The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 318

Bianca’s POV

“I was attending a car show.” Callum casually slipped his jacket off and threw it on the back of his desk chair. His face was expressionless, but I knew he was lying.

“Liar.” I stood, planting my hands on my hips. “I’ve already seen the pictures.”

“Pictures?” Callum turned toward me, brows raised.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to him. There, on the screen, was a photograph taken tonight—one of him at what looked like a car racetrack. He was talking to a girl whose features I couldn’t make out because her face was completely obscured, but she was definitely one of the racers.

“Who is she?” I bit out, watching as Callum’s brow arched at the photograph. “And why would you participate in a race without telling me?”

Callum looked at the picture for a moment longer, then he handed my phone back to me. “She was another contestant. She beat me. I was congratulating her on a job well done.”

“What’s her name?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Everyone there uses pseudonyms.” He shot me a look. “Bianca, there was nothing romantic about it, so please don’t turn this into something it doesn’t need to be.”

I placed my hand over my heart in offense. “Jeez, I’m not that flighty,” I complained. “Although I don’t get why you didn’t invite me. I could have been there on the sidelines, cheering you on!”

Callum said nothing, just turned and walked into the en suite bathroom, but I could see the way his jaw ticked like I’d annoyed him with only a suggestion.

He’d been acting like this lately, ever since we came to his parents’ house for the winter break. He avoided me like the plague, more so than usual, and always acted like talking to me was a burden.

It was starting to grate on my nerves. For the longest time, I’d thought it was Liora who was getting under his skin, but now that she wasn’t around, I was beginning to wonder if he just didn’t like me.

My heart raced wildly just at the thought. If Callum lost affection for me, then everything would be ruined. All of my hard work to ensure our marriage would go to waste.

Plastering the sweetest smile onto my face that I could, I sauntered into the bathroom. He was standing at the sink, washing his face. I walked over to him and grabbed his arm, then rested my head on his shoulder.

“Callum… Baby…”

He stiffened. “What?”

“Please take me with you to the next event.”

Callum straightened, wiping his face on a hand towel. “I thought you hated cars.”

“Well…” I pushed my lower lip out. “I’m willing to give it a try if it’s an interest of yours. I didn’t know you were so into racing!”

Callum stared at me like he didn’t believe me.

“Please?” I asked. I reached out, twisting the ring around his finger. “I’m your fiancee. I want to spend more time with you.”

He hesitated for another moment, but I kept my expression sweet and loving with a touch of sheepishness. Finally, he sighed.

“Alright. We’ll go tomorrow night.”

…

That night came more slowly than I would have liked. I didn’t see Callum all day; he said he was busy picking out the new headmaster, but I knew he was just avoiding me. I spent the day with his mother, sipping tea and going through old photographs, pretending to be serene and happy while my mind raced.

But then a familiar voice rang out.

“Hey, I just got your text. Is everything okay?”

Zane.

I peered around the garbage can to see him walking up to her with concern written across his face. The girl then peeled down her bandana, and I clapped a hand over my mouth to suppress a gasp.

It was Liora. That little—

“I need to get back to the palace,” she said. My heart stopped. “Now.”

The palace.

As in… The palace?

I watched as they hurried away together, too frozen to follow them. What would Liora, of all people, be doing at the palace? Something about this wasn’t right.

My mind raced for a moment before I remembered that my aunt, Belinda, was a student at the Royal Witch Academy. She lived within the walls of the royal pack, and would have easy access to the palace now that she’d just gotten her certification.

Besides, Belinda owed me a favor after I kept her lover a secret a few months ago. Royal witches were supposed to be celibate servants of the gods, spending their lives in service of the divine beings that gave them their magical powers. If she got caught, she could have been kicked out of the cloister entirely, but when I found her at that restaurant with her lover, I didn’t tell a soul.

I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick text, asking her to find a way to take a trip to the palace and look into some things for me.

A few moments later, she texted back: “I’ll see what I can do.”