A False Heiress's Guide to Love and Power

“I’ll go with you,” Stella blurted out without even thinking.

“You should stay with Uncle. It’s not often you get to visit. My brothers are going with me anyway.”

Stella pressed her lips together, clearly uneasy about leaving those two alone, but Alessia kept insisting, and eventually she relented.

Only after watching the three of them get into the car did Stella and Justin finally head back into the academy.

“Come on, I just saw Mr. Dawson heading inside,” Justin said, knowing full well that Stella wouldn’t rest easy until she saw with her own eyes how disheveled Ileana looked.

“Mr. Dawson came too?” Stella asked as they walked toward the gym.

“Probably at Cole’s request. The Tate family’s planning to launch a new venture and they’re in talks with the Whitley Group. If Ileana pissed Cole off at a time like this, she’s basically digging her own grave.”

It was no secret how quickly Cole had expanded the Whitley Group’s reach in just two years he was nobody’s fool. Some people liked to think he was harmless, just because he played the sweet puppy in front of Alessia, but they forgot that underneath it all, he was a wolf–and those who forgot that risked being devoured, bones and all.

Halfway to the gym, they didn’t see any sign of Cole, but instead spotted Mr. Dawson, trailed by a security guard carrying a frail–looking Ileana in his arms.

“Mr. Dawson, would it be alright if I had a word with Ileana?” Stella asked.

Tate family a few times before, so Mr. Dawson knew about her friendship

guard a silent nod.

with any pretense. She grabbed Ileana’s chin and turned her face from side to side,

at her, eyes full of fear, but she was too weak to resist and could

you should count yourself lucky it’s me standing here right now and

13.30

with a hint of regret in her

if getting rid of something unpleasant. When she turned back to Mr. Dawson, her face carried

“Thank you, Mr. Dawson.”

his own smile calm

back entrance. Please let Miss Morton know that the security footage from the gym has been destroyed. She doesn’t need to

satisfaction and stepped aside. Mr. Dawson wasted no

scrapes and bruises–her skin was delicate, so it looked worse than it was,

opened it, a faint smile

to your house. Dad doesn’t know a thing, so don’t worry. Starting

understood what that meant–Cole