A Fake Heiress’s Guide to Love and Power novel Chapter 156

Chapter 156

Brendan let out a heavy sigh, full of worry and regret.

“Neither her adoptive parents nor her birth parents ever gave Lessie the warmth of a real home. Tell me, how is that fair?”

He shook his head, his voice softening. “Lessie might seem a little distant, but she’s one of the most thoughtful kids I’ve ever met. She’s been running herself ragged for this family. Do you really think things would’ve gone so smoothly for the twins if Lessie hadn’t been helping behind the scenes?”

Before Alessia showed up, it felt like we hit a wall at every turn. Ther everything started falling into place–better than ever, really. Even if we called her a lucky charm, it wouldn’t explain all that’s happened.

denly,

Brendan didn’t need any special insight to know Alessia had put in a ton of unseen effort.

“And it’s not just about the boys. Look at our own business, the freshly renovated shop, and even Zachary’s health. If it weren’t for Lessie, all of this would be weighing us down. We wouldn’t be sitting here feeling so at peace.”

The more Brendan spoke, the heavier Karen’s guilt became.

“So… what do we do now? How could I have acted like that?” Tears welled up and spilled over before she could stop them. Brendan quickly grabbed a couple of tissues, gently dabbing her eyes.

He wrapped her in a hug, patting her back with quiet reassurance.

“Don’t beat yourself up. Lessie’s a good kid. We made mistakes, but we can make it right. We need to show her what a real family feels like–help her feel like she truly belongs here, even if it still feels strange to her.”

Zachary, too, lay awake that night, sleep nowhere in sight.

He’d told his brothers everything that happened. Predictably, they’d both laid into him–one called him clueless, the other accused him of being a bleeding heart who couldn’t make a decision.

Brothers or not, they knew how to hit where it hurt.

Watching the group chat blow up with their messages, Zachary gave a wry, self–deprecating smile.

Guess he really did deserve for Six to punch him a couple of times.

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Morning came, and all three of them showed up at breakfast with dark circles under their eyes, looking like they’d been drained of life. When they saw each other, they all sighed at once, catching the same look of regret in one another’s eyes.

Brendan seemed to be coping better, but Karen and Zachary–well, they were cut from the same cloth. You could call them gentle and kind, or, less charitably, indecisive and soft.

After Brendan and the brothers talked things through with them, their regret only grew deeper.

“Do I really have to go now? I don’t want to head back yet.” At the tah! his legs under his chair, swirling his spoon around his bowl of soup a bite.

rk kicked

ut taking

“If you keep skipping class, are you planning on becoming completely uneducated?” Alessia rapped his knuckles with her fork, shooting him a look that dared him to

waste food.

“What’s ‘uneducated‘ mean?”

“If you have to ask, you already are.”

York stuck out his lower lip. He knew better than to argue with Alessia, so he turned to Ivan for backup.

“Do you know what ‘uneducated‘ means?”

Ivan ignored him, focused on his breakfast.

“Guess you’re uneducated too, then,” York declared, stung by the silence.

“Eat up,” Alessia said, “Mr. Dawson’s waiting downstairs.”

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you.” York put on his best sulky face, but his feet swung beneath the table, betraying his good mood.

“By the way, Ivan, aren’t you supposed to be in school? Want to come to mine? If you agree to be my sidekick, maybe I’ll protect you.”

The trio who’d been quietly eating finally looked up at Ivan. He paused, spoon mid–air, but didn’t say a word.

“Less talking, more eating!” Alessia gave York’s head a gentle tap, then dropped two peeled eggs–one into his bowl, one into Ivan’s.

The next moment, Karen and Zachary quietly placed the eggs they’d peeled into Alessia’s bowl.

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Chapter 156

Alessia just shook her head, half exasperated, half amused. A glance at the clock told her she was out of time, so she left the eggs untouched, grabbed her bag, and got to her feet.

She headed out the door with York in tow. Karen and Zachary looked at Brendan, who simply held up his hands–there was nothing more he could do.

No time for more words; Zachary grabbed his backpack and hurried after them.

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Chapter 157