THE MASKED HEIRESS

THE MISUNDERSTANDING

Jaxon’s POV

I didn’t plan on staying here long. Honestly, I thought I’d be out the moment the semester ended, but life has a way of throwing curveballs, doesn’t it? After all the mess with that rich kid back at my old school after my dad decided we needed a “fresh start” back here and here I am, stuck in this prep school for the rest of the year.

At first, I figured it would be just like every other school. Boring. Fake. Another round of people pretending to be something they’re not. I couldn’t care less about any of them.

But then I saw her.

I didn’t even expect it. I just walked into a random class which I assumed to be one of the classes on my schedule but then my eyes met with her. She was sitting here, just minding her own business, and it hit me like a punch in the chest.

It’s her.

I couldn’t breathe for a second. How could she be here? How was it possible that the one person I’d been searching for the one person who’d haunted my thoughts for years was suddenly sitting in front of me like I hadn’t spent all this time trying to find her?

I remember the last time I saw her, years ago, at one of my dad’s stupid opening parties. The kind of event full of fake smiles and handshakes. I remember her because she didn’t belong. She wasn’t pretending to be anyone she wasn’t. She was quiet, standing in the corner, sketching something on a napkin. I barely spoke to her, but there was something about her that stuck with me, something that I couldn’t shake no matter how hard I tried.

I searched for her for years on the internet, through friends, even asking people who might know. But there was nothing. No record, no mention of her anywhere. She might as well have disappeared from the world.

But now, here she is. In front of me.

Same girl. Same energy. Same unreadable look.

But she’s pretending to be nobody. Just another face in the crowd. It’s like she’s trying to bury who she really is, and it messes with me more than I expected.

I don’t want to seem like I’m stalking her so I keep my distance, pretending I’m just another student walking the halls. But I can’t stop thinking about her.

I don’t even know why it affects me this much. I don’t owe her anything. I don’t owe anyone anything, honestly. But something about her being here, pretending to blend in, it just doesn’t sit right with me. She’s not the type to hide. She wasn’t hiding back at that party. She was just real.

It’s hard to explain, but seeing her here, now, after all these years, it feels like the universe just dropped her in front of me for a reason. It’s not a coincidence. It can’t be. After the mess I had back at my old school fighting with some rich kid who thought he could take my place I ended up here. At this school. With her.

I don’t believe in fate, but this? This feels like something bigger. Something that’s been waiting for me to figure out.

I don’t know what happened to her. I don’t know why she’s hiding now, acting like she’s invisible. But I know one thing for sure: I can’t let her slip away again.

I wasn’t expecting to see her here tonight, but there she was. Gia’s party was the usual loud, chaotic, a mess of half-drunk teenagers and people pretending to have a good time. But then I saw her, standing off to the side like she didn’t belong.

It cracked me up, honestly. Same girl, same vibe. She didn’t belong here, didn’t want to belong. She looked almost lost in the middle of all the noise. It was so damn perfect, I couldn’t resist.

I threw on my usual smirk, walked through the crowd like I was the main event, and made my way toward her. I could feel the eyes on me, knew they were all watching. They always did. But my focus? It was all on her.

When I stopped in front of her, she didn’t look up right away. I could see her trying to act like I wasn’t standing there, like she was too cool for me, or for this whole scene. But I wasn’t having it. I leaned in a little, just enough to make sure she knew I was there.

“You look like you’re having the time of your life,” I said, half-smiling, just to mess with her.

She met my eyes for a second, and there was that flicker of recognition. Like I knew exactly who she was, even if she didn’t want me to. But that look vanished in a heartbeat. She just went back to being all cool, like I didn’t even matter.

Instead of talking, she pulled out her phone and texted me. I couldn’t help but laugh under my breath when I saw the message flash across my screen.

"Let’s go somewhere quieter."

I couldn’t stop the grin that tugged at my lips. She was playing it safe, trying to keep it all low-key. But the way she avoided a scene.

it kind of cracked me up.

I didn’t hesitate. I just texted her back.

"Follow me."

I turned without waiting for a reply, weaving through the crowd like I knew exactly where I was going. She didn’t hesitate either, though she followed, like she always did, even if she tried to hide it.

We finally made it outside, away from the noise, from the fake energy that seemed to buzz in every corner of the house. The backyard was quieter, still. Just the sound of the distant party, the rustling of trees in the wind, and the occasional laughter from inside.

I didn’t say anything for a minute. I just let the silence hang between us. I could feel her still guarding herself, but there was something in the air that told me this was different. She was different.

“So,” I said, breaking the silence, my voice softer now. “What’s your deal? Why are you hiding out here?”

She didn’t answer right away, and for a second, I thought maybe I’d pushed too far. But then she looked up, and there was that familiar flicker in her eyes again. It was like she wasn’t quite sure what to make of me.

And that was okay. Because I wasn’t sure what to make of her either.

But I was about to find out.

I was about to say something,anything to break the silence, but then she hit me with it. She didn’t even look fazed by my presence, just looked me straight in the eye and asked, “What do you want?”

I froze for a second. That wasn’t what I expected. I thought I’d get one of her usual guarded looks, maybe a sharp remark, but this? This was different. It was like she couldn’t be bothered. She sounded so cold.

I opened my mouth, but the words didn’t come out at first. I tried to play it off, maybe laugh, but I wasn’t feeling it anymore. “I don't know just thought we could talk. See what’s going on with you”

She gave me a look, like she’d heard that line a thousand times before. And then she hit me with the bombshell.

“What’s your price to keep my secret?”

I blinked, trying to wrap my head around what she’d just said. Her secret? What secret? Was she really thinking I was here to dig something up on her, blackmail her somehow?

It threw me off completely. My stomach twisted, and I felt like I’d just stepped into some trap I hadn’t seen coming. For a second, I couldn’t even process what she meant. What was she talking about?

“Wait! what?” I finally managed to get out, voice rougher than I wanted.

“I’m not trying to... What do you think I’m—”

But she didn’t wait for me to finish. She cut me off with that same, unreadable stare.

“I know exactly what you want. You can ask me anything. But if you’re trying to make me your next game, you better make sure you’re ready for what comes with it.”

My chest tightened. It wasn’t like she was angry, but there was this edge to her words that hit harder than any insult. Like she was so sure of who I was, what I was here for. Like I was just another guy trying to play some twisted game with her.

And for the first time, I wondered if that’s how she really saw me.

I didn’t know what to say. Honestly, I was kind of thrown.

“I’m not here to play you, Blackwood, I don’t want anything from you. I just—” I stopped myself because, hell, I didn’t even know what I was trying to say.

She just stood there, arms still crossed, like she was waiting for me to prove I wasn’t like all the other guys who’d probably tried to get something from her in the past. The way she looked at me it was like I was some puzzle she didn’t want to solve.

I wanted to push back, to tell her I wasn’t that guy, but her words,her tone stuck with me. Was that really how she saw me? That I was here because I wanted something from her?

I didn’t even know what was going on anymore. I just stood there, feeling like I had no clue what the hell was happening between us.

And maybe that was the part that got to me the most.

I was done. I had tried to keep it cool, to play along, but she wasn’t having it. Every word she threw at me felt like another brick in a wall I couldn’t break down. And that pissed me off more than I cared to admit.

I clenched my jaw, feeling my patience slip away with every second.

“You think I’m here to mess with you?” I said, voice rising a little too sharply. “You think I came all the way to this stupid party, just to try and figure out some kind of game to play with you?”

Her eyes were still cold, unreadable, but something in her expression shifted almost like she realized that I wasn’t the guy she thought I was. But it wasn’t enough.

“You really think I’m just another guy who wants something from you?” I took a step forward, almost too close.

“I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m not the one pretending here.”

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, challenging me. “Then what do you want?”

I exhaled sharply, a laugh that wasn’t a laugh escaping from my throat. “What do I want?” I repeated, shaking my head. My hands clenched at my sides, the anger simmering beneath my skin. “I want you to stop acting like you’re the only one who has secrets. Like you’re the only one who can hide behind a mask.”

Her lips parted like she was about to say something, but I cut her off, my voice low but burning with irritation. “You have no idea who you're dealing with. My father and your dad? They were business partners. And I’ve met you before. At your father’s opening party, years ago. You were the one who slipped away, all high and mighty, pretending to be ‘nobody.’"

I saw her flinch, just a tiny thing, but it was enough. The mask faltered. But she didn’t speak, just stared at me.

“And now, here you are, acting like I’m the problem,” I sneered, the words leaving my mouth before I could stop them. “You don’t even know what the hell you’re talking about. You think I’m some ‘bad boy’ you can push around? Well, newsflash: I’m not some project for you to control. Not anymore.”

I took one last step back, glaring down at her. “So, if you’re gonna keep pretending I’m just another guy in your life, you better be ready for the consequences. I’m not going to sit around and let you make me feel like I’m the one who doesn’t get it.”

Without waiting for her response, I turned around to realize people have been watching confusedl, my fists tight, my head buzzing with a thousand thoughts. I didn’t need to hear whatever excuse she was about to throw at me.

She wanted to play games? Fine. But not with me.

I left her standing there, lost in her own guilt. I knew she’d feel it later, maybe not now, but soon. Because this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

She wants to pretend

Oh! I know a thousands ways of making people like her live their daily life in hell and this is just the beginning.