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FINLEY
Isit in the boardroom, twiddling my fucking thumbs, trying not to let my brain seep from my ears in sheer boredom as Harrison drones on about something that I’ve paid exactly zero attention to. The junior Conclave members are all here, seated with their senior counterpart. Which means I’m wedged between my father and Edward Riley.
Joy of fucking joys.
The six other juniors look as bored as I do, except for Mitchell. Simping little lap dog is about as strong as a wet noodle. If his father had any other children, they’d be here instead. The disdain is obvious every time his father looks at him. But in his father’s defense, Mitchell is a sniveling little weasel. I’d trust a venomous snake more than I’d trust him.
The empty chair beside Chase has never felt so ominous before, but the daggers that Harrison continues to glare at him now mean that that chair isn’t likely to stay empty for long.
It’s either that, or Chase’s line will ‘mysteriously’ end and a new family will be lifted up in rank.
Though as long as it’s not Raleigh, I won’t get too murderous about it.
“—Octavia Royal.”
The sound of her name has my attention back to Harrison, a snarl on my lips that I brush off as quick as it appeared.
“The girl has been recovered and is healing nicely according to Finley.” Everyone's gazes swing to me, and I nod once to confirm.
“Obviously the terms of the contract her father made have come to light, so this is something we shall need to deal with. Once she is healed, I will handle it. As we have discovered, there were terms of the agreement that none of us were privy to.” Harrison’s lips thin and I glance over at Chase. He told East that he helped Stone, but I wonder if even he knew what Stone had agreed to in full. “I have checked the contract over myself and checked it over with the Prism. Only the Regent of the Prism was aware of its existence. It seems it was made with the highest member of the Knights—the somewhat-absent Archon. I know none of us have ever personally met our illustrious leader, but I have had the Prism Regent’s assurance that he will check in with Archon to ensure the contract is as ironclad as it seems.”
My ears prick up at the mention of the Archon. Stone must have had some sway if the Archon dealt with his deal personally. I didn’t think anyone in this sect had ever met the Archon. He’s the faceless, nameless leader at the top of the pyramid. I was beginning to think he was nothing more than a myth.
We’re all aware that Harrison, as Regent, sits on one of the various Boards. That each board has a King which makes up the Prism who supposedly answers to the Archon, but still… never meeting said person makes them like a bedtime story rather than a reality.
“You mean to say that you will be stepping down for a stumbling girl?” Archer DuPont scoffs from his seat across the table. He’s a hapless money bag, but his daughter—Artemis, who sits at his side staring a deathly glare into the side of his skull—is anything but. He might be useless, but her? She is dangerous. Cold and calculating in a similar manner to Lincoln, she reminds me a lot of Blair, and I’m secretly glad that the Board rejected Blair’s request to sit in the empty Royal seat. Blair and Artemis together would have been… just no.
“I will take her under my wing, and help her lead if that is what the Archon decrees,” Harrison says proudly, but that shadow in his eye tells me it won’t be quite so simple. I glance over at Lincoln, seated beside his father, the tic in his jaw bouncing. I guess he believes Harrison about as much as I do.
“What if she doesn’t want to take the seat?” Chase challenges, and Maverick snickers on the other side of his father.
“The deal struck was broken, which means the same rule applies for her as for all bloodlines.” Harrison’s words are pointed, but Chase doesn’t back down. I’m guessing knowing he has an heir that he wants to keep clear has his back up.
“Then I guess we should all meet with the girl and ensure that she is made aware of everything.”
The tension in the room ratchets up, the threat dripping from Chase’s words making everyone still, like the calm before the storm. Except Harrison just smiles at Chase. My blood runs cold at the sight of it and it’s not even directed at me.
“I will ensure the girl is made aware of everything, but please, Armstrong, feel free to meet with the girl. She will be here with us all, bound by our oaths before long.”
I look back over to Artemis, whose face is blank, but her clenched fists give her away. Something is going on with her, and while she’s never met V, I’d put money on the fact that that isn’t going to last much longer.
“If nobody else has any further questions, we can wrap this up. I have plans for the rest of my evening.” Harrison stands as if to dismiss us all, when my father clears his throat.
“We should discuss Rico.”
The room sucks in a breath, and it’s like you could hear a pin drop. It’s as if my father is taunting Harrison, and I don’t know why.
“I will deal with Rico, Charles.” Harrison glares at my father, and everyone else looks bewildered as to why the Regent of the sect in Cancun is being brought up. “Dismissed.”
Harrison strides out of the room, leaving behind a low murmur as people start to make their way from the room. My father turns to me when the room is nearly empty.
His eyes dance with glee and a stone forms in the pit of my stomach. “Play your cards close to the chest, boy. With the Royal girl at your side, there are a myriad of possibilities at hand. Change is coming.
