Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Verity:

I had been anxiously waiting for Rochelle to show up, but since she was taking her time, I decided to grab a mystery book after dinner and do some reading.

I headed toward the mansion’s library when I heard footsteps behind me.

Turning around, I nearly came face-to-face with Ragnar.

He stopped, then shifted to move past me.

”I’m headed to the attic. Hopefully, you’re not thinking about sneaking after me.”

He said it so casually that, for a second, I didn’t understand what he meant.

Then he stopped, turned around, and looked directly at me.

”Or do you want me to leave so you can get inside when I’m not around?” he added, watching me without blinking.

Then he turned and continued on his way.

What was that all about?

Wait. Did he want me to follow him to the attic?

I scratched my head slowly, trying to make sense of it.

Otherwise, why would he mention the attic at all or suggest that I might wait for him to leave before going up there?

His second comment completely confused me, and I couldn’t understand why he’d brought up the attic in the first place.

So I decided to follow him.

Maybe he wanted to show me something. I wasn’t going to be some jerk who didn’t listen to her boss.

Well, I probably shouldn’t have.

As I followed him, he slowed down and eventually came to a halt. Turning around, he placed his hands on his waist.

”Seriously? Now you’re going to come after me? Or are you going to sneak into my attic while I’m standing right here?” he remarked.

I opened my mouth to explain that I’d misunderstood him, but he didn’t give me the chance.

He simply went upstairs, opened the door, and stared down at me for a moment before slamming it shut.

What an asshole!

I pouted and stomped my foot against the floor in frustration.

Then I turned around and headed back toward my room. I was no longer in the mood to read.

As I passed the living room, I saw Theodore and Jaguar talking about something.

Theodore’s eyes shifted toward me, and he tried to flash me a smile, but before it could fully form, I had already walked away.

These two brothers were getting on my nerves.

They were so damn clever.

As I reached the room, I heard voices from inside and realized Rochelle was already in Gigi’s room.

I stepped closer to the door and listened.

Gigi was telling her about Rocky and what he had done to her.

My body shuddered as I remembered that Oliver had wanted to do something similar to me by making me walk around naked.

Rocky had done that to her with a leash around her neck.

The thought made me furious at Oliver too.

Oliver and Rocky. Those fucking assholes.

They had done all of it because they thought no one would help those women.

Then Gigi said something that made my heart skip a beat.

She told Rochelle that they believed this was their karma because they were the ones who had set Jenna up and sent Rocky after her.

My entire body went numb.

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

A loud voice came from behind me, and in that instant, I realized I’d been caught.

”What are you doing there?”

I spun around and gulped when I saw Gigi’s mother standing in the hallway with a fresh basket of fruit in her hands, as though she had just arrived.

Stella Hill’s eyes widened. Rage was all I could see on her face.

Before I could say anything, the door behind me opened.

I bit my bottom lip and slowly stepped out of the way.

”What is going on here?” Gigi asked.

The panic in her voice was enough to tell me she was terrified that someone had overheard their conversation, and seeing me standing right beside her door certainly didn’t help.

”I just caught her eavesdropping on your conversation. She had her fucking ear against your door,” her mother accused without holding back.

Gigi gasped and stared at me, her eyes widening in disbelief and fear over what I might have heard.

”No,” I replied quickly, shaking my head as I turned to face her. ”I came to ask if you were okay. When I got here, before I could even knock, your mother showed up and started yelling at me.”

I lied.

What else could I say? That it was true?

No.

I’d get into huge trouble.

”You damn well better not lie to me.”

Her mother stepped forward, dropped the basket to the floor, and raised her hand to strike me.

This time, I didn’t let her.

The moment her hand came close to my cheek, I caught her by the wrist.

Gasps filled the hallway, followed by a startled yelp from Rochelle.

I kept Stella’s hand suspended in the air, my nails digging into her wrist. Slowly, I lowered it, but I didn’t let go. Instead, I pulled her arm toward my left shoulder and held it there.

”You’ve done this enough times, Stella Hills. But not anymore,” I hissed.

Her eyes widened.

I shoved her hand down and turned toward Gigi.

”I was not listening to your conversation. I get no pleasure from eavesdropping on anyone. I came here to ask for your help, but I guess your mother blames me for her son getting caught.”

As soon as I said it, I looked back at Stella Hills.

If possible, her eyes widened even more.

”That is my mother you’re talking to,” Gigi muttered under her breath.

I faced her and tilted my head.

”Well, your mother was about to hit me, and now she’s accusing me of eavesdropping when I’ve done nothing wrong. I did not listen to your conversation, and I certainly didn’t do anything wrong by reporting Oliver to the police.”

I glanced at Stella again before continuing.

”If she still has a problem with me, I’ll have to speak with Alpha King Ragnar. I’m a victim too, and I don’t deserve to be treated like this.”

It felt so good watching the color drain from their faces.

Gigi looked stunned. She didn’t say another word. She simply stared at me.

Then I turned to her mother and gave her an exaggeratedly polite bow, full of mock courtesy, before walking into my room and slamming the door shut.