Heiress in Disguise

ALEX’s POV

Gabriella popped another popcorn into her mouth. “So… what’s his deal?” she started and I looked back at her, my hands halfway through folding my shirt.

“Who?”

“That blond guy from earlier.”

“Oh.” I stuffed the last of my old clothes into the luggage and sat back on the floor, taking one last look at it. “That was Percival Harrington Davenport. He’s supposed to be my cousin.”

Gabriella looked at me with disgust and I forced back a smile, rolling my eyes, too. “If the stick stuck up his ass were any bigger, he’d be a tree.”

“Careful. You might insult the trees.”

When Henry figured out that I was finished packing, he told someone else to unpack it and led us to the car that will take us to the boarding school. I was just about to complain about his orders when a call interrupted me. He just held a finger to my face and disappeared, leaving me with Gabby and Dimitri.

“Come on. We’ll be late.” Dimitri led us outside where an Aurus Senat Limousine awaits us, flanked by three black SUVs.

My mouth fell. The car itself was in a sunset gold shade, its interior a mixture of Caspian blue and oatmeal. As we sat inside, we felt like we were two presidents out on a foreign excursion.

“Wow.” Gabriella ran her hand through the leather seats of the car. “Isn’t this like one of those Russian president’s cars?”

Dimitri sat on the passenger’s seat of the car and closed it. “It is. But I believe he had one in a different color.”

“Right.” I turned to Gabby. “He knows a lot about Putin because he’s Russian.”

I saw Dimitri roll his eyes from the rearview mirror and I quietly snickered.

Once we were out of the Harrington Estate, both Gabby and I had our faces glued to the windows, watching the streets of New York. All our lives, or at least the part that we can remember, we’ve never left the city of Chicago. Ever. But now, we’re both going to places we’ve never been to.

Scary? Yes. Especially since I was just thrusted into a life so extravagant it’s making me feel lightheaded. But then again, it’s not like either of us have anything to lose with this anyway.

“Where’s this Montfort Academy everyone keeps talking about? I’ve never heard of it before,” Gabby whispered to me as we passed Hamilton Grange.

I shrugged. “I’ve never heard of it before, too. My guess is that we’re in a totally different tax bracket to even be bothered with that information.”

She chuckled. “But now you are.”

I turned to her, a smirk tugging on my lips. “We both are. Just hope those guys back at that elite school aren’t too snobby. I might have to shove them into lockers.”

The small screen in front of me crackled into life and I was startled to see Henry’s face. He appears to be in one of the black SUVs following us close.

“You can’t shove people into lockers, Ivy.”

My face contorted at the name. “Don’t call me that. It’s Alex.”

“That is your given name.” He shuffled a few papers he was holding around and looked straight at me from the screen. “I am serious, though. You cannot shove people inside lockers.”

“Okay, okay. I was just kidding.”

“The students in Montfort Academy aren’t ones you can mess with. They are sons and daughters of rich tycoons like yourself. Some of them even royalties and children of politicians.”

I raised both my eyebrows so high I was afraid it might disappear through my hair. “So, you’re saying…”

“You might be the heir of Reginald Harrington, but you’re not the only one in that school born with money and power. Some of them have even deeper roots than you.” His stare hardened as he studied my expression.

I blinked, my eyes darting from Gabriella to Henry. “Well, I’m not a shoving-people-into-lockers type of person. But if they mess with me—”

“No exceptions, Alex. You are there so you can become the perfect heir. Make connections, make allies. But do not make enemies. Are we clear?”

I pursed my lips, frowning.

He moved closer to the camera. “Are. We. Clear?”

“Crystal.”

The call ended. I rolled my eyes at the screen and tried mimicking Henry’s serious expression. Gabby laughed at my impression but I received a sharp look from Dimitri.

“You do know that he can still see you, right? There’s a live feed on his screen.”

It wasn’t long before our car pulled into the same private airstrip from a few days ago. As I stepped out, this time toward a different jet gleaming on the tarmac, I turned to Henry who was walking closely behind.

“Why are we getting on a plane?”

He stared blankly at me. “We’re heading to Montfort.”

“No, I know that. But is it that far away that we’re using a plane?”

Henry only furrowed his brows at me, shaking his head. He then walked right past me as if my question was not at all valid.

“You didn’t know?” Dimitri was the one who spoke. “It’s in England.”

“In England?!” Gabby and I said in a chorus.

We exchanged looks.

“No! No, no, no. Dude, I don’t even have a passport.”

“Oh, sit down,” Henry commanded and sat on one of the leather seats.

I shook my head feverishly. “You didn’t tell me the school was in England!” I pointed at him accusingly. “Why are you sending me there, huh? Is this some kind of… of… of a plan to get rid of me or something?”

“Will you just relax?”

“No, I will not relax! Tell me.”

Henry sighed heavily, his features all of a sudden looking heavily aged by a decade. “Montfort Academy is the best school for you. It was where your mother and her sisters graduated from. Your cousins all go there, too.”

I blinked. “But—”

“No buts—”

“Yes buts!” I cut him off this time, pointing a finger at him again. “I won’t go to England. You didn’t tell me the stupid school was in England.”

“I have provided all of the necessary gadgets you could ever want. A quick google search would’ve informed you of that.”

“Don’t be sassy with me.”

“We still have a long flight, Miss Carter. If you don’t sit down right now,” He stood up, “I will make you.”

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

It was already night by the time we landed in London. Or maybe it was just the time difference. Either way, the sky looked pretty bleak and the breeze that greeted us once we were out of the plane was chilly.

I wasted no time in getting into the car and wrapping myself up in a blanket. But the trip wasn’t long. We were dropped off in front of a helicopter, its blades already in motion.

“We’re riding in that?” Gabby grabbed my hand, his face all of a sudden looking very pale.

“We can’t ride that,” I immediately appealed to Henry but he simply frowned at me.

“That’s the fastest way to go, Miss Carter. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re running a little late to the banquet. I still have to go and talk to your headmistress.” He didn’t spare me any more glances and gestured for us to follow suit.

I pursed my lips and turned to Gabby. “Just close your eyes while we’re in there, alright? Just imagine we’re in a car.”

Gabby still looked scared but she nodded, her grip of my arm getting tighter.

As we sat inside the helicopter, she was just holding onto me, eyes shut tight. Meanwhile, I was enjoying the view. I had to tell her everything that I saw because she still refused to open her eyes.

“Ooh, there! I think that’s the school!”

Through the glass, the forest below broke open into a wide clearing, and there it was, the prestigious Montfort Academy.

The 16th-century Gothic castle rose above the treetops, its towers lit by lanterns and strings of lights that were all hung for the students’ arrival. A long drive snaked from the wrought-iron gates up to the main entrance, where town cars and black limousines were already lined up, headlights cutting through the mist.

Behind the castle, a huge lawn was dedicated for all the helicopters that were landing. I looked closely and to my surprise, it seems that there’s a bit of a landing queue.

“This is my first time seeing a helicopter stuck in traffic.”

Gabby’s eyes flew open. “What?” And then she caught sight of the view below and promptly passed out.

My eyes widened. “Hey, Gabby!” I tapped her repeatedly on the cheek and she twitched, groaning.

“Just let her be. Wake her up once we’ve landed,” Henry instructed and I looked down at the lawn. There were about nine helicopters in total including ours. Seriously? How is this even normal?

I swear, I keep seeing the weirdest things ever since I’ve been thrusted into this kind of life. Next thing I know, a full funeral would be held in honor of a dead fish. Back at the orphanage, we just threw them in the toilet and flushed.

“Are we there yet?”

“Almost. This red helicopter totally stole our spot.” I can’t believe I’ve said that sentence out loud. But nonetheless, I still glared at the dark-haired guy that was dressed in a crisp black suit. It was his helicopter that cut us off.

Once we finally landed, one of the school’s attendants opened our door for us and greeted. He then led us away from the lawns and into the rear courtyard.

“Ah, Mr. Caldwell.” A woman who looked just a little over 40s greeted us and shook Henry’s hand, her accent thick. She then turned to me and smiled brightly. “It’s always a pleasure to have another one of the Harringtons here. Welcome to Montfort, my dear. I am your headmistress, Agnes Norwood.”

She offered a hand to me and I shook it. She didn’t let go immediately though, she stared at me for a brief moment with her creepy smile and her sharp eyes. The expression on her face tells me she might keep a close eye on me.

What did I even do?