After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's Aunt-in-Law

Zoe was having a profound, out-of-body experience by the vending machines in the VIP wing lounge.

She aggressively shoved a crumpled five-dollar bill into the machine, her hands shaking slightly. She hit the button for a Dasani with the force of a woman trying to punch her way out of an alternate dimension.

The plastic bottle clunked into the tray. Zoe snatched it, twisted the cap off, and began gulping the water down as if it could physically drown the memory of the last five minutes.

She was barefoot. Her toes were smeared with literal river mud. She was drowning in Kai Vane’s ridiculously expensive, heavily studded Saint Laurent jacket, which smelled intoxicatingly like his cologne. And she had just sprinted away from four of the most terrifyingly attractive, insanely wealthy men in the hemisphere.

”I need to move to the woods,” Zoe muttered to herself, staring blankly at the swirling coils of the vending machine. ”I need to become a moss-gathering hermit. I can never show my face in society again.”

”Excuse me? Are you Zoe Chen?”

Zoe jumped out of her skin.

She inhaled sharply, sending a massive gulp of Dasani straight down the wrong pipe. She hunched over, coughing violently, clutching her chest as her lungs fought for air.

”Oh my god, I am so sorry!” the voice squeaked in a panic.

A hand gently patted Zoe’s back.

Zoe held up a finger, wheezing as she forced her airway to clear. She wiped her watering eyes and turned around, fully prepared to glare at whichever nurse had sneaked up on her.

It wasn’t a nurse.

Standing behind her was a young woman with a neat, shoulder-length bob, wearing a sensible navy blazer and a very apologetic expression.

”I didn’t mean to startle you,” the woman said, wringing her hands. ”I just... I recognized you from your videos.”

Zoe paused, her coughing fit subsiding.

”My videos?” Zoe squeaked, clearing her throat to find her normal, professional register.

”Yes! I follow you on social media,” the woman smiled, her shoulders dropping in relief when Zoe didn’t yell at her. ”I’m Jade. Leo’s sister? The actor?”

”Oh!” Zoe’s defensive walls collapsed entirely. She beamed. ”Leo’s sister! Yes, of course. I love meeting a fan. You scared the life out of me, but we love a dedicated follower.”

”Your makeup tutorials are literally my holy grail,” Jade gushed, stepping closer. ”I’ve been trying to nail that subtle graphic liner you posted last week, but my eyes are hooded, and it always smudges.”

Zoe gasped, entirely in her element. She forgot she was barefoot. She forgot she was muddy. She shifted into full influencer mode, her eyes darting over Jade’s face with clinical precision.

”Okay, first of all, hooded eyes are a blessing, not a curse,” Zoe diagnosed, pointing a manicured finger at Jade’s eyelids. ”You just need to angle the wing while your eye is open. Never close it when you draw. And honestly? We need to talk about your blush.”

Jade blinked, touching her cheek self-consciously. ”My blush?”

”You’re wearing a warm peach,” Zoe said, shaking her head tragically. ”But your skin has strict, cool olive undertones. The peach is making you look a little washed out. We need to get you into a deep berry tint immediately. It will make your bone structure pop.”

”A berry tint,” Jade murmured, looking genuinely amazed. ”I never would have thought of that. You’re a genius.”

”I have my moments,” Zoe grinned, leaning against the vending machine.

”By the way,” Jade said, her voice dropping into a casual, conversational hum as she adjusted the sleeve of her blazer. ”How is Aria doing?”

Zoe’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

’How does she know Aria is here?’ Zoe thought. Damien had locked the hospital down. He had pulled strings to ensure there were no press leaks about the bridge incident. It was supposed to be a total blackout.

”I heard she was almost kidnapped?” Jade continued, her eyes wide with sympathetic horror. ”And tossed from a bridge? I saw it trending on TikTok about an hour ago.”

Zoe internally groaned.

’Of course TikTok found out,’ Zoe cursed mentally. ’The vultures are always faster than the PR strategy. I bet some guy on the bridge had a dashcam. I’m going to have to draft a statement by morning.’

”Oh,” Zoe laughed, rolling her eyes with expertly crafted dismissiveness. She told her what Kai told her. ”It wasn’t a kidnapping, really. It was just a couple of obsessed fanboys who got way too aggressive trying to get a photo. Security handled it, but things got a little messy.”

”Obsessed fanboys?” Jade repeated. She tilted her head. ”That’s terrifying.”

”Tell me about it,” Zoe sighed. ”Fame is a nightmare.”

”I actually met Aria earlier today,” Jade smiled softly, looking down at her shoes. ”At Sinclair Headquarters. She was so nice to me. She even promised to take me out for tea.”

Jade looked back up, her eyes shining with genuine, sweet sorrow.

”It’s a shame such bad things happen to good people.”

”Well, she’s a fighter,” Zoe said, waving a hand. ”She’s going to be just fine.”

”I’m so glad,” Jade breathed. ”Do you think... do you think I could peek in and see her? Just for a second? Just to wish her well?”

”Oh, no,” Zoe hummed, an awkward, polite look settling on her face as she shut the request down hard. ”It really wouldn’t be appropriate right now, Jade. She’s resting. Deep sleep.”

Zoe leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially.

”Plus, her husband is standing right outside her door. And let me tell you, Mr. Sinclair is on an absolute warpath right now. I literally ran away to hide by this vending machine because he’s so intense. I do not want to get caught in that crossfire, and neither do you.”

Jade’s eyes widened to comical proportions.

”Mr. Sinclair is here?” she gasped.

Then, she smacked a hand over her own face, letting out a bright, melodic laugh at her own stupidity.

”Oh my god, I’m an idiot. Of course he’s here. He’s her husband.” Jade shook her head. ”You’re right. He is really scary. I wouldn’t want to bother him either.”

Zoe chuckled. ”Exactly. Self-preservation is key.”

”I totally understand,” Jade smiled warmly. ”Please tell her I hope she gets well soon. Leo and I are staying at the Sinclair Tower hotel right now while our apartment is under renovation, so maybe we can do that tea when she’s fully recovered.”

”I’ll pass the message along,” Zoe promised. ”Wait, did you come here to see Aria?”

”No,” Jade shook her head, a small, polite smile returning to her lips as she took a step backward. ”I’m just here to see a relative. I should probably get back to them, actually.”

She gave Zoe a friendly little wave.

”It was so nice meeting you, Zoe! Seriously, I’m buying a berry blush tomorrow!”

”Sephora aisle four!” Zoe called back, waving her water bottle. ”Bye, Jade!”

Zoe watched the girl in the navy blazer walk away, feeling significantly better.