Page 47 of Colton

When I open the door of my personal space, my mood sours immediately. I’m used to seeing unwanted people waltz into my study at the Academy, often, since it’s a part of the job I can’t complain too much. However, seeing Artemis in her day clothes, laying on my bed, is just irritating beyond words.

“You have three seconds to get off my bed,” I warn, closing the door behind me. “Then, you have two minutes to change my sheets.”

Artemis smiles sheepishly, the dark lipstick creating a stark contrast with her white teeth. She sits up immediately, fixing her hair. “If it’s of any consolation, my clothes are clean.”

“I don’t want to even think about how many germs are on my sheets right now. Change them, now.”

Artemis rolls her eyes, sighs and then stands up. She’s clearly been in my bedroom more than once, since she knows exactly where the sheets are. She takes the old ones off, tossing them aside, then replaces them with a matching sheet of forest green. My brows narrow, and I’m a little impressed at how disciplined she seems — there isn’t a single spot on the bed that is anything less than fantastic.

“Now, can I at least sit in the chair?” The sarcasm drips off her tongue, and I sigh. She doesn’t wait for a response, and makes herself comfortable by sitting in the armchair, tilting her head to the side.

“Why are you even here?” I shrug off my blazer, immediately putting it inside of the closet, prepared to be sent to dry cleaning. “Next time, make an appointment, would you? I don’t want to keep finding you in my personal space.”

“I’m here with great news,” she beams.

I do a double take, quirking a brow. “Yes?”

“I’ve narrowed down the list of the possible ring-leaders, for the robberies and homicides, to two people.”

My interest piques instantly, and after loosening my tie, I pour us both a glass of whiskey, sliding one toward her over the desk. Then, I sit across from her, nodding, encouraging her to speak further.

“One would be Kat Smythe—”

“Absolutely not,” I give her a pointed look. “Do you really think Kat has the time for that?”

“Maybe not,” Artemis shrugs. “But she does have the motive.”

“What would that be?”

“You, you left her penniless,” she states bluntly.

“Penniless?” I repeat, brows lifting. “She took thirty percent of my money and assets, which was estimated at the time, to be around a billion, Artie. She’s hardly penniless.”

“Which leaves you with seventy percent. If I were her, I’d ask for more.”

“Thankfully, she isn’t as greedy as you are,” I snort. “Who’s the other person?”

“Giovanni Maxwell.”

My blood runs cold. For a moment, neither of us speaks, and I’m internally beating myself for not being able to spot this sooner. Maxwell would never be directly involved with the robberies, or the homicide, but he would orchestrate it all.

His family came into wealth a little after the five founding families, and they’ve been demanding to be considered the sixth founding family for way too long. I think they’re just not aware that we cannot slap their names everywhere, because the five founding families did just that — they founded Saint Valley.

They used their money to build schools, hospitals, and places for people to work. There isn’t a single homeless person in Saint Valley, and hasn’t been in decades. When someone is at such a difficult spot, we take care of them, they’re one of our own.

“What’s he been up to lately?”

“Aha!” Artemis grins. “I’ll send you everything to your tablet, but, as of late, he’s been quiet. He hasn’t frequented any of the events we’ve hosted, and he hasn’t been seen much. However, he is rather pissed.”

“Why?”

“His eldest son was rejected from the Academy last year.”

I wince. “Ah, that’s the time when it all started, no?”

She nods in agreement. “It’s a long shot, but if he manages to turn the public against our families, he wins… a lot. Dahlia asked to be in charge of following him around.”

“What? Absolutely not.”