Page 112 of Cruel Riches

I forced a smile. “Me too. I’m so sorry about all of this drama.”

She waved a hand. “Oh, no apology necessary. It’s not your fault. It sounds like one of your friends is a little confused. Or maybe they’re just jealous of you and Nate.” Her eyes rolled upward, and she leaned a little closer. “Anyway, don’t worry. Everything should be fine. We’ll just go in there and explain the misunderstanding. If they try to harass you in any way, just say the word and I’ll call a lawyer for you.”

“Thank you,” I murmured.

I felt sorry for her. The poor woman had no idea she’d raised a complete monster. She just blindly believed everything Nate told her.

We headed out of the kitchen and into a spacious sitting room with pale yellow silk wallpaper and white sofas. Two uniformed officers were sitting on one of the sofas, sipping at cups of coffee.

They put their drinks down and stood when we entered.

“Sorry for the wait,” Annalise said with a polite smile. “Alexis only just got back. She’s been out exploring the grounds.”

The officers ignored her and stared at me. “You’re Alexis Livingston?” one of them said, forehead wrinkling as his brows rose.

“Yes.”

“An acquaintance of yours raised some concerns about your recent behavior, so we’re here to conduct a wellness check,” he said, stepping closer.

“Yes, I heard.” I smiled and held up my palms. “As you can see, I’m totally fine.”

He nodded slowly. “Would you be able to confirm a few details for me?”

“Sure.”

“Could you tell us your full name, date of birth, and home address?”

“I’m Alexis May Livingston, and my birthday is November 23rd, 1999. I’m staying here with my boyfriend at the moment, but my address is officially Apartment 3C at Redstone Hall. That’s at Blackthorne University,” I said. “I have an apartment in Avalon City, too.”

“Could we see some ID?”

My breath hitched in my chest. “Um… I didn’t take my purse with me on my walk. I can’t remember where I put it,” I said, glancing around the room as if it would magically appear somewhere on a table or shelf.

Nate smiled and reached into his jacket pocket. “You gave it to me to look after, remember?” he said. “Your phone as well.”

God, he thought of everything.

He handed my things to me with a smile, and I took my driver’s license out of my little black purse, hoping my hands weren’t visibly trembling.

“Here you go,” I said, showing it to the officers.

“Thank you,” one of them said, peering at the photo. He looked back up at me. “Can you confirm to us that you’re staying here of your own accord, Ms. Livingston?”

“Oh, for god’s sake! Of course she is. She’s my son’s girlfriend,” Annalise snapped, throwing her perfectly-manicured hands up in the air. “Do you think we’re holding her hostage or something?”

The officer who’d asked the question reddened slightly. He was probably worried that the Lockwoods would use their influence to get him fired. “I apologize for the blunt nature of the questions, Ms. Lockwood, but we have to ask. It’s our job.”

She bristled. “I understand that. I just find it so preposterous.” She turned to me and dipped her chin in a nod. “Tell them the truth, darling.”

“I’m here of my own accord,” I said, feigning a look of distinct confusion. “I have no idea why anyone would think otherwise.”

“Okay. Would you be able to run us through the last couple of weeks?” one of the officers said. “Your acquaintance mentioned some behavior that they thought was quite odd for you. They said you’ve stopped attending your classes, and apparently you don’t answer your phone anymore.”

Nate’s eyes narrowed. “No shit. She’s been bullied out of Blackthorne because some asshole decided to target her with a fake sex tape,” he said. “Of course she’s stopped going to class. She can barely stand to—”

“Excuse me, sir.” The officer held up a hand. “We need to hear it from Ms. Livingston.”

Everyone looked at me expectantly.

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