Page 172 of Vengeful Princess

“Yes.”

“OK, I’ll do it.”

The conversation between Torrance and me had been carefully cut to remove all the stuff related to my father and his plans, but it didn’t matter. What remained was enough to damn me to hell for all eternity.

And from the expression on Cassian’s face, it was obvious he thought I’d deliberately betrayed him. Landon too. He snatched his hand away from mine, anger and betrayal in his eyes while Eden gasped in shock.

Kyril seemed more conflicted than mad, like he wasn’t sure whether to believe the audio.

“This is fake, right?” he demanded.

I shook my head. “There’s a lot missing, but the gist of the conversation is there. Only I didn’t plant the drugs, which is why this video has been released.”

Dar laughed scornfully. “Good to know the world can finally see what a whore you really are,cagna. You deserve each other.” His parting shot hung in the air as he left the room, happy now he’d blown up my life.

Nobody said a word. They all just looked at me like I was the anti-Christ. Even Eden had nothing to say, which told me all I needed to know.

It was pointless defending myself. Nothing I could say would make a blind bit of difference. As far as these guys were concerned, I was a lying, manipulative bitch.

They were right. I’d lied from the start.

About my name.

Why I was here…everything.

Despite this, I had offered them the truth in my actions. By letting them break down my walls and showing them the vulnerable parts of me.

Not that it mattered.

When they looked back, they would view everything I’d said and done through a lens of betrayal, tainted by the belief I’d played them like the cold-hearted honey trap they assumed I was.

“I have to go,” I said, working hard to keep the emotion from my voice. I turned to leave just as a largeBOOMrocked the building. For a few seconds, nobody moved, and then all hell broke loose.

Eden screamed in a panic and Landon spun around in shock.

“What the fuck just happened?”

“No idea, but we need to leave before the building collapses on our heads,” Cassian shouted as the screams from the banqueting hall grew louder. Kyril reached for me, but the time had come for me to get the fuck out of here. I evaded his grasp and shot out of the room before he could stop me.

Everything crashed down around me. Literally. A Christmas tree toppled in slow motion as people tried to force their way out of the main exit. Girls screamed in panic while the few faculty staff on duty did their best to stem the tide of hysteria.

It wasn’t working.

I scanned my options, having lost the guys in the chaos. When we left this room earlier, the air had been thick with excitement and anticipation as everyone waited to see what the key players in the sex tape scandal would do.

Now, the leaked film wasn't on anyone's mind. They were all trying to escape the hall before the building collapsed.

I paused near the wall, listening, focusing on what I could see, hear, and smell. There had been no more loud bangs. No smoke in the air. The sprinklers hadn’t come on, which meant there wasn’t a fire. Not in this building, anyway.

Teachers yelled, trying to calm the panicking students. I forced myself to think, aware that if I hung around here for much longer, the guys would find me. They’d also spot me if I left via the main lobby.

My best option was to get out of here via the admin department. There was a door at the back of the building, which would take me to my tower. Before I could second-guess my plan, I spun around and jogged back down the corridor we’d exited from when everything went to shit.

Lights flickered as I passed the room where my life went to shit. There was no sign of the guys or Eden.

I felt bad about my friend, but I knew she’d be safe with the guys.

It was time to leave this place. Nobody would miss me, aside from Eden. The guys thought I’d set them up, which I hadn’t, but the audio clip had been pretty damning. I still had no clue how it ended up in Dario’s hands, but my guess was he’d been working for my father all along. Knowing Dad, he’d sent Dario here as his backup plan.

---