I don’t even bother checking what this latest event is; I already know. Some hotel ballroom or historic mansion draped in red, white, and blue. Tables set with thousand-dollar plates of food no one actually eats. The same press-circuit vultures circling, snapping pictures, salivating for any hint of weakness. My father’s hollow, practiced speeches delivered in that flawlessly authoritative tone that makes even people who should know better believe every word.
And me, standing at his side, smiling like I believe it too. My cheeks will ache from holding that polite expression in place for hours on end, even as my feet throb in whatever pinching heels match the dress my mother picked out for me.
Because if I don’t?
I become the headline.
“Mara Black Caught Looking Uninterested—Is She Rebelling Against Her Father’s Presidential Campaign?”
“America’s Golden Girl—Cracks in Perfection?”
“Is Mara Black an Asset or a Liability?”
They pick apart everything. The way I speak. The way I sit. The way I dress. The way I fucking breathe.
I can’t win. I’ve never been able to win. I don’t even know who I am outside of their expectations anymore. Did I ever? I wear so many masks that I’ve lost track of what my real face looks like. The idea of finding out who I truly am, away from the cameras and expectations, feels more like a fantasy than something achievable.
“Let me guess,” Zane says, immediately noticing mythousand-yard stare. His playful smirk fades for a moment, genuine concern flickering in his eyes. “Dad?”
I release a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Unfortunately,” I mutter.
Zane watches me, expression gentling in a way that nearly undoes me. He opens his mouth, and for a second, I think I’m about to get actual sympathy, something that might crack the last bit of composure I’m clinging to. But then, just as quickly, he shifts back to his devilish grin.
“Don’t worry, babe. At least you’ll be too busy to stare at Dredyn Steele in disgusted awe.”
I blink, torn clean from my spiraling thoughts. A hot flare ofyou have GOT to be kidding meignites in my chest. “You—” I sputter, at a loss for any other words.
He did not just go there,again.
Without thinking, I snatch the nearest item—my pen—and whip it at his stupidly gorgeous face.
Zane yelps and ducks. The pen sails past his ear and lands somewhere on the floor. He straightens with a scandalized hand over his heart, eyes wide in faux shock. “Did you just try to stab me, Mara?”
“Keep your voice down!” I hiss, though I’m fighting a losing battle against the tiny smirk tugging at my lips. The tension between us breaks, and I shake my head, giving Zane a withering look. “You are insufferable.”
He flashes a cheeky smile. “And yet, you adore me.”
I roll my eyes, biting back the retort on my tongue. There’s no point, he’ll always manage to get the last word. Instead, I focus on tamping down the wild cocktail of anger and anxiety swirling inside me.
I’m about to remind Zane that we really need to keep it down when two familiar figures sidle up to our table. Kade and Valen—two of my brother Milo’s fraternity officers appear at the end of our row.
Kade is built like a linebacker, all broad shoulders and protectivebig-brother energy, while Valen is lean and lanky, always quietly watching.
“Everything all right here, Mara?” Kade asks, eyes flicking from me to Zane and back. He bends to pick up the pen I just chucked, placing it gently on the table.
I sigh, slumping back in my chair. Great.The cavalry has arrived. “I’m fine,” I whisper, attempting a smile that probably looks more like a grimace. “Just peachy.”
Valen raises a brow, glancing between Zane and me. “Looked more like you were throwing deadly weapons,” he murmurs, a half-smile on his lips. I now notice he’s holding an extra coffee cup. He sets it in front of Zane. “Figured you might need a refill, Z.”
Zane lights up and accepts the latte, giving Valen an exaggerated flutter of his lashes. “Valen, you absolute lifesaver. See, Mara? Some people appreciate my caffeine dependence.”
I roll my eyes again, but I can’t deny a small swell of gratitude at seeing my brother’s friends here. “More like fueling a terrible addiction,” I mutter.
Kade pulls over an empty chair from a nearby table and settles beside me. Valen remains standing, leaning casually against a bookshelf.
“So, first, you go into the OCK house to get this one.” Valen points at Zane who just sips his coffee grinning. “And then, just now, Dredyn Steele shoved Zane. Please tell me I finally get the murder the smug bastard. You know it’ll take just one call to my dad.”
Of course Valen saw it. He has access to every security camera on campus and has alerts for when I’m spotted. Usually, if Zane is near me, Valen is watching. It’s a strange cat and mouse game they play.
