Chapter 3

With lightning reflexes, Tyler held the elevator door before the closing mechanism clamped shut on Kelsey’s arm.

His gesture gave Kelsey renewed hope.

She knew he still cared about her.

In her last life, Tyler was the devil incarnate to the public, but he always had a soft spot for her.

“What do you want, Kelsey?” Pinning her against the elevator wall, Tyler questioned brutally.

He had already given her what she wanted and promised to stay away. Apparently, that was not enough.

Tyler wondered what it would take to finally please her.

Kelsey looked up and took in his furious grimace, his teeth bare and gritted.

She asked, “Do you want to marry me?”

Tyler was taken aback at first, but his flawless face soon scowled.

The damn woman knew exactly what buttons to push.

“It’s my birthday next month,” without much explanation to offer, Kelsey merely looked at him and said.

“If you want to marry me, pop the question at my birthday party.”

Tyler’s eyes lit up, but the sparkle swiftly dimmed.

“And?” He mocked curtly, “Are you going to turn me down in public?”

He was numb from her countless rejections.

Aware of his heart’s innermost desire, Kelsey would often dangle the promise of wedding bells in front of him.

However, without exception, she would change her mind the moment he pulled Cooper out of the gutter.

“It’s real this time. I’ll marry you if you propose,” Kelsey assured, looking him in the eye.

She knew she had lost all credibility with Tyler.

Kelsey could understand why he would not trust her.

Nevertheless, she wanted a fighting chance for them.

Tyler fixated on her, his eyes reflecting iciness. “Are you trying to toy with me again?”

His angry voice bore a subtle trace of hurt.

“I told you that it’s real this time.” Kelsey carried determination in her eyes.

Tyler was one step away from believing her.

The next minute, she said, “I only need you to do one thing for me.”

That was a rude awakening for Tyler.

He smirked tauntingly.

Tyler was mad at himself for expecting anything from her.

“What is it? Tell me.”

Tyler was upset. However, he relented when he met Kelsey’s clear eyes.

“It will be the last thing I’ll do for you.”

It was a reminder to her and himself.

Tyler had told her the same before, and now he was repeating himself.

Goddamnit. He could not say no to Kelsey.

Kelsey lifted her chin. “I want you to break it off with all the other women.”

Tyler was shocked, and it showed in his face.

It never occurred to him that this was the last thing she expected of him.

Narrowing his eyes, he stared intently at Kelsey.

For some reason, he sensed there was something different about her today.

“Are you sure you’re thinking straight?” Tyler asked.

Surely, she should understand the significance behind what she was asking him of.

Besides, Kelsey never cared who he was with.

Kelsey answered calmly, “Yes, my mind has never been clearer. That’s unless, of course, you don’t want to marry me.”

While Cooper did mislead Kelsey to resent Tyler in her previous life, she was also repulsed by Tyler’s promiscuous lifestyle.

Tyler, a notorious ladies’ man in Abervale, was a staple in the tabloids for having his arm around a new woman now and then.

Yet, the playboy claimed to love her.

Either way, Kelsey was skeptical about his feelings for her.

After her encounter with death, Kelsey had a close look at many people and things.

Maybe Tyler was not really a womanizer.

Now that Kelsey thought about it, Tyler often got together with women who shared some sort of resemblance to her.

In other words, he was searching for pieces of her.

Besides, he never touched these women.

Tyler’s gaze fixated on her as he tried to detect any trace of lies from her expression.

However, Kelsey had never been so composed.

She did not look like she was lying at all.

Tyler fell silent.

It took him seconds to digest her out-of-character statement.

He loomed over her, sizing her up in a close distance. His towering presence was rather overwhelming.

“Are you really going to marry me if I propose?”

Kelsey pursed her lips before meeting his dark eyes.

“Unless, of course, you’re too chicken to be at my party.”

She had every intention of getting under his skin.

Without a word, Tyler’s face inched closer to hers.

His breath and scent tickled her face, coming in hot and heavy.

He asked, “What are you planning to do with Cooper?”

“It’s over between us,” Kelsey blurted.

She could care less about the cheating dirtbag.

Though he heard her loud and clear, Tyler still did not believe her. “Are you breaking up with him?”

Kelsey raised her brow and smiled at him. “You’ll find out when you attend my birthday party.”

In her previous life, Cooper’s marriage proposal was a success at her birthday celebration.

This time, Kelsey wanted to get even at the party.

A breakup was not the only thing on the cards. Kelsey planned to turn Cooper down and accept the ring from his arch-nemesis instead.

Tyler stared at her silently for a long time.

He could not shake off the feeling she had changed.

Tyler could not decide whether Kelsey had figured Cooper out or simply lost her mind.

Just then, the elevator door opened.

They had reached the basement parking lot.

“Mr. Lang.” Tyler’s assistant, Shawn Lewis, waited by the elevator for his arrival.

However, Shawn was taken aback by the sight of Tyler pinning a woman against the wall of the elevator.

Still, Shawn was no longer surprised once he got a good look at the woman. She was Kelsey.

To Tyler, Kelsey was the one that got away.

“Get lost,” Tyler shouted, his chilling eyes darting at Shawn.

Shawn shuddered and darted back, realizing he had barged in on his employer in the middle of a private moment.

Tyler carried Kelsey and strode out of the elevator.

“Let go of me!” Kelsey struggled in his arms.

Tyler’s grip tightened on her waist.

“You’re dropping the act so soon.”

Kelsey shook her head. “I just want to go home. That’s all.”

Tyler clenched his jawline at the mention of her leaving him.

His Rolls Royce was parked right outside the elevator, and the chauffeur respectfully opened the door to the back seat for them.

Tyler held Kelsey in his arms and sat in the back, her body close to his chest and his chin on her head.

“If you lie to me again…” He leaned in her ear and warned, “I’ll—”