From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 709

Chapter 709 Underestimated

Chapter 709 Underestimated

About half an hour later, the three of them arrived at the Wood estate.

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The Woods ranked among Highcrest’s top ten elite families. They truly had deep pockets. Even their residence looked lavish and dazzling, like a private palace, and Rachel found herself staring a little longer than she meant to.

Billy felt a surge of pride. The thought that he might actually win her over lit him up from the inside. He gestured for her to go ahead. “Rachel, this is my place. Come on in. I just invited you all over for a meal today. It’s nothing formal, just us. My older brother Arnold Wood and my second sister Aveline Wood are both easygoing, so don’t overthink it.”

This was exactly why he had brought Rachel here. Since he had already decided to marry her, he wanted to use this dinner to have Arnold and Aveline meet her first, lay the groundwork for a proper introduction later. That was how things were done in families like

his.

Rachel’s brows knit slightly, but when she glanced back at Leander, the tension eased. In the end, she nodded.

“Mr. Billy, please head inside. Mr. Arnold and Ms. Aveline have already arrived,” a middle- aged man who looked like the butler came up and said respectfully.

Billy gave a small nod and led Leander and Rachel through the main hall, then out toward the backyard.

The garden was filled with the scent of flowers, blooms surrounding them. A long patio table stretched across the lawn, where four people were already seated, one man and three women.

“Arnold, Aveline, Ava,” Billy called out in greeting. But when his eyes landed on the last girl, his expression froze.

It wasn’t just him. Even Rachel, the soon-to-be Miss Highcrest champion, stiffened, her eyes flashing with excitement and disbelief.

“Maeve?” they both blurted out at the same time. They had never expected that this internationally renowned pop diva would be here at this dinner.

Maeve smiled and gave them a small nod. Then her gaze suddenly froze, locking on something behind Billy and Rachel.

Leander stepped out from behind them, dressed in casual sportswear. His eyes shifted, sweeping across the group before settling on Maeve.

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Chapter 709 Underestimated

He paused for a beat, clearly not expecting to run into someone who actually knew him here. Especially Maeve. They had history, more than he cared to admit. The last person he thought he would see in a place like this.

He had once made a three-year promise to her. Yet somehow, they had already crossed paths once in the Sahar Wastes. And now, they ran into each other again in Highcrest.

A quiet sigh slipped through his thoughts.

Am I seriously stuck with this girl or what? Why do we keep running into each other?

Maeve stood there like she had been hit with a freeze spell, completely rooted to the spot. Her fingers trembled slightly, disbelief flooding her eyes.

The last time she saw Leander was in the Sahar Wastes. Back then, he tore through the Hermit and seven Half-Kings from the Arbitration Office all on his own. They had joined forces to hunt him down, but he crushed them without breaking a sweat.

A few months had passed. The sharp edge around him was gone, along with that overwhelming, sky-piercing aura. Now he wore thick, black-rimmed glasses. His presence was calmer, almost scholarly.

She had never seen this side of him before.

“Lean…” Maeve rose to her feet, about to say his name, but he cut her off with a single look.

“I’m here in Highcrest to lay low. Don’t blow my cover.” His voice slipped straight into her ears. She caught on immediately and swallowed the words that were about to leave her lips.

Arnold, Aveline, and the others all noticed her reaction and exchanged puzzled glances. Billy and Rachel were just as surprised. From the way Maeve reacted, it was obvious she knew Leander.

“Leander, it’s you. I didn’t expect to see you here!” Maeve forced the excitement out of her eyes and replaced it with a warm, easy smile, like a friendly, sweet girl next door.

“Ms. Maeve, good to see you.” Leander smiled and nodded right on cue, acting no different from an ordinary guy.

“Ms. Maeve, you two know each other?” Billy asked, curiosity written all over his expression.

Maeve nodded lightly, a faint spark still lingering in her eyes. “We met once in Ravenridge, Mornwick. He helped me out back then. I’ve never forgotten it.”

There was no lie in her words. After all, he had wiped out the Umbral Court in Ravenridge

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Chapter 709 Underestimated

and saved her life.

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Rachel blinked, even more intrigued now. Leander felt harder to read by the second. The fact that he even knew Maeve, her number one idol, only made him more mysterious.

“Well, since you already know each other, that saves me the trouble of introductions!” Billy grinned, clearly pleased. He had no idea his buddy had crossed paths with someone like her.

He waved Leander and Rachel over to sit, giving a quick intro as they joined. Soon, the seven of them gathered around a patio table, chatting like they had known each other for years.

Maeve sat on Leander’s left, while Rachel was on his right. He was seated between the two beauties, eyes not wandering at all as he focused on the snacks on the table.

Maeve was chatting with Billy and the others, but her eyes kept drifting toward Leander now and then. No matter how she looked at him, it never felt like enough.

If she weren’t worried about Leander’s identity being exposed, she would have stayed right by his side the entire time.

As they talked casually,

the conve I eventually

shifted to Jeff Enterprises.

“I heard Jeff Enterprises’ valuation has already surpassed the combined total of the other nine companies in the world’s top ten. Just the total assets of its Highcrest division alone already far exceed our top ten elite families. It’s honestly terrifying,” Arnold said with emotion, unable to hide his amazement.

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