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“No?” I lifted my phone out for him to see the screen open to my exchange with Topher, where he told me about his affair with Ms. Stone. “I think Principal Bell would be pretty interested to see these. So would your wife. Then again, maybe I’m wrong.”
Gone was the smug smile. In its place, Elliot wore a murderous expression. A giant vein throbbed in his forehead, and the muscle in his jaw twitched. “You have no proof. A conversation with my son, who is a liar, proves nothing.”
“I have copies of the emails,” I lied, prepared for this argument. “All of them.”
Elliot glanced away from me, his hands curling into fists at his side before he turned back to me once more, his gaze steady on my face, cool and composed. “What do you want?”
“Just for you to give my father his job backanda raise?”
He hesitated, his jaw working.
“What’s it gonna be, Elliot? What’s your pristine reputation worth? Your marriage? Your business and your future career in politics?”
“You know . . .” he started, and I noted the flattening of his lips, the resignation in his eyes. “I do think I was wrong about the stolen equipment. Turns out, I’d sent it in for repairs. Silly me. I’ll call him and let him know, personally.”
I nodded, a smile curling the corners of my mouth. A small win and a short-lived one. Behind him, the door pushed open, and there, in the entryway of the Elliot’s magnificent home, was Topher, staring down at me like he would a stranger.
“Topher . . .” My voice died, and I practically felt all the blood drain from my face as I met his cool blue eyes with mine.
In front of him, his father turned for the door. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some phone calls to make.”
My heart pounded so hard in my chest I thought it might explode.
“How . . ?” His voice cracked. “How did you know? Are you friends with Julie? I don’t understand.”
If there was any doubt in my mind he heard the entire exchange with his father, this just cleared it up. Yet, he hadn’t figured it out.
“No.” I shook my head. Because there was no point in pretending anymore. “Topher, I’m Julie.”
A moment passed before this newfound information registered on his face, and he flushed, his expression crumpling from one of confusion to rage.
“Wow.” He shook his head and stared at the ground by his feet before he lifted his gaze again. “So you’ve been playing me the whole time, huh? What, were you just waiting for something you could use against me? Or was this just convenient?”
When I said nothing, he choked. “So you were hoping for dirt on me?” Then he brushed past me, and I reached out to grab his arm, but he shrugged me off and stepped back like I might bite.
“You know, I fell for you, P.” His eyes flashed a brilliant blue, full of emotion. “No, actually, that’s being dishonest, and unlike some people, I happen to value the truth. I’ve always liked you. Even from the day you started at Lakeview and I teased you, I liked you. I was just too stupid to tell you or show it. I was too wrapped up in myself and being popular.” He swallowed, then glanced away from me. “I was an idiot, but now I’m glad because JT and Mikey and Luca and Gabby might not be perfect. They might be superficial and vapid and whatever else you think of them, but at least they don’t stab each other in the back.”
My pulse raced as I tried to make sense of everything he just said. He liked me? This whole time?
I shook my head. It was impossible, but I needed a way to make this better. “Topher, please . . . I never meant to hurt you.”
His gaze darkened, so full of emotion, it cut me like a knife.
“Okay,” I shrugged, “I admit it, that very first text was meant to hurt you. But when it didn’t, when you just sort of laughed it off and thought I was someone else, I thought . . . maybe I could use it to my advantage. Maybe I could find something to bring the Royal empire down.”
“Well, that worked out well,” he said, his tone bitter.
I ignored him. “But then I started getting to know you. As Julie first, but also in our tutor sessions and at school. And I realized you weren’t the guy I thought you were. You’re so much more than the king. You’re charming and sweet, and you care about the people around you, even if you haven’t always shown it. You have dreams and goals of your own. You’re super smart, and you—”
“Cut the crap, Ewe. Seriously. I’m done. So done.”
My stomach dropped to my knees. My hands shook as I fought for the words that would earn his forgiveness. But I came up short.
I knew this was how the conversation would go, and yet it was unbearable, worse than anything I imagined. “Please, Topher, I—”
“You probably got a kick out of me trying to prove myself to you, didn’t you? Did you laugh over the texts with your friends? Send Scarlett screenshots of all our conversations?”
“No. I would never—”
