Reborn at Eighteen The Billionaire's Second Chance novel Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Elara

Every eye in the classroom turned toward me.

I felt my pulse spike. “Tell him I’m busy.”

Atlas didn’t blink. “I’m afraid it’s not a request.”

I tried to walk past him, but he shifted smoothly, blocking my path.

Through the window, I saw the Phantom’s rear door open.

Julian stepped out.

He was dressed in a dark gray Tom Ford three–piece suit, crisp white

A

shirt, silver cufflinks catching the afternoon light. His expression was

unreadable as he walked toward the school entrance.

Students were already pulling out their phones. Some had started

filming,

This couldn’t be happening.

Chapter 57

Julian appeared in the doorway beside Atlas. His eyes locked onto

mine.

“Get in the car, Elara.”

His voice was low. Quiet. But it carried an edge that made my stomach drop.

I glanced around the classroom. Thirty students, all watching. Ms.

Rivera hovering uncertainly by her desk. The hum of whispered

conversations, the soft clicks of camera shutters.

If I refused, this would become another spectacle. Another viral

moment. More ammunition for the gossip mill.

If I went with him…

“I told you,” I said, keeping my voice steady, “we should keep our

distance.”

Julian’s jaw tightened. “You also told me you don’t need my help. Yet

here we are.”

He gestured toward the car.

I looked at Ms. Rivera. She gave me a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. I

Chapter 57

grabbed my backpack and walked past Julian without looking at him.

The Rolls–Royce was as pristine as I remembered. Soft leather seats,

tinted windows, a privacy screen between the front and back. Atlas

slid into the driver’s seat. Julian settled beside me, not touching, but

close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

The car pulled away from the school. I stared out the window,

watching St. Valerius disappear behind us.

“Why did you do it?” I asked finally. “Why did you issue that

statement?”

Julian leaned back against the seat, eyes fixed on me. “Do you really

need to ask?”

“Yes. I do.” I turned to face him. “Because I specifically told you to

stay out of my life.”

His mouth curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “What,

you’re going to say you didn’t need it again?”

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Blara, you left Blackwood for

one day–just one day—and look what happened. You were slandered

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Chapter 57

online, bullied at school, and probably would’ve been expelled if I

hadn’t stepped in.”

“That’s not the point-”

“No, that is the point.” His voice hardened. “You think you can survive

out there on your own? You think moving to the Bronx makes you

independent? Wake up, Elara. Without my protection, those vultures

will tear you apart.”

He leaned even closer. I could see the flecks of amber in his gray eyes,

the faint scar above his left eyebrow.

“So tell me,” he said softly, dangerously, “do you still want to ‘keep

your distance‘?”

I held his gaze. “Yes. I do.”

Silence.

Julian’s expression went blank. Like I’d slapped him.

“I didn’t ask you to save me, Julian.” My voice was calm now. Steady. “You did it because it served your purpose–because you can’t stand

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