Chapter 60 BACK TOGETHER.
SLOANE’S POINT OF VIEW.
The air leaves my lungs as I exhale violently. Her words leave me hollow, as I stand shocked and trembling in Lucien’s hold.
Wasn’t it real?
Was she acting all along?
“I don’t believe you,” I whisper.
What if this is a manipulation tactic from her and Lucien? What if they want me to believe them, just so they’ll laugh at me later?
“ Believe what you want, sweetheart. But you must know, I didn’t push you into that pool. It’s…distasteful, even for me.” She says, flicking her hair.
Wait…if she didn’t, then who did? I had my hopes on it being her, so if she didn’t do it, I wonder who did.
My mind spins, and my world tilts as dread fills me. Who would have it out so bad for me that they’d want to kill me?
Lucien’s voice cuts through the chaos in my mind. “Who sent you that text, Roxanne?”
“I have no idea. It was anonymous. And even if I did, I don’t think I’d ever tell you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a party to catch.” She says, before flicking he hair again, and moving past us. But Lucien isn’t having it, because he stands in her way.
“Your phone. Now.” He commands.
She scoffs in response, before staring at him, “Who the hell do you think you are, Lucien? You want my phone, and I’m supposed to just hand it over to you like a good dog? No, it’s my damn property. So I’ll choose whether or not to give it to you.”
“Roxanne. One phone call, and every sorry investor in your dad’s company pulls out immediately. Your mother’s a housewife, so it would only be a matter of time before you’re all thrown out on the streets and out of this school. There’s no more scholarship program in Ravebscroft High for the rest of the year, so you’ll be out on the streets, fighting for scraps. No more designers, chauffeurs, no more luxury. We all know how you’re already struggling.
Your father just got things running after a long time. Do you really want to screw this up?”
She blinks and immediately hands him her phone, shrinking into the wall like she wants to hide.
“Good,” Lucien mutters, before collecting it.
In a few seconds, he transfers something over to his own phone and hands her phone back to her.
“Before you go, who do you think would push her into the pool? Especially since you say it wasn’t you.”
She taps her foot against the floor before she says, “I don’t know. Matt’s been on the edge lately, and he’s been blaming her for a lot of shit, so check with him.”
Lucien smiles so wide at that, you’d think he was promised something priceless.
He steps aside, allowing her to walk through. Her heels clink against the marble as she marches away. For a moment, she stops beside me, like she wants to say something else, but she just picks up her pace again and disappears down the hall.
We were now alone, and for some reason, it felt like the pores of my skin had opened up. I felt so self-conscious all of a sudden.
“How did you even get her to come here?” I asked, trying not to show how affected I was.
“I have my ways.” He replies, and all I do is stare at him.
“Don’t do that, Sloane.” He whispers, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “I didn’t place some et on you. Don’t look at me like I’m some monster in this story. I didn’t fucking play you.” He says, his chest heaving, as his stare turns heated.
He drags a hand through his hair, his chest still heaving heavily. “Tell me, who would benefit from this? Who would gain the most from making you think I placed some stupid bet on you? Who would win if you thought I was fucking using you?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper, but that’s a lie.
I know.
It would be anybody but us.
“That’s a lie, Sloane. You know damn well. But you don’t want to admit it, because admitting it means you actually realise how much you don’t trust me. And saying it means you’ll realise just how much you’d rather believe anything else than confront your blatant distrust for me.”
I remain silent, clenching my hands into a fist as the truth in his words stings.’
He pushes forward, before lifting my chin so we’re making eye contact. His blue orbs are filled with something raw, untamed, as he caresses my chin softly.
“You think someone can reduce you to some fucking bet? “ His voice drops low, into something dangerous, like the thought of it has him wanting to do something disastrous. “You think I’d allow someone to do that to you? You’re not a game, Sloane. You’re the only thing I can’t stop playing with, even when it ruins me, even if it ruins me.”
My throat bobs, and my jaw trembles. I’m about to speak when an agitating, grating voice breaks our moment.
“Damn, you two are annoying. Just eat your faces already.” Roxanne groans from the far end of the hall. Didn’t she fucking leave?
Lucien fixes her with a stormy glare. “Leave, now. Before I have to fucking make you.”
She squeaks before walking away like a cat with its tail on fire.
It was just us again, and my arms were trembling, as my eyes grew wet with tears I refused to let fall.
“You want to know the truth?” He says, his voice rough against my skin. “Here it is: whoever’s playing this little fucking game doesn’t know me well enough. Because if they think lies and rumors will pull me away from you, they’re dead wrong.”
I swallow, but before I could get another word out, he says, “You’re mine, Sloane. Bet or no bet. Lie or no lie. You’re fucking mine. And I’ll burn through every single person in this school, hell, in this damn world, until you believe that.”