Uni Ethics:
Dr. Chandler, you are hereby notified of an ethics investigation into your conduct. You are requiredto attend a hearing on Friday at 9 a.m. Failure to appear may result in immediate termination and revocation of research privileges.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
I sink to the floor, surrounded by broken ceramic and spilled coffee, my hands shaking so badly I can barely hold my phone.
Another text. Sloane this time:
Sloane:
Babe, call me. There's something on the gossip sites about you and Declan.
My phone buzzes one more time. Unknown number:
Unknown no:
You should have stayed away from him. Now you'll both pay the price.
I sit in my kitchen, surrounded by broken pieces, and finally understand my mother's warning about celebrities keeping secrets.
Someone, who knows our secret, is sending the evidence to the people who control my future.
And I have no idea who.
Or why.
20
DECLAN
This Means War
Gregory is holding my phones.
I know it before Rowan even finishes explaining the Find My iPhone tracker results. Before my younger brother pulls up the map showing my devices’ location pinging from Gregory Stallworth's downtown office.
He’s been holding onto my phones for two days.
My hands curl into fists, rage flooding my system so much I can barely see straight.
"That son of a bitch," I grit out.
Rowan's face is grim on my laptop screen. We're video calling since I still have no phone.
"Dec, if he's had access to your messages..."
"He's seen every text to Ivy." My voice comes out flat, dead.
"Then you need to assume he's already used it against you."
He's right. Gregory has had enough time to comb through my phone, screenshot conversations, and build whatever case he's building against me. Against Ivy.
The thought makes my stomach turn.
"I'm going to kill him," I say quietly.
"Don't." Rowan's voice is sharp. "He wants you to lose control and do something stupid that will give him more leverage. You need to be smart about this. I heard there’s an ethics complaint against Ivy. With all the photos involved, you need to be careful and think before…"
