StartNovelChapter 462
Chapter 462
The kids buzzed with chatter as Alessia joined her team members, sliding easily into the circle.
“Oh, look at you-raising the bar for the rest of us,” one of her teammates joked, giving her a playful nudge.
“What can | say? Excellence is a hard habit to break,” Alessia replied, and the group erupted in a chorus of good-
natured teasing.
She brushed off their ribbing with a smile, then dropped another fact on
them-one that was harder to swallow.
“Wait, you're tellingwe have to hike up this hill for an hour just to get to school every morning, and then do
it all over again to get hat night?” Mia stared at her, disbelief written all over her face.
Alessia nodded, patting her shoulder. “The good news is, it's a lot easier going downhill-shouldn’t take the whole
hour on the way back.”
“Well, thanks for that,” Mia replied, shooting her a look full of mock
resentment.
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“Anytime,” Alessia grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Mia sighed, but there was nothing to be done-she’d just have to accept
Within five minutes, everyone had gathered. The group set out together, filling the morning air with laughter and
chatter as they made their way toward the school. The kids seemed perfectly used to the trek, talking and
giggling along the way. To keep pace with Alessia, who was a bit older than most, Mayor Warren and Ms. Warren
fell in step at the back, keeping her company and quietly updating her on the children’s situations.
Susannah walked close beside Alessia, her small hand nestled firmly in Alessia’s. She watched the others huff
and puff up the path, then glanced at Alessia, who looked as fresh as ever. A quiet pride blossomed in her
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Chapter 462
chest.
“What's up?” Alessia asked, catching Susannah’s gaze and glancing down
at her.
“Miss, aren't you tired at all?”
Alessia shot back with a smile, “And what about you? How cyou're
not tired?”
“We walk this way every day. We're used to it!” Susannah grinned.
“That's impressive,” Alessia said, her praise sincere. Even adults love a compliment; for a kid, it's even sweeter.
Susannah’s cheeks flushed, though with her sun-kissed skin it was hard to
tell.
“Go on, catch up with your friends. Just be careful not to trip, okay?”
Up ahead, a little girl-clearly Susannah’s school buddy-kept glancing back, waiting for her. Alessia ruffled
Susannah’s hair and gave her a gentle push.
Susannah hesitated, wanting to stay with Alessia, but in the end, she darted off to join her friend. The two girls
linked arms, skipping ahead, carefree and full of joy-the kind of childhood moment adults could only look back on
with nostalgia.
As Alessia watched them, someone suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder. Instinctively, she caught the hand
in a firm grip, but instead of tossing the person aside, she just turned around calmly.
“You should be glad you chose my shoulder,” she said dryly. “If you were Stella, you'd be flat on your back right
now.”
“What?” Mia blinked, missing the joke.
“Never mind.” Alessia clearly wasn’t planning to explain further.
“I heard you're the heiress, right?” Mia pulled her hand back, matching Alessia’s stride.
Chapter 462
“Bit late to the party, aren't you?” Alessia’s family background was no secret, nor did she see any reason to hide
it. After all, being wealthy, capable, and beautiful wasn’t exactly a crime.
Mia rolled her eyes. “I'd only heard the rumors before. Yesterday, | was all set to chat your ear off in the car, but |
was so wiped out | passed out the moment we left. | honestly thought I'd be too excited to sleep!”
Mia was a natural chatterbox. Give her a topic and she could talk forever-even if you didn’t respond, she'd just
keep the conversation going all by herself. For her, the hardest part of hiking wasn’t the climb-it was doing it in
silence.
There weren't many girls on the team: one was glued to her boyfriend, another was the aloof “heiress,” and then
there was Mia, desperate to talk but with no one to talk to. After sinner debate, she decided against being a
third wheel and instead stuck close to Alessia, hoping to find a new partner-in-chat for the trek.
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