Return of the Crowned Heiress

Chapter 154

Fifteen minutes later, the road leading to Alverton echoed with the loud roar of a sports car. At first, the villagers

were puzzled, thinking another outsider had arrived. However, when the car door swung open and a flamboyant

figure stepped out, the onlookers exchanged glances and promptly turned to leave as if trying to avoid

something filthy. The figure was Shawn.

When the Fuller family still lived in Alverton, Shawn had a notorious reputation for petty theft and mischief. He

was caught harassing young ladies and married women by the river multiple times, often leading to

confrontations. Yet Howell and Tabitha, his parents, were utterly shameless. They not only failed to get any

justice but were also experts at turning the tables and blaming others.

Over time, his nbecsynonymous with disgrace. Naturally, the villagers preferred to keep their distance

whenever he appeared.

Seeing him now, they were quick to steer clear.

Shawn returned to the village in a high-profile manner, flaunting a rented sports car to show off his former

wealth. He believed that his status had risen above that of the villagers, whom he looked down upon as mere

ants. But the villagers didn't buy his act. They turned and walked away, leaving him with no one to impress.

Fuming, Shawn grabbed the nearest villager, ready to boast. But before he could say a word, the villager scoffed.

"Make sure to take good care of that rented car. Otherwise, you might not get your deposit back!" Laughter

erupted around him.

Shawn's face flushed with rage.

Yes, the car was indeed rented.

After receiving the huge sum of 50 million dollars from the Fuller family, he bought a sports car, but Lance seized

it to cover his debts. So, he was left with no choice but to rent this car.

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Shawn would never admit to his disgrace. Instead, he sneered, "You group of frogs in a well, you dare to look

down on me? Do you even know what my status is now?"

The villager he had grabbed, who was actually Cody, shot him a cold glance and retorted, "What status? What's

the status of a debtor with missing fingers? That sounds rather pathetic."

The villagers observed with keen interest as Shawn's hand was wrapped in thick bandages. Two of his fingers

were missing.

Infuriated by this remark, Shawn's face twisted with rage. "Did Felicia tell you about it?"

No one responded to him.

But in Shawn's mind, that was the only possibility. His expression darkened further as he spat out, "That little

brat thinks she's untouchable, but I'll deal with her sooner or later!"

Cody, who was standing closest to him, overheard that. Though he was typically kind-hearted, he wasted no time

before slapping Shawn across the face. "You bastard! Just start behaving like a decent person already, would

you?"

Shawn staggered from the slap, his eyes glinting with malice. Just as he was about to retaliate, other villagers

rushed in to pull him away.

Even Charles West, the village chief, looked furious. His expression was a mix of anger and disappointment. "Get

lost! You're not welchere!"

Shawn was ready to explode, but he

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suddenly noticed how much had changed in the village. Behind the village lay fields abundant with. crops and

further ahead were fows of vegetable greenhouses that stretched out of sight.

The villagers' spirits seemed to have lifted, and every household had repaired their homes. There were even

numerous construction projects underway, depicting a scene of vibrant prosperity. Shawn stood there,

dumbfounded. Was this still the impoverished village he remembered?

Chapter 153

Kayla's eyes turned red, and she dug her nails deep into her palms as she suppressed the almost frenzied and

twisted emotions threatening to erupt. She managed to hold back her anger, though just barely. "Arnie, my foot

hurts. Can you carryover there?" she asked, her voice laced with vulnerability.

The car had broken down, and the driver needed to stay behind to arrange repairs. Moreover, Kayla had traveled

such a long way to get here; it was impossible for her to be sent away now. For this reason, Kayla would have to

stay in Alverton by Arnold's side for a while.

Arnold felt a sense of helplessness but ultimately did not refuse. He examined her foot and found nothing wrong

with it, yet Kayla insisted that she had injured it in the accident and couldn't walk. "Arnie, | really can't walk

anymore..." she whined.

Having already cried once and after being terrified all night, her face was pale and pitiful. It made it hard for

Arnold to turn her down.

He bent down, offering, "Get on my back. I'll carry you."

"You're the best, Arnie!" Kayla beamed, her joy evident as she jumped onto his back. She wrapped her arms

tightly around his neck.

Amidst numerous gazes, Arnold carried Kayla back to Alverton.

It was no big deal for the villagers since they didn't know them, but the students participating in the training

program couldn't help but make a few teasing remarks about their apparent intimacy. Kayla giggled, occasionally

blushing shyly.

Upon returning to the village, Arnold originally intended to have the village head find another family for Kayla to

stay with. However, with all the other families’ houses already full and Kayla stubbornly refusing to be separated

from him, he had no choice but to take her back to the farm where he was staying.

Unfortunately, there was only one empty room in that house.

"Alright, you rest well," Arnold said after the college doctor checked Kayla's foot and confirmed it wasn't serious.

Feeling relieved, he placed her on the bed and turned to leave.

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Kayla hurriedly grabbed his arm, "Arnie, where are you going? Are you really going to leavehere alone? I'm

not familiar with this place, and I'm scared..." Arnold had been planning to find a separate place to stay. After all,

it would be scandalous for them to share a room. He had to consider her reputation.

But Kayla wouldn't let it go, presenting a pitiful facade as her shoulders trembled and her eyes glistened with

unshed tears.

Seeing her like this made Arnold's heart soften, but he still insisted, "You get srest. I'll be in the living room.

If you need anything, just call me." With that, he stepped out of the room.

Tears finally fell from Kayla's eyes, giving way to a burgeoning anger that threatened to explode! "Felicia!" she

hissed through gritted teeth, her sense of crisis and jealousy amplifying tenfold.

She was determined to eliminate Felicia, the thorn in her side, at all costs!

With a cold expression, her brows furrowed in fierce determination. She called Shawn, her voice low as she

snapped, "Why haven't you arrived yet? It's been two days! Have you gotten everything prepared? Don't you

want the rest of the money?"

Shawn's voice sounded distant on the other end as if he were driving. "It's all set! I'll be at Alverton in no more

than 20 minutes!"

Hearing this, Kayla felt a sense of

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reluctant Satisfaction. After all, the money she had invested was considerable. As long as Shawn's actions bore

fruit, it would alDbe worth it!

Chapter 152

The early morning chaos cto an end, and Felicia didn't bother to find out who would tow the Fuller family's

car away after she left.

It wasn't until after she had left that Kayla finally snapped back to reality from the shock of the night before.

Clinging tightly to Arnold's waist, she looked up at him with teary eyes and said, "Arnie, | rushed over to see you

and almost didn't make it..."

Arnold opened his mouth, intending to say, "This slope isn't high; it's not as dangerous as you think." However,

the words were caught in his throat, and he ultimately swallowed them. Instead, he said, "It's alright now. Don't

cry."

Last night's events must have scared Kayla terribly-just like when he first arrived at the scene panic-stricken. It

was only after Felicia scolded him that he realized his concern was causing him to lose focus. The terrain looked

frightening, but there was no real deadly cliff here.

However, it was too late to say such things.

Kayla clung tightly to Arnold, fearing that if she let go, he would disappear. Her pitiful appearance made it

difficult for him to reject her.

Just then, a group of students who had heard about the incident rushed over to see the commotion and caught

sight of Arnold and Kayla in an embrace.

Someone remarked, "Kayla arrived pretty quickly, didn't she? She must have rushed over in the middle of the

night. Talk about dedication!"

Kayla had been practically absent from college for a long tand wasn't on the list for this training program.

She had only gotten wind of the situation because her good friend, Olivia, had informed her to cquickly to

assert her claim and ensure that the man she was infatuated with, Arnold, wouldn't be taken away by Felicia.

Seeing this, Olivia couldn't help but smirk. Although she felt sresentment toward Kayla after yesterday's

events, her hatred for Felicia was even stronger.

Anyone who could make Felicia's life miserable was welcin her book.

So, Olivia stepped forward without hesitation and said, "Kayla, what terrible duck you had, getting into a car

accident. Thankfully, you're okay. Otherwise, wouldn't Mr. Lawson feel guilty for a lifetime?"

Her words were laced with sarcasm, and Arnold could clearly hear it. He shot her a glance, but Olivia merely

scoffed and turned away, strutting off.

Kayla finally regained her senses after initially feeling scared. She began to pick up on the indifference on

Arnold's face, and her heart sank.

No one knew Arnold better than she did, and it was clear that something had happened over the past few days.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be so distant and lost in thought in front of her

Feeling a wave of unease, she followed Arnold's gaze and was taken aback to find that he was consistently

looking in Felicia's direction!

"Arnie, you haven't been paying attention tothese past few days. You even hung up onyesterday. Do you

know | almost died? | was wondering if I'd ever see you again..."

As she spoke, Arnold seemed to tune her out completely.

Finally, she managed a pained smile and asked, "Arnie, who are you thinking about? Is it Felicia?"

This seemingly casual question drew an unexpected reaction from Arnold. He immediately denied it, his voice

filled with resistance as he replied, "Don't talk nonsense. How could be thinking about Felicia?"

His clear disdain was unmasked. While Kayla initially wanted to laugh, the smile slowly faded from her face.

A man's excessive attention toward a woman, even if he verbally claimed not to like her, often indicated that he

had begun to develop feelings.

Chapter 151

As Felicia approached Ruben, she asked, "Ruben, what caused the accident? What happened?"

Ruben was one of the Fuller family's dedicated drivers. He was always on standby and had years of driving

experience, so it was unusual for such an accident to occur.

Recognizing Felicia, Ruben replied, "Ms. Felicia, good morning. Yesterday, Ms. Kayla urgedto drive her to

Alverton. | wasn't familiar with the road and mistakenly followed the wrong route according to the navigation.

Ms. Kayla got angry, and then..." His voice trailed off.

Not only had Kayla been upset, but she had also taken out her frustration on him by kicking his seat while he

was driving.

The winding mountain roads were already challenging, and his attention had been distracted by her kicking him.

Fatigued from driving all day, he lost focus for just a moment, causing the car to veer off the road and get stuck

on the edge of the slope. From their perspective inside the vehicle, it felt like they were hanging over a precipice,

so they didn't dare to move. Even when their phone fell at their feet, they hesitated to pick it up, fearing that

bending down would make the car sway dangerously. It wasn't until Arnold called this morning that the car audio

system automatically answered and allowed them to call for help.

The more Ruben thought about it, the angrier he became. If it hadn't been for Kayla distracting him, the accident

wouldn't have happened in the first place!

While they were trapped inside the car, Kayla said many hurtful things. She declared that he wasn't fit to be a

driver for the Fuller family and that she would make sure he was fired as soon as they got out, putting an end to

his career.

If it hadn't been for his reason, he would have wanted to take Kayla down with him!

As he reflected on this, he tightened his grip on the memory card in his hand.

That card contained recordings from the dashcam. If Kayla pushed him too far, he had evidence to hold against

her.

Felicia didn't pry further.

With Kayla saved, the villagers felt relieved and began to disperse.

Cody Gibbs, who had been scolded by Arnold earlier, tried to leave but was stopped by Felicia. "Mr. Gibbs, wait a

moment."

She walked

to Arnold and saw

up to

that he was tightly embracing Kayla,

who was crying. He comforted her

like they had just endured a

life-and-death separation. Unable to hold back, she spoke up, "Sorry to interrupt."

Arnold finally released Kayla and turned his attention to Felicia. "What is it?"

Felicia beceven more impatient. Her tone was cold as she stated, "You should apologize to Mr. Gibbs."

Cody felt a bit awkward and gently tugged at Felicia's sleeve. "Licia, let's just let it go..."

How could she let it go?

Felicia stood her ground.

Cody had a daughter around Felicia's age who was studying in another city. Any daughter would be upset if she

found out her father had been treated this way.

Moreover, it was just an apology; it wasn't like she was asking for a piece of Arnold's flesh. An apology was

absolutely reasonable, wasn't it?

Meanwhile, Arnold had regained his composure. Regardless of the circumstances, these villagers had indeed

helped.

He pursed his lips, and his good upbringing compelled him to apologize to Cody, "I'm sorry, Mr. Gibbs. | was out

of line earlier." Cody flashed a warm and sincere smile.

Finally satisfied, Felicia turned to

leave with Cody and the others. She climbed back onto the little truck as it started moving toward Alverton.

Chapter 150

As Felicia rushed closer, she quickly recognized the familiar license plate of the black luxury car that was

hanging dangerously over the edge of the cliff. It was a vehicle from the Fuller family!

This meant that the person trapped inside was none other than Kayla.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, she heard Kayla's terrified voice from inside the car. "Arnie, help me! Save

me!"

Arnold was also in a state of panic.

Last night, he received news that Kayla had cto Alverton, and he felt an overwhelming sense of annoyance.

He was already here on a mission from Matthew and had been growing increasingly frustrated with Kayla's

nearly suffocating presence. She seemed to follow him everywhere, like a piece of gum stuck to his shoe that he

couldn't get rid of.

He might have shown a hint of indifference and impatience during their phone call. Kayla, emotional as she was,

started crying uncontrollably.

Feeling irritated by her cries, Arnold ended the call abruptly.

When dawn broke and he still hadn't received any updates from Kayla, he asked around, but no one had seen

her arrive in the village.

Sensing something was off, Arnold called her again, only to be shocked by the news that she had been in a car

accident. Now, she was trapped in the vehicle, teetering on the edge of a cliff.

Without wasting a moment, he called the rescue team and urged them to cas quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, the villagers noticed the stranded car and formed a small group to help. They proposed a simple yet

effective solution. First, they'd move the rocks to stabilize the vehicle. Then, they'd open the doors and let the

people inside jump out.

However, Arnold instinctively felt this approach wouldn't work and furrowed his brows in concern. He feared that

the villagers' methods, while well-meaning, could be foolish and might endanger Kayla's life instead of save her.

The rescue efforts hit a standstill.

When Felicia arrived, she overheard Arnold sharply reprimanding one of the villagers who had suggested the

plan, saying, "Can you guarantee the safety of the people in the car? Can you assurethat this method has no

risks? If not, we should wait for the rescue team!"

The villager an older man known for

his kindness and willingness to help others, felt embarrassed and flustered under Arnold's harsh words. His face

reddened as he struggled to respond.

Seeing this, Felicia stepped forward with a cold laugh. "Arnold, where did your manners go?"

Arnold shot her a glance. He usually softened his tone in the face of her provocation, but he was too agitated this

time.

Felicia pointed decisively. "Mr. Todd, grab a couple of small rocks and brace them under the front of the car. Put a

few in front of the tires as well."

Romeo immediately complied.

Arnold was furious and nearly exploded, angrily accusing Felicia, "Kayla is a member of the Fuller family! Are you

trying to kill her?"

Kayla screamed in terror inside the car, "Don't cover! Don't move! You all, don't move!"

As she shouted, the car swayed a little but quickly steadied again as Romeo and the others placed stones to

stabilize it.

Felicia looked at Arnold with an expression of disbelief and annoyance. She tilted her head and sarcastically said,

"Do you see that, Mr. Lawson? It's solid ground beneath. The car might slide a bit, but it won't fall down."

Not only would it not fall, but the dense trees below would act as a buffer even if the car did slip.

In fact, it wasn't a cliff at all-just a gentle slope common in the mountains.

Felicia pulled open the car door and yanked Kayla out, who fell onto the ground, terrified.

Her first instinct was to cling to Arnold.

He didn't push her away and wrapped his arms around her, gently patting her back to soothe her. "It's okay.

Don't worry."

After Kayla was rescued, Ruben

Waters, the driver, emerged from the

driver's seat. His gaze toward Kayla was filled with a mix of emotions that included barely concealed resentment.

Chapter 149

"Yes, Mr. Russell."

After arranging the details, his subordinate promptly acknowledged from the other end of the line and cautiously

asked, "Mr. Russell, should we head back now or..."

"Let's rest for two days," Stephan replied, gazing at the lights of the village. He absentmindedly stroked the

puppy's head while adding, "The scenery here is quite nice. Let's find a place to settle down first." "Understood."

Felicia made her way back to Macey's house, massaging her neck as she entered. The commotion earlier hadn't

been loud enough to wake Macey, who was still sound asleep.

She quietly opened the door and slipped back into her room. As she lay down, she suddenly remembered the

puppy.

Where did it go?

It seemed Stephan had taken the puppy with him.

The puppy, named Cloud, had just turned a month old. Macey mentioned that it was one of the pups from the

neighbor's dog, and she brought the chubby white one hto raise.

Cloud stayed with its mother during the day, but at night, it would obediently return when Macey called. It was

quite adorable.

When it saw Felicia, it knew to wag its tail at her, looking adorably clumsy.

Felicia had not anticipated running into Stephan tonight, nor that he would take Cloud with him.

Lying in bed, Felicia thought about how to look for Stephan in the morning and whether she could negotiate to

get Cloud back.

With that thought in mind, she couldn't fall asleep.

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The thought of interacting with Stephan made her uneasy. He was too perceptive, and his deep eyes seemed

capable of reading her mind. He had nearly exposed her secrets multiple times. After tossing and turning, she

could only hope that whatever she told Stephan that night hadn't raised any suspicions on his side.

Felicia finally drifted off for about half an hour, but dawn soon broke.

Early in the morning, a thin mist hovered over the mountains, and the village was filled with the crowing of

roosters. It marked a peaceful and serene morning.

However, amidst this tranquility, the sound of barking dogs pierced the air, followed by hurried footsteps and

voices. There were also a few anxious words about an incident.

Felicia quickly got dressed and

rushed outside, just in tto see

Romeo Todd leading a group of people carrying tools as they hurried past. She called out, "Mr. Todd, what's going

on?"

Romeo turned around and replied, "We just got word that a car went off the guardrail on the winding mountain

road leading into the village. The village chief has organized a team to help out, and |

vel

hear a rescue team is on the way!"

A chill ran through Felicia.

The mountain road in front of the village did have scurves, but they were not particularly sharp. Under

normal circumstances, driving wouldn't pose a problem! Unless... the car was from outside and the driver was

unfamiliar with the road conditions?

The first thought that crossed her mind was of Stephan.

Could it be that he had an accident while leaving last night?

Felicia quickly returned to her room to grab her needle case and medicine kit, then rushed to inform Macey,

"Nana, stay here. I'm going to check it out." Macey stood on her tiptoes and shouted, "Be careful and stay safe!"

"I will, Nana!"

el Pe

Felicia sprinted to catch up with Romeo's small truck. She squeezed in, and they drove out of the village In no

time, they reached the scene, where a black luxury car precariously hung off the edge of a cliff Surrounding the

car were several people who appeared to be planning a rescue.

Among the crowd, Felicia spotted Arnold, his expression full of anxiety and his eyes red-rimmed.

Chapter 148

It was because Felicia knew too much.

Stephan moved closer again, the distance between them now mere inches. It created an intimate tension. His

gaze was piercing as he repeated, "How did you know | was drugged? Hmm?"

Felicia's heart raced with panic, but she forced herself to appear calm as she replied, "I found out later that the

scar-removal ointment had issues. Two drugs went missing from the Walsh family's medicinal room. After | fell

out with Kayla, | realized she had used this method to schagainst me.

"It was just an unfortunate coincidence that | gave you that scar-removal ointment. We have no deep-seated

hatred, so when you clooking for me, | guessed it had to be related to this incident. It's all a

misunderstanding, really."

Felicia put on an innocent expression, trying to smooth over the earlier gaps in her narrative.

Stephan let out a cold laugh, his tone sharp as he quickly seized upon another flaw in her words. "So, you mean

to say that after discovering the ointment was problematic, you didn't think to warn me?"

Felicia's back was slick with sweat. She was caught between a rock and a hard place.

It would imply she had indeed schemed against him if she said yes. If she said no, she wouldn't be able to

explain how she knew so much.

Her gaze darted around as she continued to feign innocence. "When | sent it, you were so dismissive that |

thought you wouldn't use it at all..."

Her shamelessness almost amused Stephan.

After all this time, she was trying to shift the blback to him.

He must have been too patient with her!

Seeing Stephan's anger begin to surface, Felicia quickly concocted a new strategy and tossed out a condition.

"Mr. Russell, aren't you looking for something in the Fuller family? | could help you look for it. Consider it a way to

make amends. How does that sound?" Although Stephan had never explicitly stated his intentions, it was clear to

anyone that a big shot like him had ulterior motives for sneaking into Khogend and infiltrating the Fuller

residence twice. It was hard to believe he was doing so without any reason... Felicia's suggestion was timely, but

Stephan was no longer listening.

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His mind replayed the chaotic events of the night he had lost control. He dragged a woman into his room and

vaguely recalled hearing her say, "I'll help you counteract the drug effects. Just wait a moment!"

Did she say that or not?

He couldn't remember clearly.

All he knew was that the woman's temperament felt vaguely familiar, and it nearly drove him mad.

When he regained his senses the next day, he was furious. He wanted nothing more than to torture the woman

who had dared to schagainst him!

But what if that woman was... Felicia?

The mere thought sent an ominous glint into Stephan's eyes, making Felicia's heart race with fear.

What was that look supposed to mean?

Was he beginning to suspect her?

Felicia took a cautious step back, feeling a bit anxious.

Fortunately, Stephan only gave her a long, hard look before shifting his gaze away and walking off. He neither

pressed her further no accepted her earlier offer to make amends".

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Felicia let out a silent sigh of relief, only to realize her back was drenched in sweat.

Had she passed this test? Would she no longer have to live in fear? Would this big shot stop seeking her out?

Felicia felt a mix of emotions.

Stephan's personality was even

more unpredictable than the rumors

suggested, making it impossible for her to gauge or understand him.

swng

What she didn't know was that after Stephan left, the very first thing he did was give orders to his subordinates.

"Investigate everything about the Lawson family's engagement party, especially Felicia's whereabouts that

night. | want every detail! Leave no stone unturned!"