After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's Aunt-in-Law-Chapter 111: Conspiracy Theories and Death

The Sinclair Penthouse smelled of acai bowls and expensive gossip.

Damien had left for the office hours ago, leaving the space to the girls. Aria was sprawled on the oversized white sofa, wearing a silk robe and a sheet mask that made her look like a serial killer in spa mode. Zoe was pacing the living room, holding a half-eaten croissant and looking like she was about to crack a government code.

"I’m telling you, Aria, I’m being gang-stalked," Zoe insisted, pointing a crumb-covered finger at the window. "Yesterday, I was at Starbucks, and this guy in a windbreaker watched me order. He didn’t even buy a coffee! He just stood there, looking at the menu like he was memorizing the calorie count of a cake pop."

Aria peeled the mask off her chin to take a sip of her smoothie. "Maybe he was just indecisive, Zoe. You know how the menu is."

"No!" Zoe waved her croissant. "And then, when I went to the pharmacy? There was another guy. Different guy, same vibe. Just... hovering near the vitamins. Who hovers near vitamins? You either have scurvy or you don’t!"

Aria suppressed a smile. She knew exactly who the "hoverers" were. Damien’s security team. They were clearly taking the "keep her safe" instruction very literally, even if their stealth skills needed work.

"You’re just paranoid because of the movie," Aria soothed, patting the cushion next to her. "Come sit down."

Zoe flopped onto the sofa with a dramatic sigh. "I’m not paranoid. I’m observant. And lonely. Maybe the stalkers are my only fans."

She pulled out her phone, scrolling through Twitter.

"Speaking of fans," Zoe said, her mood brightening instantly. "Have you seen the analytics from your ’MTV Cribs’ stream? The internet has decided Damien is a 500-year-old Vampire Lord and you are his willing human sacrifice."

She turned the screen to Aria.

A piece of fan art showed Damien with glowing red eyes, holding Aria in the neon dress like a doll.

Caption: He def drinks her blood. #TheKingsMark #VampireHusband

Aria laughed. "Close enough. He certainly bit me enough times."

"Ew," Zoe wrinkled her nose. "Don’t give me details. I’m single, bitter, and dry as a desert. Look at this."

Zoe opened a dating app and started swiping aggressively.

"Left. He’s holding a fish. Why do men think dead animals are an aphrodisiac?"

"Left," Aria agreed, leaning over to look. "His bio just says ’Alpha Male’. That’s a restraining order waiting to happen."

"Left. He’s wearing sunglasses indoors. Left. He has a quote from The Joker. Left. He’s married."

Zoe groaned, tossing the phone onto the cushion.

"It’s a wasteland, Aria. It’s just fish and red flags. There are creeps outside my window, but there are even more on the internet."

"We’ll fix that," Aria promised, peeling the mask off completely and tossing it into the trash. "This weekend. We’re going to the club. No husbands. No security details. Just us, tequila, and the hunt for a human man who doesn’t own a fishing rod."

"Promise?" Zoe asked, eyes wide.

"Promise. I’ll even wear something that won’t get me arrested for public indecency. Maybe."

"Don’t lie to me," Zoe smirked. "I know your wardrobe."

Zoe sat up, shaking off the funk. "Okay. Enough about my tragic love life. We have work to do. The finale filming is tomorrow. Did you memorize the death scene?"

Aria’s expression shifted. The playful light in her eyes dimmed, replaced by something colder, heavier.

"I know it," she said quietly.

"Let’s run it," Zoe suggested, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl. "I’ll be the assassin. This banana is a poison dagger. Go."

Zoe stood up, brandishing the banana with theatrical menace. " ’Consort Li! Your reign of terror ends here! The Emperor has decreed your death!’ "

Aria didn’t stand up. She didn’t shout. She simply slumped slightly against the cushions, her posture losing its regal strength. She looked at the banana, then up at Zoe.

Her eyes were dead.

" ’The Emperor?’ " Aria whispered, her voice hollow. " ’Or did he just... let go?’ "

Zoe faltered. " ’Uh... he... he signed the order! Drink the tea!’ "

Aria let out a breath. It was a sound of absolute, crushing defeat. It wasn’t the death of a villain; it was the death of a woman who had realized she was never loved at all.

" ’I don’t need the tea,’ " Aria said, her voice barely audible. " ’I died the moment he looked away.’ "

She closed her eyes, her hand falling limp off the sofa arm.

The room was silent.

Zoe stared at her. The banana lowered. Tears welled up in Zoe’s eyes.

"Stop," Zoe sniffed, wiping her face. "You’re doing it again. You’re making me cry with a banana in my hand."

Aria opened her eyes, the life returning to them instantly. "Too much?"

"It’s too sad!" Zoe wailed, sitting back down. "Why does she have to die alone? Can’t she, like, stab the assassin and run away to a farm?"

"It’s a tragedy, Zoe," Aria said gently. "She chose power over love. This is the price. She dies alone so the Emperor can live with his guilt. It’s the perfect revenge."

"It’s brutal," Zoe argued. "I want a refund on her life."

"Don’t we all," Aria murmured, looking out the window at the city skyline.

She thought of her own past life—dying alone in a cold room, abandoned by everyone. She had lived Consort Li’s ending once. She wasn’t going to live it again.

"But hey," Aria said, turning back to Zoe with a bright, sharp smile. "At least I look good doing it. Did you see the costume for the death scene? It’s white silk. Very ghostly."

"You’re sick," Zoe laughed, though she looked relieved the mood had shifted. "You’re twisted. I love you."

"I love you too," Aria said. "Now, help me pick an outfit for the club. If I’m going to be a corpse on screen tomorrow, I want to be a party girl on Saturday."