Rebirth Snatching Back My Stolen Luck novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

DEAN

:

286 Vouchers

I stilled for a moment, then scoffed, brushing it off with a laugh.

“She’s just a little girl. What nonsense are you spouting?”

“You say that like you’re a whole generation older,” Callum said flatly. “You two are what? Five years apart?”

“Five years is a lot,” I countered. “That’s only two years less than the gap between her and her siblings.”

“Oh.” His tone was somewhat irritating. “Still doesn’t change the fact that you’re falling for her.”

I didn’t know why I suddenly felt the need to prove him wrong.

“Actually…” I sat up straighter. “It’s just a temporary deal. I’m only holding the title of her fiancé until she finds a better way out of marrying that guy.”

“You do realize,” Callum said, tilting his head, “that going this far to justify yourself is exactly what gives you away?”

I rolled my eyes. There was simply no reasoning with him.

“Believe whatever you want–doesn’t make it true,” I muttered, shutting my eyes.

Out of sight, out of mind.

08:51

11 7887oudert

“You should’ve seen yourself when you talked about her earlier,” he said before getting up. “Your eyes were shining, like stars in the night sky. And your smile–it was different. The most genuine I’ve ever seen.

Even long after he left for work, those words echoed in my

hend

He must’ve misunderstood, and confused admiration for something else, I thought with

conviction.

Love at first sight? Please. That kind of cliché didn’t happen to people like me. I’m just too rational and emotionally distant for that to happen.

And it wasn’t even exactly first sight. We’d known each other as kids–though we barely spoke and only saw each other from a distance,

I reached for my coffee, eager for a shot of caffeine, only to find it had

gone

cold.

Sighing, I stood up and took the mug to the sink.

But instead of moving on with my day, I found myself back in my room, staring at my phone. At her contact.

We’d exchanged numbers last night before we parted.

I sat on the edge of my bed, fingers hovering over the chat box. But even after a long while, I didn’t type anything.

Frustrated, I tossed the phone aside.

Damn it. I was actually letting Callum’s words get to me,

Just then, my phone buzzed–a notification.

08:51

Chapter 16

1288 Vouchers

My heart jolted before I even checked. Maybe it was because I’d just been thinking about her, but Lily was the first person that came to mind.

It was her.

{I’m going to the business district at noon for some shopping. If you’re free, do you want to meet and talk?}

I didn’t even realize I was smiling until I caught my reflection in the phone screen.

I didn’t even realize I was smiling until I caught the faint reflection of myself on the screen of the phone.

I froze, my smile slipping.

Was Callum really… right?

If not, why did a simple message make me ‘this‘ happy?

Then, I found myself smiling again.

There was no point tying myself up in knots over it. I’d find out soon enough–whether this meant something more, or if I was just being swayed by Callum’s words.

Feeling much more at ease, I sent her a reply.

{Sure. I’ll call when I get there.}

Her reply came almost instantly.

{Alright.}

08:51

Chapter 16

288 (Vouchers

For some reason, I pictured her–eyes glued to her phone–as she awaited my response and laughed under my breath.

LILITH

I smiled to myself at Dean’s reply.

That was one matter down.

The clock read 9:00 AM. Three hours to go until the meeting.

Meeting him hadn’t been a spur–of–the–moment decision, it was one I’d made after careful consideration.

I didn’t doubt he was trying to use me in the inheritance battle, but beyond that, I wasn’t sure what else he was after. His true motives remained unclear.

Why help me at all, if he wasn’t gaining something in return?

It definitely couldn’t be something sentimental–like childhood affection.

Granted, the memories from my previous life had blurred much of my early childhood, but even so, I was fairly certain that until he left the country at seventeen, we’d had little to no interaction.

So, I have to ask him candidly what exactly he wanted from me.

If it turned out to be something reasonable, I didn’t mind offering help in return. But if not… then I’d need to start working on a solid Plan B. Fast.

Suddenly, I remembered I hadn’t asked May something important—why Dean had appeared

08:51

Chapter 16

288 (Vouchers

at the banquet last night when he hadn’t in my past life.

“May.”

[Yes, host?]

“I have a question.”

[It’s about the man you met last night. Dean Callahan, right?]

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify