Reborn at Eighteen The Billionaire's Second Chance novel Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Elara

I didn’t stop when Julian called my name. I kept walking, shoulders

squared, eyes fixed on the cafeteria entrance ahead. The lunch bell

had just rung, and the hallway was filling with students streaming in

the same direction, their voices rising in cheerful chaos around me.

Raven fell into step beside me, her purple–streaked hair catching the

afternoon light through the tall windows. “That was ice cold,” she

said, not bothering to hide her approval. “Did you see his face?”

“He looked like he always does,” I cut in, keeping my voice level. “Like

someone who expects the world to stop when he speaks.”

We pushed through the double doors into the cafeteria, and I finally

allowed myself to breathe. The space was already crowded, filled with

the clatter of trays and the smell of hot food and the overlapping

conversations of three hundred teenagers trying to be heard over

each other. We joined the lunch line, and I focused on the mundane

task of selecting a sandwich and salad, trying to ignore the way my

hands wanted to shake.

“You okay?” Raven asked quietly as we moved toward the register.

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“Fine,” I lied.

She

gave me a look that said she didn’t believe me but wasn’t going to

push. We paid for our food and found seats at a table near the

windows, where Emily and a few other students from our art class

were already eating.

The conversation flowed around me–something about the upcoming

spring exhibition, speculation about who would get featured

placements, complaints about the amount of homework. I tried to

participate, tried to act normal, but my attention kept drifting to the

entrance, half–expecting Julian to appear.

He didn’t. Maybe he’d left. Maybe he’d realized I wasn’t going to come

running just because he’d called my name.

The thought should have been satisfying. Instead, it left me feeling

oddly hollow.

We finished eating, and I was helping Raven carry our trays to the disposal area when Emily grabbed my arm. “Um, Elara? Don’t look

now, but…”

I looked.

Julian stood just outside the cafeteria entrance, visible through the

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glass doors. He was exactly where I’d seen him earlier–same bench,

same perfectly tailored suit. Atlas remained at his side, a silent

sentinel in black.

Julian was looking directly at me through the glass, his expression

unreadable but his focus absolute.

He’d been waiting. This entire time.

“Jesus,” Raven muttered. “That’s actually kind of creepy.”

It was. And it was also exactly like Julian–patient, implacable, utterly

certain that eventually people would do what he wanted simply

because he’d decided they should.

I set down my tray with more force than necessary. “I’ll be right back.”

I pushed through the cafeteria doors and walked toward him, acutely

aware of the students who’d noticed and were now watching with

undisguised curiosity.

Julian stood as I approached. He removed his gold–rimmed reading glasses–I’d forgotten he was slightly nearsighted–and waited with that particular stillness he had, the kind that made you feel like you

were the one who’d kept him waiting even when you hadn’t.

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I stopped a careful three feet away, crossing my arms. “What do you

want?”

His jaw tightened fractionally. “Atlas has reserved a table at the

school café. We need to talk.”

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about.” The words came out

sharper than I’d intended, but I didn’t soften them. “I have class in

twenty minutes. Whatever you want, it can wait.”

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