The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 319

Liora’s POV

The car had seen better days. Better years, maybe. The paint was peeling in long strips along the hood, one of the side mirrors was held on with what looked like electrical tape, and the interior smelled like oil and old leather. It was a mess.

I loved it immediately.

“How much?” I asked the guy selling it, walking a slow circle around it with my hands in my pockets.

He named a price that made Zane wince beside me. I thought it was reasonable, but then again, I didn’t know as much as he did about such things.

“It needs a lot of work,” the guy added, like I hadn’t noticed.

“I can see that.” I crouched down to look at the front bumper, which was hanging on at a slight angle. “Has it been driven recently?”

“Not in about eight months.”

I stood back up and looked at it again. I didn’t know that much about cars, but I knew enough that I could see past the cosmetic damage to what was underneath, and what was underneath was worth something. With enough elbow grease, I could transform this beater car into something nice. Something that was mine.

“I’ll take it,” I said.

Zane made a sound beside me. I glanced at him.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He pressed his lips together like he was trying not to laugh. “Nothing at all. The princess wants a junker, that’s all.”

“It’s not a junker.”

“Liora, the mirror is taped on.”

“I know. But we’ll fix it.”

“We?” Zane squeaked.

I ignored him and turned back to the seller. Just as I was about to pull out my wallet to make what was probably not the wisest purchase of my life, my father’s voice came through the mindlink, sharp and angry.

I could hear his sigh through the mindlink. “It doesn’t matter right now. You need to get back to the palace immediately. Your mother is in trouble.”

I froze. My mind immediately went to the worst place possible. My mother had never attempted suicide, but she’d mentioned it a few times during her worst episodes. I’d always feared coming home and finding out that she’d gone through with it.

“What? Is she okay?” I asked.

“She’s alive. She’s with the healers. Just… come home right away.”

Before I could answer, my father cut off the mindlink. Whatever was happening, it was bad. He never disappeared like that unless he was angry or something really bad was going on. In this case, it was both.

With shaking hands, I pulled out my phone and texted Zane. He appeared a few moments later, his face pale.

“Hey, I just got your text,” he said, walking over to me with quick strides. “Is everything okay?”

“I need to get back to the palace,” I said. I was already turning toward the exit. “Now.”