Page 92 of Unravel Me

Rocco wanted to kill me. He already had everything laid out to do it, all the tools of his trade spread across the table, when you knocked on the door!

I was about to be cut into pieces and sent to every man in the Ring. You came to my rescue at the very last minute!

With my heart galloping, I scan the crowd, my fists tightening, a tear slipping from beneath my eyelid because the despair clawing at me is unbearable.

"Why? Come to me. Stand before me. Let me see you," I mutter, my throat constricting, my eyes searching.

But the audience remains indifferent, their attention fixed on Mark.

As the applause follows him offstage, I hurriedly slip the letter into my pocket.

A moment later, Tim Kellan steps up to the podium and begins his own speech, while Mark returns to our table wearing a noticeably sour expression.

His eyes immediately land on the small orchid.

"What's this?"

"I don't know. Someone brought it for you," I lie.

Mark looks at the orchid, then shifts his gaze to me and hisses, "Don't make an idiot out of me, Jared. That's not the kind of gift anyone would bring me."

Then he grabs the flowerpot, walks over to a nearby trash can, and tosses the orchid inside without a second thought.

Well, nothing new here; he's in a terrible mood. He narrows his eyes at Tim Kellan before adding, "I heard a rumor that Tim is seriously considering a run for the state senate. He's from our district, so if he goes through with it, he'll end up being my opponent."

"The election isn't for another three years, Mark. I think a lot can change before then."

Mark shoots me an irritated look.

"Of course you don't understand how any of this works, Jared, which doesn't surprise me. A politician builds his position during the entire period leading up to an election. Nobody pulls off a miracle in the last few months. Forget that. I need a plan, I need a kid, I need to be seen in the right places, and Tim definitely knows where those places are. Wherever something important is happening, he somehow manages to be there."

My heart squeezes painfully when I hear the words, I need a kid. For him, it's only a means to an end, but for me it's not. I press my lips together, feeling a subtle, nervous shiver run down my back.

My gaze drifts toward the table where the Ferros are sitting.

For some reason, I notice that Anzo's new husband, that peculiar omega, Moon, is staring at me almost obsessively.

What's his problem?

Suddenly, he raises both hands and, with an incredibly subtle gesture, touches his ears, then lightly tugs one of the tips upward, as though stretching it and making it pointed.

It's so strange that I freeze for a moment, staring at him with my mouth hanging open.

Why did he do it? I instinctively touch my own ears. Does he think they're ugly or something? Do I have pointed tips? I've never noticed anything like that. Uhh. Maybe he's just nuts. That's most likely.

"Are you even listening to me, TikTok brain?"

I swallow hard and glance at Mark. His face is tight, his expression darkening.

"Yeah, yeah, you're looking in the right direction," he murmurs in an almost sadistic tone. "You're going to be seeing him a whole lot more now."

I blink. "Who?"

"Rocco! Who the hell else? I'm going to have to start spending time around Ferros again, which means we'll both have to grit our teeth. They're the only people with the kind of fortunes that can help me make a bigger splash. Kellan doesn't have that problem. He's connected to the Lowens through family, so he'll have plenty of money backing him."

Stress crushes down on me like a suffocating tide. After a while, I just stop listening. Mark loves giving long speeches about politics, strategy, and future plans, and I keep nodding as if I'm paying attention, even though I feel like I'm drowning.

Deep down, I'm still pretending this is the life I actually want.