Page 149 of Cruel Legacy

“Excellent news about the Brelands. I’ll pass it along to the council.” He unlocks his desk drawer and puts the folder he was looking at into it. “Now, for the reason, I asked you here.” He shuts the drawer and leans back in his chair. “The LaReaux girl. She’s a mouthy piece of ass.”

I saw him talking to her at the party. She obviously said something disrespectful to him. “She definitely lacks manners.”

He makes a derisive sound. “That doesn’t seem to stop the interest she was getting from a lot of people. The council noticed Finn was one of those individuals. Shocking, since his life match was in attendance that evening. In fact, he seemed quite distant with Eloise.” He arches a brow, “There were some complaints lodged about his behavior. I haven’t logged them in yet. I wanted to speak to you first.”

There it goes. I should have known Finn’s actions wouldn’t go unnoticed. “It’s nothing.”

“I want to believe that. Finley is an outstanding prospect. His ability to get people talking is a skill we admire. He’s going to do great things for The League.” My father leans forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “We can’t afford to have him distracted by this disrespectful ingrate. Does he know what we suspect about her?”

I had to come clean once I mentioned putting the tracker on her phone. Sharing the news with them alleviated some of the weight I was feeling. I hated keeping it a secret. “He does.”

“And he’s still sniffing around her? That doesn’t sound like someone loyal to our cause.”

“As I said, it’s nothing. We decided Finn’s ability to learn secrets was invaluable in finding out more about her. He’s pretending to like her, to get close.”

“Eloise insinuated it was more than that. That there’ve been a few altercations because of his involvement with the girl.”

“Finn’s a Trium. You name me one girl, one woman in town, who hasn’t at least thought of going after one of us. Eloise always has competition in that area. The two of them often use other people to make the other jealous.”

“You’re saying she’s lying about the situation?”

“Not at all. She and Thea have a contentious relationship. Part of it is Eloise thinks there’s an interest on Finn’s part, because we haven’t told her he’s doing a job.” I let the statement hang in the air. Daring him to tell me I’m wrong for not looping her in.

“Of course. Eloise isn’t privy to that information. But you said that’s a part of it. What’s the other part?”

“Eloise was tasked with helping to teach Theona some manners, under the guise of initiating her as a Zeta Nu.”

“Smart move.”

“Unfortunately, Thea isn’t a social creature. Given the way she grew up, it’s not surprising that she doesn’t play well with others. She reacted badly after her chastity vow ceremony and trashed the Zeta Nu house.” I leave out the part where she struck Eloise. If she hasn’t told anyone about that, I won’t either. “And if I understand correctly, her parting act as a pledge was to put Eloise’s status at the house to a vote.”

“Ah. I see.” He jabs his finger into the desk. “I knew there had to be a more reasonable explanation. Eloise failed to disclose that detail. Did the officers agrees to the vote?”

“They did. And she’s re-qualifying.”

“Mouthy bitch, disruptive bitch.” He works his jaw and exhales sharply. “I can see Eloise wanting to spin this into something it’s not. Technically, her entire relationship with Finn could be called into question if she loses her position at Zeta Nu. I thank you for clearing this up for me.”

“Will we get a copy of the complaint?”

He waves me off. “I’m not taking this to the council. There’s clearly nothing there. We don’t get involved in house politics. The by-laws allow any member to be challenged and required to requalify for their spot in the sorority. The LaReaux girl is one of the few people to read the rule book.”

“I’m sure she fixated on that part just to create dissension in the house.”

“I’ve only spoken to her for a few minutes, but that is the same conclusion I have.” He stands and gathers his keys and wallet off the desk. “Have you made any progress on the other matter?”

“I made the inquiries. I should have a more comprehensive file in a few days.”

“I trust you were discreet with the resources you used?”

“Yes, sir.”

He walks to the door and holds it open, waiting for me to stand. “Excellent. I’ll be out of town for the next few days. Update me as soon as you get something.”

“Will do, sir.”

He flicks off the light, plunging me into darkness. It’s a pretty accurate depiction of how I’ve felt lately about my relationship with my father. The further along I go in the selection process, the more I realize our relationship is hidden by layers of darkness and shrouded in secrecy.

Chapter63

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