The Billionaires Secret A Second Chance Mafia Romance

Phoenix Rising: The Scarred Heiress's Revenge

Xiao Hong Mao

I lived as the "scarred ghost" of the Stephens penthouse, a wife kept in the shadows because my facial burns offended my billionaire husband’s aesthetic. For years, I endured Kason’s coldness and my family's abuse, a submissive puppet who believed she had nowhere else to go. The end came with a blue folder tossed onto my silk sheets. Kason’s mistress was back, and he wanted me out by sunset, offering a five-million-dollar "silence fee" to go hide my face in the countryside. The betrayal cut deep when I discovered my father had already traded my divorce for a corporate bailout. My step-sister mocked my "trashy" appearance at a high-end boutique, while the sales staff treated me like a common thief. At home, my father threatened to cut off my mother's life-saving medicine unless I crawled back to Kason to beg for a better deal. I was the girl who took the blame for a fire she didn't start, the wife who worshipped a man who never looked her in the eye, and the daughter used as a human bargaining chip. I was supposed to be broken, penniless, and desperate. But the woman who stood up wasn't the weak Elease Finch anymore; she was Phoenix, a tactical predator with a $500 million secret. I signed the divorce papers without a single tear, walked past my stunned husband, and wiped the Finch family's bank accounts clean with a few taps on my phone. "Your money is dirty," I told Kason with a cold smile. "I prefer clean hands." The cage is open, the hunt has begun, and I’m starting with the people who thought a scar made me weak.

Modern Revenge

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Hello guys,

Thank you for choosing to read this book. Before you begin, I want to give a big warning. This book is dark; it’s messed up and explicit. Don’t say I didn’t warn you because I am doing it now.

This Story Contains

- Physical and Sexual Abuse

- Violence

- Mature Themes

- Sexual Content

- Strong Language

please leave if you are uncomfortable with any of the mentioned. I will repeat if you are not comfortable with the explicit contents I have mentioned. Leave. Thank you to those who decide to continue.

Enjoy reading the book

*******

Melina adjusts her bag on her shoulder and pulls open the restaurant's back door. She walks inside to the employee changing room. The place is painted gray with blue lockers. Putting in the code for her locker, she pulls it open, takes out her apron, and ties it around her waist over her uniform. She’s wearing a white button-up shirt and a black skirt. Pulling her beautiful blonde hair into a tight ponytail, she walks out to the kitchen. A sigh escapes her lips as she remembers what time she’d be clocking out that night.

The sweet aroma of Italian food hits her as she enters the kitchen. She says hi to her co-workers as she approaches the door that leads to inside the restaurant. Someone beats her to open the door and steps into the kitchen.

"Hi Melina," Jane says, smiling. Jane is a lovely twenty-one-year-old with brunette hair and brown eyes. She’s the same age as Melina, and they work together.

"How’re you doing today, Jane?" Melina smiles back at her.

"I'm good. How're you?"

"I'm good."

"Get any sleep last night?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You have some pretty serious bags under your eyes."

"Really?" Melina puts her hand in her apron and fetches a hand mirror. She was positive the bags under her eyes weren't visible when she left the house. She checks the mirror to see if that's still the case. Her face didn't look bad, but she could still see them.

"Had a nightmare last night?"

"Yeah, I couldn't go back to sleep."

Melina and Jane had grown close working together for the six months since Melina moved to Portland from LA.

"Sorry to hear that; how long have you been up?"

"Since three a.m." It's now five p.m.

"Wow, you must be exhausted."

"I'm used to it," Melina says. She hardly gets enough sleep anymore because of her recurring nightmares. It’d been six months, but she still dreamt about the accident every night.

"I heard talking about it helps," Jane prompts. She’s tried to get Melina to talk to her about the nightmares since the first day Melina told her.

"I know. Hopefully, one day, I’ll be open enough to talk about it." Melina feels too ashamed to tell Jane what happened. Melina also avoids talking about it because it brings back a lot of pain she’s managed to heal from.

"I hope so. If you feel too ashamed or guilty to talk to me, there’re professionals who can help."

"I know." Melina smiles softly at Jane, grateful to have a friend like her. She really cares about Melina and it’s hard to find good friends like that..

"That's good. I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"My mom is flying in today and needs me to pick her up from the airport. Could you cover for me at the bar and lock up afterward?"

"Sure."

"I knew I could count on you, thank you." She pecks Melina's cheeks.

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