[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-reborn-heiress-strike-back":3,"chapter-the-reborn-heiress-strike-back-the-reborn-heiress-strike-back-chapter-20":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Reborn Heiress Strike Back",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1266461,1695,"Chapter 20 - No Room For Ghost","the-reborn-heiress-strike-back-chapter-20",20,"\u003Cp>The soft afternoon light filtered through towering windows, warming the sleek marble floors of Carter Group’s executive office. From the outside, it looked like a kingdom: polished stone, tinted glass, everything deliberate and precise—just like its ruler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, Chloe Carter sat behind her desk. Her tailored ivory blouse hugged her figure perfectly, the top button left open to reveal a delicate gold chain resting against her collarbone. A high-waisted silk skirt in muted emerald green brushed her knees, paired with Louboutin heels sharp enough to slice through marble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hair was pinned in a sleek knot at the nape of her neck, a few strands falling artfully loose. Makeup flawless. Nails shaped to a sharp almond, lacquered a deep wine-red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers moved smoothly over her Apple laptop’s keyboard. Not hurried—deliberate. Calculating. A woman with a plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A knock broke the rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glass door clicked open, and Lylah stepped in, holding her tablet close. Her black pencil skirt and white blouse were simple but polished, matching her calm, professional tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ma’am, you have a visitor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe didn’t look up. \"Who?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylah hesitated, glancing briefly at her tablet. \"She didn’t give a name. But she insisted it’s urgent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe’s eyes flicked up now, sharp and slightly narrowed. \"Let her in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylah gave a polite nod and stepped back out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few moments later, the door opened again. This time, it wasn’t just business walking in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a fitted red dress, cinched at the waist, simple but striking. Her hair was pulled into a sleek ponytail, her eyes already glassy with tears she hadn’t yet let fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hi, Chloe,\" Nadia said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temperature in the room dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe closed her laptop slowly and stood. Her expression didn’t flinch. Her voice, when it came, was smooth and cutting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hell are you doing here, Nadia?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia swallowed hard. Her voice shook. \"I... I needed to see you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe stepped from behind her desk with the quiet grace of a cat deciding whether to pounce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have the guts to walk into my office, into my building, after what you did?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice wasn’t raised. It didn’t need to be. It hit like ice water to the face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I had to,\" Nadia whispered, eyes shining. \"Please, I can explain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe’s laugh was soft and bitter, the kind that carried more weight than a scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Explain?\" she repeated, tilting her head. Her gold earrings caught the light. \"Explain how you spent months sneaking behind my back? Sleeping with Ryan like I wasn’t even real?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia opened her mouth, but Chloe cut her off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t,\" Chloe snapped, her voice dropping lower, colder. \"Don’t give me that ’I didn’t mean to’ garbage. You knew what you were doing the moment you let him touch you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia’s lips trembled. \"I swear, Chloe, I thought you and Ryan... I thought you’d broken up. That’s what he told me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe’s jaw tightened. She took a slow, measured step closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nadia,\" she said quietly, dangerously calm, \"you and I shared everything. Secrets. Stories. Late-night calls. And you want me to believe I wouldn’t tell you if I ended things with Ryan?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was standing directly in front of Nadia now, the scent of her signature Tom Ford perfume threading through the space between them—rich, unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia couldn’t hold her gaze. Her eyes dropped to the marble floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I made a mistake,\" Nadia whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe’s expression sharpened like glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, Nadia. You made a choice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice broke just slightly now—not weak, but raw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I trusted you. I treated you like a sister. And you—\" Chloe’s lips curled, voice tightening, \"you stabbed me in the back while wearing my dresses and drinking my wine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That landed like a slap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia’s tears finally broke free, running hot down her cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sorry,\" she said again, voice cracking. \"Chloe, please. Tell me what I can do. Tell me how I can make it up to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe stepped back, running a hand through her sleek hair, letting out a slow breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You want to know how you can make it up to me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia nodded quickly, desperate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe’s eyes went dead cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go to hell. Maybe that’ll be a good start.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence that followed was suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe walked back to her desk, the click of her heels echoing in the glass-walled office. She sank into her chair with slow, deliberate poise, reopening her laptop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia didn’t move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please,\" Nadia whispered again. \"I... I can’t stand knowing I hurt you like this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe didn’t even look up. Her fingers tapped calmly against the keyboard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You disgust me, Nadia,\" she said flatly. \"The smell of your cheap perfume, your knockoff earrings... everything about you makes me sick.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia clutched her arms around herself as though physically bracing for the words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I should call security right now,\" Chloe added. Her hand moved toward the office phone. \"You leave on your own, or I’ll have them drag you out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No!\" Nadia cried suddenly, her voice breaking into a sob. \"Please, Chloe. I’m not leaving until you hear me out!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe’s jaw flexed. Her patience had officially burned out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She picked up the phone and dialed a number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is Ms. Carter. I need you in my office right now,\" she said smoothly. \"There’s a rodent I want removed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia’s breath caught. Her face crumpled in shame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That word—rodent—hit harder than anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia backed away slowly, her tears falling freely now, pooling against her dress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe didn’t speak again. She simply watched, ice-cold and silent, as Nadia turned toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hand reached the handle when Chloe’s voice cut through the air one last time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And, Nadia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia paused, head bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Remember to return my shopping bags,\" Chloe said evenly. \"They’re worth more than the betrayal you turned out to be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nadia’s voice broke around the lump in her throat. \"I wasn’t going to keep them. I’ll have them delivered by the end of the day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without another word, Nadia stepped through the door and was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Chloe didn’t move. Her hand hovered over her keyboard, but no keys were pressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart twisted, tight and sharp, but she refused to let it show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylah stepped into the office quietly a few seconds later. \"Ma’am? Is everything okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe didn’t look up. \"Close the door.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, ma’am.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the room was quiet again, Chloe’s phone vibrated softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She glanced down—and froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an invitation. Elevate Strategic Group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An event unlike any she’d seen in months. No sender. No signature. But authentic. Real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her pulse quickened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hell...\" she murmured under her breath, eyes narrowing as she studied the digital card on her screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stood slowly, picking up her phone, and without another word, walked out of her office, her heels striking the marble with quiet finality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The story wasn’t finished. Not yet.\u003C\u002Fp>",1152,"2026-06-05T16:26:33.508Z",1,"novelbin.me","b344ded2c16d965d9d87403dc093e67fce722ede2ad0d579e812effedd810d84","the-reborn-heiress-strike-back-chapter-21","the-reborn-heiress-strike-back-chapter-19",88,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-reborn-heiress-strike-back-cover.jpg"]