Eva Talesmith

Freya Maiden always believed she was unlucky. Her mother passed away from cancer, leaving her completely alone. She couldn’t afford tuition or living expenses, so she had to take on part-time jobs. To make things worse, after entering university, she encountered a notoriously strict professor—Clarence Finerman. He monitored her every move, harshly scolding her for the smallest mistakes. Even when she was bullied by her classmate, Stella, Clarence insisted it was Freya’s fault.
Until one day, Freya discovered Clarence’s attention had a purpose. He was the legal advisor to billionaire Jack Ramaswamy, who had died months earlier, leaving behind a will that entrusted his trillion-dollar fortune to an illegitimate daughter.
The heiress’s name?
Freya Maiden.

Heiress and Her Dangerous Professor

I didn’t know what shocked me more—seeing Stella and Kerwin at Stripped Silk, or the fact that they were together.


My first instinct wasn’t curiosity—it was survival. 


I spun around and ducked into the nearest room, heart thudding against my ribs like it was trying to escape. 


The backstage dressing room was dimly lit, a row of mirrors flickering with half-dead bulbs. A few folded costumes lay in open bins, sequins catching stray glints of red light.


I locked the door behind me and tried to breathe.


Then I stared at my reflection, adrenaline still buzzing under my skin. No makeup could fix what panic did to your face. My pulse throbbed under my jaw. My hands were shaking.


Then my eyes caught something—half-buried beneath a feather boa, hanging from a mannequin head like a forgotten accessory.


Chapter 24: Checkmate