Page 20 of Twisted Elites

We all backed out of the room and into the hallway. Leopold placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. I soaked in the warmth of his touch. It was a silent reassurance that he hadn’t changed his perception of me because of Ashley’s actions.

Uncle Trevor held the front door open. Leopold and Sebastian left first. As I kissed him goodbye, he whispered, “Did you get what you wanted?”

“The truth? Yes. Although I’m not so sure about justice.”

“What happened to her?” he asked.

“It’s not my story to tell, and not as deadly as what happened to me in my first term, but it was awful.” I wrapped my arms around his neck for one last hug. “Tell Aunt Hortense I said bye.”

We didn’t dare to let anyone overhear us as we stepped out into the crisp spring evening and walked across the courtyard to the jeep. I turned around and gazed up at the first floor, where Ashley’s bruised face watched us from an open window.

Sebastian opened the jeep with his remote. We stepped inside and closed the door.

“Do either of you know soon an auction house can send the proceeds to a vendor?” I whispered.

“Selling your home is not an option.” Sebastian put the key in the ignition and backed out of the courtyard.

A fist squeezed at my heart until it bled. “We can’t let Prakash stay in that detention center.”

“That’s not what he’s saying,” Leopold turned around.

“One of my aunts left me some bank bonds. With Leo’s help, I can—”

“You can’t give her your money,” I yelled.

“It’s the only way.” Leopold turned around in his seat and fixed me with a severe gaze. “If Mother and Uncle Bertram didn’t control every penny I spent, I would offer up the cash myself.”

I rubbed a hand over my mouth. The only uncle Leopold had ever mentioned was his mother’s personal assistant, who she had temporarily married to obtain heirs. From what he said, Leopold’s father seemed to care more about carrying out Mrs. Brunswick’s orders than about making sure his son was happy.

Sebastian turned onto the long road that led to the highway. Tall hedgerows bordered the road, leaving gaps that revealed glimpses of vast, green fields and the trees beyond.

“You heard Mr. Pinkerton,” he said. “The police are holding Kash because of Corrine’s case. If Ashley can withdraw her statement, they won’t have constant access to him and will hopefully curtail their questions about Corrine.”

I clenched my jaw and huffed out a sharp breath. She didn’t give a damn whether Prakash was suffering. “Ashley can’t get away with this.”

“Think about the bigger picture,” said Leopold. “Once Ashley has her money, she’s likely to leave you alone.”

Sebastian met my gaze in the rearview mirror. “And I’ll ask Pinkerton to draw up some papers to transfer her share of your house to your name.”

“It will be a clean break,” added Leopold.

My throat thickened. It seemed unfair to benefit from Sebastian’s generosity and Prakash’s misfortune, but I’d be damned if Ashley would get that money and retain her share of the house. In the future, I would pay him back, but for now, I leaned forward and gave Sebastian’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Alright,” I murmured. “Let’s do this.”

Leopold pulled out his phone and tapped on the keyboard. “I’ll update Mr. Pinkerton.” He turned to Sebastian. “I’ll also text Klondike and tell him to await your call.”

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“Seb’s personal banker at the back,” he replied. “We should be able to have the cash ready by Friday.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” I asked.

Leopold shook his head. “A girl like Ashely would probably appreciate being able to walk away with the money in her hand over a bank transfer that could reverse itself after she’s gone to the police.”

“Besides,” added Sebastian. “She’ll be able to produce signed contracts for the transfer of her share of the house, so she’s less likely to be accused of money laundering.”

I blew out a long breath. The most money I’d ever dealt with was the monthly bursary, and that dwindled to a three-figure sum once the bank processed all the direct debits. “I suppose you’re right.”