Return of The Alpha Heiress-Chapter 61: Clarissa – My Photo in The Magazine

After a week of recovering at home, I was finally allowed to return to school. But I was still forbidden from staying in the dormitory.

Today, I would observe. And start looking for a way to escape.

Alone in the car, I stared out the window with empty eyes.

"Miss Clarissa," the driver suddenly said, handing me an envelope with one hand.

I looked at him. He was one of Grandma’s people, the one she had assigned to Larry.

"That letter was entrusted to me by Young Master Larry before he departed for the capital."

I took the beige envelope.

Larry had already left for the capital a day before I was released from the basement. I hadn’t expected him to leave a letter behind.

The letter was long.

He apologized for being unable to help me directly. He also told me to go to West Bank in Grey Pack to claim my share once I turned eighteen.

And at the very end, he warned me to be careful.

’Do not trust anyone in Alpha Green’s mansion. Including Shannon.’

I frowned.

Larry mentioned Shannon specifically. Was it because among all the siblings, only Shannon appeared innocent? Or because Larry harbored resentment toward her, the adopted child who received more affection than him, the Alpha’s biological son?

Whatever the reason, caution never hurt.

After I folded the letter, the driver asked for it back. It had to be burned. No one else was allowed to see it.

’Larry really is meticulous about things like this.’

Soon, the car stopped at the academy parking lot. I got out and headed toward the best-class building.

Along the way, every student who saw me stared, whispered, then laughed.

I exhaled slowly, bracing myself for whatever new gossip awaited me.

The best people to ask about rumors without sugarcoating anything were Tessa and the others.

When Mira saw me approach, she immediately retreated behind Tessa, who sat elegantly at her desk.

"Does the wound on my face make me look like a monster?" I asked flatly.

Mira pouted, realizing I was mocking her.

Tessa suddenly pulled a magazine from her desk drawer.

Slap. The loud sound echoed as she slammed it onto the table, opened to a specific page.

"See for yourself," she ordered.

Kellan, who had been sitting in front of Tessa and watching the whole time, tried to close the magazine.

One glare from Tessa stopped him cold.

Their suspicious behavior made my stomach sink. I grabbed the magazine. It was the academy magazine, published monthly by the Press Club.

Apparently, this month’s issue had been released a few days ago.

I had no idea what I was about to see. Or what it had to do with me.

The moment my eyes landed on the page, they widened. My face went rigid.

There it was. A photo of me.

My hair was a mess, tangled with mud and God-knows-what. My face looked greasy, smeared with dark, ugly stains. There was brown residue on my lips. My dress was wrinkled and filthy.

The caption read: "The Lazy, Unwashed Adopted Daughter."

My blood boiled.

That photo was taken when I was released from the basement. My injured arm had been deliberately cropped out. Whoever did this had intended to make me look disgusting.

That moment was filled with pain and trauma. And yet, to others, it was just entertainment.

This was a private photo taken inside Alpha Green’s mansion. No outsider could have taken it.

"Is your arm okay?" Kellan’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"I didn’t attend the spring party, but I heard you were injured there."

I didn’t have time to answer him. I turned around.

"Where are you going?" Kellan asked.

"To the Press Club room," I replied coldly, without looking back.

Just as I took another step, Tessa spoke. "You want to know who did it?"

I turned back and fixed her with a sharp stare.

She met my gaze calmly. "Your own brother. Edwin Green."

Without another word, I left the classroom.

...

My steps carried me to the first floor, to Edwin’s classroom.

The students inside didn’t even need me to explain. One look at my expression and they knew. Someone immediately called for Edwin.

Annoyed at being interrupted mid-conversation, Edwin stepped out.

I stood in front of the door, chest heaving, fighting to restrain my rage.

"Edwin Green," I asked bluntly. "You’re the one who took that photo and put it in the magazine??"

His irritation turned into amusement. He burst into laughter. "Yeah. I did. Turned out great, didn’t it?"

SMACK! I slapped him hard across the face, leaving a red mark.

He stayed standing. Unlike me, who always ended up on the ground whenever Alpha Will hit me.

Edwin’s laughter twisted into fury. His eyes bulged, veins throbbing.

"You dare slap me?!" he roared.

Without warning, he swung and struck my head.

My reflexes were too slow. I couldn’t dodge. My body slammed against the classroom door, the sound so loud everyone turned to stare.

"You’re just a bitch raised in orphanage," he shouted. "No manners, no shame, a thief, a slut who flirts with other people’s fiancés! Don’t ever act like you’re related to me or the Alpha Green family! Without us, you’d have been expelled already for causing trouble with Sand Pack!"

Edwin completely lost control.

He spewed every filthy thought he’d ever had about me. And they were uglier than I imagined.

I had once thought he was a cute little brother.

How stupid of me!

As I tried to speak, I tasted metal. My lip was bleeding.

I wiped the blood away and scoffed.

"I survived seventeen years as an orphan without the Green family," I said coldly. "You think I couldn’t handle Sanders on my own? I only let you all handle it because you said you were my family."

My words hit their mark. His confidence wavered. Humiliation flickered across his face.

"Don’t be arrogant!" he yelled, lifting his leg to kick me. He was just like Alpha Will. He had learned well from his father.

Before his foot could hit me, a teacher rushed in and separated us.

It was Edwin’s homeroom teacher.

He took one look at my battered state, then said flatly, "Next time, don’t bring your family problems into the academy."

Of course.

As long as we were family, even if I were dying, it wasn’t their concern.

I returned to class with nothing resolved.

But from that day on, my life began to change.

Edwin openly hitting me became silent permission for others to do the same. The bullying escalated.

At the same time, my attempts to escape continued.

But, all of them failed.

Before I knew it, two months had passed.

And tomorrow...

was my birthday.

...