My grandmother’s voice sounds off in my head. All her warnings and reminders are on repeat to keep me safe. As always, her last words ring loudest.“In a world of liars and cheats, only the good die young.”
I might never know why my grandmother shared those words with me, but I know they’ve been proven true time and time again. Eric’s release. Mum’s betrayal, Dax and Aiden using me as bait, hunted by Hanson and Franz, stalked by Gresh—the world is filled with liars and cheats.
I might have been born among the worst that humanity offers, but I refuse to be one of them and I don’t plan on becoming one of their victims either. I don’t know how much more will come, but I know I can’t let it take me down. I won’t let it kill who I am. I might not be good, but I’ve always strived to be a better person; to break free of the Vale and what it represents.
So, I’m going to survive.
Even if it means destroying every wicked truth that I’ve ever been taught—starting with the lie that girls from the Vale can’t goto affluent schools like Harrison University.
Nothing is going to stop me today.
*
Dax either didn’t come back last night or he left before I woke. Aiden is gone too, but at least he left a note with instructions on where and when to meet my driver, and it even has a heart with good luck written at the bottom.
I select one of the less formal interview choices from my shopping trip with Sylvie and take the time to apply the miniscule amount of makeup I own. With my hair blow-dried, a luxury I either never had the time or the space to do at home, I feel and look like someone else. Someone put together. Someone not terrified for their life.
And I look pretty.
I’ve rarely felt that before either.
Not that pretty will make any kind of difference today, but I’m already confident in my smarts, now I just feel a little more confident in my appearance too.
By eleven-fifteen, I’m pacing the foyer waiting for the car to arrive. I stop when Cas skips down the stairs and watches me pacing.
“Hey, Cas.” He’s dressed in the traditional formal wear of Aiden’s security team. Though his suit is a little more tailored than usual. Cas’s wide shoulders give the impression of muscles and bulk, but today I notice he slims down to a rather narrow waist. His shirt still stretches nicely over his pecs, and there is no doubt these are defined with years of training. He looks good.
“Hey, Jules.”
“Hot date or something?”
“Just trying not to embarrass my VIP client for today. You ready to go?”
I nod. “Yeah, just waiting on the driver now.”
Cas chuckles and shakes his head at me. At my glower hestraightens his face and asks, “You nervous?”
“No…” It’s a blatant lie. I’m so freaking nervous I can barely keep myself in check. My mind is a whirlwind of all the ways this could go wrong, and my fingers keep reaching for the hems of my clothes…all of which I’ve tucked in to stop from picking the threads apart before I even get there. Still, I can project confidence even if it’s fake. “Why would you think that?”
“Other than walking a chasm into a marble floor, you’re also fifteen minutes early.”
Okay, so a chasm is a stretch. Though the floor does seem particularly shiny in the areas I’ve been marching back and forth.
“I’m thinking,” I explain. “This is how I think.” It’s an obvious bluff because I’m panicking. This is how I’ve always panicked.
“Right. Well, if you are done thinking and are ready to go, you can come with me to the garage to get the car, or you can wait here and I’ll bring it around.”
“You’re my driver?” Relief washes over me in a tidal wave. Part of me expected Dax or Aiden to show, which would have made me all kinds of nervous. I felt sure I’d have to send them away just to get through the interview. So, Cas is perfect. Cas who talks to me like I’m human…like he knows what it’s like to be from the wrong side of the tracks and thrust into this rich man’s world.
“Yeah, why? You want someone else?” He motions as if to walk back upstairs.
“No!” I squeak. “Your fine. Great even. At least I know you.”
“Funny, that’s what Dax and the boss man said too. You must all be close if they know you that well.”
Dax and boss man? Does this confirm that Aiden’s in charge even over Dax? What am I missing with these men? Is the hierarchy weird or non-existent?
Cas watches me, eager for a clue, so I shrug and mumble, “Something like that.”
