The Rejected True Heiress (Liora) novel Chapter 98

Liora

The garden was the kind of place you’d expect to see printed on the back of a postcard: a maze of stone paths, fountains whispering in the distance, rose bushes trimmed so precisely it almost felt wrong to breathe near them.

But Zane was right, it was far from Callum’s parents eyes, deep in the hedges.

We sat at a white iron table beneath a trellis of climbing ivy, a tray of lox bagels, fruit, and pastries laid out between us like some perfect little royal picnic.

It should have been peaceful.

It very much wasn’t.

Zane leaned back in his chair like he owned the place, his ankle resting on one knee, the book balanced on the table in front of him. “You know,” he said, gesturing with a piece of bagel, “if this date thing works out, I might just move our next one here. It suits you. Green, quiet, expensive—like a princess hiding in a hedge maze.”

I ignored him, pulling my chair closer to the table and reluctantly eating into a bagel. “You said there is a book here. Give me anything. Color, section. Where?”

“Somewhere in the middle,” he said vaguely, taking a bite of his bagel.

I set my bagel down, rolling my eyes. “Somewhere. That’s helpful.”

“You’re welcome.”

I glanced up. “Zane.”

“Yes, princess?”

“Why bring me here if you’re just going to be vague? Are you helping me or wasting my time?”

“Helping. But it’s fun watching you try to be patient,” he said with a grin.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my attention back on lunch.

“Okay. Can you tell me what you remember about this ritual that was done on your cousin?” I asked, my nail tapping the plate.

“I wasn’t there. It’s a rough memory.”

My finger froze. “Then tell me roughly. I don’t have time to play games with you.”

“Harsh,” he said, leaning forward on his elbows. “But I like it when you get bossy.”

“Stop doing that and tell me.”

“Not when I can look at you instead,” he said, and this time there was no humor in it. His eyes held mine, unflinching.

Something in my stomach twisted, not butterflies, not warmth, just the uncomfortable realization that this wasn’t the Zane I’d gotten used to.

“I said stop that,” I growled.

“Stop what?”

“Whatever this is,” I said, gesturing between us. “This isn’t you. This isn’t how you talk to me.”

“You keep saying that,” he said softly. “I don’t get what you mean.”

“You do,” I said. “I liked you better the other way. Before you…”

His smile wavered for a fraction of a second before he straightened, leaning back like he hadn’t heard me. “You’ll get used to it.”

“No,” I said coldly. “I won’t. I gave you my answer.”

For a moment, there was only the sound of the fountain.

“You ever think maybe you’re too serious?” Zane’s humorous voice seemed to pinch a bit. “Always studying, always fighting. No wonder your wolf bailed.”

I snapped my bagel down. “Careful.”

“Just saying,” he said with a shrug. “You might find what you’re looking for if you loosened up a little.”

“I don’t need to loosen up. I need answers.”

“And I told you,” he said, plucking a strawberry from the tray, “I’ll help you. But that’s the price. You sit here, you eat, and you talk to me like a human being for one afternoon.”

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