Istare at the text message sent to me earlier from one of the board members. They’re ready to set my sentence for marriage to Lilac. They’re going to inform me of my trials. I’m not worried about it. I knew the consequences of my actions, so now I have to deal with them.
My breath catches as I tuck my phone in my pocket. I glance at my Patek Philippe watch, noting I have only ten minutes left before my hearing starts. I place my vape pen between my lips, inhale deeply, exhale—then hook the vape behind my ear.
I straighten my spine, march up to the steel doors, and the warm air greets me as I step inside. Two guards dressed in black suits stand by the entrance. Exhaling, I open a set of double doors. The smell of fresh Pine-Sol burns my nostrils. The energy in the courtroom is tense, suffocating. I loosen my tie. The tintedwindows stretch across the dark walls. The trial room feels like death at your back—cold. Distant.
Even the five board members perched on the bench give off the feel of icy corpses. Each of their masks is identical—long and birdlike, like the doctors’ masks from the plague. They used to be referred to as the Beaked Council back in the day, but now they’re called board members.
I’m afraid of them. Most of us are. They wrote our destinies and wanted us to be worshipped as if they were gods. We don’t know their names, nor how they started, but they rule most of the world.
My ears ring, and I slide my hands into my pockets as I stand in front of the oak bench. Snow steps out, wearing a dark suit, his white hair spiked up. He settles between two of the board members.
He frowns, dusts the invisible lint off his suit. The corner of his mouth curls. His eyes cut into mine—sharp. Cold. Like a blade.
“Irvin Ashford, you broke one of the rules. You married someone whose father isn’t part of the American Billionaire Club. Hence, no one knows where she came from, and you didn’t listen to your father’s demands not to marry her,” Snow states, reading from his notes.
I dig my nails into my palms until it burns. I feel the board members’ eyes judging me. If they’re expecting me to apologize for my behavior, I won’t.
I’m glad I don’t see Snow as much now that he’s CEO. When I graduate, I’m not looking forward to seeing his face more often either.
The silence between us is eerie, threatening.
I hear the door open. I turn to my left and see my father leaning against the wooden wall in the back.
Snow clears his throat, and I turn my attention back to him.
“You have two choices,” Snow states. “Be sent to Tartarus or complete the three trials.”
I straighten my spine. No need to delay my punishment.
“I’ll take the three trials,” I say nonchalantly.
Snow eyes me warily.
“Do you realize it’s life or death? If you don’t complete all three, you’ll die.”
I shrug. My life is meaningless. People die all the time. Plus, I know the consequences of my actions. As long as my princess isn’t harmed, that’s all that matters.
“Don’t come after Lilac. She didn’t know what she signed up for.”
Snow nods. “Lilac is my wife’s best friend. I’ll make sure she’s protected. Very well, then. Your trials start in a week. You need to prepare. I’ll let you know where you need to be.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “There’s something I want to run by you. We’re investigating the death of your ex-fiancée—Elena. She was found dead in her condo on campus yesterday morning at eight a.m. Clean bullet to the head. Where were you during that time?”
I crinkle my nose. Does he think I killed her?
“I was with my wife.”
Snow studies me like a lab rat.
“Would Lilac be able to verify that?”
I feel the eyes behind the masks watching me like hawks. My jaw flexes.
“Yes.”
Snow reads from his notes.
“Did you threaten her father—tell him you were going to kill him if you were forced to marry her?”
I exhale loudly through my teeth. No way are they pinning her death on me. If I were to kill her, I would have gotten ridof her body. Whoever murdered her was sloppy. I’m actually insulted that they think I killed her.
