The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 317

Callum’s POV

I didn’t expect to lose that race.

I knew that sounded arrogant, maybe, but it was just the truth. I had been into racing since I was seventeen, and I hadn’t lost a race in over a year. Coming in second tonight, to the same person I had lost to on the street a few nights before, wasn’t what I had planned.

I sat in the car for a long moment after I crossed the finish line, staring at the back of her car ahead of me. Miss Guided. The coordinator had mentioned the name when I signed up. That was the girl I’d seen with Zane. She was driving his car tonight, too.

She was good for a rookie, if it was true when they said that. She was a lot better than good, actually. She was a natural. If it was really her first race like they said, then it was extremely impressive that she had come in first.

But that wasn’t the main reason why I was here. I’d come with the hopes of winning, yes, but something else had been on my mind since the night I had found those two together at that red light. I wanted to get a closer look at her.

I climbed out of my car and watched as Zane picked her up, spinning her around while she held the trophy in the air like she’d just won the Grand Prix. My wolf snarled, and a sense of protectiveness washed over me that I didn’t expect as I saw him set her down, and embrace her like a lover should.

On a moral level, I didn’t technically have a problem with Zane’s lifestyle. He was a playboy without scruples, that was for sure, but he had never committed to anyone before and always made it clear that he was just looking for something casual, so it wasn’t really much of a problem. That was his business, not mine.

But Liora was my business, or at least she had been, and she still mattered to me, even if I tried to pretend she didn’t. And whatever was going on between Zane and this woman, it wasn’t fair to her. Zane had made a promise to be exclusive with her, and right now, it seemed like he was breaking that promise.

Liora was a good person. I knew that now, as much as I knew my own name. She deserved better than this. I was willing to stand back and watch as she dated a known playboy, even if it made something in me turn to ice, but this was different.

I needed to say something. This couldn’t go on, and if it did, then I would have no choice but to tell Liora personally. She had done so with me when it came to Bianca, so it was only fair for me to do the same for her.

I walked over to them, pushing my way through the crowd. Unfortunately, by the time I approached, Zane was gone. He must have walked away to talk to someone else.

Miss Guided definitely noticed me coming and straightened slightly, but didn’t move away. I stopped a few feet in front of her, studying her disguise.

“Good race,” I said.

She nodded once, but said nothing.

“You found my weak point fast.”

“It wasn’t hard to find,” she said. Her voice was somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It was low and husky, like she was deliberately dropping it a pitch.

I looked at her for a second, trying to figure out where I knew her from. Unfortunately, the bandana covered her nose and mouth, and the sunglasses covered her eyes, and her hood was still up. I couldn’t make out so much as a sliver of her face or even a strand of her hair color.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked.

“Well, that was technically a question already, but sure.” She crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly, waiting.

“How long have you been running around with Zane?”

She stiffened. “Why are you asking?”

Before I could figure it out, a hand landed on her shoulder.

“There you are.” Zane appeared behind her, glancing at me with one corner of his mouth lifted. “You good?”

“Fine,” she said. “I want those fries. Let’s go.”

Zane gave me a nod, and then they turned and disappeared into the crowd.

I watched them go. “Miss Guided”, or whatever the hell her real name was, looked back at me once. And then they were gone.

After that, I left, climbing into my car and heading home. I would have liked to have stayed away longer, but I couldn’t. Sooner than I wanted it to, the familiar facade of my parents’ mansion came into view. Thankfully, it was all dark inside.

I parked and quietly headed upside, tiptoeing up the stairs to avoid waking anyone. The house was quiet. I hoped to climb into bed without running into my parents, or worse, Bianca. The new semester would start in a week, and it couldn’t come fast enough.

But fate would not let me have it so easy. I opened my door to find a figure sitting on my bed in the dark. I didn’t startle, because I figured she would be sitting there, waiting for me.

Bianca flipped on the lamp on the bedside table before I could speak. She glared at me with anger and betrayal in her eyes, and folded her arms tightly across her chest.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” she barked. “Where have you been, Callum?”