A split second later, my phone joins in.
Zane snatches his phone up and scans the screen. “Ignore it,” he mutters to me, but I can already see my father’s name in the notification bar, followed by a string of unread messages, some in all caps.
I reach for my phone, but Zane covers my hand with his. His grip is strong, steady. “Give me a second.”
Zane slides his phone across the table so we can all see. The top of the screen is filled with pings from my father, but what catches my eye is the subject line on a forwarded email: “ROYALS ANONYMOUS: The Starling Heiress Has Flown the Coop.”
Lucas lets out a low whistle. “I thoughtRoyals Anonymousdied. Why are they posting about you?”
Zane’s jaw ticks. “Isn’t your brother-in-law supposed to be running that into the ground? I’m going to kill him.”
I raise a hand. “Wyatt shut that down long before they got engaged.” I stare at the screen. “He promised everyone. That can’t be him.”
Cole gently places a hand on my arm. “Maybe someone revived it? People can be persistent about gossip.”
Zane scrolls down the full length of the post. I don’t read the whole thing but catch enough to get the gist. It’s a sharp, snarky blog post about how I—“Helena Starling, fresh out of OmegaFinishing School, beloved daughter of the illustrious Starling line”—am rumored to be “skipping out on Omega Selection Day” to have a “Cornish Summer of Sin.” There are pictures: me walking on the beach, grabbing lunch with Lucas, leaving the bakery at closing with Zane, and a blurry shot of me looking absolutely feral in the town’s only nightclub. From cameras neither Lucas nor I ever saw. The captions are ruthless.
I swallow hard. “Wyatt didn’t write that.” That’s the only insight I glean from this. “He would never. He’s also notthatwitty.”
Zane furiously swipes away from the blog post and back to some group chat with at least one other Ravenwood Shield Security member.
Cole frowns, serious. “Is this dangerous for you?”
I shake my head. “Not on its own, and we haven’t run into any issues here—or anywhere, ever, really.”
But Zane is already deep into logistics mode, clearly treating this like a massive threat. He looks at me with a grim set to his mouth. “Your father’s about to call again.”
As if on cue, my phone vibrates in my hand. I don’t answer but watch as the missed call banner rolls over into a new one. Then another. Then a text:PICK UP NOW.
I look at Zane. “Should I?”
He nods. “Let’s get it over with.”
I accept the call and brace myself.
My father’s voice is ice cold. “Helena. You are to return home immediately. Do you understand the severity of the situation?”
I don’t bother pretending I don’t. “Father, it’s a blog. No one cares. I haven’t done anything wrong?—”
He cuts me off. “This is not about blame. It’s about optics ahead of Omega Selection Day. You are to secure a royal match and that won’t happen with headlines like these.” He pauses his tirade long enough that I hear the sounds of several peopleshuffling around him. “You will be on the next train back home. Zane will escort you. I’ve already arranged it with your mother.”
I glance at Zane, who is listening intently, his expression carved from marble. “I don’t want to leave. I’m not ready.”
“You don’t have a choice. The family’s reputation?—”
“I don’t care about the family’s reputation!” The words come out sharper than I intended, and the entire bakery goes silent, even Lucas. I force myself to breathe, slow and shallow. “I care about my life. I want to stay here. For the rest of the summer, at least.”
A pause. “You are being selfish, Helena.”
“Maybe, but I’m also being honest.”
He hangs up without another word. I watch the call end, then set my phone down on the table like it might detonate.
Zane’s phone starts vibrating next. He stands, mouth a hard line, and steps outside to take the call. The door swings closed behind him, muting the sudden burst of angry words I hear from the other end.
Lucas is the first to speak. “That was…intense.”
I wipe my hands on a napkin. Only then do I realize I’m shaking. “He’s not mad. He’s just stuck in the past. My brother has done far worse.”
