A False Heiress's Guide to Love and Power

Chapter 490

According to his desk mate, the whole thing had just been about finding someone to rough him up a little. So, those guys only beat him up and dumped him in the middle of nowhere, saying they just wanted to scare him.

Luckily, his years spent running with the street kids in back alleys hadn’t been for nothing–by sheer grit, he managed to make it back.

Naturally, there was no way he could show up for the track meet after that.

Now, he thought, the little wolf’s definitely going to be furious.

He’d raised her himself, so he knew her temper better than anyone. But this sort of thing? There was no need for her to find out.

If he couldn’t even protect himself, then he might as well let someone else look after her for the time being.

Being the eldest son, Max grew up under the watchful eyes of Scott and Yvonne, groomed to be the family heir. Every step he took had been mapped out in advance.

He had neither the right nor the desire to rebel.

So he quietly used what he’d learned to squirrel away a private fund, build his own company, and slowly grow his influence. Bit by bit, he set himself up to rival Tate Holdings.

He figured, the day he finally swallowed up Tate Holdings would be the day he’d finally

be free.

managed to break free first–a certain little wolf, always a

ahead.

little ingrate, and sure enough, when she found out the truth about her background abroad, she didn’t raise a fuss–she just played around for a

worried. He didn’t care much about the

by birth. He knew exactly what kind of person the

she kept her head down, the Tates wouldn’t

she just had to overestimate herself and try to go head–to–head with the

wolf he’d raised versus some delicate hothouse

need to lift a finger; the little

three extra “brothers” suddenly in the

him “Max” to his face, but when she talked to the three “bonus brothers,” it was always “big brother

honestly couldn’t stand to hear another

the family reunion, and the little wolf couldn’t even

they were drifting apart

were good people–almost too kind, and that might

think darkly, maybe it was a good thing Alessia had been switched at birth.

she hadn’t been switched, maybe she really would

doesn’t do what–ifs. Everything had been

love, Alessia was slowly shedding some of

there’d been an earthquake at the village where Alessia was teaching, Max dropped