Rebirth: Love me Again

[COLE]

Cole swirled his drink slowly, staring down at the amber liquid as though it could somehow wash away the mess he'd made of his life. He sat in the dimly lit, luxurious confines of his penthouse, surrounded by the soft hum of background music and the low murmur of voices.

Sitting with him were Zachary, his cousin with a perpetual smirk, and Lina, his twin sister, who could always be counted on to remind him, in excruciating detail, of his faults.

"I just can't believe Eve still refuses you after all you've done for her!" Zachary exclaimed, topping off his glass with a fresh pour. He looked at Cole, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "I mean, is she even human? How could she resist your charms? You're the whole package—wealth, looks, charm—what more could she possibly want?"

"Oh, please," Lina interjected, rolling her eyes so hard it was a wonder she didn't see the back of her own head. "After everything my dear brother has put her through, I'm surprised she hasn't moved to another country just to escape him."

She gave Cole a pointed look, not the least bit sympathetic. "Eve's smart. She knows better than to get caught up in your whirlwind again."

Cole shot her an indignant glare. "If anything, this is your fault." He jabbed a finger in her direction, as if she were the reason his life was in shambles.

Lina blinked in exaggerated surprise, then dramatically pointed to herself. "My fault?" She laughed, though her amusement was tinged with incredulity. "Oh, I have to hear this one."

Cole leaned forward, his voice heated. "Yeah, you're the one who gave me that list of '

heart stopping

gestures'

to win her back, remember? You said it was foolproof—yet all it did was make things worse!"

Lina chuckled, unfazed by his frustration. "Foolproof? Cole, it was a list of kind, genuine gestures. If you can't make them work, that's on you." She folded her arms, looking him up and down. "You've hurt her too many times. You really thought a few nice words and a kabedon were going to erase all that?"

Cole sighed and slumped back into his chair, gripping his glass a bit tighter. Deep down, he knew she was right. He had messed up—again and again.

But that was exactly why he wanted to make amends, why he couldn't just let go. It was why he was here, drowning his sorrows in expensive whiskey, hoping for some miraculous advice from two people who barely believed in him.

"Alright, enough of the blame game," Zachary interrupted, leaning back and looking pleased with himself, as though he had just thought of something ingenious. "What we need here is . . .

reinforcement

."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Reinforcement?"

Zachary's grin widened, mischievous and full of promise. "Look, your '

how

-

to

-

guide'

of romance didn't work, and my tried-and-true flirting tips didn't either. Which means it's time to bring in someone with a completely fresh approach. Someone

unconventional

."

Cole and Lina exchanged wary looks, equally confused and intrigued.

"Who?" they asked in unison.

Instead of answering, Zachary whipped out his phone and started scrolling through his contacts. "I think it's time to call in my little sister."

"No!" Lina lunged forward, attempting to grab his phone, but Zachary deftly pulled it out of reach.

"Don't bring Estelle into this!" she warned, practically begging him. "She knows nothing about love—she's practically allergic to it! She's never had a crush in her life, and if I'm being honest, I'm not even sure she's ever shown like to the opposite sex. She's completely unhinged, Zachary."

"Exactly!" Zachary countered, his eyes twinkling with delight. "That's precisely what we need—a fresh, unpredictable perspective. Maybe an unconventional approach will finally get through to Eve where all this careful planning and romancing have failed."

"Or it could make things worse," Lina argued, folding her arms, but her tone softened. She looked at Cole, who was now watching the whole exchange in silence.

Unpredictable as Estelle was, maybe unpredictability was exactly what he needed.

Just then, Zachary hit the dial button and placed the phone on speaker, barely dodging Lina's hand as she tried to snatch it away again.

The line rang, and after a few seconds, Estelle's voice came through, sounding as irritable and bemused as ever.

"Brother, why are you calling me? I'm busy," she muttered, sounding like someone who'd just been interrupted mid-sentence by an alien invasion.

Zachary smirked, his fingers drumming on the table. "Ella, my dear sister, we need your . . .

expertise

on a delicate issue."

There was a pause. Then, in a flat tone, Estelle replied, "Is this about Cole and Eve?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"You got it," Zachary replied, throwing a cheeky grin at Cole, who rolled his eyes but leaned forward, interested despite himself.

Estelle snorted. "Let me guess—Cole still hasn't won her back? I told you months ago that she closed her heart to him. Honestly, he should just let her go and spare himself the humiliation."

The loud thud of Cole's glass slamming onto the table made everyone flinch. His jaw clenched, voice low and hissing. "Letting go isn't an option."

His words hung in the air, carrying his anger that sent a chill through the room.

"Well, then," Estelle replied, a mischievous edge in her tone. "If you're really that

desperate

. . . I guess I have some ideas."

Lina glanced nervously at Cole, then back at Zachary. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear what kind of madness Estelle was about to unleash. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but . . . what's your advice?"

Estelle took a long pause, probably enjoying the suspense. "First, give her space—actual, honest-to-goodness space. Just be her friend, no more, no less. Don't hover, don't act possessive. Don't pressure her, and definitely don't invade her personal space. Just . . . be there when she needs you, and otherwise keep your distance."

Cole frowned, clearly wrestling with this.

Lina, however, was genuinely impressed. "Estelle, that actually makes sense. Are you feeling alright?"

Zachary raised an eyebrow, equally taken aback. "Are you really my crazy sister? Who are you, and what have you done with the real Estelle? Give her back!"

"

Shut

up

, both of you!" Estelle snapped, though there was a hint of mischief in her voice. "I'm perfectly sane—most of the time, anyway. Now, here's the second part. Once you've been giving her space for a while, and once she's gotten comfortable with your presence again, then you go for the

kill

."

Cole leaned in, his interest fully piqued. "Go for the

kill

?"

Estelle's voice took on a dramatic flair. "Exactly. Just like Dad did with Mom. Kidnap her to a private island, get her pregnant, and voilà! Bonded for life!"

There was a beat of stunned silence, and then Lina's eyes widened in horror. Before Estelle could elaborate further on her deranged plan, Lina reached over and snatched the phone, hitting the end call button as if her life depended on it.

"Alright, that's enough of that," she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "I almost thought she was normal for once.

Almost

."

Zachary burst into laughter, clutching his sides. "That's the sister I know—just when you think she's making sense, she throws you a curveball straight out of a soap opera."

Lina sighed, but there was a small smile playing on her lips. "Well, I'll admit, at least the first part of her advice was . . . actually decent. "Just don't do the second part of her plan, and everything might turn out alright."

She glanced at Cole, who was now staring into his glass, his expression unreadable. "So, what do you think, brother?"

Cole didn't reply and just continued to think things through.