

The soft voice startled me, and I turned to see Leanna Fay, seated gracefully in her wheelchair, pushed by a nurse. There were two more attendants hovering behind her.

Even in her late forties, she was stunning, her features a delicate preview of what Lina might look like in the future.

"I'm so glad to see you again!" Leanna beamed warmly at me.

I forced a polite smile. While I had no love for Cole, his mother was a different story. Leanna had always been kind, even showering me with gifts back in the days.

"Hello, Miss Fay. It's been a while," I greeted her.

Leanna wrinkled her nose in mock displeasure. "Miss Fay? What happened to the

'dear

mother'

you used to call me?"

I nearly choked on my own saliva.

That was back when I was head over heels, blindly chasing after Cole like a lovesick puppy!

Things were different now—very different.

Clearing my throat, I stammered, "Uh . . . I just think it's not appropriate to call you that anymore."

Leanna's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Not appropriate? And why is that? I don't recall hearing about your engagement with my son being broken."

"

Ughh

. . . well, that's because I'm no longer a Rosette, and Cole and I have decided to . . . go our separate ways," I said awkwardly.

Her gaze slid to her son, who was standing beside me, trying (and failing) to look indifferent.

Leanna smirked mischievously. "

Separate

ways

, huh? Then why is my son ditching his duties as the heir, losing millions of dollars every day just to be with you?"

My jaw dropped. "What?"

Cole cleared his throat, visibly flustered. "Mother, don't you have . . . somewhere else to be?"

Leanna just laughed, taking my hand in hers. "Actually, I'm here to relax with some shopping. Come along, dear," she said, pulling me gently along.

Then she turned to Cole, flashing a playful grin. "

You

, on the other hand, can just stay right there and enjoy your '

separate

ways

.'"

With that, she whisked me away, leaving Cole standing there with a crumpled face.

I couldn't help but chuckled, feeling like I'd just won a small, unexpected victory.

"Come along, dear! Let me show you around our shop," Leanna said cheerfully, guiding me deeper into the store. "I'm sure you'll love our latest arrivals. We always get first pick and limited editions from all the luxury brands."

I hesitated. "Wait . . .

our

shop?"

Leanna turned to me with a bright smile, giving me a once-over as if she was sizing me up. "Oh, didn't Cole tell you?" she said, practically glowing with excitement. "He gave me a call not too long ago to say you were here. I was so thrilled to meet you again! Let's make this a little mother-daughter bonding time, shall we?"

I blinked, completely speechless. Was this why Cole was on his phone earlier?

And just how many businesses do they own? Heck, they probably owned half the brands in my closet without me even knowing!

I felt a sudden urge to escape to a place where their reach couldn't follow.

Maybe I should move to the moon.

I muttered to myself.

But then again, knowing the Fays, they probably had their own luxury colony set up there too. With a shop. And VIP memberships.

Leanna laughed, not knowing my internal monologue, and patted my hand. "Come on, dear, let's find you something nice."

I sighed. Looks like I was going on a shopping spree . . . with the owner's mom.