Stella’s POV
The second Kerwin opened his mouth and called me the heiress of The Pallas Consortium, I knew we were in trouble.
He said it so confidently, like it was some checkmate move he’d been dying to play. I turned my head slowly toward him, silently willing him to shut up.
But the words were already out, hanging in the air like the stench of something rotten.
And then—
Clarence looked at me.
Not just a glance. He looked at me. Eyes sharp, mouth set in a calm, unreadable line—but his expression said everything.
I’d been caught.
Shit.
Of course, he wouldn’t agree. He knew the truth. I wasn’t the real heiress. In fact, I still didn't know who the real heiress was. But still—I had hoped. Hoped he’d at least try to save Kerwin some face and play along.
I was doomed.