Page 256 of Ruthless Court

My lips part.

Kane’s expression stays calm, but tension pulls through his shoulders.

“You’ll be waiting a long time.”

“Maybe.”

“You seem confident.”

“I’m trying something new.”

“What?”

“Letting you decide.”

The line hits beneath every defense I built.

Ryan decided I was useful.

My father decided basketball would become my future.

Kane has pushed, followed, argued, and made himself impossible to ignore.

Now he takes one step backward.

The distance feels worse.

I clear my throat.

“We tied.”

His brows lift.

“The assignment.”

“We both got an A.”

“That wasn’t the wager.”

“I know.”

“If I won, you watched film with me through the postseason.”

“And if I won, you left me alone.”

“We need a tiebreaker.”

“No.”

“One session.”

“We already watched film.”

“You gave me twelve minutes.”

“It felt longer.”

“Ninety minutes.”