Return of The Alpha Heiress-Chapter 30: Clarissa – New Friends

While I was still observing this new friend of mine, a cute girl with short-bob ginger hair suddenly stepped between me and Tessa.

"You guys became friends already? Then I want to be your friend too, Clarissa."

She showed her gummy smile. "I’m Mira Redwood, daughter of the Beta of Red Pack."

Then, sweet little Mira yanked the brown hair of the boy sitting in front of me.

"Rylas, turn around. You need to introduce yourself to Clarissa."

The young man had no choice but to turn.

"Rylas Redwood. Third son of Alpha Red... and her fiancé." He pointed his chin at Mira.

I was stunned.

Mira looked tiny and adorable, while Rylas was huge, muscular, and seemed incapable of changing his expression.

How on earth were those two engaged?

I nodded, about to introduce myself, when another voice cut in.

A handsome young man with dark-blue hair, sitting in front of Tessa, turned around with a dramatic sigh.

"How dare the three of you leave me out."

He stood. "I’m Kellan Blue. Youngest son of the Gamma of Blue Pack. We four hang out a lot. If you’re going to be friends with them, you have to be friends with me too."

Then he jabbed a thumb at Tessa.

"You already know her name, right? Grey... yeah, she’s the youngest daughter of Alpha Grey. You know Grey Pack?"

I shook my head. Honestly no idea.

Kellan launched into an explanation.

Apparently, the Grey Pack was the second richest pack in the western region, right after the Black Pack.

Their introductions were... kind of overwhelming, especially because all four of them kept trying to outdo each other with completely unnecessary details about themselves.

Were all best-class students this competitive about everything?

They kept going until the teacher walked in with Shannon and Adrian.

Finally, silence.

I just realized... It seemed everyone else was already used to their noise.

...

Luna Eileen was still worried I wasn’t fully recovered, so I wasn’t allowed to stay in the dorm. I had to go home.

Edwin offered to accompany me. They really all treated me like I was on my deathbed.

"I’m already fine, you know," I grumbled as we sat in the car.

"The doctor still asked you to come for another check-up, didn’t he? Your body hasn’t fully healed, Sister Clar," Edwin said.

I didn’t bother arguing. They were all stubborn about treating me like a fragile glass doll.

"So, how was your first day in the best class?" Edwin asked.

I sighed heavily. "I didn’t expect the regular class to be that far behind. And after missing a few weeks, I’m even more behind..."

Edwin patted my shoulder. "Don’t push yourself too hard. Your health comes first."

I shook my head. "We had a pop quiz earlier, and I came in last place. I can’t accept that."

"I come in last all the time in subjects I hate," Edwin replied casually.

Well, I can’t! Even being first doesn’t satisfy me unless I work hard for it.

Maybe my dream was too high, competing academically with Adrian Black, the heir of Black Pack.

But if you shoot for the moon, even if you fall, you land among the stars, right?

"And your classmates? Anyone bothering you?" Edwin asked, smoothly changing the subject. He knew I wouldn’t budge.

"Shannon and Adrian helped me a lot. And I... also made new friends."

"Really? Who?" Edwin’s eyes sparkled.

I recalled the four names.

"Tessa Grey, she sits across from me. Kellan Blue sits in front of her. In front of me is Rylas Redwood, and in front of him is Mira Redwood. I became friends with the four of them."

"Them?" Edwin’s brows furrowed sharply. "Why are you sitting there, Sister Clar?"

"That was the only empty seat. Why, what’s wrong with them?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

I wasn’t into gossip, but at least I should know the basics about my classmates.

"They’re the Four Troublemakers. You should stay away from them."

Edwin spoke seriously. Worried, even.

I nodded. All right then. I had Shannon anyway; staying away wouldn’t be hard.

"What about our project collaboration?" I asked.

Edwin instantly perked up. We bounced ideas off each other smoothly until the car pulled up at the Alpha Green mansion.

Still discussing, we walked into the living room. It wasn’t empty.

Luna Eileen, Darren, and Alpha Will were all sitting there.

But only silence and tension filled the room.

They turned toward us as we entered.

Alpha Will suddenly stood. His steps thundered toward us. My heart thumped. A strange fear rose in my chest.

SLAP!

A brutal slap crashed across my face, so hard my body flew into a sturdy wooden chair.

Pain exploded everywhere. My head rang. My vision blurred.

Shock. Confusion. Hurt. Everything hit at once.

When I managed to lift my head, the first thing I saw was Alpha Will’s furious face.

Next to him, Edwin’s eyes widened like they were about to pop out.

Luna Eileen stood in panic. Even Darren looked stunned, biting his lip hard.

"What... happened?"

My voice trembled. No one seemed willing to explain what in the world was going on.

"You dare ask what happened?" Alpha Will’s roar crashed into my ears.

"You’ve embarrassed me! How dare you slap the daughter of our Beta, the fiancée of Larry?!"

Daughter of the Beta... fiancée of Larry?

"Arlisse...?" My voice cracked. A massive question mark formed in my head.

"Maybe hitting you will make you understand."

Alpha Will raised his hand again—

Luna Eileen covered her face, eyes glistening. Darren froze, teeth clenched.

Only Edwin reacted.

He rushed forward and grabbed Alpha Will’s arm. "Father, Arlisse hurt Sister Clar! Even a slap isn’t enough!"

"You disrespectful brat! Who are you calling ’sister,’ huh? Your sister is Lisse!" Alpha Will yanked his arm away, throwing Edwin backward.

Darren caught Edwin just before he hit the ground. Luna Eileen hovered over them, checking him worriedly.

What... What did I just see?

They reacted fast to help Edwin, but I...

Did they not see me...?

I lowered my head, trying to calm my uneven breathing.

My voice shook with anger I could no longer contain.

"Why can’t I slap Arlisse? She injured me. She worked with Fani to frame me. And after all that, she gets to freely attend the party?"

...