Reborn at Eighteen The Billionaire's Second Chance novel Chapter 36

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Reborn at Eighteen: The Billionaire’s Second …

Chapter 36

Elara

“The alley didn’t have cameras. I checked on my way here.” I pulled

out the new phone. “But I have a witness. The boy who saved me.

Mason Parker. He saw the whole thing. He can identify them.’

Rodriguez wrote down Mason’s name. My new phone number.

“I’ll follow up on this. But I have to be honest with you, Ms. Vance.

Without physical evidence or clear identification, these cases are

difficult. Especially when it comes to he–said–she–said with powerful

families.”

“So you’re not going to do anything.”

“I didn’t say that.” He closed the notebook. “I’ll investigate. I’ll contact your witness. But I need you to be realistic about what we can

prove.”

I stood up. “Thank you for your time, Officer Rodriguez.”

As I walked out, I heard him on the phone. His voice was different.

Careful. “Yes, sir. The Vane family. Yes. I understand. I’ll handle it

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carefully.”

I walked out of the station. Stood on the steps. My hands started

shaking again. Worse this time. I couldn’t make them stop. Couldn’t

make my body stop shaking.

They were going to make it go away. Just like I knew they would.

Mason wasn’t at school the next day.

I looked for him at lunch. At his locker. Asked his teammates.

“Parker?” A guy from the basketball team shrugged. “He transferred.

Yesterday. It is said that he is going to move to California with his

family.”

I felt the floor tilt. “What?”

“Yeah, it was weird. His dad’s law firm is opening an LA office or something. They had to go immediately.”

I pulled out my phone. Called the number he’d given me. It rang. And rang. Then: “The number you have dialed is no longer in service.”

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I sat down. Right there in the hallway. People walked around me.

Stared. I didn’t care.

They’d made him disappear. Just erased him.

I called Rodriguez.

“Ms. Vanc” He sounded resigned. “I was just about to call you. The

Parker f….ily has requested we stop contacting them. They say

Mason witnessed nothing. That they don’t want to be involved.”

“But he did witness it. He saved me. He saw everything.”

“I believe you. But without his cooperation…” He sighed. “And without

surveillance footage, or physical evidence, or witness identification…

I’m sorry. There’s nothing actionable here.”

“What about the men? Can’t you find them?”

“We’ve looked. But without clear descriptions or identification, it’s

like finding needles in a haystack. The Bronx has a lot of men in gray

jacket.”

I hung up. Stared at the phone. At Mason’s number that didn’t work

anymore. At Rodriguez’s name in my call history.

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My hands were shaking so hard the phone almost fell.

I sat in the stairwell. Empty. Quiet. Pulled up Julian’s contact. My

thumb hovered over the call button.

Don’t do it. You know how this will end. You know he won’t believe

you. You know he’ll choose them.

I pressed call anyway.

“Mr. Vane’s phone.” Atlas. His assistant. Professional. Cold.

“It’s Elara. I need to speak to Julian.”

“He’s in a meeting currently. I can take a message.”

In the background, I heard Sloane laugh. High. Delighted. “Julian, this

bracelet matches the ring perfectly!”

“Quite an important meeting,” I said.

“One moment.” Shuffling. Then Julian’s voice. “Elara. What is it?”

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His tone. Impatient. Annoyed. Like I was interrupting something

important.

“Mason Parker. He transferred overnight. Did you do that?”

Silence. Long enough that I thought he’d hung up.

“Why do you care so much about him?” His voice was quiet.

Dangerous. “One night in a motel and you’re this attached?”

“He was the only witness. The only person who could prove what

Victoria did to me.”

“Victoria said you were sneaking around the Bronx. Meeting

someone. Mason just happened to show up at the right time. Maybe

you orchestrated this whole thing.”

The words hit me. One by one. Each one hurt more than the last.

“You think I-” I couldn’t finish. “You actually think I hired men to

attack me just to get attention?”

“I think you’re capable of extreme behavior when you want

something. You’ve proven that.”

“I wanted justice. I wanted someone to believe me for once.”

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“Mason’s father now has three Fortune 500 clients. His mother’s clinic

received a two million dollar grant. Everyone wins with this

arrangement.”

Everyone. Everyone but me.

“Everyone benefits,” I repeated. My voice sounded strange. Flat.

“Everyone except the girl who almost got raped. Everyone except the

boy who tried to do the right thing.”

“Elara-”

“Did you love me?” The question came out before I could stop it.

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