Page 55 of Psyop Kings

His desk is bare aside from an engraved pen that says, “Crowne Unity Project,” in a bold, stately font. I sit down in his chair and open the slender tray drawer. Inside are more pens, neatly lined in a row. Beside them are a pair of incredibly sharp scissors, a notepad, and a container filled with paperclips. It’s all so orderly. I’m tempted to take the scissors to use as a weapon, but brute strength—which I most certainly do not have—isn’t going to get me out of here.

This is a game of wits.

Outlast, outsmart, outplay.

Nothing more than a complicated puzzle to quickly be pieced together.

There are two drawers, both of them locked. I’m not convinced I can pick them with the paperclips, so I don’t bother.

Tell me all your secrets, Caius…

I sit back in his desk chair and survey the room. An entire wall is a built-in bookshelf completely filled with books. They’re probably in alphabetical order. He seems the super-particular type. It makes me want to rearrange them all to see if he would notice.

Kind of like he’s been doing all along to screw with your head, Romy.

I’m distracted from the bookshelf when an idea forms. I quickly reopen the tray drawer and pull out the notepad. With a flip through it, I learn there’s nothing but blank pages, but I know I can figure out the last thing he wrote down.

My heart leaps in my chest as I push the chair back and head toward the fireplace with the notepad. I sit down on the rock hearth and dip my index finger into the leftover ash. Then, I lightly dust over the notebook page. A grin tugs at my lips as I begin to see letters form. Caius writes with a firm hand, so the indentation leftover has left clues for me.

V.

E.

I.

L.

VEIL.

I stare at the letters, knowing exactly what they mean. Veil Media Group, or VMG, is the global media conglomerate my father owns. I’m sure it didn’t take long for the Crownes to discover just how powerful my family is. It’s apparent that’s why I’m in this situation, being manipulated into believing I’m dating Caius. They’re trying hard to cover up Theo’s mistake. How many others have slipped into the Crowne trap but have no power in this world?

Megan.

She’s just a nobody to them.

Someone they can take advantage of and make disappear.

I don’t know why, but I’m going to find out.

Continuing my dusting along the page, another word stands out.

Calista.

Another company or program or a name?

There’s nothing else useful on my search, nor do the other pages reveal anything. After cleaning my finger on my pants, Itear off the dirtied page on top. The notebook gets placed back into the drawer, but I hold onto the paper.

I make my way over to the bookshelf and peruse the books there. There are several military strategy and political books, an entire set of ancient encyclopedias, a few books written in foreign languages, and even a book on the Illuminati.

It makes me wonder if anyone decided to take on that conspiracy theory for our class project. Seems like eons ago that I was sitting in class, the only worry on my mind being that I had to go back to New York for Christmas.

A book on propaganda and psychological warfare catches my eye. I pull it from its spot and thumb through it. It’s filled with clinical case studies of manipulation tactics used by the government, military, and media. Caius probably has the thing memorized. I fold the piece of notebook paper and place it on the chapter that’s called “Psychological Operations AKA Psyop.” Then I place the book back on the shelf upside down between two other books.

If he wants to mess with me, I’ll do the same to him.

Drug me all you want, Caius, but you’ll never fully erase me.

Feeling better than I have since I woke up, I make my way back to the bedroom. The time for crying and feeling sorry for myself is over. They may have control over my phone, but my mind is too complicated for them to twist to their nefarious desires. I’m not some case study in the book—a mindless sheep who sleeps in a den of wolves.

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