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When we leave the room, I check my phone, half expecting to see another expletive-laced tirade from Alize. There’s no text from her, so she must have given up. I picture her angrily eating the food I left for her, or making something to eat in the kitchen and a small smile twists my lips.
I’ve won.
I wish I had the time to go find her and gloat.
Did I have to have her confined to the room? No. Did I do it to prove to her that she’ll never be in control of what happens to her unlessI want it to be that way? Yes. Breaking the stubbornness out of her now will make things easier for us both in the future.
The future.
Realization hits me.
I haven’t fucking told my father about our engagement. It’s been long enough that I’m sure he’s heard by now—news never stays within the campus walls too long. Yet he hasn’t reached out to me. At least, not as quickly as when he found out I bashed Keller’s face in.
I have to call him to give him the details about the deals I’m making.
Once I tell my father about Alize, the game will start, as I’m certain he’s going to have some tricks up his sleeve to force her out of my life. If Alize and I were a united front, I would be more optimistic.
But I can’t fucking bring her home in the state she’s in.
Right now, if I told her to move an inch to avoid certain death, she’d stand there and die just to spite me. That won’t bode well around my father—Griffin Duke is a natural predator.
I haven’t even told Alize about the trip yet.
I was planning to break it to herafterwe got back from that trip to the mountains. Bringing her home while she’s still acting like this makes her vulnerable. A vulnerable woman around my father is a recipe for disaster. It’s also a surefire way to get me to put a bullet through his skull.
Because if he touches her, I’ll kill him.
And killing my father while I’m too busy with school to take over from him—and not yet a member of the Kingmaker Society—is definitely bad for business.
For the first time since morning, I have the itch to smoke. The high from last night is steadily fading, and now the pressure is sucking away the little bit of light Alize brought back into my life. I reach into my pocket for the pack of smokes.
After lighting up, I check my phone again. This time, there’s an email notification from the unique address that was given to me when I was inducted into Kingmaker House. I open it quickly, my mind racing with the possibilities of what it could be.
Only the House Administrator or the Kingmaker Society ever reaches out to us here. The email seems to take forever to load. In the black spinning screen, I see my reflection.
My eyebrows are drawn, and the unlit cigarette hangs from my frowning lips. My facial hair is overgrown, and I would do well with a haircut—the blonde strands are hanging too close to my eyes these days. I look a proper mess.
When the email loads, it’s addressed to me from an anonymous email address.
Kingmaker Society.
I skim through the contents, looking for keywords to assuage the thundering in my chest. When I get to the end, I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. It’s a notification for the chosen date of the meeting that was postponed.
The meeting that almost had me away from campus when Keller attacked Alize.
Every now and then, that night comes back to me in vivid detail. It gets me just as angry as the first time. The shock on Keller’s face when he saw me, I’ll never fucking forget it. It was more than just surprise at me protecting Alize, it felt like surprise that I was even there.
Like he knew I wasn’t supposed to be on campus that day.
This time, I’ll have to make sure Alize is protected. Back then, I was still on the fence about my feelings about her. I was having a hard time admitting what was right in front of me. It’s different now. I’m certain I can’t live without her.
Instead of heading straight for the library to make the call to my father, I take a detour. Ezra should be in classes now, but Vance is free. My call to his cell goes unanswered. His room is on the other wing of the House.
When I get there, the door is locked.
I slam my fists on the door. “Vance?”
His room isn’t as big as mine—it’s just a king room with a small sitting area and adjoining private bath. He should be able to hear me. I do have a spare key for emergencies, but I’d rather not walk all the way to my room and back unless I actually need to.
