After her rebirth
Chapter 70

[Katniss, turn on your phone! Don't make me mad!]

[Do you have to make everyone uneasy before you're happy?]

Lucas fired off a bunch of texts, but got nothing back.

Katniss used to never pull stunts like this. What's she up to now?

Lucas glared at his phone, his eyes narrowing with each unanswered message.

Meanwhile, Juniper was talking to the cops. She was the one who called them and the last person to see Katniss.

Tears streaming down her face, Juniper said, "I split up with Katniss around noon. I went back to the dorm to rest, and she said she was heading to the library to study before her afternoon classes. I waited for her after school, but she never showed. Everyone else had left, and her classmates said she didn't show up for her classes."

She went on, "I've checked everywhere she usually goes, even the library, but none of her stuff was there. I can't reach her by phone either. Katniss wouldn't just disappear, right? Please, you have to find her." There had been a string of missing female college students on the news lately.

Juniper's mind was racing with all sorts of fears, worried something bad had happened to Katniss.

Katniss was so beautiful, it was possible someone had targeted her.

After the cops finished questioning her, Juniper walked over to Lucas, still sobbing, "Lucas, any news about Katniss?"

"Maybe she's just out having fun and hiding to avoid being chewd out. You should go home; you don't want your parents to worry." Lucas tried to comfort Juniper, not really taking Katniss's disappearance seriously. This wasn't the first time Katniss had pulled something like this.

Last time, when Clara got hurt, Katniss had a hand in it. Scared of taking the blame, she made the injury seem worse.

This time, it was just a ploy to get back to the Manners family. She was using this as an excuse.

Juniper looked at Lucas in shock, her anger rising, "If Clara were missing instead of Katniss, would you still be this calm?"

"Clara wouldn't do something so irresponsible." Lucas frowned, annoyed by Juniper's words.

"So, in your eyes, Katniss is just being irresponsible?" Juniper shot back.

Lucas's face darkened, "Juniper, this is a family matter. We don't need outsiders telling us what to do. I'll have someone take you home."

Juniper was furious. No wonder Katniss wanted to move out. In such a biased family, her heart must have been shattered.

She sneered, "No need. I have a car. My parents care about me and would never be as cold and biased as you. I feel sorry for Katniss for having a brother like you! You don't deserve to be her brother." People like him didn't deserve Katniss's kindness.

Lucas was picky about food, and Katniss spent ages learning recipes just to make sure he ate well.

Her genuine efforts were completely wasted.

It hurt so much, a piercing pain that kept coming in waves.

Then, Katniss heard faint voices nearby.

"Good thing she got here early. With this cold weather, she was left with some nasty injuries, soaked with water, and locked in a bathroom overnight. If she hadn't been brought to the hospital, who knows what would've happened. The injuries are all in critical areas. She managed to protect her head, but her arm's in bad shape. I heard she's studying medicine?" the doctor said.

"Yeah." Felix nodded.

"I recommend a thorough check-up on her arm once she recovers. Medical students can't afford to mess up their hands. Also, keep her diet light and not spicy."

"Got it, thanks, doc."

After the doctor left, Felix turned to Maximilian, "Sir, the doctor's done examining Katniss."

Maximilian said, "Bring Emilio Blair in."

The door opened, and a guy in a black hoodie walked in, wearing a mask that only showed a pair of sharp, captivating eyes. He looked lean and tall, with a wild, untamed vibe.

"Mr. Hamilton." The dim light cast shadows on his chiseled face, giving him a cold, eerie look.

Maximilian slightly turned, "Find out who did this. I want answers within a day, no matter who it is."

Emilio lowered his eyes, "Understood."

With that, he left like he was never there.

Katniss didn't have any enemies who'd want her dead, but he had plenty.

This mess might've been because of him.

Maximilian turned back, his hawk-like eyes fixed on the unconscious Katniss. His already cold face now looked like it was carved from ice.

Katniss slightly opened her eyes, feeling disoriented. How could she see Maximilian and hear his voice?

But she didn't stay conscious for long and soon drifted back to sleep.

She felt cold and in pain, like being pricked by needles. Every movement felt like a knife stabbing into her, causing excruciating pain.

"Felix, take care of her," Maximilian said.

Felix opened his mouth, glanced at the door, but said nothing and agreed.

Maximilian silently wheeled himself out of the room.

"Maximilian." As soon as Maximilian came out, Desmond's face changed, a look of fear spreading from his eyes. He stood up nervously, not daring to look at him. Maximilian, sitting in his wheelchair, exuded a calmness that came from having seen it all, rather than the vigor of youth.

Desmond waited for a few seconds but didn't hear Maximilian speak. His face turned even paler, and his body tensed up.

Maximilian's expression didn't change. "Don't you have anything to say?"

Taking advantage of the night, Desmond raised his head, his heart pounding, and spoke with a tight voice, "Maximilian..."

"Katniss's last call was to you. Why didn't you answer?" Maximilian's tone was calm, not seeming angry, but it made Desmond inexplicably fearful.

Desmond took a deep breath, his feet feeling frozen, "I was in a business meeting at the time. I didn't know it was a distress call. If I had known, I would've answered."

He didn't expect things to escalate to this point. He thought, like Lucas said, it was just one of Katniss's tricks.

He had just heard the doctor's words. Katniss's injuries were severe, with multiple fractures.

When Katniss was found, there was a pool of blood under her, her body was nearly frozen, her breathing was weak. A little later, and she wouldn't have made it.

She would've either bled to death or frozen to death.

Maximilian rubbed the cold armrest of his wheelchair, "Since you find Katniss so unbearable, I'll grant your wish. The engagement with Katniss is off. I'll talk to Grandpa and arrange for Clara to be your fiancée instead. I hope you won't regret

it."