Rebirth Into My Second Chance

"Want a smoke?" Ronald tossed a cigarette toward Max, who caught it effortlessly but placed it on the desk, saying, "No smoking here."

Ronald sighed, pocketing the cigarette as he continued, "About the surgery, could you possibly..."

Before Ronald could finish, Max interrupted, "I've done you a favor and squared away our debts from that hotel incident."

His tone was detached, sounding as if the matter bore no relevance to him, merely repaying a favor to Ronald.

"Not enough. If I hadn't gotten you to Room 6088 at the hotel, you'd be six feet under by now. After all, the hitman was waiting for you in Room 6188. Saving your life isn't something you can repay so easily," Ronald suddenly played the scoundrel card. I stood there, stunned.

Room 6088 again. Was it the same hotel I visited last time? But there was no way to know.

"I'm not good enough to do that. You want a life, and I'll owe you one," Max coldly refused.

"Not good enough? Then, no one in the country is! Don't think I don't know who you are, Max!" Ronald's words were cryptic to me.

But Max didn't stop, just shrugged it off. "Not interested. I don't mess with stuff that doesn't catch my eye."

Ronald had to pull out a tempting offer, shouting at Max's retreating figure, "I know you're investigating who entered Room 6088. Help me save Scar Man, and I'll help you find out which woman was in Room 6088!"

That made Max pause. Without turning, he said, "Deal."

a cigarette

Everyone's guessing whether Scar Man is the killer or

elsewhere, implying I could be involved in such heinous acts. Only he would doubt his wife like that. My

any lead. As they dug through the charred

junior detective called Ronald over, who managed to open the deformed hatch

recognize the face, even in decay, as one of my kidnappers. Scar Man's scars made him memorable. And in the darkness, only the occasional moonlight revealed their

it back for autopsy."

more confident. "This case isn't as

coroner shared the grim findings with Ronald. "There's no mistake. The

sent a

all Claire's doing? My God, what was she planning? So

and

refused her, and

"Is Kate next?"

police station buzzed with

it wasn't me, that the dead were the real villains, and their harassment explained my DNA on them? And how could, already dead,

kill anyone!" I pleaded with Ronald, hoping for

the mysterious DNA report confirming the victim was Claire. "Keep looking. It might