Page 35 of Cruel Riches

Nate put his drink down and waited until the girl was out of earshot. Then he smirked and raised a brow. “How can I help you, Alexis?”

“You can fucking stop,” I said, glaring up at him as I took a few steps closer.

“Stop what?”

“Your little campaign against me,” I said, pulling out my phone. “I’m sure you’re used to girls falling at your feet and allowing you to treat them like shit just so they can tell their friends that you gave them five seconds of attention, but I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to roll over and take shit from you.”

A mirthless half-smile curved up Nate’s lips. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“This!” I waved my phone in the air. “If it’s broken—and I’m pretty sure it is—then you’re damn well buying me a new one.”

“Why? Can’t afford a new one?”

I bristled. “I can. But you broke it just to be a dick, so it’s on you.”

“It was an accident. You were in my way.”

“It wasn’t an accident,” I said in an acid tone. “You’ve made it very clear you don’t want me here, and I get that. But I’m not going to let you destroy my stuff and get away with it. So like I said, if my phone is broken, you’re paying for a new one.”

Nate cocked a brow. “Which phone is it? The same one you dropped in my house when I caught you trespassing?”

His arrogant half-smile widened as he spoke.

“Can you just get over that already?” I said. “I didn’t steal anything! I was just looking around.”

“Hm. Just innocently looking around a dead man’s study that you broke into.” He tapped his chin with one finger. “I love how you’re acting as if you have some sort of moral high ground here, when you’re literally a criminal.”

I stepped even closer. Anger was swirling in me; red-hot ribbons of rage. “Look, Nate, you might think of yourself as the king of this campus, but I don’t give a shit. To me, you’re just an abusive asshole. So if you think I’m going to let you bully me out of this place, you’re delusional. This isn’t high school. No one is going to give a shit if you spread rumors about me.”

“Rumors?”

I straightened my spine and took a deep breath, fueling my audacity with the liquid courage streaming through my veins. “Yes, rumors. Because that’s all it will ever be. Your word against mine. So go ahead.” I spread my arms wide. “Go and tell everyone that you caught me snooping in your house if you want to. I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m not sure anyone will actually care.”

“The cops might.”

I took a step back. “What?”

“The cops might care that you broke into my house.”

I scoffed. “The only proof you had was this phone, which you gave back to me,” I said, holding up my drowned phone again. “So good luck convincing the police that I did anything.”

Nate’s face darkened. For a second, I thought he was going to do something to me.

For more than a second, a treacherous part of me wanted him to.

“What makes you think I don’t have more proof?” he asked. His voice was soft but dangerous.

“I know you don’t.”

Nate cocked a brow again. “Are you sure? Because the footage from the camera in my father’s study tells a different story.”

My nose wrinkled. “You’re full of shit. I checked for cameras.”

“I know you did. But you didn’t look hard enough.”

“I used an app on my phone that detects any hidden surveillance equipment via radio waves, so I know you’re bluffing,” I said.

He nodded slowly and pulled out his cell phone. “Bluffing, huh?”

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