Page 33 of Wicked Knight

“Yes. Business.” She nods, but I can’t tell if she’s lying, like Dad was.

“Is Dad trying to find another suitable match for me?”

She exhales a harsh breath. “Yes.”

Damn it.I knew it. For all I know, Dad could be in L.A. trying to match me with one of his business partners or someone I don’t know. “Do you know who he has in mind?”

“He hasn’t shared that with me yet. But don’t be surprised if he says no to Kyle.”

My chest caves, and I think of the nightmare I’ve landed myself in with Dmitri. “What has Dad said about Kyle?”

“He doesn’t like him, sweetheart, and he doesn’t like the contract. He wants someone lined up for you as soon as it’s over.”

“And you seriously expect me not to worry?”

“Mackenzie, you’re an heir to a senior Knight, and this is your sophomore year. The year where everyone gets matched up. Your father and I were engaged by the end of our sophomore year.”

“But you knew each other from when you were kids. That’s way different.”

“Maybe so, but we still had to go through the whole engagement process. Look, neither of us wants you to worry, so please don’t. It will makememore worried about you. It’s hard enough leaving you here under the care ofthatman.”

She’s talking about Dmitri’s father. She mentioned him before and gave me a lecture on how to avoid him. Her advice was to keep my head down and work, stay out of trouble, and my personal favorite was to stay away from Dmitri.

“If I stay out of his way, I’m sure I’ll be okay.” At least I hope so.

“Yes. Just remember what I told you. Other than that, focus on ballet. You were amazing the other night.” She grins and releases my shoulders. “What am I saying? Every performance was amazing. I look forward to seeing more of what you’ll be able to do.”

“Thanks, I hope I can get the chance to.”

“You will. I’m sure that your father won’t jeopardize your future after last time.” Her voice softens to a wistful tone, like she’s hoping.

She acts as the buffer between Dad and me, but she’ll never go against him. She always agrees to everything. I hate that. But it’s her way.

“I hope so, Mom.”

“Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

Yeah. Dmitri.

But I could never talk to her about him. “No. There’s nothing.”

“Alright, let me get back to cooking.” She brings her hands together with a spark of hope in her eyes. “Maybe we can go for a little walk after we eat. I love walking around the campus grounds.”

“That sounds great. Registration starts at three, so we have time.”

“Good, let’s make the most of it.”

“Thanks for being here.”

“Always.”

She brushes my cheek with her fingers, gives me a gentle smile, and heads out of the room.

For a moment, I stare at the wall and think.

There’s a lot going on, but I can’t worry about everything. I think the best thing I can do for myself is take baby steps and focus on the most important thing on my mind—Dmitri.

I keep going around in circles in my mind and coming back to the same conclusion. That I shouldn’t take Isabelle’s advice.

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