Written Off as Trash, I Activated My Hidden Queen Mode novel Chapter 13

The Heiress With Seven Secret Identities

Finished

Chapter 13 Clues to the Past

She identified herself first, and a male officer led her inside.

When Ruby saw Derek covered in bruises, she rushed over, tears streaming down her face. Her voice was thick with worry. “Honey, what happened? Who did this to you?”

Derek’s body was black and blue all over. Anyone who saw him would’ve thought his skin was naturally purple.

Ruby’s shaking jostled him awake. He cracked open his swollen eyes, squinted to tiny slits, and turned his pig–like face toward her.

“Honey, who beat you like this?”

Derek glanced up at the stern, unsmiling police officers. A flicker of fear shot through him.

Ever since moving to Azure Peak City, he’d avoided cops like the plague. Guilt weighed on him–he had too many skeletons in his closet. The older he got, the more he feared his past catching up to him.

“I’m… fine… n–nothing,” he mumbled, wincing in pain.

“Mr. Harlow, we’re the police. We’ll get to the bottom of this and make sure justice is served. What exactly happened tonight?” an officer asked.

Derek had ended up at the station because the trash can had tipped over, rolling him onto the street. His stinking head had poked out, and a passerby had called the cops.

Panic gnawed at him. Who was that pink–haired woman? Why had she attacked him? They’d never met before. Didn’t she care about getting arrested? Could she know his secrets?

Derek wasn’t about to take the risk. He’d worked too hard to build his life here. He’d just have to swallow this humiliation.

“N–nothing… really,” he insisted.

“Honey, what about all these injuries?” Ruby pressed.

“I… I got drunk and fell down the stairs. Thought I was home, so I… passed out in the trash,” he lied.

The officer frowned, clearly skeptical.

“Honey, let’s go home! Don’t bother the officers anymore,” Derek mumbled.

Seeing he was set on leaving, Ruby thanked the police and helped Derek out of the station to head home.

As soon as they got in the car, she demanded answers. “Tell me the truth–who did this?”

Derek winced, every inch of his body screaming in pain. “I don’t know.”

“Honey, nothing like this has ever happened before. Stella comes back to town, and suddenly you’re beaten half to death. It has to be her doing,” Ruby ranted.

1/3

7:10 pm p ppp.

Chapter 13 Clues to the Past

9

Finisher

“We should’ve called the cops properly. They could’ve checked the cameras and found the attacker!” she added, indignant. She was tired of being pushed around–first by Stella, now this.

“No cameras there. They’d never find anyone. And if we push this, it might dig up old business–risks aren’t worth it,” Derek said through gritted teeth.

He’d seen the online backlash lately. Netizens were vicious. Some had even started connecting the dots between him, Stella, and Luna.

Thankfully, it was just speculation–for now. If he went public with this attack, he’d be back in the spotlight. Stella had already made him a viral joke once. Another scandal might make someone recognize him… and then everything would fall apart.

“Honey, the old case was closed years ago. What are you so worried about?”

She was scared too, but the case had been wrapped up and filed away. There’d even been a scapegoat, and he was dead–no way to prove anything. What was he still afraid of?

Derek thought back to his past.

He feared those shameful secrets being dug up.

“Let’s go home.”

“It’s all Stella’s fault! She’s only been back a few days, and you’re hurt like this. That bitch is bad luck for you.”

Ruby felt a little better thinking Stella would soon marry Marcus.

“Honey, did you tell Marcus how beautiful Stella is? He needs to pay more.”

Derek shook his head, his bruised and purple face showing clear disappointment.

“He didn’t offer more money?”

Ruby looked equally disappointed.

The Thornes were already starting to look down on them, and she’d wanted to save more for Jasmine’s wedding gift.

“He’s going to Azure Peak University tomorrow… to find Stella. You need to make sure she gets into Marcus‘ car.”

“Me?”

“Do you want to give back that 100 million dollars?”

At that, Ruby reluctantly agreed.

At Imperial Crest Towers, Stella stared fixedly at the test results in her hand, her cold eyes sharp enoughto

7:10 pm P p pp.

Chapter 13 Clues to the Past

cut.

Non–biological relationship!

She really wasn’t Derek’s daughter.

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