AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If he hears me, he doesn’t react. “Youthink you can throw out our engagement like it’s a pair of old socks?” he hisses, leaning in dangerously close.
“Old socks can be useful,” I snap. “Let me go.”
“You’re going to get your ass back down and tell them it was a fucking April Fool’s joke.”
“Hellno.” He can’t be fucking serious. “I got a car, a diadem, but being rid of you is the best present I got this year. I’m not returning it.”
It’s cruel, my rage meeting his. I didn’t even know I was capable of being this petty. But it feels good.
"You’re out of your mind if you think you can just walk away from a public engagement like ours.Everyoneknows about it.”
That’s why he cares. Because it’ll look bad for him.
I’m not kidding myself; I always knew our sham of a betrothal was a political move. Unlike in most modern countries, our monarchy is absolute, and could easily turn into tyranny. We can vote, but our monarch has the last say on how the kingdom is ruled. For that reason, there has been a lot of talk about amending the constitution, and even abolishing the monarchy in favor of democracy. No one’s calling for nobles’ heads yet—guillotines are a little too eighteenth century—but there have been protests, and even some attempted coups by extremists.
My sister and I are the solution. Many noble families like the Valmonts have made gestures to show the bulk of the country that they’re not so different from the rest of them. And it’s worked. We’ve even studied it in class.
I didn’t really care so long as it meant that I gothimin the end. But I was chasing a little girl’s dream, blind to who he really is. Now my eyes are open. The Noble boy was right. I am worth more than Less.
“It’s done,” I deadpan. “It was always about our parents making a deal. And our parents have undone it. The end.”
“Redo it.”
I find the entire situation completely baffling. Why is he even trying? He doesn’t give a shit about me. And sure, people will talk, but people also talk about him screwing everything that moves—except me—and he doesn’t mind.
Though, I guess that part is to his advantage, while a broken engagement doesn’t really cast anyone in a favorable light.
“Never.”
The gray eyes are entirely fixed on me, in a way that would have made me swoon not so long ago. He’s never looked at me like this; like I matter enough for him to wonder what makes me tick.
“Tell me why,” he demands.
My jaw clamps shut. The fact that he can’t work it out is utterly baffling.
He shifts his arm to clasp his hand around my throat rather than just holding me against the door. As his iron grip tightens, he repeats, slowly, “Tell me why.”
Something in those gray eyes isn’t cold at all right now. It burns red hot, threatening to consume everything in its path.
He’ll press harder. He’ll actually strangle me if I don’t tell him what he wants to know. And because he’s Alessandro Valmont, he’ll get away with it. It’ll be easily brushed under the rug. An accident.
I was afraid of what he was doing to my mind, my self-esteem, my heart, but I never realized that Less was a hell of a lot more dangerous.
He will kill me and he won’t lose a single night of sleep.
“Sophia,” I blurt, coughing, struggling for air.
His fingers relax, but he doesn’t let go.
Now he’s laughing. Actually laughing in my face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him laugh so openly.
“You’re destroying your future because you’re jealous? Oh my, poison. I didn’t know you were that dumb.”
“I’m not jealous. I’m disgusted.”
I shove against his chest, and to my surprise, he lets me go, now that he’s gotten what he wanted.
I lift my knee, showing the faint scars of the year-old scrapes. “You remember those? I have a dozen more. And no one who touches that piece of shit is worth a single moment of my time.”
