Rebirth Into My Second Chance

I wasn't sure who else around me, besides Max, could have had it out for Richard and his crew.

"Wait for me to come back," Max whispered, pulling me into a tight embrace, my head buried in his chest. His warm hand tenderly stroked my hair. "And I'll stay with you till you fall asleep again," he added.

He gently laid me down on the bed, then wrapped his arms around me, and we both drifted off to sleep.

But my sleep was restless, though I dared not let him notice, pretending to be sound asleep.

Eventually, he got up, trying not to make a sound, and left the room.

As he left, I overheard him whispering in the hallway, though I couldn't see who he was talking to: "The contract got stolen, didn't it?"

It seemed like the person on the other end confirmed it.

Then he said, "No worries. I was hoping she'd steal it. You take care of things in Crestview Metropolis for the next few days. I'm heading to Elmwood Springs."

His voice faded away...

Curled up under the covers, I realized that I needed to make my escape with him gone to Elmwood Springs. That would surely distract Richard. He'd come after me, taking the heat off Max, right? Come morning, I told Helen I needed to get out for a bit.

She frowned slightly. She really thought Max wanted to keep me locked up.

"Did Max tell you I'm not allowed to step out of this room?" I pressed.

Helen shook her head. "Doesn't seem like it."

"Well, a breath of fresh air in the garden wouldn't hurt, right?"

She bit her lip. "Okay."

As she let me out, she stayed close, asking, "Where's Mr. Hilton off to this time? Do you know? He left in the middle of the night."

"If you don't know, I sure can't help you. We had a fight last night, and he stormed out."

Helen looked down. "Ms. Claire, do you want to leave this place?"

I gave a small smirk. Was she finally biting the bait?

"I do. I hate living like a bird with clipped wings."

"I can help you get out, but you must never come back, okay?"

Helen must have thought there was real trouble between Max and me, given she'd seen me confined.

"Do you have a plan?" I feigned excitement.

"Ms. Claire, know you preferAll content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

Richard. That day, you trusted him over Mr. Hilton and even made Mr. Hilton storm out of the bathroom in a rage. You hate being caged by Mr. Hilton, don't you?"

Listening to her analysis, it hit me that our bathroom argument had indeed been about risking myself as bait.

Being locked up was also part of my plan to lure out the enemy.

"And then?" I probed.

"Then you had Richard's guy bring you a phone to call Richard. That night, Richard's men wanted to rescue you. Ms. Claire, with Mr. Hilton away, I'll let you go, but. please, don't come back to haunt Mr. Hilton..."

Her tone turned icy cold with that last plea.

"You're in love with Max? That deeply?" I couldn't help but taunt her a bit.

She blinked, then asked, "How did you know?"

"It's not hard to guess. You know too much about Max, and you've always talked about him with such admiration."

"So, did you reach out to Max for me? And did you give Max's contract to Richard, hoping to knock Max down a peg to your level, just a maid's?"

My words were sharp, but I felt no need to be polite with someone like her.

"Claire Floyd, what are you talking about? I did no such thing," she said, her eyes darting away, but she wouldn't admit to anything.

"And what did you offer Richard in exchange for believing you'd let me go?" I knew Richard wasn't the type to trust easily.

"Don't worry about it. As long as you prefer Richard, you're free to go

now," she said, looking ael.ne

before continuing, "I've sent

everyone away. Just go."

"Thank you," I still said, appreciating her help.

If I left, Richard wouldn't focus too much on Elmwood Springs, giving Max some breathing room.

But I could just imagine Max's fury when he found out: "Claire Floyd! You've got some nerve."

Just the thought of his reaction made me close my eyes and sigh.