A Fake Heiress’s Guide to Love and Power novel Chapter 127

The teenage boy, no more than thirteen or fourteen, had none of his usual swagger tonight. There was a seriousness in his voice, a determined look in his eyes.

“Alright then. If I ever let Lessie down, you can beat me up and toss me out, Fair enough?”

Zachary could sense the boy’s sincerity, so he didn’t brush off the promise. Instead, he gave it real consideration and answered just as earnestly.

Dinner was nearly over when a low rumble of thunder echoed from the sky.

“Looks like it’s going to rain,” Xander said, glancing upward. The clouds were black and heavy, blotting out everything.

“We’d better not overstay,” he added.

“Yeah, school’s tomorrow. Take an umbrella when you leave, or you’ll get soaked,” Xander said, remembering at the last moment that Monday was just around the corner, and shelving his earlier thought of asking Alessia to stay the night.

“Grab one for me, would you?” Alessia said. She didn’t say who she was talking to, but Six immediately shoveled down the last bite in his bowl, set it aside, and headed for the front porch.

Just as the two of them slipped out, another clap of thunder rolled by, and then the rain began, a gentle drizzle at first, quickly swelling into a steady downpour.

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Six sat on the doorstep, watching raindrops splash into the yard, pooling into little puddles across the flagstones. His gaze grew distant, as the rain picked up.

The sky had darkened, and the rain turned heavy. A boy–maybe ten or eleven–came racing into the alley, water splattering over his already battered sneakers. The soles, long worn thin, finally gave out.

He looked at his ruined canvas shoes, then glanced back over his shoulder. With a huff, he ducked into the shelter of a crumbling brick wall, deciding to wait out the

storm.

Sitting down, he tugged off the shoes and inspected them. No fixing them this time. He set them aside, then peeled his soaked hair from his forehead and yan‘ ‘his oversized T–shirt over his head, using it to towel off as best he could. Afterward, he just stared at the rain, lost in thought.

Lately, it had been raining almost every day. Rainy season, people called it. He’d

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been caught out without an umbrella more times than he could count. Now In the corner, he shifted until he found a spot that was halfway comfortable planning to nap until the rain let up–If only life would let him.

But peace was never his to keep. Frowning, he got up, grabbed his shoes, and followed the voices echoing down the alley.

“Come on, princess, just send us a little cash and we’ll let you go. You’re from Aristocrat Academy, aren’t you? What’s a few bucks to someone like you?”

“Yeah, have a little mercy, princess. I haven’t eaten in three days,” the blond–haired guy said with a sneer, sharing a look with his buddy before both of them burst out laughing.

They’d cornered a girl in a crisp, upscale school uniform. One after the other, they taunted her, their snickers grating and mean. The girl held an umbrella, her face shadowed and unreadable.

“Hey. What the hell are you doing?” the boy called out, rubbing his head, his patience already worn thin.

The two thugs startled, but when they saw who it was, they relaxed. “Oh, it’s just Six. Orphan boy himself.”

“What do you mean, orphan? His mom just ran off with some other guy, that’s all.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Their jeering was loud and cruel, and, Six’s face darkened.

“Blondie, is it because I didn’t smack you hard enough last time that you’re still running your mouth?” Six’s glare made Blondie shrink back instinctively.

“Psycho,” Blondie spat, but he kept his distance.

Last time, he’d made a crack about Six’s mom, and Six had gone ballistic, swinging a brick at his head. Blondie still felt the ringing in his skull.

“He’s the one who clocked you?” his friend said, sizing Six up with open contempt. “Seriously, kid, mind your own business and scram.”

That was enough to push Six’s temper over the edge. He hurled his ruined shoe at them. Blondie’s friend deflected it; the shoe landed in a lonely corner of the alley.

Alessia tipped her umbrella back just a little, her eyes meeting Six’s.

“Just keep walking straight and you’ll be out of here,” Six said, his voice steady, The two thugs bristled, growing even more annoyed.

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