A Fake Heiress’s Guide to Love and Power novel Chapter 345

“Is it a crime for me to dress well? You only wear what you do because your husband doesn’t make enough to buy you nice clothes, right? Is that why you want my brother to give you money–so you can go out and buy yourself something pretty?”

Alessia blinked, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

She already had that innocent, heartbreaking face, and the sudden tears caught everyone off guard.

“I… I didn’t… That’s not…” The woman faltered, completely thrown by Alessia’s words. What had they even started out trying to do?

Alessia wiped at her face, but the tears kept coming.

Her slender shoulders trembled, and the way she tried to hold back her sobs–stubborn, but hopelessly overwhelmed–made her look even more fragile, tugging at the hearts of everyone watching.

“Lessie!”

The woman was stunned by the sudden reversal, but she wasn’t the only one panicking–Zachary looked just as shaken.

Alessia was always so strong, so proud. If something had made her cry like this, she must have been deeply wronged.

Zachary’s face filled with concern as he pulled Alessia into his arms, gently rubbing

her back.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m here, Lessie, don’t worry. If it comes to it, we’ll just give them the money. If we run out, I’ll just earn more. However many pretty dresses you want, I’ll buy them for you–all of them, okay? Please don’t cry, Lessie.”

He cupped her face in his hands and used his thumb to softly wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes, his gaze brimming with tenderness.

Alessia had thought Zachary was just playing along with her little act–his words were too perfect. But when she looked up, she realized he was truly worried about her.

She stared at him, momentarily speechless, her emotions suddenly tangled and complicated.

“Oh, poor kids–they must still be in school, right?”

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09:40

“Grown adults picking on children. Unbelievable.”

“I told you, didn’t I? The girl helped the old lady out of the goodness of her heart, and now she’s getting blackmailed for it. If this keeps happening, who’s ever going to help us old folks again?”

“Exactly! Just because she’s dressed nicely, they think they can wring money out of her. That’s just wrong.”

“They’ve got two good hands–why don’t they go earn their own money instead of trying to scam a couple of students?”

All around, people pointed at the husband and wife sitting on the floor, their faces full of contempt, as if they hadn’t been supporting them just moments ago.

“No, that’s not true! It was them-” The woman looked at her husband, eyes wide with panic.

They scrambled to explain, but somewhere along the line, they’d lost control of the situation entirely.

“Step aside, please! This is a hospital. If you don’t have business here, clear the hallway.”

No one listened to the couple’s protests. Queenie arrived with security in tow, and the reporters were quickly ushered away. Nurses took the opportunity to send patients and their families back to their rooms.

Within moments, the once–crowded corridor emptied out. Zachary let go of Alessia and looked around, only to realize that Queenie wasn’t alone–Cole and Ethan had shown up as well, with two police officers right behind them.

“What happened?” Cole’s eyes immediately found Alessia, and he rushed over.

“What got you so upset?” Cole gently cupped Alessia’s face, kissed her softly, then pulled her into a hug, soothing her with a quiet pat on the back.

“Alright, tell us what happened.” The police officer’s question made Ethan pause, concern etched across his face. But with Zachary and Cole there to comfort Alessia, Ethan–ever the eldest–knew he had to keep his cool and deal with the troublemakers first.

“It’s him! He broke my mother–in–law’s ribs and now he refuses to pay up!”

“The woman collapsed and stopped breathing. If we hadn’t started CPR, she wouldn’t have made it until the ambulance arrived,” Zachary replied, jaw clenched with anger, though he kept his temper in check as he explained to the police.

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