The True Heiress Reborn And Slays (Alicia Delaney) novel Chapter 557

Chapter 557 Ghosts of the Past

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Riley’s gaze drifted, becoming unfocused as if she were peering through the mists of time, reaching back to a childhood that felt like a different lifetime.

“I must have been tiny–I used to pester you constantly, begging you to teach me how to ride a bike.

“You were buried in work at the office back then, yet the moment you got home, you’d patiently steady the back of my seat and walk me around the yard, lap after lap. When I wiped out and skinned my knee, screaming my lungs out, you’d scoop me up, looking so worried. You’d gently blow on the scrape and promise that once I learned, you’d buy me the most beautiful bike in the whole world for my birthday.

“But… I never made it to that birthday. I never got that bike. Because Melissa dumped me at an orphanage. We were separated f all those years. And when I finally came back, you gave me so much… but you never once brought up making good on that prom -over twenty years too late.”

She sounded like a little girl pouring her heart out to her dad, rambling on and knitting together those fragmented, sweet, yet gu wrenching memories, recounting them one by one to the man lying unconscious.

By the time evening rolled around, Sebastian had arrived.

He didn’t disturb Riley inside the room, choosing to wait quietly outside instead.

It was only when she stepped out that he handed her the thermos he’d brought along–inside was a carefully prepared, nutrient- dense dinner.

They retreated to the adjacent lounge.

Riley didn’t have much of an appetite, but she forced herself to eat anyway.

She needed to keep her strength up–she had a battle she couldn’t afford to lose.

“Turn anything up?” She set down her spoon and looked across at him.

Sebastian’s expression remained composed. “Nothing concrete yet. But I did find out that the driver who caused the crash has a daughter who recently went abroad for her studies.”

Riley froze. Her head snapped up. “Did you find out where?”

“Yerthland,” Sebastian replied.

Riley frowned immediately. “What’s the driver’s financial picture look like?”

Before Sebastian could answer, she started thinking aloud. “Yerthland is one of the most expensive countries for tuition out of all the developed nations and their vetting process for international students is intense. You need detailed tax returns, proof of assets from both parents… basically everything to prove they can actually float the student’s expenses.”

How could some random chauffeur afford all that?

if there wasn’t something dirty going on, who would buy that story?

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Chapter 557 Ghosts of the Past

had the same thought,” Sebastian said. “I’ve already got people digging deeper into that angle. We should know more soon

He hesitated then, as if there was something else weighing on his mind.

Riley picked up on it. “What is it? Something else?”

Sebastian took a beat before speaking again, his tone lower. “It’s not exactly new news, but… my mom called earlier. She said Aiden’s back from Havenbrook.”

“Aiden?”

Riley’s expression darkened instantly. “His timing seems a little too convenient, doesn’t it?”

Aiden’s mother had died saving Sebastian’s life.

Because of that, Aiden had always blamed Sebastian for her death–harboring a deep, unresolved grudge against him.

Back in Havenbrook, given the Torres family’s local clout and the fact that their business operations weren’t based there, Aiden hadn’t made any overt moves.

But now, right on the heels of Zavier’s accident, with the Harper family potentially thrown into disarray… he suddenly resurfaces Nexopolis.

No matter how you sliced it, it didn’t feel like a simple coincidence.

Seeing the lingering worry on Riley’s face, Sebastian’s steady presence seemed to offer a quiet reassurance.

“Try not to stress too much about him.

“With Aiden… I still care about what my aunt meant to me. I’ve looked out for him over the years. But I’ve never let my guard down around him, either.”

After saying that, Sebastian glanced at Riley’s exhausted profile, concern flickering in his eyes. His tone softened a notch. “Alright, leave all that to me. What you need to do right now is set it aside and get some real sleep.”

Riley didn’t argue this time. She simply rested her head obediently against Sebastian’s solid shoulder.

Her tangled thoughts gradually settled.

Within minutes, wrapped in that sense of security, she drifted off.

Not long after, the lounge door pushed open gently.

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