A Fake Heiress’s Guide to Love and Power novel Chapter 289

The restaurant’s doors stood wide open, with two servers in crisp waistcoats

greeting guests at the entrance.

Alessia strode ahead, the three girls trailing behind her, their eyes fixed on her back. One of the waiters stepped forward and said something to Alessia.

“Oh no, are we about to get kicked out?” Esme whispered nervously.

“I don’t think so. Look at how respectful the waiter is–he clearly knows Alessia,” Mia replied, watching closely.

Sure enough, just as Mia finished speaking, the waiter nodded politely to Alessia and stepped aside to let them in. He spoke quietly into his earpiece, and moments later, a man in a sharp suit hurried out from the dining room.

“The manager,” someone murmured.

“The manager? Who is Alessia, really?” The surprise in the waiter’s voice only made the girls more curious.

“Miss Morton! If you’d let us know you were coming, we would have prepared everything in advance, the manager said, almost breathless..

“It was a last–minute dinner with my housemates,” Alessia replied simply.

“We’ve kept your usual private room ready. Please, this way.”

Alessia nodded, but glanced back to see the others still huddled together, whispering.

“Aren’t you coming?” she called.

“Of course! Coming, coming!” Esme snapped out of her daze, grabbing Joyce’s hand and looping her arm through Mia’s, dragging them inside.

The interior took their breath away. It felt as if they’d stepped straight into a tranquil English manor garden: arched stone bridges over gentle streams, elegant architecture, and lush greenery everywhere.

“It’s gorgeous,” Esme breathed, wide–eyed.

Ahead, Alessia waited for them beneath a covered walkway, showing no sign of impatience. She murmured something to the manager, who nodded and slipped

away.

Mia, a little embarrassed, tugged on Esme’s sleeve. “We probably look like we’ve

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never been anywhere nice before,” she whispered.

Esme scratched her head sheepishly. “Sorry, Alessia.”

Alessia just shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Most people come out here for a walk after dinner–it’s perfectly normal.”

She gestured to the side, where several other guests strolled through the gardens or sat in the courtyard, sipping tea or coffee in perfect leisure. No one paid them any mind.

The girls finally relaxed, their nerves easing and their opinion of Alessia rising.

“Where’d the manager go?” Joyce asked.

“I sent him to get everything ready. Do you want to look around a bit more, or shall

we eat?”

“Let’s eat!” the three of them answered in unison.

Alessia smiled and led the way.

They hesitated over the menu, intimidated by the prices–one dish probably cost more than their monthly allowances combined. Alessia didn’t make a fuss. She simply asked if anyone had any dietary restrictions, then ordered several of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

When the manager came back to confirm the order, the three girls braced themselves as if it were their own wallets taking the hit, but said nothing; they wouldn’t dare embarrass Alessia in front of the staff.

Once the manager had left, Joyce finally voiced her concern in a shaky whisper. “Alessia, isn’t that a bit much?”

“If we can’t finish, we’ll just take the leftovers home for a midnight snack,” Alessia replied, unfazed.

“Even someone as rich as you packs up leftovers?” Mia teased, her tone friendlier now despite calling Alessia/princess” yet again.

Alessia grinned. “I’m hardly a princess. I save where I can, just like anyone else.”

“This meal must cost, what, five grand?” Esme exclaimed, ever the dramatist. “You’re gorgeous and loaded–can I please trade lives with you in my next one?”

Alessia heard her playful groan and just laughed, saying nothing.

Her phone buzzed. It was Cole.

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“I’ll take this outside,” she told them. “Someone will bring the food soon–don’t wait for me, just start. The bill’s already settled, so don’t worry. I’ll be back in a minute.”

And with that, Alessia slipped away before any of them could protest.

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