From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 224

Chapter 224 Do You Know Who I Am Now?

(67)

Finished

Three days had passed since Leander returned to Ravenridge. And now, it was the day of the Jeff Enterprises charity gala. Yvette and Ginny had just come back from Glenwick after spending a full day with Madeline.

Word of Leander’s return reached Monica fast. She wouldn’t take no for an answer and eventually dragged him over for lunch at the Sitwell estate.

“Leander, you and Yvette stay here and relax. Mr. Sitwell and I have some business to discuss.”

After lunch, Monica gave him a cheerful smile and stepped out. Linden followed behind her but didn’t leave before tossing Yvette a long, suggestive glance. Then the front door clicked shut behind him.

He used to avoid even looking Leander in the eye. But the moment he learned Leander was the chairman of Jeff Enterprises, everything changed. His tone softened. His posture shifted. Suddenly, he couldn’t shove his daughter into Leander’s life fast enough. If he could’ve built a shrine and bowed to it, he probably would’ve.

The house had gone quiet after everyone left. Yvette moved around the room with ease, washing the drinkware before setting a fresh pot of tea in front of Leander.

“So, when are you heading to Highcliffe?” she asked, tilting her head as she settled beside him on the couch.

Yvette had always been quick.

The day she found out about Leander’s true background in West Listin, she knew it was only a matter of time. He would return to the Ashcrofts. He would go back to that family and demand the respect he had been denied.

“One month,” Leander said as he lifted his teacup. His voice stayed calm, but there was a sharp edge behind it.

He had already told Frankie to start laying the groundwork for Jeff Enterprises‘ move into Highcliffe. That would be the day he set foot in the city again.

Yvette rested her cheek in her palm, unable to quiet her thoughts. She kept picturing the Ashcrofts‘ faces–what they would look like when they realized the boy they had thrown out had turned into someone they couldn’t even reach anymore. A boy they left to rot, now someone they had to look up to.

They spent the whole afternoon at the Sitwell estate. As evening crept in, Yvette offered to help Leander find something decent to wear for the Jeff Enterprises charity gala.

1/4

13:19 Wed, Oct 15

Chapter 224 Do You Know Who I Am Now?

273

Outside Ravenridge Central Mall, Leander sat in the back seat of Frankie’s BMW. Shopping bags filled the seat beside him. Yvette had dragged him through store after store until she finally found him a handful of suits that looked good enough to silence a room.

From the passenger seat, she turned toward him and said, “You really should care more about this stuff. You’re heading up the biggest company in the country. You can’t walk into a charity gala dressed like you’re grabbing takeout.”

Leander barely reacted. He shrugged and leaned back.

“Does it matter?” he asked, sounding completely unbothered.

“No matter how expensive the clothes are, they’re just a disguise. What matters is the strength you actually hold. Everything else is just fabric.”

Yvette raised an eyebrow and let out a small sigh.

A few months ago, she might’ve found that attitude smug. But now, it came off almost charming.

“Okay, okay, Mr. Serious. You win. But let’s eat before you end up late for the event.”

She laughed and teased him as she turned toward the window.

Leander gave her a sidelong glance. Something in him shifted. He didn’t know when it had started, but it was there. A quiet awareness. A change in the way he saw her.

She used to be just Monica’s daughter. Someone he looked after from a distance. But ever since he brought her back from Listin, she had stuck around. She stayed by his side without trying too hard, without asking for anything. Somewhere along the way, that space between them had faded.

Yvette noticed him staring. She blinked and touched her cheek.

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

Leander looked away and shook his head. He was about to start the engine when a wave of shouting broke out near the mall entrance.

Yvette turned toward the noise. A woman in a wide–brimmed hat bolted out of the building, running full speed. Behind her, a wave of people surged forward, shouting and pointing. It looked like a mob scene.

Panic lit up the woman’s face. She didn’t slow down. She darted toward the BMW, yanked open the door, and jumped into the back seat.

She wore large sunglasses that covered most of her face, but she was clearly young. Her hands

2/4

13:19 Wed, Oct 15

Chapter 224 Do You Know Who I Am Now?

shook as she looked at Leander.

Finished

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out. “Please just drive. Anywhere is fine. Just get me out of here. I’m begging you.”

She glanced over her shoulder. The crowd was closing in fast. She had slipped out alone that day, trying to keep things low–key, thinking she could just shop like anyone else. But someone spotted her, and in minutes the whole mall had turned upside down. She barely made it out.

If those people reached the car, they’d surround it. By morning, every news outlet in the country would have her photo splashed across the front page.

Yvette stared at the woman’s face. Something about her looked familiar, but she couldn’t figure out why.

Leander, on the other hand, didn’t even blink. He turned his head and looked at her with cold detachment.

“You again.”

The moment Leander turned, the young woman’s eyes went wide.

“You? Seriously?”

Her voice jumped an octave, full of shock. She clearly hadn’t expected to run into him again, especially not like this.

Behind her, the crowd poured out of the mall like floodwater, loud and frenzied. She had no time to waste. She pressed her palms together and pleaded, “We met on the plane, remember? Please, just this once. If they catch up to me, I’m done for. Just hit the gas. Anywhere’s fine.”

Leander didn’t even blink. His tone dropped cold as stone.

“You’ve got the wrong idea.

“This is my car, not public transport. I don’t owe you anything. Get out. I have somewhere to be.”

He stayed still, completely unaffected.

He didn’t care even if she was the national sweetheart; he wouldn’t lift a finger to help.

In his eyes, if you were a celebrity, then you should’ve known the risks before sneaking out like that. If things went sideways, that was on you.

Yvette looked over her shoulder and almost laughed. The woman’s face was mostly hidden behind oversized shades, but her looks still showed through. Stunning, clearly. Yet Leander

3/4

13 10 Wed, Oct 15

Du Nisu Krew Whb 1 Am Nm?

acted like she was invisible. It reminded Yvette of the first time she met him. Same cold stare, same distant tone. For a split second, she felt like they were on the same page.

Marve, on the other hand, was boiling.

She had never been treated like this. In her world, people bent over backward to help her. One ride should’ve been easy. Just a drive. A simple favor.

But Leander didn’t even glance her way. “Just go! I’ll pay you! Name your price, I don’t care. Just get me away from here!”

Her voice cracked. Her chest rose and fell fast. The crowd was closing in. Her panic was rising fast.

But Leander’s tone didn’t change. It stayed firm, cool, unshaken. “Get out. You’re in my way.”

Maeve stared at his profile, stunned. In all her years of fame, no one had ever brushed her off like this. She wasn’t just some starlet. She was a household name. A national icon. And yet, he looked right through her.

She didn’t want to believe it. Not this guy. She yanked off her sunglasses, revealing every inch of her flawless face. Her brows pulled tight, and her lips pressed together. She stared straight at Leander, unwilling to back down.

It was the first time she had revealed her real face in public like this. She didn’t even hesitate. Because she was sure once he saw who she really was, everything would shift.

Yvette turned her head, caught a good look, and froze. Her mouth dropped open as recognition hit.

“Wait… you’re Maeve?”

Her voice came out loud and clear, breaking her usual calm. Maeve caught that reaction and smiled, proud and smug. She turned toward Leander again, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

Now he had to know. Now he had to react.

Send Gifts

60