Page 23 of Theirs to Ruin

It wassonice of my father to want to chain me to Silas for life.

“He’ll never be faithful to you, Bianca.”

My sister scoffed, unfazed. "So? I'll cheat on him, too. It's all a game, Cami. Cheating spouses are a dime a dozen in our world. The point is that together, Silas and I would be unstoppable—a true power couple."

Something in her tone didn't sit right with me. It was as if she was reciting lines from a script. Something our father would write.

"I just don't get it.” I frowned. “You've always been so independent, so driven. Why buy into this old-world matchmaking nonsense? You’re aTier One." I said it as if that meant everything. At our age, in our world, it did.

“I still want a partner.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her expression suddenly serious. "The matchmaker works for us. I show her what I want her to see and if she pairs me well, then...” She shrugged. “You need to understand the goal here. These aren't fairytale romances or love matches. They'realliances. Love and faithfulness don’t play a role. Everyone sleeps with everyone. And why not? We’ve been meticulously trained in the art of seduction. Sleeping around is practically part of the syllabus."

I shifted uncomfortably. Seduction wasn’t something I excelled in yet and probably never would. It wasn't that I was naïve; I just didn't want to view relationships or intimacy through that lens, not after witnessing the loveless marriage my mom had endured. I remembered sitting through last year’s Art of Seduction 101 class, finding it all mechanical and contrived. Seduction 102 wasn’t proving to be much better.

"I get the mechanics of it all," I began, my cheeks warming. "But I’d rather use my intellect rather than my body to influence someone.”

Bianca nudged me. "That's what I admire about you. You always lead with your brain. Then again, that’s probably becauseit's hard to be truly seductive if you're not completely familiar with the tools you're wielding."

I had no comeback for that.

I’d begged Ty to fuck me when we were in Italy, but he’d said he wanted to wait until we were married to take my virginity on our wedding night. He’d promised we’d get married as soon as I graduated high school. Look how that turned out. My feet had barely hit American soil before he dumped me over a fucking text message.

Bianca squeezed my arm, her voice softening. "Don’t rush sex, Cami. Wait till it feels right. Just remember, knowledge is power in all things." She looked down at her phone in her hand and winced. “I better go.”

“I’ll walk with you,” I offered.

“Great. More time with my favorite person.” She threw her arms around me and hugged me close.

We walked arm-in-arm. “Still going to switch roommates?” Bianca asked.

“Yeah. What a surprise, right? I’m finally showing some backbone.”

“Good. Now stop trying to be who you think Mom would want you to be, and you’ll be unstoppable. Ava knows it, too. That’s why she treats you the way she does; she’s threatened by you and her ego can’t handle it.”

I looked at her like she was crazy. “She treats me the way she does because she’s a bitch, plain and simple. I should never have trusted her. I can’t believe I ever thought we were friends. I’ll request a move tomorrow.”

“Do it tonight. You can fill out the form online.”

We were almost at theconciliantis’squarters, a stately cottage with stone accents merged with glass and steel. The cottage had a petite courtyard in front, with an herb and flower garden and a tinkling water feature that shimmered in themoonlight. We’d just entered the courtyard when a girl with wild eyes and mascara-streaked cheeks darted out of the house. She had clearly been crying. She bolted past us, almost knocking me over and not bothering to apologize.

“Was that Michelle Montague?” I asked.

Bianca nodded, and for the first time in a long time, she looked nervous.

“Good evening, ladies.” A throaty, female voice hovered in the damp air.

We turned to see theconciliantisstanding in the open doorway to her cottage. Madam Sandrine was originally from France. She was tall, with perfect posture, raven-black hair, and dark brown eyes. As always, she was dressed in a designer dress that hugged her stunning form. She was only in her late thirties, but gave the impression she’d witnessed centuries of human emotion, ambition, love, and treachery. Suddenly feeling exposed, I had to remind myself to breathe. This woman was intimidating as hell.

"Camille, I wasn’t expecting to see you, too," she said smoothly. “I trust school keeps you busy?"

"Yes, Madam, very busy,” I managed to say.

Her attention shifted to Bianca, her gaze softening. "Bianca, always a pleasure. Come in.”

As Madam Sandrine turned and walked back inside, I exchanged a glance with my sister. She winked at me then stepped into the house and closed the door.

A subtle unease settled in my heart, and I couldn’t help but remember how Bianca seemed to be lying when she was talking about looking forward to being matched.

Was I right to be suspicious, or had the past month jaded me to the point that I was seeing deception everywhere I turned, even in my own sister?

---