Page 145 of Rags to Royals

I frown. “Me?”

She looks up. “Yeah. You’ve beenteachinga bunch ofkidswhile lying about your identity. That’s illegal, I’m sure.”

“Youreallyneed to stop talking about things you aren’t one-hundred percent sure of,” I tell her. “And you have to stop exaggerating. I actually have all the degrees I claimed to have. I filled out all the necessary paperwork. My background check is clean. I’m just using a pseudonym for safety reasons. Like authors use pen names or actors use stage names. No harm, no foul.”

Amanda jumps in. “Mr. Henry Dean, Mr. Brady’s assistant?—”

“Mr. O’Grady, actually,” I say.

“Right.” She looks at Leah again. “Mr. Dean explained the need for privacy and provided everything we needed to ensure Mr. Br…O’Grady was legitimate. Everything was perfectly legal.”

I nod. “And what I told you about a family emergency is true. And I need to leave.” I turn back to Mariah. “I wanted to be sure you’re okay.”

“I am.” She gestures to Leah with her ice pack. “Just tell her that youdidmeet my mom two years ago, you dated her for a weekend, you’re in love with her, and you’ve proposed.”

I look at Leah. “That’s all true. Mariah’s been right about everything.”

“But the podcast said the prince was searching for a woman…”

“That was Scarlett.”

Leah frowns. “But they said that you spent last weekend in Louisiana with her.”

“I did.”

Mariah looks at her. “You thought you were so smart today, but you totally missed that.”

“Well today was easy,” Leah says. “The king has a heart attack and suddenly Mr. Brady is rushing out of class for a familyemergency? I thought that was a weird coincidence but then when he calledyouout into the hall…”

I sigh and avoid looking at Henry who I know is giving me I-told-you-so eyes.

“Thatwas weird,” Leah says. “And you seemed upset when you came back in. So I looked at the article about the king again. Then noticed a photo and… I suddenly realized Mr. Brady looksa lotlike the prince.” Leah looks at Mariah. Slowly she shakes her head. “Wow. So this whole time, all of thatwasyour mom.”

“I fuckingtoldyou that,” Mariah mutters.

“Miss Gale,” Amanda admonishes.

“Sorry,” Mariah says. But then she sits up straighter in her chair. “But Idid. I didn’t lieonce. But Leah’s been going around accusing me for days. Most of the time we just kind of avoid each other and maybe glare across the room, but this week I’ve had to deal with her,hearing herandtalking to herevery single damned day.”

“She did,” Leah admits.

I’m surprised to see her looking a little discomfited.

“My mom just said that your mom lied a lot in high school and always wanted to be the center of attention and that you were doing the same thing.” She gives Mariah an abashed look. “But you don’t try to be the center of attention. And I would know that better than my mom does.”

I look at Amanda and see that she looks as surprised as I feel.

Mariah is still frowning, but she crosses her arms and responds with a quieter, though still grumpy, tone, “Don’t talk about my mom. You don’t know her.”

“But she’s right.”

We all turn to find Scarlett standing in the doorway. Her gaze holds mine for a moment, but then she looks back at her daughter. “I did lie in high school. I did do a lot to get attention, and I was pretty terrible to anyone who wouldn’t listen to me.”

Mariah slumps back in her chair. “Mom.”

“It’s time we all tell the truth and own up to what we’ve been doing,” she says.

“Fine! Cian has been lying about his identity so that he can get to know Scarlett without this town turning it into a bloody disaster!” Henry finally erupts. He grabs me by the upper arm. “He has to gonow.” He marches me toward the door. “Mariah, Scarlett, we’ll be in touch,” Henry tells them. Then he looks at Leah. “Miss Lawton?—”

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