Once a Love Fool Now a Leading Lady (Kylie rehbein and Axel Bowen) novel Chapter 9

Elmer expected Axel to explode.

Instead, Axel kept his cool.

"Brad still hasn't given up?" he asked, voice flat, almost bored.

Elmer froze. "Wait—this isn't the first time he's tried to steal Kylie from you?"

"Yeah," Axel said, as if discussing the weather. "But it won't work. Kylie's not going anywhere with him."

Elmer snorted. "Well, of course not. Why would she ever walk away from Vortex?"

As long as Axel existed, Kylie wasn't going anywhere—everyone knew that.

Elmer leaned back in his chair, smirking. “Honestly? Kylie's too calculating. I bet she planned that so-called 'meeting' with Brad at Crescent Kitchen. She wanted me to see it, to tell you, so you'd freak out and beg her to stay. Classic manipulation."

He let out a mocking laugh. "She probably feels left out now that you're giving Rhea all your attention, so she's pulling these little jealousy stunts. Pathetic. Doesn't she get that men hate mind games? The harder she pushes, the faster you'll pull away."

Then, with a dismissive scoff: "She really doesn't know her place. Compared to Rhea? Come on. There's no contest. Anyone with half a brain knows who you'd choose."

Axel didn't bother answering.

He hung up and went right back to work.

A tall stack of documents waited for his signature.

Right on top—Kylie's resignation letter.

His brow tensed for a split second. Then smoothed.

He set the letter aside and kept signing.

...

Meanwhile, Kylie was in a fantastic mood.

Dinner with Brad had gone unexpectedly well, leaving her lighter than she'd felt in days.

On the way home, she even stopped at a flower shop and bought herself a bouquet of fresh freesias.

A small indulgence—but a nice one.

Then she got home and realized… she didn't own a single vase.

The apartment suddenly felt foreign—temporary. Like nothing in it truly belonged to her.

The thought dimmed her mood a little.

She cleared her dining table by shoving all the files into a cardboard box.

Finally, a little space to breathe.

Her gaze drifted to a shelf.

A trophy.

Her Outstanding Employee Award from Vortex.

Axel had placed it in her hands himself.

She had treasured it for years.

She still remembered the night Skye got drunk and almost threw up in it. Kylie had snatched it back so fast Skye ended up puking on the bed instead. That was how much the trophy had meant to her.

Now, she filled it with water and slid the freesias inside.

She studied it for a long moment, then murmured,

"Well… at least it's useful for something."

Before bed, she powered off her phone—a new habit she was trying to build.

For once, she slept through the night.

No calls. No messages. No dreams.

At nine sharp the next morning, Kylie walked into the office.

People looked up, stunned.

She was never late—ever. Usually she was the one turning on the lights before anyone else arrived.

Even more shocking—she wasn't wearing her usual crisp, severe suit.

Instead, she wore a pale linen dress that moved softly as she walked.

“Ms. Rehbein… you look different today," someone said.

Kylie smiled. "Different how?"

“Beautiful.”

Actually—gorgeous.

Her makeup was barely there, yet she glowed—fresh, elegant, effortlessly feminine.

She didn't even try to turn heads. She just did.

"Thank you," she said lightly, her mood lifting even more.

She'd already eaten breakfast, so she headed to the break room for water and her stomach medicine.

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