Page 139 of Vengeful Princess

I was done with their bullshit. Plus, I needed to check my father’s message without anyone peering over my shoulder.

While the four guys carried on acting like dogs fighting over a bone, I slipped out into the frigid night and hustled back to my room.

The message was brief and to the point, like always. A summons to London in a few days. Cassian and Lucian Forsyth would both be in London, and my father had a plan. No mention of what that plan was, but I’d need to dress with seduction in mind.

I just hoped Dad wasn’t expecting me to get naked with Lucian before stabbing him to death. The thought of Lucian’s hands on me sent a shudder of horror down my spine.

Since I owned very little in the way of ‘seductive’ clothing, I guess I’d need to arrive in time to do some shopping. Dad had given me an address to go to, where Torrance would be waiting.

Great.

It was just as well I had zero social life. And even better that Eden was still in the wind. If she’d been around, she would have questioned why I needed to go to London, which would have made my life more difficult.

My other phone buzzed with a message from Landon.

Fuckboy: Need me to keep you warm tonight?

It was tempting, but the time had come to put some distance between me and them. It was better for all of us.

Me: No. I’m asleep.

Fuckboy: Clearly not if you’re replying…

I didn’t bother answering that. Being left on read would do him good.

I half expected Kyril to blow up my phone too, but there was nothing from the crazy Russian. Which was good because I wasn’t in the mood to deal with his antics tonight. Or rather this morning, seeing as how midnight had been and gone.

The only one who might make an appearance was Milo, but I didn’t want company, so I wedged my chair under the door.

Good luck getting in now, stalker boy.

After stripping off and pulling on some comfy pants and a tee, I crawled under my duvet. But sleep took a long time to come, and when I did finally drift off, I dreamed of Cassian.

Only this wasn’t a fun dream.

No.

This was a nightmare scene where I stabbed him in the chest repeatedly while he looked up at me with betrayal in his eyes.

74

Cassian

Fucking Landon. He just couldn’t help himself. He had to wind Kyril up, knowing how our friend would react. It was all a game to him.

Normally, I wouldn’t have cared, but I’d been enjoying Thea’s company until he showed up. He still hadn’t explained why he crashed my evening. I presumed it was because Milo had told him Thea was with me.

Lan seemed to have got it into his thick skull that Thea was his future wife. How he came to that conclusion was a mystery. For one thing, she didn’t have the right pedigree, and for another, she was about as far from wife material as one could get.

Not that I meant that in a derogatory way, but Lan and I came from the same background. A background where men didn’t marry for love, or even because of an attraction half the time. It was all about family connections and money.

Lan’s father almost certainly had a list of suitable women lined up for his only son, which he’d look at more closely once Lan was no longer needed to further his business interests.

My father was a manipulative asshole, but I was grateful he didn’t pimp me out to clients and anyone else useful. Silver linings.

“It’s all your fault she’s ignoring me!” Landon scowled at Kyril as I poured a fresh glass of whiskey. A single malt from the Rothmore distillery; one of their most expensive bottles.

One sip and I had to agree with Landon: Rothmore whiskey was the best. Smooth, full-bodied, with hints of vanilla, spice, and oak. The vanilla reminded me of Thea. She, too, was sweet with a zesty aftertaste.

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