Before Zachary could say a word, Alessianded a quick kick to Pierce’s <b>shin</b>. It wasn’t hard, but the message was clear: back off.
Pierce looked wounded, though he hadn’t really said anything wrong. <b>Besides</b><b>, </b><b>the </b>rivalry between them and Crestview High was old news–trading jabs when <b>they </b>crossed paths was practically tradition. He couldn’t even go buy breakfast <b>without </b>getting mocked by someone from Crestview.
Annoyed but unable to protest, Pierce sulked in silence, his face full ofint.
“This is my second brother,” Alessia announced.
Pierce’s eyes went wide as he nced between the two of them. “Wait… so it’s
true?”
Alessia ignored him and turned to Zachary instead. “I’m heading in.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you at the gate after school. No rush–take your time,” Zachary replied.
She nodded and shot Pierce a look, then the two of them made their way toward the school. The crowd dispersed; the morning buzz faded as everyone drifted back
to their routines.
As soon as they stepped onto campus, Pierce couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“So that whole family reunion thing was real?”
“You got an invitation too?”
“Not exactly. I just happened to spot a stack of invitations when the butler was sorting them yesterday. But I don’t even know Ileana–I figured it must be some distant branch of the Tate family from the middle of nowhere, so I didn’t bother. When I saw everyone chatting about it online this morning, I wanted to ask you–what’s going on?”
“What do you think?” Alessia grinned, not a hint of sadness on her face. “The real deal’s back. Time for the imposter to step aside.”
“Hey, that’s not-<b>” </b>
“Alessia–no, wait, Alessia!” A girl came striding over, cutting Pierce off mid–sentence.
Alessia waved in greeting. “News travels fast, huh?”
13:50
“In this crowd? One family sneezes, and <b>the </b><b>whole </b><b>town </b><b>catches </b>a cold. <b>Penny </b>Sullivan bumped fists with her. “Don’t forget to give me that <b>dress </b><b>after </b><b>school</b><b>. </b>
“I’m being kicked out and you’re still worried about clothes<b>?</b>” Alessia <b>looked </b>exasperated. “Since when were you this obsessed with money?”
Penny gave her a look that said, You can’t be serious.
“So you’re not staying with the Tates–big deal. It’s not like you’re starving. <b>Besides</b><b>, </b>isn’t now the time to make some cash? The money <i>you </i>get selling your stuff goes straight into your pocket. Should I pity you? Please, pity me instead, you <b>crafty </b><b>fox</b><b>.</b><b>” </b>Pierce, listening in, couldn’t help butugh. Penny shot him a re, and he zipped his lips in a hurry.
“Alright, alright. I knew you’d ask, so I set aside one just like it. I’ll leave it in <b>your </b>lockerter.”
“Did you look at the design sketches I sent?”
“The modern cheongsam–style dress is nice. I’ll send you my notes on the other designs tonight.”
Penny nodded and left without another word, slipping away as if they were just ssmates who barely knew each other and had exchanged greetings out of
necessity.
Pierce smirked. “So you two are just ‘dead to each other‘ kind of friends, huh?”
Alessia rolled her eyes. “With English like that, you think diplomat?”
<i>you </i>could
pass
for a
Pierce tossed his red hair with mock swagger. “International level, baby.”
She burst outughing and pped him on the shoulder. “Come on. I’m not risking a tardy slip for your sake.”
“By the way, I heard the Mortons moved away after they went bankrupt―owed a bunch of money, not doing so well. Are you okay living there? Cole’s really letting you rough it? If you don’t want to take Cole’s help, you can crash at my ce. I’ll even hire you a housekeeper and a driver. Trust me, life would be way sweeter than at the Tates or the Mortons.”
<b>Chapter </b><b>50 </b>