The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

"What?" Avery shot up from her seat, worry etched into her features. While Natalie’s sobs abruptly halted in shock at the news, concern filling her eyes.

"I-I don’t know. He just hung up!" Evelyn muttered, her hands trembling as she frantically tried to redial Brandon. But it went straight to voicemail, making her heart race with panic.

"Agatha!" she called out, her voice sharper than intended. Kiana’s nanny emerged from the kitchen, a puzzled frown pulling at her lips. Without hesitation, Evelyn grabbed her hand and declared, "We need to hurry to Kiana’s school. Now!"

Agatha blinked but nodded quickly. Evelyn knew she needed someone who knew Kiana’s world better than she did, just as much as Zevian, and right now, Agatha was that person. More importantly, she needed someone strong to support her if things were haywire.

"I’ll come with you," Avery offered, stepping forward.

Evelyn shook her head, her gaze shifting to Natalie. "Stay. She needs you more right now," she insisted, her voice softer. "I’ll take John with me. Don’t worry."

"Call me as soon as you get there!" Avery’s voice was firm, but her eyes were filled with concern.

"I will." Evelyn gave her a quick nod, exchanging one with Natalie as well before rushing out the door, Agatha hot on her heels.

The thirty-minute drive felt like an eternity, the tension in the air thick as Evelyn’s mind raced. Her thoughts were chaotic, emotions swirling in a mixture of fear and frustration. Each second felt like a rollercoaster, her heart in her throat, dread tightening in her chest.

’Please, God, let her be safe!’ The silent prayer repeated in her head like a broken record as they turned into the school’s parking lot. She barely waited for the car to come to a stop before bolting out, following Agatha’s quick steps toward one of the smaller, isolated buildings on the huge school campus.

As they rounded to corner, Evelyn’s heart stuttered. There, outside an office, stood Kiana, her small frame fidgeting, with her hands folded behind as she traced invisible patterns on the floor with her shoes. A boy stood beside her, his expression a mix of boredom and annoyance.

"Kiana!" Evelyn’s voice cracked with desperation as she hurried forward, her cry grabbing Kiana’s attention.

"Mommy?" Kiana blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected her mother—maybe her nanny, or worse, her father, but not Evelyn. Tears instantly welled up in the little girl’s eyes, and she darted toward her mother, her earlier bravado crumbling. "Mommy!!"

Evelyn dropped to her knees, arms open wide as Kiana threw herself into her embrace, her tiny arms wrapping around Evelyn’s neck with a grip that spoke of fear and guilt. The sobs that followed were loud, messy, and heartbreakingly dramatic, drawing the attention of everyone nearby—including the headmistress who came out of the office and now stood at the door.

"What a drama queen," the boy who had been standing beside Kiana muttered under his breath, shaking his head at her theatrics.

Evelyn gently pulled back, wiping away Kiana’s tears with her thumbs. "What happened, baby? Are you okay?" she asked, checking her around.

Kiana sniffled, nodding without much conviction before diving back into her mother’s arms. Evelyn stood, lifting her effortlessly in her arms, and glanced at the boy with blonde hair, who was still standing there, watching the scene with barely contained irritation.

"Hello, Ms. Erica," Evelyn greeted the headmistress with a polite smile as she approached the office. "I’m Kiana’s mother."

"Mrs. Reign, nice to meet you," Erica replied warmly, stepping aside to allow them into the office. "Please, come in."

Before Evelyn could follow her inside, the boy grumbled, "Can I go now?"

Erica turned to him with a stern look. "Not until your guardian arrives, Yael. And if you don’t want to stand here all day, I suggest you call them—just like Kiana did."

Yael glared at his teacher, his annoyance clear, but it only worsened when his eyes fell on Kiana, who smirked back at him, sticking her tongue out as Evelyn entered the office.

"I’m really sorry if we frightened you," Erica began, settling behind her desk. "But Kiana wasn’t exactly cooperative, and we had no choice but to contact you."

Evelyn frowned, her heart still racing with residual panic. "Is she hurt? Did they fight?"

Erica shook her head with a slight chuckle. "Oh, they fight almost daily, but that’s not the issue." She pulled out a file from her desk drawer and handed it to Evelyn. "The real problem is Kiana’s studies."

Evelyn’s frown deepened as she glanced at the report card. Her initial relief quickly faded replaced by worry. D’s and negative scores stared back at her from every subject. But didn’t Zevian and Agatha always mention how great Kiana was at studies, excelling in every subject?

"We don’t expect her to top the class," Erica continued, her tone calm but firm. "But these grades are concerning, Mrs. Reign"

Evelyn nodded and took a deep breath, trying to process it all. Brandon’s call had made it sound like Kiana was injured or in serious trouble. They were been constantly tested with new dangers and crises every day and she couldn’t stop herself from imagining the worst scenario. But it seemed like a small issue until the headmistress gave another shocking news.

"She’s also been forging report cards, Mrs. Reign," Erica said, her expression tightening with disapproval. "Kiana and Yael have been creating counterfeit copies of our official report cards. They’ve manipulated the grades, fooling you guys into signing them without any suspicion. To make it even more convincing, they hired someone to forge the signatures—copying both yours and ours—so that the fake report cards would look identical to the originals."

Evelyn’s mouth fell open in shock. "What?"

Erica nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Reign. They’ve been quite thorough in their execution."

Evelyn stared at her daughter, who was now fidgeting nervously with the hem of her uniform. Kiana had been deceiving them—fooling her father into signing fake report cards? The realization hit hard, and suddenly, everything made sense. No wonder Kiana kept calling her father "stupid."

"I’m so sorry, Ms. Erica." Evelyn’s voice was low, her guilt heavy. "We should have been paying closer attention."

"We’ll let it slide this time," Erica said, her tone softening slightly, mainly because the Reign family was one of their biggest trustees. "But if it happens again, we’ll be forced to suspend her."

Evelyn nodded, her heart heavy as she stood. "Thank you for informing us."

After a few more exchanges, Erica escorted them out of the office, leaving Kiana tailing behind them like a puppy in trouble. The moment they were in the hallway, Kiana shot a glare at Yael.

"This is all your fault!" she hissed.

"You were the one who yelled and told everyone!" Yael shot back, his frustration palpable.

Before the bickering could escalate, a tall figure appeared at the end of the corridor, catching everyone’s attention.

"Oh... crap!" Yael blurted, eyes wide as he spotted his uncle. He immediately turned and bolted down the opposite hallway.

"Damien?" Evelyn muttered, watching the scene unfold.

Damien didn’t even acknowledge her. "I’ll talk to you later, Evelyn," he growled, eyes locked on his fleeing nephew. "Yael! Stop right there!"

"Go, Uncle Damien!" Kiana cheered, bouncing in place. "Beat him into a pulp!"

But as soon as she felt Evelyn’s sharp gaze, she shrank back, folding her hands in front of her and adopting her most innocent look.

Once the goodbyes were said with Erica, Evelyn glanced down at her daughter, who was now sulking silently. "Let’s go."

Agatha extended her hand, and Kiana took it, her pout deepening as they headed back to the car.

The ride home was tense. John kept glancing at the backseat through the rearview mirror, noting the icy distance between mother and daughter. Agatha, sitting in the front, gave him a subtle shake of her head. No one was saving their favorite munchies this time!

Kiana shifted in her booster seat, her eyes darting nervously between Evelyn and the window. After a moment of silence, she reached out, timidly tugging on Evelyn’s sleeve. "I’m sorry, Mommy," she whispered, her voice barely audible. She realized crying would be no use since Evelyn looked really pissed and two, she wasn’t her stupid dad who melt away for her tears.

"School is so hard, and everyone expects me to be a genius like Daddy." She tried another angle, playing the victim.

Evelyn remained quiet, her expression unreadable as she stared out of the window.

"I’m only four and a half!" Kiana continued, her voice growing bolder. "They want me to do so many things that I got... pressuredied."

"Pressurized," Agatha corrected, stifling a laugh and Kiana nodded.

Evelyn exhaled heavily. It was true—people often expected genius children to follow in their parents’ footsteps. But forging report cards? That was next-level insane!

"John, take us to Reign Mansion," Evelyn instructed calmly.

"Wh-why?" Kiana’s voice trembled, her face paling.

"We’ll discuss this with your grandfather," Evelyn replied coolly.

Kiana’s eyes widened in horror. That old man would turn into a beast! She was doomed for real now!