Chapter 788
For the first time, Erin set down her drumsticks and pistachios, jumping up and down on the couch, eyes wide with curiosity. "Tell me, tell me!" Keira shared a quick glance with Lewis, and then they both looked at Erin.
Keira waved her over.
Erin\'s eyes lit up as she scrambled over, pressing her ear right up to Keira\'s mouth.
Keira leaned in. "Ryan told me…"
Erin\'s eyes brightened even more. "Come on, out with it! Do I need to clean my ears or something?"
Keira smirked. "The phrase is \'I\'m all ears,\' and no, it doesn\'t mean literally."
"Oh, oh, right! I\'m all ears! Spill it already, I\'m dying of curiosity!" Erin whispered. "You don\'t know how many times I\'ve sparred with that Lion these past few years! I need to know who she is!"
Keira raised a brow. "You\'re that curious?"
Erin nodded furiously. "Yes, yes, yes!"
"Alright, I\'ll tell you…" Keira dragged out the words, finally whispering, "It\'s a secret."
Erin was dumbfounded.
She froze, staring at Keira in disbelief.
Her eyes widened in shock, and suddenly, like a cat with her fur puffed up, she looked ready to throttle Keira. "Ahhh! You\'re messing with me!"
Keira raised a brow. "Yep."
Erin\'s face turned red with frustration. "How could you keep this from me? I\'ve shared all my secrets with you!"
Keira looked at her calmly. "Really? Then tell me: what\'s the South family\'s secret? Where exactly is their headquarters?"
Erin didn\'t know what to say.
She was stumped, cheeks puffing as her chest heaved in frustration. Then, with a dramatic stomp, she turned and stormed off like a sulking child. "I\'m not talking to you anymore!"
Keira watched as she stomped toward the door but suddenly stopped in her tracks. Erin spun back, snatched the pistachios and chicken leg off the table, stomped again for effect, and declared, "I really mean it this time!"
"Oh."
Keira\'s response was perfectly calm.
Erin was speechless.
Her eyes reddened as she pouted and stormed out the door
Lewis glanced over. "Is teasing her that much fun?"
A smile touched Keira\'s lips. "She\'s such a sly little fox, always getting under everyone\'s skin. I wanted to see her squirm a bit, just this once…"
Lewis chuckled. "I thought you trusted her enough to tell her everything by now."
Keira\'s face grew thoughtful. "Trust her? She\'s a fox—a clever one at that. I\'d never trust anyone that easily."
Lewis nodded. "Hold on to that. The things you\'ll face soon might be dangerous, so remember to put yourself first."
Keira looked at him, a bit taken aback. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lewis added, "When the time comes, Amy and I—we\'re both expendable."
Keira frowned. "Did you find something? Are you hiding something?"
Lewis shook his head. "No. I\'ve only heard some things about the South family, and they\'re hardly saints. You\'re not one to get along with their kind. If the day ever comes where they use me or Amy to try to force you into something, don\'t give in."
Keira\'s jaw clenched.
She didn\'t know why he was saying this now, but a sense of urgency tightened around her as his words sank in.
The South family had nine heiresses.
The only known ones were Erin, who\'d joined forces with Keira; Keera, her older sister, the Rabbit; and then the Lion, wandering somewhere within Crera.
Beyond those three, there were five more scattered around the world, identities unknown…
To win the South family inheritance and secure her mother Jodie\'s safety, she\'d have to compete against these mysterious rivals.
Just thinking about it felt like an enormous task.
Keira leaned against Lewis\' shoulder. "Amy must be happy in the Olsen family, right?"
Lewis glanced down. "Your dad seems to like her a lot. He takes her with him every day, probably as a way to feel close to your sister."
Since Keira had been busy, she\'d left Amy—her late sister\'s only child—at the Olsen family home.
Keira turned to Lewis again. "Do you think Ryan\'s intel on the Lion is reliable?"
"No idea," Lewis said. "We\'ll have to look into it. Everything we have so far is from Ryan, after all."
Keira nodded, but at that moment, her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen and picked up casually. "Hey, Dad, what\'s up?"
She and Uncle Olsen had gotten pretty relaxed with each other recently.
But the next second, her father\'s serious voice came through. "Keira, there\'s a man here asking to see you."
Keira paused. "Who is it?"
"He says... he\'s Amy\'s biological father."