Rebirth Into My Second Chance

During a lull before the next item went up for auction, Kate dragged Claude into the hallway.

I quietly followed, staying hidden in the shadows to overhear their conversation.

"Claude, don't you think Claire's been acting weird these past few days?" Kate inquired, her voice tinged with concern. "Kate, did you really pull me aside just to talk about this?" Claude replied, his tone a mix of exasperation and disbelief.

Pacing back and forth, Kate didn't respond immediately. The clicking of her high heels echoed in the hallway, betraying her agitation. After a moment, she finally said, "Claude, Claire just said she wants to marry you." Claude let out a long sigh.

"Kate, Claire moved out to prove she doesn't have feelings for me. My mom's been on my case, asking me to sweet-talk her into moving back. Please, stop making a fuss. You know Claire holds a special place in our family." In my past life, I hadn't realized how significant my position was in the Hart family.

But in this life, hearing Claude say those words made it crystal clear.

"Claude, you just see her as a sister, right?" Kate's question echoed my own curiosity.

After a pause, Claude answered, "Yeah."

His response visibly relieved Kate, who then, smiling, said, "Then, can you bid on the queen's tiara for me? I want it as my wedding headpiece."

"If that's what you want," Claude replied, his tone nonchalant.

I headed back to the auction room first, Claude's confirmation ringing in my ears. In this life, as long as I didn't insist on marrying him, he probably wouldn't disdain me.

As for Kate...

I couldn't help but glance towards the private booths, where Max was sitting behind a sheer curtain, observing from above. His figure was blurred, but I felt strongly that in this life, he was the person I needed to latch onto. There had to be more to him than just being a doctor.

Otherwise how could he manage

claim my body, slated for

destruction by the highest

authorities, and uncover so many hidden truths?

Throughout the auction, I didn't participate. Meanwhile, Kate, out of sheer excitement, bid on numerous items, planning to share some with

But I was indifferent.

My focus was on the final item. If Kate wanted it, I was determined to ruin her chances. Before coming here, I had bribed several bidders to outbid Kate on anything she wanted.

My plan was to get her to blow a ton of money, draining her funds before the big finale.

"So many people are competing with me today," Kate mumbled, visibly upset as she looked at Claude.

Claude, ever the doting fiancé, reassured her, "Don't worry about the cost. As long as you and Claire are happy, I'll cover it." Thrilled, Kate headed to the restroom and I followed her.

As we reached the restroom, she turned to me and said, "The black card is here. Claude will still buy me whatever I want."

I knew she would think that way.

"The black card is with me, but I don't like the items you just bought. So, could you cover the payment yourself?"

Kate froze, her expression one of disbelief.

"Claire, that card belongs to Claude." she said.

"But he gave it to me, so I can choose not to use it for those purchases, right?"

It was a deliberate provocation. After saying my piece, I walked out of the restroom.

Kate chased after me, intent on grabbing the black card.

"Claire Floyd, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" she accused, her voice laced with frustration and anger.