After her rebirth

In her past life, she had walked on eggshells, trying to win their favor, only to end up betrayed and torn apart, her organs harvested.

But the Maximilian standing before her now was giving her a break she never could've dreamed of.

Suddenly, the door to the hallway swung open, breaking the moment in Katniss's heart.

Maximilian looked up, his handsome face icy, his sharp eyes locking coldly on Emilio, who hesitated at the doorway.

Emilio lingered, hand still on the doorknob, unsure whether to come in or back out.

Katniss quickly stepped back, mumbling awkwardly, "You guys carry on I'll just head back to my room."

Maximilian's voice was cool as he addressed Emilio, "This better be important."

In the study.

Maximilian sat behind the desk, with Emilio standing in front of him.

Emilio held a folder and reported briefly, "The Manners family's municipal project was awarded to the Thorne family an hour ago."

"The news is out, and no one will dare to work with the Manners family anymore."

"Not enough," Maximilian replied, his voice lazy and arrogant.

Emilio closed the folder and looked up, "What do you mean?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"Got it, Sir." Emilio nodded slightly, turned, and quickly left.

Katniss had no idea what Maximilian had done; she stayed in her room reading until evening.

When Maximilian came in, he saw her absorbed in an old medical book.

The neckline of her pajamas had slipped a bit, showing some skin. Maximilian's eyes lingered for a moment before looking away.

His voice was gentle, "Cover up with a blanket while you read, don't catch a cold."

Katniss's thoughts snapped back to the present, and she smiled, "Maximilian, are you done with work?"

"Yeah," he replied.

With that, Maximilian headed to the bathroom, and soon the sound of running water filled the room.

It wasn't the first time they "shared a bed," but every night with Maximilian made Katniss feel a mix of tension and excitement.

Now, her confidence was even shakier.

A guy like Maximilian, it was so easy to fall for him.

Katniss couldn't focus on her book anymore.

She quietly moved to the other side and placed a cartoon doll in the middle. Then she lay down properly.

After a while, Maximilian came out, taking in the scene with a soft chuckle.

He dried his hair and lay down beside her.

Katniss had her eyes closed, but when he got close, her eyelashes fluttered.

Maximilian's voice murmured next to her ear, "Still awake?"

Reluctantly, Katniss opened her eyes and said, "Yeah, I'm not sleepy yet."

Otherwise, it would seem like she was pretending to sleep.

She thought for a moment and then asked, "Maximilian, now that your marriage is

announced, the Boleyn family shouldn't bother you anymore, right?"

Katniss genuinely wanted to help Maximilian and cared about his situation.

Maximilian paused before replying, "It's not that simple, they might be watching to see

if we're for real or just putting on a show."

Katniss frowned, turning to face Maximilian, her tone indignant, "They're really relentless! Always wanting what isn't theirs."

They were very close, and the faint floral scent from Katniss surrounded Maximilian.

His eyes darkened, and he lowered his gaze, his voice deeper, "I'll handle it, don't worry, go to sleep."

Katniss responded with an "oh," lay back down, and closed her eyes, trying to force herself to sleep.

But her mind was still fuming for Maximilian!

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Once Maximilian's leg was fully healed, he'd crush their dreams for sure!

Katniss's thoughts were all over the place, and in a daze, she didn't know how long it had been when she felt herself being gently pulled into an embrace.

A strong arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer.

In a few seconds of grogginess, Katniss suddenly woke up, her senses on high alert. Was she being held by Maximilian?

Listening to Maximilian's steady breathing, Katniss bit her lip, not daring to move an inch.

Maximilian had trouble sleeping, and it was rare for him to fall asleep so easily tonight. Katniss obediently stayed still, thinking as a doctor, she had to protect Maximilian's sleep!

That night, Katniss didn't remember how she fell asleep.

The next morning, when she woke up, Maximilian had already gone to the company.

Seeing the empty spot beside her, Katniss rubbed her face and reached out to touch it;

it was already cold, meaning he had been up for a while.

Finally having a good sleep, why wake up so early?

Why not sleep a bit more?

After washing up and having breakfast, Katniss was ready to head to school.

On the way, she turned on her phone and saw a text from Juniper.

Juniper must have seen the news back home and sent a bunch of excited messages.

Juniper: [It's so satisfying, Clara finally got what she deserved, too bad I wasn't there to see her miserable state!]

[Desmond must be blind, how could he not see through Clara's hypocrisy? What's the use of those eyes? Now let him see, this is the 'kind-hearted' Clara who abandoned even her own mother.]noveldrama

[By the way, I saw in the report that Maximilian has already quietly and mysteriously gotten married, but isn't he seriously ill, almost dying? Who would be so selfless to marry him?]

Katniss's smile faded as she read the last message.

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After a few seconds, she replied to Juniper.

Katniss: [Me.]

With the time difference, Juniper should still be sleeping.

By the time Juniper read the message, Katniss could vividly picture the shock on her

face.

Such a big thing, and she hadn't told Juniper.

After exiting the message, Katniss went on a forum where people were discussing

Clara. Some were mocking Clara for being vain and abandoning her own mother for a wealthy one.

Others defended Clara, saying she was inherently noble and couldn't be blamed for her decision.

Turning off her phone, Katniss didn't waste any more time on it.

After arriving at school, Conrad left.

Katniss slung her canvas bag over her shoulder and was about to walk inside when Ruby rushed out.

She blocked Katniss's way and started cursing, "Katniss, you bitch! You were the one who leaked the video, weren't you!"

"How can you be so shameless, Clara never did anything to you, and you keep targeting her!"

With a cold smirk, Katniss retorted, "It's early, clear off."

Ruby raised her hand to hit Katniss.

When the video was released, she saw it immediately and called Clara.

Clara acted very distressed, lamenting that Katniss wouldn't answer her calls, and she

couldn't ask her anything, so she had to endure the scandal silently.

She also said she wouldn't come to school for a while, as everyone would be talking about her.

Hearing this, Ruby decided to confront Katniss for her.

Not only to show Clara her friendship but also to teach Katniss a lesson!

She knew Katniss had a tall and strong Conrad protecting her, so she waited at the

school gate early in the morning and only came out after Conrad left.

Seeing Ruby's hand about to come down, Katniss squinted her eyes and grabbed her wrist, pulling out a silver needle and pricking her wrist.