Chapter 25
twenty-five
“Holy shit! It worked!”
The pings on my phone hit like dopamine needles—one after another, stacking so fast I can’t even read them all. I sit up, sheets kicked off, grinning like an idiot. The Wednesday morning Northview News feed is a riot of activity.
Ashlyn stirs on the other side of the pillow wall.
“What’s happening?”
Fuck! How is she this beautiful in the morning? Golden hair falling in waves around her like a halo. Freckles aglow with verve. A pink flush to her cheeks. The blue of her eyes, a soothing ocean wave I could get lost in.
Somehow, it makes me hate her even more.
“President Harvey is dead!” I can hardly contain my excitement. I mean, I feel for the guy, but this means… “No more appointment,” I say to myself.
Ashlyn blinks, then rubs her eyes. She’d slipped into my room in the early hours after running cover for my sister as we had discussed.
“What? He died?” She asks as if she doesn’t quite understand what she was doing overnight. Maybe she really didn’t. Maybe they told her it was an errand. Either way, she’s as complicit as I am.
“Yeah.” I’m on my feet, spinning in a stupid little victory lap on the carpet.
Getting rid of Hailey Twinston was as easy as waiting for President Harvey to die.
“Was it, um, natural?” she asks, and I school my expression, knowing damn well my family had everything to do with it. I’d supplied the poison for the first attempt on his life. Got it from Tade’s cousin. Didn’t ask questions, but he’s come through for me before.
Looks like my sister’s second plan to take care of Harvey worked. Finally.
“They said so. On the report.”
“Oh.” Realization settles over her face. “I wonder if…” When she glances up at me, I can’t help the knowing look on my face. She nods slowly. “Okay. Natural causes, then.”
“All the orders have been cancelled for now. So…” I’m a free agent.
“You seem stoked about this.”
“I am. I liked the man, but the assignments were getting a little out of control.”
Everything feels weightless. Hell, I even smile.
Ashlyn skips to the guest suite to get ready for the day while I start my training. This time with a hop at the end of every rep.
On the way to campus, Ashlyn’s fingers worry the stitching of my leather seats in the Porsche. Enough, I almost can’t focus on the road.
“You’re going to ruin the seam,” I say flatly.
She stops. But then chews on her lower lip. I let her wear jeans again on account of the weather being frigid, and she sticks her hands between her thighs to keep them warm.
“You okay?” I ask, a bit worried she would say something. Does she care that the president was murdered and she had a part in the plot?
“Yes. Very okay. This means that all our, um, appointments and assignments are probably not going to happen?”
I shrug. “Probably not the ones left unsigned or unfinished. I guess—”
Was she worried about me and Hailey? The briefest amount of hope tightens my chest, and I quickly shove it down.
My thoughts are interrupted by a buzzing notification…
Her eyes dart to the message that pops up on the screen, as do mine.
“Looks like I’m meeting with the interim president tomorrow afternoon.” I swallow, not recognizing the name… Leigh Damon. I wonder what she’ll be like.
The next day, dressed in a tailored suit and folding my coat over my arm, I give a sturdy knock on the new president’s office door. Two tall enforcers from the BALSAC open it. I’ve never seen either of them before.
Their glowing amethyst badges look sparkling new. Different. Something feels amiss.
Behind the desk, standing at attention, is a woman with a short brunette bob. Her eyes crinkle with a smile that looks stoic. Fierce. My pulse throbs in my gut.
Next to her…is Dean Harold Twinston.
“Mr. Aiden Cardell! Welcome!” The interim president waves me in and aims a palm at the wingback chair in front of Harvey’s desk—well, hers now. “So glad the president of Theta Rho Zeta could meet me on such short notice.”
There’s no mirth to her voice. No esteem. Just strict duty lining every word.
The Dean hovers near her shoulder, even when she and I take our seats.
“Hello. It’s lovely to meet you.” I clear my throat. “Are…you meeting with all the presidents?”
“Yes, I am. You’re the first, however. I wanted to inform each of you of some new rules and committees that I’ll be instilling starting next Monday.”
Jaw tight, I nod, wondering if she’ll explain why she’s the one making guidelines. That’s the Board of Trustees’ job. My father sits on that board. And he would’ve told me if there were changes coming.
Her fingers lace together, nude nail polish perfect.
Elegant diamond band on her ring finger.
Like she’s never had a problem before that she couldn’t solve with brute force.
Mauve lips part into a wan smile. “I understand you’ve always shown an interest in the BALSAC.
That’s a noble cause, and it’s admirable to consider…
However, we’re replacing that board with Amethyst Order Enforcement. ”
We? With a glance over my shoulder, I spot a few more of the new men lolling about the room. An unspoken force. “More enforcers?”
“They’ll have elevated authority and make sure everyone maintains compliance. We’ve extended the budget to meet their recruitment needs.”
“I see—”
She cuts me off with a lift of her chin. “New committees have been formed.”
“I wasn’t aware that the trustees had been called in for this.”
Expression growing cold, her mouth flattens into a firm line. “It was settled with the top decision makers before being brought to the board.”
Doubtful. Unless… Unless they left my father out of that meeting. Who are these top people? The elders? The gods?
That professional, cheery look returns to her cheeks. “Speaking of, appointments are now mandatory. All of them will be overseen by a new board of ethics. The Pairing Oversight Tribunal. Gone are the days of the Board of Trustees appointing matches.”
My mouth goes dry. I’m now feeling as if this wasn’t about me being president of Theta at all. I grab a glance at Dean Twinston, who bounces on his toes.
President Damon nods at him. “We happen to have the POT leader right here today.”
Lungs seize, but I manage a half-whisper, “Dean Twinston.”
As if he’s been waiting to speak for hours, he pipes up with a gloat in his throat.
“Yes, Mr. Cardell. The POT has determined that those who refuse their appointments may lose their scholarships, housing, class registration. And of course, will be punished on Sin Sunday. Severe cases could result in expulsion.”
The way he says it makes me question my willingness to even continue here at NU. Maybe I should leave.
A vision of running away from Crest with Ashlyn enters my mind. My heart squeezes with an ache of longing and pain. Dare I admit that’s what I want? Should I steal her away even if she doesn’t want me?
“It’s an exciting new venture that will be combined with the genetic continuity program,” President Damon interjects, the vision of the steamy lake at midnight ripped from my mind.
“And what is that?” I’m almost afraid to ask.
The dean and president glance at each other with self-pleased smiles.
She shifts her gaze to mine and straightens in her seat as if this is the best news she’s delivered yet.
“It encourages approved unions to procreate sooner and as early as possible with extra funding. Not to mention graduation honors and prestige.”
“Approved—”
“Those with the genetic components we most wish to encourage.”
Nausea roils in my stomach. It’s a good thing I’m unarmed. I may have to take one for the entirety of the world. “I see…” somehow leaves my lips, but I’m not really here. No. Vision gone white. Hums of noise buzz around my ears. My brain is swirling with ways to escape.
“And those that disapprove or cannot function will be entered into the Compliance Wellness Initiative.” I don’t have to wait for her to continue explaining this new nail in the coffin.
“It’s a student mental health program using biometric monitors and behavioral tracking devices.
Weekly check-ins and therapy sessions will be required. ”
“And recorded,” interjects the dean.
This isn’t them telling me the new rules.
This is a threat.
Because of Hailey.
And to make sure I obey. Possibly recruit me for the future. Keep me under their thumbs. Unlike my father, whom they never controlled.
With a bright smile, I glance at each of them with a solid gaze. “This all sounds perfect for what the university needs. A new era! The last was too lax, I say. That’s what I’ve always thought. Happy to be part of all of this.”
It’s not overplayed. My words have the right effect. Their shoulders relax in sync.
Dean Twinston tweaks his neck slightly as I stand and reach for his hand. “And, of course, being appointed to your daughter has been such an honor. I’ll need to make my moves on that…today!”
Twinston smiles with a victorious nod. “Good man, Aiden.”
The president stands and grants me a handshake. “Yes, thank you, Mr. Cardell. If you have questions, please address them to the Amethyst Order enforcers. They’ll be happy to answer any details.”
Another threat.
As soon as I’m out of the house, I hurry to my car and slip inside. My first call is to my dad. To tell him what an absolute shitstorm killing President Harvey has become.
“Yeah, it’s mayday,” he says. “She’s not operating with the board’s approval at all. Perhaps only a few members she trusted were there, just enough to give the appearance of support. But no, Cal Von Dovish, the Josephs, the Turners, and I weren’t there. That’s a fact.”
“What do we do?” I ask, eyes darting around the parking lot.
“Lay low for now. Play the game. And we’ll come up with a plan.”
Before I hang up, he catches me one last time.
“And Aiden? Propose to Twinston’s daughter. Get it done.”
Acid roils in my stomach once again. I don’t bother replying.
Between Twinston’s grip tightening and the forced proposal to a girl I don’t want, the space inside my head starts to collapse. And if I’m honest with myself—Ashlyn’s time is running out.
Two days left.
Breaths become shallow. Too fast. Like something’s cinching around my ribs.
I’m losing control.
Frantic, I call my hacker next…
“It’s good news for you, my man,” he says.
“What is it?”
“Dean Twinston is bankrupt from a failed biotech company he started. Get this: the business was founded as a merger with one of the Moretti food companies. Those awful meatball croissants, Power Puffz. Yeah, both of those families are going down. And quickly.”
“And Twinston wants his daughter…”
“To marry the man who can bail him out while pretending he’s still maintaining. But he’s making his debt payments to the bank.”
“With what money?” I ask, confused.
“Not sure.”
With a deep inhale, I formulate my final plan. “That’s what I need to know. Where the money’s coming from. Who’s backing him?”
Of course, I could kill them. But look what happened when my sister killed the last president… It only got worse.
“I’ll keep at it and contact you when I find out.”
As soon as I uncover that piece of information, I can use it against the dean to get rid of my appointment to Hailey.
I falter. The thoughts surge before I can stop them.
Ashlyn doesn’t fit anywhere in this plan. The problem isn’t that she betrayed me. I can live with betrayal. I’ve done worse.
It’s that if I take her now, if I let myself have her the way my soul demands, then I’m saying it didn’t matter.
That her cheating on me the whole time I told her I loved her didn’t carve something out of me that I never got back. That the nights I tore myself apart wondering where she was were just noise. That the child she carried, the life she chose without me, was nothing.
And I won’t lie to myself like that.
She won’t apologize. She wouldn’t even know how. Ashlyn never begs. Never softens. She doesn’t want forgiveness, and she sure as hell doesn’t want me the way I need to be wanted by her.
She wants fire. A fight. The collision.
And I want…everything else.
I want her wrecked and shaking and looking at me like I’m the only thing keeping her upright. The way she used to… But it was all a fucking lie.
I want her to hurt the way I did. Which means I can’t just take her. Taking her would be mercy. So I’ll do what I’m good at.
I’ll break the world around her until she has nowhere left to stand but beside me. Caged. Collared. Leashed.
I’ll make wanting me her only option for survival.
If that makes me a monster, so be it.
I was never going to survive loving her cleanly anyway.
My hands curl into fists.
I’m feeling like I need to hit someone…and make a gamble.