The True Heiress: Legend Mode novel Chapter 33

Caught entirely off guard, Claud realized he was sitting at the bottom of a concrete hole before he even processed what had happened.

The utility shaft wasn't particularly deep. If this were a few weeks ago, he could have vaulted out of it without breaking a sweat.

But right now, he was still a recovering patient. Just standing up sent bolts of pain through his battered body.

Juno strolled over to the edge, peered down at him, and rested her hands on her hips like a seasoned street thug. "Why the hell are you stalking me?"

"Get me out of here!" Claud yelled.

"Sure. Say 'please, boss'."

Claud looked at her in sheer disbelief. "Are you out of your mind?!"

She just shrugged. "Fine. Enjoy the view down there."

Seeing her turn to leave, panic set in. After a single second of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and barked, "Please, boss!"

She glanced back at Morgan. "Get my new employee out of the hole."

Morgan nodded, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

Claud's face flushed with utter humiliation.

Back in his hospital room.

He had almost fully recovered, but now thanks to his little trip down the shaft, he sported a few fresh scrapes across his cheek.

He cast an awkward glance at her, lounging casually on the sofa. "I just wanted to say thank you."

He wasn't an ungrateful prick.

"Don't mention it."

Helping him out had just been a passing whim. She honestly didn't care whether she got anything in return.

But if he wanted to express his gratitude, she wasn't going to stop him.

"If you ever need anything, just give the word. I'd put my life on the line for you," he promised, his tone dead serious.

"Good to know."

On the drive back, Morgan handed her a tablet, showing her the Jagger family's official public statement, along with a video of Rhiannon issuing a tearful apology.

"Are we letting this slide?" he asked.

She wasn't interested in dragging out the drama. "Yeah. Just make sure the Webb family goes bankrupt tomorrow."

"Consider it done."

She walked into the Corrington estate alone.

"I'm glad. I don't know what your grades were like before, and I know you missed the standardized college entrance exams... but a girl your age should be in college. The new week starts the day after tomorrow. How about you start classes then?"

Her grip on her fork slipped slightly. She stared back at her mother's hopeful face. "School?"

It had been years since she last heard that word.

Let alone the fact that higher-level math was her personal nightmare.

"Yes. Whether or not you want to study abroad later is up to you, but for now, you need to be enrolled somewhere."

...

To hell with school.

If she remembered correctly, this body was already twenty years old.

At twenty, wasn't it a bit late to be playing freshman?

"Is that really necessary?"

She shut the idea down immediately.

Gwendolyn's expression shifted to gentle persistence. "I know you're not thrilled about studying, and I don't want to put any pressure on you. So I found a nice community college for you. You just need to show up and get a diploma."

"Rhiannon goes to Northbridge University. I originally thought about pulling some strings to get you in there too. But Northbridge is an elite Ivy League-tier school. Even if we managed to get you enrolled, the academic pressure would be overwhelming for you.