Chapter 2 – Reborn

Maeve’s eyes opened, as she gasped for air. Where was she? Was it true that there was life after death? Then why did her surroundings look familiar? Oh, she was in her room.

Strangely, she did not feel the pain from before. What a bad dream or was it a nightmare? Then how could it be so real? She was confused. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a maid entered after.

“Ma’am, Mr. Gabriel Scott signed the divorce papers.”

Maeve was in a trance. Those words sounded familiar, like she had heard them before and she recalled being so happy but now, she was soulless and the realization drove her crazy.

The universe heard her cry and gave her a second chance and she couldn’t ask for more, but this was not good timing. Gabriel already signed the divorce papers. The man who she thought was an enemy to her was the one who truly loved her.

Instinctively, she held her belly. It was flat, as if the nine months heavy pregnancy she carried before, never existed.

Even though she had already divorced Gabriel Scott, she had hope. He still watched over her after the divorce and still loved her. At the very last moment in her past life, he had confessed that he loved her.

‘I promise I will love you properly and hold you tight,’ she vowed in her heart, a drop of a tear rolling down her cheek.

She run her fingers through her hair, catching sight of the diamond ring Dylan Grayson gave her for their engagement.

They would have been married a month ago if not for Gabriel’s refusal to initially sign the divorce papers. Maeve was so furious, she had dragged him to the sewage and thrown in the ring he bought for her, going on to accept Dylan’s proposal.

How she wished he had not signed the divorce papers but recalling the embarrassment she caused him in his office and among his workers, she was ashamed and could not blame him.

She held either side of the engagement ring with her two fingers, ready to pull it off but realizing that it would only mean trouble.

Sandra mentioned the people she worked with, saying that the list was endless. If she called off the engagement now, she worried her loved ones would be hurt.

“Ma’am, are you alright?”

Hannah her personal maid, was confused by Maeve’s dazedness. Maeve was always accompanied by a beam every morning. This was the first time she was looking like a lost child without even caring about her disheveled hair.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”

Maeve’s politeness surprised her. She was always rude to her since Hannah didn’t like Dylan and wasn’t nice to him. She also knew that Nancy, the chief maid was a good friend of Dylan, for which reason she worked cautiously since the woman had always insisted that Maeve fired Hannah since she was not on her team.

Hannah was recruited by Maeve’s father under Gabriel’s suggestion.

Maeve had even asked her father for another maid but Hannah had pleaded with her, enduring her insolence.

Maeve took the divorce certificate from her.

“You can go,” she said, but the maid was reluctant so she asked,

“Is there anything else?”

“Mr. Dylan Grayson is downstairs. He wants to see you but your dad is in his room. He also wants to see you. Your dad has a fever,” Hannah veiled, knowing that Maeve would choose Dylan over her father at any time.

Maeve’s heart walloped and she bit her lips. Her father was still alive?

She had always been a wayward child of her parents. When her dad tried to get her married to Gabriel, she was so mad she had refused to talk to him anymore. Maeve’s heart stung when Dylan’s words made her realize that her choice had actually caused the death of her parents.

“What about Mom?”

“She went to the office early,” Hannah responded with raised brows. Mrs. Cambridge was always the first to leave the house and Maeve knew that. She would have run downstairs to meet Dylan already but was still speaking as if she was a different person who actually cared about her parents.

‘No need to pretend miss,’ the maid rolled her eyes but Maeve did not see.

Maeve Cambridge’s heart leaped with joy. This news was exciting. She was just realizing that she had gone back three years in time and she was determined to get Gabriel Scott to marry her again. Right now, she was dying to just catch a glimpse of him but with a villain waiting downstairs, she had to calm down and use her brain.

“I will see Dad first, thank you.”

She already knew what her dad was going to say, for which reason she was eager.

The maid was shocked. No one in the Cambridge family liked Dylan Grayson except Maeve Cambridge and she had always prioritized him over everyone else. With a shrug, she walked out.

Maeve checked her appearance in the mirror and found herself looking exhausted and terrible. She remembered how Dylan encouraged her to drink as much as she wanted during his birthday party. She passed out from drinking so much and had no idea about how she got into her bed.

She remembered being upset when she didn’t find him when she woke up in her last life, and now she knew where he must be. ‘Disgusting,’ She thought sarcastically.

After having a quick shower and putting on her work clothes with the same eagerness, she hastened to her father’s room after putting on a little makeup.

“Father, how are you faring?”

Maeve sat at the edge of her father’s bed, worry soaking her eyes, her fingers pressed against his forehead to check his temperature. Reginald, her father raised his brows.

He did not believe that Maeve would come to see him when the maid had said before that Dylan was downstairs.

Whatever must have happened for Maeve to even spare him a smile, he wanted to keep it that way. Since he tricked her into signing the marriage certificate and sent her to Gabriel’s room after, his daughter showed nothing but resentment towards him.

Back then, she regretted trusting him blindly when he said he had a surprise for her but she had to sign a document first before she could see it…

He blindfolded her for the said suprise and after she signed the document, with the same blindfold, she was met with total darkness after removing blindfold.

Switching on the lights in expectation of her surprise, Gabriel was sleeping on the bed but woke up to the brightness of the light. That was when all hell was let loose.

“Pumpkin, I heard you drank too much last night.” Worry laced his voice and Maeve was regretful,

“I’m sorry dad, I will behave next time.”

“You said sorry?”

Reginald felt as if his fever disappeared and he began sweating in the AC room from instant recovery. Maeve’s brows creased with worry,

“Father, are you feeling well?”

Having her care for him like this, Reginald could not help being selfish.

“Not too good. The doctor said I’ll be fine but I called Gabriel to approve some documents for Dylan at the office. They have been sent to his email and I also thought you could learn a few things from him. Don’t get me wrong, I know that Dylan is capable but Gabriel knows better-”

“No need to explain Dad. I will meet Gabriel at his office.”

Maeve understood the stun on her father’s face. In her former life, she had refused this opportunity, calling Gabriel names. Her father had no choice but to threaten to disown her, and Maeve accepted. It was not Reginald’s intention, but Maeve had been avoiding him since them.

In the end, she learnt it the hard way that she was only a tool of Dylan to destroy Gabriel’s business and she had paid with her parents’ lives and her own for the lesson. Now, her only intention was to save everything.

“I will get Doctor Sanders to check on you whilst I’m at it,” Maeve smiled and said, while adjusting the air conditioner from the way her father was sweating like a fish out of water.

Doctor Sanders was Gabriel’s family doctor, for which reason her father was hit by another stun.

Maeve had only trusted doctor Flint but now, she knew that that man was nothing but scum and she was going to deal with him as well.

“Doctor Sanders?”

Maeve smiled, “You always said he was the best. See you later, father.” She kissed him on the cheek and left. She was afraid of not being able to hold up her tears and make her father suspicious.

“Maeve, what a pleasure to see that you are fine.”

Dylan hastened towards her, encircling his arms around her.

Maeve ground her teeth together with contempt, enduring being in the arms of a turncoat. The last time she was held in his arms she was so happy but now, she only feels disgusted and wants to run away.

“Too tight,” she said and pulled away before crafting a smile, “much better but I have to leave for the office.”

“It’s the reason why I’m here. Your father left me in charge but also authorized the scumbag to scrutinize everything I request. Can you believe that I have to email everything to him and wait for his approval before getting anything done?”

Dylan frowned with disgust layered on his average face, which at first, Maeve thought to be the most handsome. Now she wondered if her vision was impaired back then.

Maeve’s crafted smile changed into a bitter one. Dylan was not there to check on her as he addressed earlier after forcing her to drink so much at his birthday party. Right now, Maeve was so eager to see Gabriel, she quickly crafted a good excuse.

“Father is not feeling well right now so, it’s not a good time to point out his mistakes to him. Tell you what, I will go to Gabriel and teach him a lesson. How does that sound?” She faked a perfect smile which made Dylan grin,

“That’s why I love you.”

Maeve was relieved, feeling like she escaped but by the time she reached the door, Dylan spoke,

“Vincent Thomas is waiting in the car. He will take you to the scum.”

The smile on Maeve’s face was frozen as she recalled that her bodyguard and driver, Vincent, was Dylan’s spy.