Page 42 of Thorns of Malice

I cringe and tighten my fist, wanting to pull her off the stage.

"Well, this is interesting," Bobby voices.

"Shut up, fucker," I warn under my breath.

She waits and then confidently stares at everyone at our table before locking her eyes on me. She continues, "As some of you might recall, I had a very special relationship with the Carringtons, as well as Bobby Winston and Lilly McBean." She points at our table.

The room turns so silent you can hear a pin drop.

She giggles. "Well, anyway, we had, like I said, a very special relationship. It all started the night that I rushed my sorority, Gamma Sigma Phi. I was given a very special gift. Wasn't I, Avery?"

I glance at my sister.

She tries to sit up straighter, her face turning maroon, in a daze, unable to tear her eyes off Ivy, the same as the rest of us.

Ivy reaches under the podium and pulls out a whore-red satin box. She opens it and dangles a gold necklace in front of her. The camera zooms in, and the screen behind her focuses on the pendant.

My gut drops.

Ivy chirps, "I'm sure you're all familiar with this symbol...or should I say trademark now? Many of you probably have bottles of Seducing Ivy in your bedrooms. Can we get a round of applause for how successful Avery's new perfume is doing?"

The room erupts in applause.

My chest tightens, and Avery grips the table.

Ivy coos, "And Dax... Wow. How smart of him to create the Seducing Ivy flower and file for the patent. You were always one step ahead of everyone, weren't you, Dax?"

My mouth turns dry.

Ivy smiles, adding, "We should all be proud of the quality students Clifton University creates." Ivy begins clapping.

The room follows suit until it's loud with applause, and bile rises in my throat. It takes everything I have to swallow it down.

Avery glances over at me, and I've never seen her so uncomfortable.

But I don't remember ever being that way either.

Ivy holds the necklace higher. "Avery made this for me. She designed it. Who would've known that ten years ago, such talent would have morphed into the company she's created today?" Ivy claps again.

More applause fills the room.

Ivy lets it die down and announces, "I'd like to auction this necklace off so the university can help more young students become the people that we've become. You know...contributing to society and all." Her lips twist, and she refocuses on me.

More applause.

The auctioneer steps toward her.

Ivy holds the necklace in front of him, adding, "Please ensure this goes for a high price. It doesn't deserve anything less. It's very..." She puts her hand around the symbol and then stares at Avery. "It's very special to me."

Avery's chest rises and falls faster.

Ivy gazes at the rest of the crowd. "You know how it is when special people give you special gifts. Every day was a unique experience for me at Clifton University. So please bid accordingly."

The camera zooms out, and Ivy releases the pendant to the auctioneer and gets escorted off the stage.

She grabs a glass of champagne from a server's tray, saunters across the room, and sits beside me.

The auctioneer starts, "Do I hear a hundred thousand?"

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