**************
And had the Heirs not made me drop out, he would have, himself.
The walls of my father's villa were too quiet, too clean and too still.
Once, I had been the storm in these halls—the golden girl with sharp heels and a sharper tongue.
I used to come home late from Council meetings, toss my bag on the stairs, and smirk at the maids like I owned the ground they walked on.
Now?
Now they barely looked me in the eye, not after the revelation of who I truly was came to light.
And now, I was a fallen Alpha daughter. Useless. Humiliated. Shamed.
I leaned against the balcony railing, sipping my tea and watching the front gates through narrowed eyes.
The sun had just risen behind the western trees, painting the skies in molten gold. Everything felt too beautiful for what my life had become.
And then… the black car rolled in.
It was not one of ours.
I stiffened immediately, my fingers tightening around the cup.
