AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If he did, he wouldn’t be harbouring such a weird and obscure obsession with the most annoying girl in school.
Sophie Sutton is everything I’m not: dark, moody, and poor. She’s morbidly academic, a teacher’s pet of the most obnoxious kind. A rule-obsessed prefect who wears her pin like it’s a medal of honour. She’s the epitome of British: serious, rigid and boring to death.
And to top it all, she can’t stand Evan. She hates him with every fibre of her being.
And yet Evan can’t seem to keep away from her.
But I won’t let that interfere with my plan. I’ve not sunk so far as to fight another girl over a boy. Or compete for one. Especially when my competition is some charity case who’s only made it into Spearcrest because her parents are on the staff.
I’m Seraphina Rosenthal, for fuck’s sake. And with Evan Knight and his family fortune at my side, my father will have no choice but to swallow his pride and let me do what I want—because I won’t need his money anymore.
But for that, I need to drag Evan’s attention away from Sophie Sutton. And to dothat, I need to look amazing at this party. Not just beautiful—Spearcrest is full of beautiful girls—but captivating. Sublime.
Show-stopping.
And for that, I need more roses.
“Right,” I say, standing up so suddenly I startle Camille. “I’m going to the greenhouse.”
“Now?” she exclaims, eyes wide. “Dressed like this?”
She points at my outfit: a cute camisole and shorts set in pink satin. I roll my eyes.
“Ugh, I’m obviously going to put a coat on, Cammie. Wouldn’t want to give Mr Morton any ideas, now, would I?”
Mr Morton is the old Spearcrest caretaker. He's got a full beard and a Scottish accent, and he just turned seventy last year.
But instead of looking disgusted, Cammie laughs and gives me a wicked grin. “I don’t know, Rose. It would definitely piss your dad off if you fucked the gardener.”
“True.” I grab one of my silk scarves and tie it around my head to keep my freshly-washed hair protected against the cold, then throw on my biggest, longest coat, wrapping it around my body. “But come on. I’d have to be really desperate to fuck the help.”
AlthoughIoftenvisitthe greenhouse to pilfer flowers for my hair, outfits or bedroom, I’ve never been to the greenhouse at night. It flanks the Old Manor, its glass gleaming in the darkness of early evening. I push the door handle, half-dreading it’ll be locked.
The door falls open without issue.
Inside, the greenhouse is dimly lit by the naked lightbulbs strung along the wooden beams. Beds of plants expand the length of the building in long rows, disappearing into silent shadows.
I suppress a shudder. It’s more than a little spooky in here, but if I find the roses quickly, I can just grab a bunch and run back to my room without getting killed or kidnapped.
Hopefully.
I’m making my way under heavy leaves and hanging baskets when a weird sound startles me. I frown and stop mid-step. The sound becomes more distinct. A sharp, slicing sound, like blades rubbing against each other.
I freeze for a second and then reach into my pocket. My hand closes on a tube of lip balm and some hair clips. Shit. I left my phone back in my room, probably buried under a mound of tulle.
What are the odds of a serial killer being right here, in the Spearcrest greenhouse? Surely pretty low. Maybe this is just a figment of my imagination?
I knew all this stress about fashion school and my dad and my trust fund and Evan and Sophie was bad for me. I’ve not kept a healthy mind and now—
The second comes again, followed by another distinct sound.
Footsteps.
“Who’s there?” I call out sharply.
I do my best to avoid sounding scared, but my voice is still slightly squeakier than I intended. We can’t all have husky voices like Sophie Sutton. Ugh, I’m doing it again. Why can’t I stop thinking about her for like five seconds? Because she took the guy that should rightfully be mine even though she’s plain, she’s poor, she can’t dress and—
“What are you doing here?”
