“It’s time for me to take my life back,” I said, mostly to myself. I’d been in this position before, acting helpless… scared.
No. Fucking. More.
It was time for Violence to come out and play.
Chapter 11
“Nurse Reller tells me you’ve been avoiding her.”
Dean Morgan didn’t fuck around. His beady eyes, like his fucking son’s, bored into me from the other side of his desk.
“I’m not due for my next physical,” I replied, doing my best to keep the disgust from my voice. “There’s really no reason for her to summon me.”
It had only been a few messages on my palm reader through the school network system—easy to ignore. But apparently it was time for them to up their game. Just like Alex had said they would.
“There’s more for her to discuss with you than just your next physical,” he said, reprimand in his tone.
Mattie leaned forward in her chair, uncrossing her legs as she did. “Is this the sole reason for your meeting with Violet? Surely this could have been passed on in a message through the palm readers?”
Her voice was saying don’t fuck with me, you’re not royalty. And I’d never loved her more.
The dean cleared his throat. “No, of course not. I just wanted to make a point to mention that health should not be ignored. The nurse probably has some vitamins or supplements for her to take, and that’s in Violet’s best interest.”
Yeah, sure it was. Probably something to make me the most fertile woman on the planet. As it stood, Alex wouldn't be putting an heir in me unless he could through the power of positive thought.
Or rape.
And I’d fucking kill anyone who tried to touch me like that.
“Is that everything?” I asked, keeping my tone as carefully even as possible, considering the anger burning through my veins.
Dean Morgan cleared his throat and shot Mattie a small frown. He was clearly pissed off that she’d come with me but couldn’t tell her to leave the room without risking insult to a royal. The rules and double standards at Arbon Academy constantly confused me, but I trusted Mattie to know what was what.
“One other thing that we need to discuss, Ms. Spencer,” he finally continued when Mattie made no move to leave. “Several complaints have been made against you from other students. Now, I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that, er, scholarship students have a higher level of expectation around conduct”—Mattie snorted—“and that it’s a serious breach of contract if you’re found to be disrupting the Arbon way of life.”
I blinked at him a few times, trying to understand just what exactly he was saying. I mean, sure, I was well aware of the fact that the rules were a whole lot stricter for me than anyone else. But…
“I’m sorry, what?” I frowned. “What complaints? From whom?”
Dean Morgan sighed, looking uncomfortable and annoyed. “Several students have alleged that you’ve been conducting yourself in a manner less than becoming of an Arbon Academy student.” He paused, his mouth tightening. “Ms. Spencer, we take the betrothals of our royal students very seriously. Any attempts to interfere—"
"Hold up," I snapped, cutting the dean off mid-sentence. "I'm not even going to poke at the fact that you're all so casual about students beingbetrothedlike we're in medieval times. But whose relationship is this actually about? I'm dating Alex." I swallowed back bile at that statement. "Who I was led to believe lost his fiancée in a tragic accident several years ago." Blergh. More bile. "So how exactly my relationship with him is damaging anyone’s engagement, I don't…" I trailed off as the pieces clicked in my brain. Then I laughed. "Of course. Claudette. She thinks I'm chasing Rafe?"
It made sense, in a bitchy, mean-girl bullying kind of way. I’d just never realized things like this happened outside of old teen movies.
The Dean’s face flushed, and he adjusted his tie. This whole topic was so incredibly juvenile I’d bet the dean of the most prestigious university in the world never would have imagined himself dealing with it.
Nonetheless, here we were.
"Ms. Spencer." Dean Morgan sighed again. "Claudette and several of her peers have expressed concerns that you—"
Mattie's chair scraped back, the sound of wooden legs on marble floor ear piercing. "I'm going to stop you right there," she announced, her tone harsh. "Claudette Bixel is nothing more than a lying, cheating, bully. Herconcernsare totally unsubstantiated, and I will put money on it that none of her peons have any proof that Violet is actinginappropriately." She paused dramatically, and Dean Morgan just glared back at her. "I didn't think so. To clear things up, Violet and Rafe hate each other. Claudette is the one who's been sniffing around Alex like a cat in heat."
I gave the dean credit, he didn’t even blink at that statement. He just nodded, adjusting more papers because he was clearly a touch uncomfortable with this topic of conversation.
“Please, just make sure to stick to the rules. Don’t upset the way things are run here, Ms. Spencer, and we’ll all get along just fine.”
I heard the undercurrent of his warning. Just as Alex had said, there was more at play than a spoiled—possibly murderous—Australasian heir who wanted his own way. There was old-school money and power behind these betrothals, and they did not want anyone fucking with that.
