The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 297

Callum’s POV

The bar erupted into shouts and murmurs.

“He drugged the wolf?”

“Holy shit, did you hear that?”

“Alder’s gone too far this time!”

The student in question was standing in the stream, dripping wet and pointing at the principal. The camera was still rolling, capturing everything. Capturing the principle’s shame.

So Alder had drugged a student with wolfsbane and sent him to fight Liora. A wolfless girl. Knowing full well what could happen if she got infected.

Fucking criminal.

“That bastard,” I muttered under my breath. He would pay for this. I wouldn’t let him get away with what he had done.

Beside me, Bianca sipped her cosmo like nothing had happened. She set the glass down and pulled out her phone, scrolling through the voting app.

“Well,” she said calmly, “Liora cheated on her last test.”

I turned to look at her. “What?”

“She left the circle. Those were the rules.” Bianca shrugged one shoulder. “She didn’t technically win the combat. She shouldn’t pass the exam.”

“Are you serious right now?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Alder drugged that student. He could have killed Liora. Multiple people could have gotten hurt!”

“I’m sure our principal had everything under control. Besides, rules are rules.” Bianca tapped her screen. “I, for one, am voting against her.”

She held up her phone to show me. A red X appeared next to Liora’s name on the voting app.

Around us, other students were pulling out their phones too. Some were voting in Liora’s favor, but others—mostly Bianca’s followers—were voting against her.

“You should all vote with me,” Bianca called out across the hushed bar. “She broke the rules. That’s an automatic failure.”

Jessica was sitting at a nearby table with some of the other girls from Bianca’s usual group. She looked at Bianca, then down at her phone. For a moment, I thought she would do what Bianca wanted, just like she always did.

But then she stood up.

“No,” Jessica said. “I’m not voting against her.”

Bianca’s head snapped toward her. “Excuse me?”

“Liora saved that student’s life. She got him out of the wolfsbane trance before he could hurt himself or anyone else.” Jessica looked down at her phone and tapped the screen. “I’m voting in her favor.”

If I voted for Liora, then Bianca would know. She would tell my parents. And they would follow through on their threat without a doubt.

I couldn’t risk it. Not when Liora’s life was on the line.

My hand tightened around my phone.

“Callum?” Bianca’s voice was sweet but her grip on my arm was like iron. “You’re voting with me, right?”

I looked at the TV screen one more time. At Liora’s face, covered in mud and blood but still determined. She was staring at the camera like she could see right through it. Like she could see me struggling to make my decision.

Then I tapped the red X.

The tally updated. 66% in favor. 34% against.

It wasn’t enough to change the outcome. Liora had still passed. But I’d voted against her anyway.

Zane, who had been standing a few feet away, turned to look at me. His expression was one of pure disgust.

“Seriously?” he bit out, his voice pure venom. “You voted against her?”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.