A Fake Heiress’s Guide to Love and Power novel Chapter 149

“I remember he was only seven at the time, right? That woman must be insane. Who does something like that to a little kid? And wasn’t he still her brother back then? As far as I know, the Mortons never treated her badly.”

“Jealousy can be a terrible thing,” Alessia replied, her tone far calmer than Stella’s. “That’s why I suspect she already knew she was actually a Tate before anyone else

did.”

“But if neither family knew, how could she have found out?” Stella frowned,

confused, but she never doubted Alessia’s instincts.

“That’s exactly what I can’t figure out.”

“So what are you planning to do now?” Stella lowered her voice.

“I’m going to play along for a bit.”

A glint of mischief flickered in Stella’s eyes. Her smile turned a little wicked.

“But…”

“But what?”

“But first, I need to find out exactly what she did to Ivan.” Alessia’s brow furrowed.

“Are you going to tell the Mortons?”

“Words alone won’t convince them.”

“You’re worried they won’t believe you?” Stella caught on immediately.

“They’ve raised her as their daughter for seventeen years, and I’ve only just come back. Who do you think they’ll trust?” Alessia’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I mean… what if they do believe you?” Stella sounded hesitant, rubbing her nose to

hide her awkwardness.

Alessia grinned and patted Stella’s head. “I’d rather have proof than a pointless argument.”

People’s hearts are hard to read. If you can lay out the facts with evidence, there’s no need to waste your breath.

Stella pressed her lips together. Sometimes, when you’re too close to something, you can’t see it clearly–even she hadn’t realized how attached she’d become to the Mortons. Maybe that’s why she wanted to have evidence first; she didn’t want to see

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Chapter 149

suspicion or doubt in their eyes.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Stella’s gaze was unwavering. At least she trusted Alessia completely.

Alessia shook her head. “She’s not worth us worrying about–at least not yet.”

“You always have a plan.” Stella handed her the helmet. “Oh, by the way, Mr. Sanders started talking about the sports meet today. How many events are you signing up for this time?”

“Is ‘none‘ an option?”

“If

you skip out, Pierce will probably nag you for a month. Can you live with that?” Stella raised an eyebrow, feigning seriousness.

Alessia put on a mock stern face. “No, I really can’t.”

They both burst out laughing.

Just as they said, someone like Ileana wasn’t enough to keep them up at night.

“Want to come up for a bit?” Alessia asked as they stood by the front steps.

Stella shook her head and set her helmet down. “Next time. I’ll bring a gift, too. You can’t show up empty–handed the first time you visit someone’s home–got to keep up appearances.”

If it were just any friend, she wouldn’t care, but Alessia’s situation was different. The more polite they were, the more it showed how important Alessia was to them. With any luck, the Mortons would get the message and treat Alessia as she deserved.

Even though Alessia would never let herself be mistreated, as her friend, Stella wanted to be someone who gave her backup.

Alessia understood. With a knowing smile, she bumped fists with Stella–their own secret handshake.

“See you,” Stella waved, striding off with her usual flair as Alessia watched her go.

As Alessia headed upstairs, the house was oddly quiet.

“I’m home,” she called out, slipping off her shoes.

“Perfect timing! Go wash up, dinner’s almost ready.” Zachary appeared from the kitchen with a tray. “Did you get everything sorted out?”

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