The Heiress Who Refused to Be a Pawn

the wall, her spine s

passed, replace

cry. She wo

woul

" she whispered to

n upended; it had been re

as going to bring it crash

ne who pined and mis

ing, forged in betr

r father's study, her ste

s, his expression still trouble

More

r. "I overheard them. Noah, Marc, all of them except possibly

eard, every sneering word,

er, their faked affection, their ultimate plan to

ady grim, darkened

nched on the

d influence, listened as his daughter detailed the

flat. "They laughed at how I felt about Ethan. Th

for a long momen

dy crackled with h

lly said, his voice low an

is chair, a fo

o marry Carter s

Ava a

pat the word. "They will learn th

s eyes. The vulnerable girl was gone.

you propo

one of them will be stripped of their Vanderbilt funding. Evicted from all Va

le. "An excellent plan. They will ha

ull support, Ava. And my admiration. You are mor

er, but the core of her

ut punishment. It wa

agency, her dig

wedding preparations, all conducte

part, the hap

illed, attentive, and completely unaware

safe harbor

arade, though Ava now saw through every fal

r knowledge was her s

w resolve came at a charity pol

he proteges were, of course, in attend

ished equestria

the crowd buzzed,

luttering around the edges of the Vanderbilt marque

, Ava thundered down the field, ma

d directly into her pa

ed her horse sharply, a magnif

, sidestepped, but the

hriek and crumpled to the g

observer, as if Ava had r

at Lily's side, his f

them rushed to her, a pha

ht?" Ethan's voice w

and accusatory, before sc

claimed to the concerned onlookers, trying

damage w

tic reaction, had cast Ava as the carel

eting, triumphant smirk over his shoulder bef

en," she whimpered, loud enoug

s rippled thro

Miss Vanderbilt n

ssive on

and frustration. Lily had

ictim. Ava wa

whole thing, approached,

, Ava?" he asked

dismounting. "Lily, however, s

saw what happened. Don

y alrea

pall over the rest o

r Lily, fetching her ice, propping up her supp

subject of curious sta

tion was a

ipulate, to play the victim,

ars ago, a small, insignificant mome

agers, at a la

culously building a

, had accidentally knocked a sma

d under a he

ne tight with a dis

napped, his voice sharp. "Can't

hed to his side. "Oh, Ethan, don't be u

earch, her small hands reaching where hi

ke an oaf, a de

er for the rest of the day,

had earned his

back, Ava saw

ys positioning herself as indispensable to Ethan,

a grander, more public vers

is eyes today was a direct e

, his preference for

een watering t