Rebirth Snatching Back My Stolen Luck novel Chapter 33

Not many people had my number. So whoever was calling had to be someone I knew.

Still, I hesitated.

“If you don’t want to pick it up, then don’t. It’s not that complicated,” Dean said from the side.

Of course, I knew that. But my brain didn’t operate that simply. Maybe because I rarely received calls, part of me al- ways find myself wondering: What if it’s important?

While I debated with myself, the call hung up on its own.

But before I could feel relieved, it rang again.

And with that, I made up my mind.

I picked up, waiting for the caller to speak first.

Then came the voice I didn’t want to hear.

“Lilith.”

I shouldn’t have picked up, I thought with distaste.

The day I was reborn, the first thing I’d done was blacklist and delete both Brandon and Claire’s numbers from my phone.

Who would have thought that proud as he was, Brandon would actually ‘lower‘ himself and use a new number to reach me.

How desperate was he?

I instinctively moved to hang up, but as if he sensed it, he spoke again, a sense of urgency in his tone.

“I just want to talk.”

“We’ve known each other long enough, but strangely, I can’t remember us ever sitting down and talking. A serious talk.”

My brow arched.

So he was playing the sentimental card now?

But… he wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t remember ever having a proper conversation with him either.

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Chapter 33

Not in this life, nor the one before.

And we’d been married for sixteen years in the latter.

Quite ridiculous, wasn’t it?

Well, I could at least hear him out, and figure out what game he was playing.

“Fine,” I said. “Send me the location.”

Then I hung up without another word.

“Your ex–fiancé?” Dean asked.

“…Yes.” Technically, I had nothing to hide, but for some reason, I found myself hesitating for a breath.

“You’re meeting up with him?” he asked again.

Why did that sound like a boyfriend interrogating his unfaithful girlfriend?

I tilted my head slightly and mused inwardly before answering. “Yes.”

Thankfully, he didn’t push further.

Moments later, Brandon sent the location.

I blinked at the address and squinted at the screen, suspicion flickering in my eyes.

A coincidence?

The rooftop café from yesterday. The exact same place Dean and I had gone to.

I kept the thought to myself and turned to Dean.

“Can you drop me off at the business district? Thanks.”

He gave a simple nod and hummed in response.

But just as I unbuckled my seatbelt after he parked, he said casually-

“I’m coming with you.”

I froze mid-movement. “Why?”

“To protect you, of course, silly girl,” he said, knocking his knuckles lightly against my forehead.

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“What protection could I possibly need?” I stared at him with exasperation. “It’s just coffee and a conversation. What‘ s the worst that could happen?”

LILITH

“That’s exactly why I called you silly,” Dean said, lightly rubbing the spot he’d just knocked. “He’s never asked you

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out like this before, right?”

He didn’t wait for my response before continuing, “But now, right after the engagement is called off, he suddenly does? Doesn’t that smell fishy to you?”

Of course it does.

But just like I said earlier–what’s the worst that could happen from simply talking to him?

Dean probably read the thought straight off my face.

“You really don’t have a sense of caution, do you?” he sighed, the corners of his mouth tightening in exasperation. “You’re underestimating how far people can go when pushed into a corner, Lily.”

He adjusted his sitting position, turning to face me fully. “I might not know the full details or what’s at stake here, but the urgency from both families to seal this engagement tells me it’s crucial and of utmost importance.”

He leaned closer, his expression serious. “So now think: would your ex–fiancé, who just lost that edge–a edge that would likely determine his place and position in the family–really sit back and accept it?”

“Do you honestly believe someone like him would let this go without a fight?”

My eyes narrowed as the implications sank in. Once again, I was reminded of how sharp Dean’s instincts were.

Because of my rebirth, and the knowledge I carried from the future, I’d grown overconfident.

I’d dismissed Brandon and Claire’s present selves as immature, their schemes as half–baked, especially compared to

the twisted versions I once knew.

So even though I suspected Brandon was up to something, I let my guard down.

I’d forgotten this was the same man who orchestrated the switch of his own child, locked me away like a criminal… and ultimately led me to my death.

He might not be as calculating yet, but he was far from harmless.

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