Fake heiress Real heroine

Chapter 24

* 63%

Hearing that, Joseph let out a sharp exhale. If he’d been drinking something, he probably would have spit it out.

He glanced at Quinlyn, his lips twitching. “So why did you.. take the teacher’s phone?” he asked, stopping himself just short of saying “steal”

“It seemed odd.” Quinlyn muttered, unaware of his conflicted look. She typed furiously, trying to crack the password. “A cop once said people hide secrets in their phones. They check them because it makes them feel safe.”

Joseph furrowed his brow, processing what she was saying. “You think Mr. Lambert’s shady or something?”

Quinlyn shook her head, still focused on the phone. “Not sure yet,” she said. But she was determined to dig deeper and uncover the truth.

Joseph used to roll his eyes at assumptions like these–blaming someone without proof was just dumb. But Quinlyn had saved his butt more than once and proved herself over and over. Now he trusted her just like Stanley did, no questions asked

Instead of talking about returning the phone, he asked, “Can you unlock it? If not, maybe Stanley could-“He cut himself off, staring at the screen now filled with lines of code. His mouth dropped open.

If he knew Quinlyn was the one who sent Mordoria the blooming roses during that backer alliance chaos, he’d be blown

away

Three seconds later, there was a soft “ding,” and the phone unlocked, the screen lighting up.

Quinlyn was new to smartphones and still figuring things out. She accidentally opened the camera app and jumped when she saw her own face on the screen.

Joseph leaned over with a smile, about to help her out. But as his eyes caught a photo thumbnail in the corner, his smile vanished, and he quickly covered Quinlyn’s eyes with his hand.

“You don’t need to see what’s next,” he said, his voice turning cold. “Give me the phone, okay?”

paused for a second, then handed over the phone. She knew Joseph needed to handle this, especially since it had something to do with Mandy.

silence. After a few minutes, he stepped out, his face tense. When he returned, Quinlyn saw his

themselves. She took a moment, then spoke up, her voice steady. “Why not just hit Mr. Lambert instead?” she

before he burst into laughter. He wiped his hand on a tissue, then playfully tousled her hair. The anger in his eyes faded, and his

mean it,” he said,

was sleeping peacefully. She knew Mandy had been through something rough. “So, she’s not going to school this afternoon?” she

of sadness in his eyes. “Nope. Gotta get her

not wanting to push for more. “Alright,” she

the car door. “How about you skip school today?” he blurted out, glancing over at her. “Just stay low for a few days until I sort this out.

1/3

Tue, 18

Chapter 24

turned to him, shaking her head thoughtfully. “I can’t skip she murmured. “We have PF dass this afternoon, and there’s a test.

wanted to tell her that a PE. test was nothing to worry

to something, the other kids might be in danger.

at her, genuinely surprised. She barely came up to the car door, but her determination was fierce. It was like ray

but be careful. I’ll wrap up what I’m doing and get over there. If something happens, don’t jump in without

he was seriously worried about

kids started heading back

noticed Mandy’s empty seat–except Quinlyn, who kept checking it

class.

support from friends. But Quinlyn looked like she was just stretching her legs–she didn’t even break a sweat.

Lynn, blew his whistle. “Alright, everyone, the rest of the period’s free. Go find some shade and

to Quinlyn. “Hey, we’re opening card packs over in the shade. We brought a bunch. You should join

out their shiny, new cards. She didn’t quite understand the appeal, but she politely declined the invitation. “I’ll join you