After her rebirth

"The admin who posted this is named Samantha," Cecilia immediately revealed the admin's name and then found a group photo from a school event to show Katniss.

"Katniss, this is Samantha."

Katniss glanced at the photo and instantly recognized who it was.

Samantha was none other than the person who had been standing next to Nova when they encountered her at school.

"I've seen her before; she was with Nova."

Cecilia, upon hearing this, retorted with extreme disgust, "Nova again! What is she trying to do? It's one thing to be jealous of you, Katniss, but she keeps doing these disgusting things!"

Katniss replied, "It's okay, the truth will come out. Let's go home."

Seeing how calm she was, Cecilia asked, "Katniss, have you thought of a solution?"

"No," Katniss denied, then added, "It's not right for an innocent person to have to prove their innocence. They accuse me of using improper means and cheating; they should provide the evidence, not me."

Cecilia slapped her thigh, "Exactly! Samantha hasn't provided any evidence! Even if she's an admin, so what? If things get out of hand, we can call the police!"

Katniss nodded, "Yes, exactly. These rumors can't hurt me, so don't worry."

Cecilia nodded along but couldn't help continuing to argue with those slandering Katniss in the comments.

The two left the private hot spring.

Katniss glanced at the sky, estimating that Maximilian should be getting off work and heading home around this time.

Just as she was thinking this, Maximilian called.

Katniss parted ways with Cecilia and answered Maximilian's call after getting in the car.

"Why aren't you home?" Maximilian's voice was soft and low, and it was quiet on his end.

Katniss quickly replied, "I'm on my way home. I went out with Cecilia."

Only then did Maximilian say, "I'll come pick you up."

"No need, I'm already in the car. I'll be home soon."

After refusing and hanging up, Katniss's ears inexplicably felt warm. She opened the car window to cool down a bit.

As soon as she got home, Katniss saw Maximilian waiting on the sofa, reading a newspaper. The light fell on his shoulders, making him look particularly gentle.

"You're back. Have you eaten?" Maximilian put the newspaper aside and got up to greet her as soon as he heard the sound.

Even though Maximilian only took a few steps, it felt like a long time to Katniss. She quickly changed her shoes and walked inside.

"I've eaten. Have you, Maximilian?"

"Not yet. Would you keep me company while I eat a bit?" Maximilian naturally took Katniss's hand as he spoke, having missed her after not seeing her for a while.

"Okay." Katniss nodded, and Maximilian led her to wash her hands.

Katniss felt like she was being treated like a child, but surprisingly, she didn't mind. After dinner and washing up, Maximilian held Katniss as usual.

As Katniss's heart raced, she heard Maximilian ask, "Katniss, where did you go today?"

"We went to the hot spring and did some shopping. Oh, I bought something for you..." Katniss suddenly remembered that she had picked out clothes for Maximilian while shopping and had them sent home by Conrad, but she had forgotten to tell Maximilian.

Planning your weekend reading? Ensure you're on novi L5s.com for uninterrupted enjoyment. The next chapter is just a click away, exclusively available on our site. Happy reading!

"You bought me... a gift?" Maximilian's eyes lit up with a smile. "What is it?"

No matter what Katniss bought him, he would be happy because it showed that she thought of him while she was out.

Knowing that Katniss thought of him meant she cared about him.

Maximilian felt an unprecedented sense of peace.noveldrama

"It's clothes. I don't know if you'll like them, but I thought they'd look good on you... um, fit you, so I bought them."

Katniss stopped to answer Maximilian's question, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Her cheeks were warm, and her ears were turning red.

"I like everything you pick," Maximilian said.

Katniss stammered, "I'll go get them for you to see, you..."

But before Katniss could go ask Conrad where the items were, Maximilian reached out and pulled her back.

"Let's look at them tomorrow," Maximilian said, holding her close and lowering his voice. "It's too late now. Let's go to bed."

The last light in Golden Crest Estates was turned off, but Katniss felt her face was as red as a cooked crab.

Clara dawdled until the afternoon before going to the hospital to see Elodie. Dylan had arranged a new place for her to stay, close to the hospital, making it convenient for her to visit.

Dylan even took time off to help her move, which she accepted gratefully. She sent a message to Desmond but received no reply.

"Dylan, you can go now. I'll stay with Mom," Clara felt more at ease seeing a caregiver by Elodie's bedside.

Planning your weekend reading? Ensure you're on novi L5s.com for uninterrupted enjoyment. The next chapter is just a click away, exclusively available on our site. Happy reading!

With a caregiver, she didn't need to do much.

Dylan gave Clara a concerned look, "Clara, don't worry too much. It's not good for your health. If you're tired, go home and rest."

He had only learned from Lucas later that Clara had fainted once today. Their sister had always been in poor health, and now with Elodie's accident, no one at home could take care of Clara. They could only hope she would take care of herself. Clara was touched and, with red eyes, leaned over Elodie's bed, "Mom, please wake up soon. It hurts to see you like this."

After Dylan left, Clara stopped pretending. She sent the caregiver to do something and then sat down to continue texting Desmond.

Desmond hadn't replied to her, and she was worried he didn't want to deal with her anymore.

Fortunately, near evening, Desmond finally replied.

Desmond apologized, saying he had been busy with work, which reassured her a bit.

After asking about finding a doctor and getting a negative response from Desmond, Clara called him.

"Clara, what's wrong?" Desmond took a while to answer, and his voice was low, with a noisy background.

Clara felt uneasy and cried a bit before asking pitifully, "Desmond, are you at karaoke?" Desmond had said he was busy with work, but he was at karaoke.

"Yes... I'm at karaoke, discussing business with my dad," Desmond lied, even bringing

up Gabriel to stop Clara from asking more questions.

Clara didn't ask further and instead encouraged Desmond to work hard.

Desmond, feeling relieved, comforted Clara for a while before hanging up.

After hanging up and coming out of the restroom, Desmond was called over by Brynn, "Why did you take so long on the phone? Is your dad urging you to go home?"