The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 129

“I can’t get involved in this,” he finally said after a moment. Nothing more. Nothing less.

And just like that, he was gone.

…

Callum’s POV

“Callum.” The principal straightened when I entered his office. “What are you doing here at this hour? I was just preparing to leave for the evening.”

Crossing the room, I held out the vial and the earring. “I found this in the hallway, Sir. The vial seems to contain Wolf’s Edge, and the earring belongs to—”

“This has that Belrose girl written all over it.” Alder snatched the items from me and held them up to the light to inspect them. “Thank you for bringing these to me, Callum. Now, I have the proper grounds to forbid her from attending the ceremony.”

I froze. Forbid Liora from attending the ceremony? For something that she had no part in?

“Sir, that earring belongs to Jessica,” I pointed out. “Liora had sprained her ankle, and I was helping her wrap it in the infirmary when we heard a noise outside. When we emerged, we found the vial. We chased the culprit, who dropped this earring. I believe that Jessica may have planted the tonic in Liora’s food after all.”

The principal glanced at me. “Or, that wolfless troublemaker framed her.”

“Framed her? But Sir, I was there when it happened. I was with her the entire time.”

“So? Perhaps she employed one of her little friends. Are you sure she even twisted her ankle, or was it all an act to get you alone with her—so she may set the scene, so to speak?”

I blinked at that. Of course Liora’s injury had been real; I had seen her swollen ankle firsthand. I had been the one to carry her to the infirmary and wrap it. She could barely stand when I left her. She wouldn’t have faked an injury just to frame Jessica and Bianca.

But as I opened my mouth to tell the principal just that, he waved me off. “I think I’ve heard enough. I’ll handle the rest, Callum. Thank you.”

“But Sir—”

My lips pressed together as I read the text. I hesitated for a long moment, thumbs hovering over the keyboard, as I thought back on my mother’s repeated warnings.

Ever since that night in the library, she’d been drilling it into my head that I must stay away from Liora—and that if she found out I was hanging around with her, I would regret it. The whole family’s reputation would suffer for my foolishness. Bianca was my betrothed, not Liora.

It was why I had to push Liora away so harshly tonight. Because whatever that had been in the infirmary… I couldn’t risk letting it happen again.

Even if it felt so fucking right, having her in my arms for those brief moments.

No. I had to keep my distance. And I couldn’t let a soul, especially not my mother, know that I had almost broken tonight.

Finally, I typed out a reply and sent it.

“I haven’t seen her at all lately, Mother.”