Reborn: A Battle of Wits with the Phoenix Male

Finley-in-law, Finley Lawson, had been frail since childhood.

Because of this, my mother-in-law, Maria Lawson, wanted me to give him my placenta to eat.

I thought it was superstitious nonsense and worried it would harm him.

So, I threw the placenta away.

Later, Finley's health didn't improve.

Every time he coughed, Maria would say, "It's because Zoe didn't want you to get better. She threw away the placenta without permission, ruining your chance."

He grew to resent me and conspired with my husband and mother-in-law to steal my assets, leaving me penniless and leading to my tragic death.

When I was reborn, I returned to the day when Maria first asked for the placenta.

This time, I said, "Mom, you can have it."

...

I had returned to the day Maria asked for my placenta.

Fresh from giving birth, I gazed at my newborn daughter, whose face was chubby.

Tears streamed down my cheeks.

I remembered my past life, where, on my deathbed, I had begged to see her one last time.

But the Lawsons had driven me away with brooms.

Corey Lawson, my husband, saw me crying and pulled me into his arms.

He said, "Sweetheart, you've been through so much."

I looked up at him, this man who seemed so caring and kind.

But all I felt was disgust.

In my past life, he had used my pregnancy as an excuse to take over my company.

I had thought his concern was genuine, but he was nothing more than a scheming opportunist.

He had coveted my company from the start.

Just then, Maria came bustling in with a smile. She had heard the baby was a girl.

Without a glance at the child, she came straight to my bedside.

She said, "Zoe, dear, I heard from your aunt that if sick people eat a placenta, they can recover from all sorts of ailments. You know Finley's been weak since childhood. So..."

She smiled as she tugged at Corey's sleeve.

Corey chimed in, "Yeah, Zoe, mom's right. Why don't you just give it to her?"

I didn't even look at him.

Instead, I turned to Maria and smiled.

I said, "Mom, feel free to take it.

"If it's good for Finley, I'm more than happy to help."

As soon as I agreed, Maria's face lit up with excitement.

She said, "Oh, wonderful. Zoe, thank you so much."

Her loud voice scared the baby, who began wailing.

I frowned and shot a sharp look at Maria.

I picked up my daughter and gently soothed her.

I said, "There, there, I've got you. Don't cry, Joyce."

In this new life, I was determined to gain full custody of Joyce.

A month later, after recovering my health at the hospital, I returned home.

I heard that after Finley ate the placenta, he developed a high fever not long after.

That very night, he was rushed to the hospital.

Maria was worried.

When Finley woke up, he blamed his fever on Maria, accusing her of feeding him something unclean.

As a result, they didn't speak for nearly two weeks.

"Be careful, Zoe."

Corey smiled as he helped me sit on the sofa.

During my recovery in the hospital, he had been the model husband, tending to my every need.

The other new mothers in the ward often commented on how lucky I was to have such a thoughtful husband.

I would smile faintly whenever they said that, but I never responded.

"Here, honey, let me put a pillow behind your back so you're more comfortable," he said, fetching a pillow from the bedroom.

I caught his hand and smiled.

I said, "No need, I'm not that delicate.

"By the way, how's the company doing? Have the staff been slacking off while I've been away?"

At the mention of the company, his face stiffened. He pulled his hand away and busied himself with the pillow.

He replied, "Everything's fine. The team's been handling things well in your absence. Don't worry about it."

I said, "That's good to hear. You've been working so hard, taking care of me and the baby while also managing the company. Maybe I should let Quinn handle the business, so you don't have to run back and forth all the time."

I smiled at him, watching as his expression grew increasingly strained.

Corey was a terrible actor.

In the past, I had genuinely loved him, choosing to deceive myself and ignore the red flags.

But after everything I'd been through in my previous life, I had woken up.

Since my rebirth, I couldn't stand his touch. Whenever he tried to initiate intimacy, I'd reject him, citing my poor health.

He said, "It's okay. Taking care of you two is the happiest part of my life. And as for the company, I'll keep it in good shape. Quinn may have worked with you for three years, but he's not family."

He looked at me with a gaze filled with fake affection, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Sure, whatever you say, dear."

"Good."

Relieved that I didn't press further, Corey exhaled and gently patted my head.

He said, "By the way, Finley's getting married soon. His fiancé is asking for a house and a car. You know his health isn't great."

I replied, "I understand, Corey. Since we're married, your brother is mine too. You handle whatever needs to be done."

Overjoyed by my quick agreement, Corey pulled me into his arms.

He said, "Zoe, thank you. Marrying you is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

...

These past few days, Corey had been overwhelmed, running around trying to deal with Finley's affairs.

I took this chance, right when he had let his guard down.

I called an emergency board meeting and announced my decision to come back to the company.

The moment Corey heard the news, he rushed over in a fury.

"Zoe, why did you do this?" he shouted the moment he walked through the door.

His face was flushed with anger as he continued, "Didn't we agree before that I'd run the company? Don't you remember?"

I gestured to my assistant to close the office door.

I said, "Oh honey, don't get mad. Didn't you always say Quinn wasn't really one of us? So, I just took things into my own hands.

He said, "I was just worried about your health."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I cautiously walked toward him, tugging lightly at his sleeve.

Corey's annoyance only deepened when he saw me cry.

He sulked, "But you can't just make decisions behind my back like that. How do you think this makes me look to everyone at the company?"

"It's all my fault, okay? Don't be angry," I cooed, gently patting his back.

"I just saw how stressed you've been lately with Finley's wedding and didn't want to add more to your plate. I did this for you.

"By the way, I heard the bride's happy with the new house," I added quickly. "I even bought her some gifts last week. Why don't you take them over to her later?"

Mentioning the house and the gifts finally eased the tension on his face.

After all, I had paid for everything for Finley's wedding. For that, at least, Corey was grateful to me.

"Okay," he said. "I've got other things to take care of, so I'm heading out."

"Drive safe," I said.

As soon as he was gone, I had my assistant bring me the personnel files from the last few months.

I marked down three key targets and a handful of smaller pawns.

In just one month, I'd uproot them all.

As the founder of the company, I knew better than anyone how ruthless the business world could be.

I had just been blinded by love.

Once I cleared out all of Corey's people from the company, I'd be halfway to success.

After finishing up at work, I headed home.

Corey had prepared a lovely meal for me.

He had grown up in hardship, learning early on how to please people and win a woman's heart.

He said, "You're back. Quick, just go sit down in the dining room. I've got one last dish to finish. Don't come into the kitchen. I don't want the smoke to bother you."

I leaned against the wall, watching him with my arms crossed.

"Alright, but don't wear yourself out."

"Okay."

As I watched his busy figure, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

Finley had always been the center of their family's attention.

Corey became the family's workhorse.

He did everything while Finley sat idle. The slightest cough from Finley would send their parents rushing him to the hospital.

When Corey had a high fever, his parents were off at the amusement park with Finley.

To get his parents' attention, Corey had to believe that if he treated Finley well, his parents would treat him better too.

He said, "All done. Here, honey, taste this. I went to the market today and got you fresh fish.

"You've been craving it for a while, right? After I finished dealing with Finley's stuff, I went out and bought it for you."

I stared at him, a bitter feeling rising in my chest.

Seeing my expression, Corey quickly came over and hugged me.

He asked, "What's wrong? Are you still upset about what I said at the company today?

"After I came home, I realized I was too harsh. I'm sorry, Zoe. I lost my temper. If you're still mad, you can punch me."

He took my hand and pressed it to his chest.

I quickly pulled my hand back.

I said, "What are you talking about? It's not a big deal. I don't blame you."

"You're the best, Zoe," he smiled, kissing me on the cheek.

Then he hurried back to ladle me a bowl of fish soup.

He said, "Here, drink up. You just had the baby, and fish soup is good for your recovery."

"Okay," I replied.

I took the bowl, blew gently on the surface, and, with slightly reddened eyes, drank the soup down to the last drop.

Later that night, Corey slept soundly beside me.

I looked at him, and my mind wandered.

I thought about the trouble caused by Finley and Maria in my last life.

If they had treated Corey the way they treated Finley, maybe he wouldn't have turned out like this.

Maybe we really could've grown old together.

A tear slipped down my cheek and soaked into the pillow.

A month later, I cleaned out the company, eliminating all the troublemakers.

Just as I was about to draft the divorce papers, fate played another cruel joke on me.

"Zoe, here's our divorce agreement. Take a look."

Corey tossed the papers onto the bed as soon as he walked in.

I was puzzled. In my past life, he didn't ask for a divorce until four months later.

Panic surged through me as I grabbed the papers and flipped them open.

They were identical to the ones from before.

In shock, I checked the company's ownership on my phone.

My hands trembled as the information loaded.

Every single one of my shares had been transferred to Corey.

I stared at him in disbelief.

He smiled, ever so slightly.

He said, "Zoe, thank you for giving me such a lovely daughter and for buying Finley a car and a house.

"I'm really grateful for all of it. But now it's time for you to step aside as the hostess of the Lawson family."

The words were the same as in my previous life. I broke down.

I wondered what had gone wrong.

I had removed every threat from the company.

I had checked everything so carefully.

Suddenly, it hit me.

There was one person I had forgotten.

It had to be him.