Rebirth: A Second chance at life-Chapter 86: Five million..... no less!!

The call ended with a click before Veronica could say another word.

Frowning deeply, she unlocked her phone and opened the news app. Within seconds, her heart skipped a beat.

Bold headlines screamed at her:

#CalvertIsDeadOrMissing

#NotoriousHarrisonsCaughtInGangFight

#MysteriousSonOfHarrisonDemandsSearchForMissingFather

Her breath hitched as she read through the reports.

The Calvert mansion — once a symbol of ruthless power — now lay in ruins, the aftermath of a violent gang conflict that had exploded without warning. Calvert himself was presumed dead or missing.

Even more shocking was the revelation that Calvert’s long-estranged son, the one who had vanished abroad, had returned and was publicly demanding answers regarding his father’s disappearance.

The chaos described in the articles barely scratched the surface of the truth — and Veronica knew it.

A sinking feeling twisted in her gut.

The media hadn’t pieced it together yet, but she could.

Aurora.

Aurora had survived.

Aurora had somehow escaped the nightmare Veronica had so carefully orchestrated.

She tightened her grip on her phone until her knuckles turned white.

The public didn’t know, but Veronica could guess what had happened:

Aurora and Bishop had moved swiftly, ruthlessly. Luna must have erased every shred of footage linking her to the scene.

Bishop, the silent ghost of the underworld, must have cleaned up the bodies.

Together, they had erased their existence from Calvert’s mansion as if they had never been there.

Professional. Cold. Efficient.

Veronica’s pulse thudded in her ears.

That wretched girl — how dare she crawl back from the grave Veronica had prepared for her?

Her mind raced with possibilities, her rage building like a storm.

In the entire Summer City, there were only a handful of people who could stand against someone like Calvert — and one of them was Alexander.

Could it be that Alexander... had stepped in?

Had he defied her expectations and saved Aurora without even realizing it?

The memory of Alexander’s cold, dismissive words echoed in her mind:

"She doesn’t need my protection."

Veronica scoffed bitterly, a sound filled with mockery and disbelief.

If that was true, then who had saved Aurora?

She stared out at the bustling street beyond the café window, her heart burning with a mix of fear and fury.

Their meticulously crafted plan — months of scheming, careful manipulation — had crumbled in a single night.

She would not let it end like this.

Not when she was this close.

Her hands trembling slightly, Veronica pulled out a second phone — a burner, meant for situations exactly like this.

She dialed a number from memory, her lips pressed into a thin, bloodless line.

After a few rings, a gruff voice answered.

"Yeah?"

"I want that bitch’s head by tomorrow," Veronica said coldly, without an ounce of hesitation. "Five million. I’ll transfer it immediately."

There was a pause. Then, a low, amused whistle crackled through the speaker on the other end of the line.

"Five million?" The voice was smooth, male, laced with dark amusement.

"That’s too low. For her? I want ten."

Veronica’s grip tightened on the phone, her knuckles whitening. Of course, he knew. He didn’t need her to name the target.

There was only one woman she could possibly want dead with that level of venom in her voice.

Aurora.

"Fine," Veronica hissed, voice sharp as a knife’s edge. Her other hand clenched into a fist, her manicured nails digging into her palm until she felt the sting of broken skin.

A slow trickle of blood welled up, unnoticed. "Ten. But clean. Fast. No mistakes."

There was a soft chuckle from the other side, the kind that sent a chill through her spine. "You always pay well when you’re desperate, Veronica. Consider it done."

The line went dead.

Veronica lowered the phone slowly, her chest heaving as fury coursed through her veins. Her plan had fallen apart at the seams, Aurora had slipped from their grasp, and Alexander—Alexander—was slipping too.

Every carefully spun lie, every manipulated moment, was unraveling.

But not this time. She would not lose.

She wiped her bleeding palm on her coat without a second thought, straightened herself, and took a deep breath.

If the world thought Aurora could crawl her way back into the light, Veronica would drag her right back into the dark—and this time, she wouldn’t survive it.

By tomorrow, Aurora would be nothing more than a forgotten whisper — a loose end finally tied.

On the other side of the city, the engines of a private jet roared as it touched down on the secluded airstrip.

The sun had dipped behind the horizon, casting long shadows over the tarmac. Bishop stood still, arms folded, eyes narrowed, waiting.

His suit jacket fluttered slightly in the evening breeze, but his stance remained firm.

The door of the jet opened, and out stepped two men. One was tall and youthful, with piercing eyes and a lethal kind of grace in his movements.

The other, slightly older, bore a more rugged air—his trimmed beard now streaked with white, but his presence was no less imposing.

They walked with the kind of authority that made people step aside instinctively.

Hunter and Knight.

Bishop barely had time to open his mouth before they reached him.

A punch from Knight landed first, clean across Bishop’s jaw.

Before he could recover, Hunter shoved him back, and the assault continued. For a moment, the air was filled with the sounds of fists striking flesh and grunts of restrained rage.

"Bastard!" Knight growled. "You dare hide Luna from us?!"

Bishop stumbled back, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He didn’t block them—he took the beating, gritting his teeth not in pain, but in understanding.

If their roles were reversed, he would’ve done the same.

Wiping the blood from his face with the back of his hand, Bishop finally straightened and stared at the two men, his breathing rough but even.

"I deserved that," he muttered, voice gravelly. "But she gave the orders. Luna will contact you—when it’s time."

"Orders?" Hunter spat. "We thought she was dead! We mourned her! Do you have any idea what we went through?"

Bishop’s jaw tensed. He swallowed down the bitter thoughts rising in his throat. She’s technically dead, he thought grimly, and yet alive in another body.

How the hell do I explain something like that to them now? They wouldn’t understand—not yet. Not without tearing apart everything Luna had tried to put in place.

He straightened his back, squaring his shoulders despite the bruises forming under his skin. His voice was lower now, steady but carrying weight.

"She had her reasons," he said quietly, looking both Knight and Hunter in the eye. "You’ll understand... later."

Knight scoffed, clearly unconvinced. "Later? When? After we lose her again?"

Hunter’s expression darkened. "You think we’ll just sit back and wait like fools?"

Bishop didn’t flinch. His silence was its own kind of warning. He wasn’t going to explain more—couldn’t. Not yet. The truth was too tangled, too dangerous.

"You don’t have to trust me," Bishop said calmly, brushing more blood from his lip. "But you will need to trust her. She knows what she’s doing."

His words hung in the air like a heavy fog, unshakable and loaded.

Knight’s fists were still clenched, his face a storm of emotions—relief, fury, betrayal, and... jealousy.

His voice was low, almost dangerous. "You stay by her side. While we were left in the dark."

Hunter’s expression wasn’t much different. "If she’s alive... we deserve to see her."

"I know," Bishop said quietly. "But she asked you to resume your missions. She’ll come to you—when it’s right."

The two men exchanged glances. They didn’t doubt Bishop’s words, but it didn’t ease the sting. The months of grief, of believing Luna was gone, couldn’t be undone in an instant.

Knight turned away, his coat swaying behind him as he gave Bishop one last cold look. "Tell her this better be worth it."

Hunter followed after him, though he cast a glance back, filled with longing and silent questions.

Bishop watched them go, the hint of a smirk playing on his lips. Their jealousy was obvious—and strangely satisfying.

"They still think they’re the only ones who loved her," he muttered under his breath. freewebnσvel.cøm

But just before the silence reclaimed the airstrip, Bishop raised his voice. "Tell her if she has anything planned, she better act soon. We’ve nearly traced the betrayer."

He paused, glancing toward his phone as a notification blinked.

"And... the Brown Group is announcing a collaboration," he added, eyes narrowing. "With Dr. Lia."

He snorted. "Funny, considering Lia’s supposed to be dead. Looks like our imposter finally made her move."