Contracted By Love: Her Relife Choice

"Bang!"

Angie lifted her head in the cold cell, eyeing the guard who'd tossed a tray of cold food on the floor. She didn't budge.

"Think you're too good for this? Eat it or don't!" The guard stomped in, crushing the food underfoot.

Angie sat in the corner, staring blankly at the ruined meal.

A TV flicked on in the nearby monitoring room:

"SHN Group CEO Charlie has returned to Sea City today-"

"SHN Group, Asia's largest financial enterprise. Charlie took over seven years ago, cementing his position as a business titan..."

Angie's face froze. She rushed to the door, straining to see.

The guard turned, seeing her crouched by the door, gripping the metal bars, eyes glued to the TV.

"What're you gawking at? Think you know him? You're not even fit to shine his shoes!"

Angie lowered her head, a bitter smile in her eyes.

Yes, now she wasn't worthy of shining Charlie's shoes.

Even though this man, now SHN Group CEO, had been her husband a decade ago!

Her own pride and stubbornness, her insistence on divorce, had pushed away the man who'd always cherished her.

For ten years, he'd vanished.

But what had the TV just said?

Charlie was back? From United Kingdom?

Reporters clamored: "Mr. Charlie! We heard you married in United Kingdom two months ago. Is your new wife with you?"

Angie's gaze trembled.

He... was married?

Of course. Even before his current status, he'd been Sea City's most eligible bachelor-devastatingly handsome, one of a kind. How many wealthy girls had lined up to marry him?

He must be happy now.

"Mr. Charlie, you rarely appear in the media. Any comment on SHN Group's current-"

"Is this lady behind you, Mrs. Bennett? She's quite beautiful..."

A sweet voice replied: "Sorry, Mr. Charlie doesn't give interviews. Please move."

Hearing that voice, Angie was thunderstruck.

That voice... her sister Daisy!

Daisy, who'd vanished before the Morrison's family went bankrupt!

Back when she was pushing for divorce, it was this dear sister who'd encouraged her to use unreasonable tactics, even a suicide attempt, to drive Charlie away until they divorced.

Angie laughed, a laugh that made her heartache.

"Since Mr. Charlie won't talk, Mrs. Charlie, could you say something?"

The reporters pressed. Rachel followed close behind Charlie, smiling.

But Charlie spoke, his voice cool: "She is not Mrs. Bennett."

Daisy's smile froze as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

She really wasn't...

The reporters fell silent until someone quietly noted: "I heard Mr. Charlie never remarried after his divorce ten years ago..."

Angie could no longer hear the TV clearly.

A sudden, intense pain in her abdomen made her collapse. It felt like blood was rushing up her throat.

They'd been poisoning her food for three months.

Was this the end?

--------

Hot...

So hot...

As Angie came to, a tearing pain shot through her lower body!

It felt like she'd been violently penetrated!

"Mmph..."

She stiffened in agony, whimpering, but was silenced by a kiss-

When she next awoke, Angie opened her eyes to a crystal chandelier.

The silk sheets beneath her felt like a cloud, unbelievably soft.

Where was this?

She sat up, shocked at her surroundings.

This was Sea City's Royal Garden, her and Charlie's marital home!

How had she gotten here?

Hadn't the Royal Garden been closed for years?

The soreness below reminded her this wasn't a dream. She looked down-her young body was fair and delicate, as if untouched by a decade's hardships. Her bare shoulders and collarbones were covered in intimate marks...

She threw off the covers and rushed to the bathroom, ignoring the discomfort. She stared in the mirror.

Ten years ago, as Sea City's premier socialite, Angie had a face everyone envied-breathtakingly beautiful. Any man who saw her would melt; with just a smile, countless men would have given their lives for her.

Angie gaped at the devastatingly beautiful face in the mirror.

She... had been reborn?!

Before she could recover, the door opened. A sweet voice called hesitantly: "Sis, last night with Charlie..."

Seeing the marks on Angie's body, the voice turned sharp: "You slept together?!"

Angie jolted, turning to see Rachel's upset face.

This scene was so familiar...

She hadn't just been reborn-she'd returned ten years ago! The month before her divorce from Charlie!

Last night had been their first time, six months into marriage!

She'd always resisted this so-called family alliance marriage, selfishly wanting only divorce.

Charlie had always cared about her feelings and never forced her.

In the month before their divorce, he was still enduring all her tantrums. When she said she didn't want to see him, he worked late, either returning after she slept or staying at the office.

And last night... it had been Daisy's idea.

She'd said if they drugged Charlie's drink and found another woman for him, they could force divorce on the grounds of infidelity.

But Charlie wasn't easily fooled. Even at home, he noticed something was wrong with the drink and angrily refused everyone's advances. In a rage, he'd dragged Angie, who was trying to escape, into their bedroom!

That night, Angie saw another side of Charlie for the first time.

He wasn't as gentle as he seemed. He wasn't someone who'd forever indulge her whims. He pinned her to the bed, ignoring her crying and hitting, not only consummating their marriage but keeping her occupied all night!

Memories of last night were vivid in her mind. Angie realized she'd truly been reborn.

She turned to her sister Daisy, who'd taken to staying at Grand Flower mansion since Angie's marriage. Oblivious to the fleeting coolness in Angie's eyes, Daisy whispered, "Though we agreed after Charlie drank that wine, I'd escort him out. But you ended up in his bed instead..."

Angie smiled wryly. "His bed? Isn't this our marital bedroom?"

"I'm worried about you!" Daisy frowned. "Now the plan's ruined. Who knows how long your divorce will be delayed!"

Angie eyed Daisy's sheer top and seductive makeup. "Why so scantily dressed? Luckily, I didn't let Daisy escort him. If anything happened, I couldn't explain it to our family."

"Oh, I..." Daisy hid her guilt. "It was hot last night, so I changed into something lighter."

"Early autumn. That hot?"

"Well... Sister, since the plan failed, why not fake a suicide attempt?" Daisy changed the subject, sensing something off.

"Suicide?" Angie drawled.

Reflecting, Angie realized since her engagement with Charlie, Daisy had changed. She'd whispered dark tales of high-society marriages, using failed examples to frighten the already marriage-averse Angie, making her more reluctant to get close to Charlie...

"How about slitting your wrists? When he sees you'd rather die than stay with him, he might agree to your demands..." Daisy suggested innocently.

"Risky. What if I lose too much blood and no one saves me?" Angie replied coldly.

"Don't worry! Whether Charlie rushes back or not, I'll call a doctor if there's danger!"

Angie stared at Daisy, remembering when she'd actually sl*t her wrists, lying in a bloody bathtub, too weak to get up. Daisy never called a doctor or notified Charlie. If Charlie hadn't suddenly returned home and sensed something wrong, breaking down the door to pull her out, Angie might not have lived to see their divorce.

With a detached smile, Angie said lazily, "I'll think about it. Didn't sleep last night and want to rest now."

Hearing Angie hadn't slept, Daisy hid her jealousy. "Well... think it through. I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, I won't see you outside."

Angie watched Daisy leave. The room fell silent.

She turned to the marital bedroom etched in her memories. Her hand caressed the soft bedding, still holding Charlie's warmth.

Everything could start anew.

Did she still want a divorce?

Of course not!

In her past life, naive and manipulated, she'd lost her marriage, her father, everything, and been wrongly imprisoned.

In this life, she'd be Charlie's wife forever, reclaiming her dignity and everything rightfully hers. Never manipulated again!

But now, the biggest challenge-

She remembered in her previous life, after last night, Charlie rarely returned to the Flower Garden. She last saw him the day she woke after her suicide attempt. He'd left divorce papers by her bedside as she'd wished, promising to leave her world forever.

That cold, distant expression is still etched in her memory.

Angie raised her hand to her forehead.

Charlie was extremely – boundlessly doting when he loved, an impenetrable iceberg when cold.

How could she coax Charlie back?

---

In the evening, Executive Assistant Anson saw Angie at the company and greeted her.

"Miss Angie, what brings you here?"

Angie didn't correct his address, considering she'd insisted no one call her Mrs. Bennett before.

She looked around. "Is he in the office?"

Anson knew she meant CEO Charlie but wasn't sure if this troublemaker had come to create problems...

"CEO Charlie's in a meeting. It should be over in about an hour."

"Fine, I'll wait upstairs."

Led to the CEO's office, Angie thanked Anson and entered alone.

An extremely modern office – spacious, comfortable, with simple yet luxurious decor. Most striking was the 270-degree floor-to-ceiling window flooding the room with light.

Charlie hadn't yet taken over the family business or become Shn Group's CEO.

He'd established this tech company a few years ago, monopolizing the country's internet technology resources in just three years. From an initial $50 million investment, the company is now valued at $2 billion.

Charlie was already renowned in business as Dawn Corporation's CEO. Hard to imagine how he'd dominate the business world four years later as Shn Group's global regional CEO.

Angie waited nearly an hour, with no sign of Charlie.

She hadn't rested much last night and spent the day processing her rebirth. Now her eyelids are feeling heavy...

When Charlie returned, this scene greeted him.

Angie lay on the black leather sofa in a black leather dress, eyes closed. Her fair, serene face looked tempting in the dim office light.

Sensing his gaze, Angie alertly opened her eyes, falling into dark, fathomless eyes deep as the night sea.

She sat up, raising her eyes to the man standing impassively.

He was just as she remembered – tall, straight, in an exquisite suit and shirt, long legs perfectly encased in trousers, flawless physique, strikingly handsome features.

"You're back..." Angie stood.

"Mm," Charlie responded coolly, walking to his desk. Without hesitation, Angie hurried after him, instinctively linking her arm through his.

This action made Charlie pause and embarrassed Angie. She didn't know whether to withdraw her hand or leave it...

She'd never been so forward before.

Charlie looked at her snow-white hand in the crook of his arm. He slowly but firmly extracted his arm, his voice cool and clear as a mountain spring: "Do you need something?"