Page 12 of Colton

“Do you want a seat at the table instead of your brother, Artemis?”

She expects the question, and nods immediately. Her hand curls around the now empty cup, her green eyes filling with determination I’ve never seen from her. Artemis has never been a pushover, however, she never had much ambition. As long as she had money, and all of her favorite hobbies, she never cared about anything else.

“Yes,” she says, her tone resolute. “I want the Hill seat at the table. Will you support me?”

“You’re asking me to go against the rules,” I tap my index finger against the wooden desk. “And you know how I feel about rules.”

She rolls her eyes, the rebellious spirit still blazing within her body. “Then, do you also share my parents' sentiment of me not being worthy enough?”

I sigh. As always, Artemis hears what Artemis wants to hear. “That’s not it, Arte. But not only are you too young, you have no credentials. I’m not particularly fond of your older brother, however, he is more suited for the position than you are. He’s been involved with the society since he was in middle school, and you’ve been avoiding your responsibilities as a Hill. So, tell me, why should I support you publicly and tarnish my pristine reputation?”

With a deep breath, Artemis puts away the empty cup, staring right at me. “Give me some time to prove my worth.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“I’ll find whoever is behind these robberies and whatnot, and once I bring you the culprit, you give me your support in return.”

“That’s not how this works,” I sigh, but even I know that getting through her is impossible right now. “However, if you manage to do that within the timeframe you’ve set, I’ll consider it.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”

“Why the sudden change of opinion, though?”

“Something about Blake being the head of the Hill family is pissing me off,” she scoffs. “Call it sibling rivalry if you will.”

“That’s it?” I lift a brow. “You do realize if you were to take the position of the head, you’d have a lot of obligations and responsibilities, right? It’s not something you’ll be able to brush off, or put to the side. You’ll actually have to get your lazy ass out of bed and work.”

“I will,” she responds.

“Alright, I’ll believe it when I see it. Even if I give you the support, you know that you need the support from the other three heads.”

“I know,” Artemis looks away, glancing out of the window. “It won’t be easy, but I will get their approval somehow.”

It’s strange how quickly she changed her mind. She claims it’s because of the sibling rivalry between her and Blake, but I know better. She’s hiding something, and she’s either done something terrible that she needs to hide behind her surname, or she’s planning to do something that requires a powerful position to do so.

I’m not quite sure which of the two is worse.

“If you’re done, get lost.”

She rolls her eyes, her upper lip twitching in amusement. “Come on, can’t I visit my favorite person in the world for a chat?”

“You can, but we both know it’s because you want something,” I scoff. “Besides, we both know I’m not your favorite person.”

“My, my, you saw right through my lie,” she drawls out. “I need to improve my acting skills.”

“I can smell a liar from a mile away, Arte. Acting skills have nothing to do with it.”

“This is getting pointless,” she snorts. “I’ll be off now. Remember what you promised, alright?”

◆◆◆

By the time I finish drinking my tea, it’s rather late. I’ve been swamped with work that’s directly connected to Saint Valley. There are also other issues regarding the academy that need fixing. For one, that goddamned website that never seems to go away.

Why in the world would anyone find pleasure in spreading such irrelevant gossip?

Then again, most of the people here are highly immature, and they don’t seem to grasp the fact that they’re adults. Even the professors have a knack for annoying me, and disturbing my peaceful time. It’s worse when I see my colleagues openly discussing the gossip from the website. It’s scandalous that many are subscribed to the newsletter, too.

With a deep breath, I slowly gather all the paperwork that’s been completed, neatly tucking it into their designated compartments. My office has never been messy, and it won’t be today. No matter how exhausted I am, or how much work I have to finish, it will always be pristine. Filth is disgusting.