The Double ( or More ?) Life of The Fake Heiress

Mr. Hammond couldn’t help but chuckle, “As it happens, I’m a Friday regular too.”

James glanced his way. “How about I get Wyatt to swing by and pick you up?”

Waving his hand, Mr. Hammond demurred, “No need to trouble yourselves. I’ve got a few students to shepherd as well.”

James arched an eyebrow. “Oh, they’re competing?”

“Yeah, but how’d you know?” Mr. Hammond was genuinely surprised. Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

James smiled. “Heard a little birdie mention it a couple of days ago.”

So that was it.

Without pressing further, Mr. Hammond shifted the conversation to other matters.

After leaving Mr. Hammond’s office, Mirabella made a beeline for the classroom. As for why James had been there, she didn’t bother to speculate.

“Mr. Hammond summoned you again? What did he want?” Jenna leaned in with curiosity as soon as Mirabella settled into her seat.

Fishing out a copy of a French anthology from her desk, Mirabella flipped it open and without looking up, replied, “Nationals next week. He just wanted to remind me to hit the books.”

Jenna rested her chin on her hand. “That’s it? Nothing else?”

“Nope.” Mirabella didn’t even glance up.

Blinking, Jenna’s gaze landed on the French tome that her friend was pondering. She tried to make sense of a line and instantly felt her head spin. Despite her confidence in her French, she couldn’t decipher a single word.

“But if you’re supposed to be studying, why are you digging into this book?” Jenna asked. puzzled.

Mirabella turned another page, and her voice was even. “Oh, I signed up for a French speaking contest too.”

Jenna touched her nose. “A French speaking contest? How come you decided to join that?”

She was well aware of the competition. Their French teacher had brought it up in class, but at the time no one had volunteered.

This wasn’t just any French speaking contest. It wasn’t about rote memorization of French passages. It involved grammar, fluidity, and you couldn’t bring any notes onstage. It was akin to impromptu speaking. Actually, it was even harder than that, since you had to translate French thoughts into English on the fly.

1/2

15:11

“The winner gets a hundred thousand in scholarship money.” Mirabella stated seriously. Who could turn down money?

Jenna remembered the days when Mirabella was daily “blessed” with someone’s generous transfers. Her emotions were mixed. After a while, she managed to ask, “Excuse me, but are you in need of money?”

Hearing this, Mirabella paused. Her hand rested on the French text. She turned to Jenna, nodding solemnly. “Does anyone ever think they have too much money?”

Jenna’s eyebrow twitched. Damn it, how could such a soul–searching question leave her speechless?

Mirabella smiled slightly. Just as she was about to turn back, she suddenly faced Jenna again. “By the way, do you follow any celebrities?”

“Uh?” The subject changed so quickly, so Jenna was momentarily taken aback. Then she nodded, “Of course, I’m a fan. Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

She remembered Mirabella previously mentioning she wasn’t interested in celebrities.

Mirabella paused thoughtfully for a moment before asking. “Ever heard of a singer named Leo?” “Leo? A singer?” Jenna shook her head. “Nope, doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Alright, just curious,” Mirabella said, with a tinge of disappointment in her voice as she turned back to her book.

After a moment’s contemplation, it was clear to her that her Leo was indeed not one of the famous ones.

Jenna watched Queen Mira return to her reading, puzzled. Mirabella didn’t come across as someone who’d idly pry into others‘ business, so who exactly was this Leo character?