Page 36 of Ruthless Legacy

“You look tense, Paxton.”

I turn to look at the man addressing me, Orson Butler, who is also on the recruitment committee. “Just a little overwhelmed being at a table with so many important league members.” Smiling at my grandfather, I say, “Shall I call and see what’s keeping dad?”

“Oh, not all. He won’t be joining us tonight.”

There’s a chilling undertone to my grandfather’s voice. I swallow thickly, meeting Finn and Holden’s gaze, then their father’s who each offer me kind smiles, trying to put me at ease.

We waste no time ordering our meals. I pick the veal parmigiana. I’m not even sure why. When I come here, I usually get the steak.

I butter a roll without much thought, and pop a piece into my mouth as the council members make small talk around me. I offer responses when questioned directly. The rest of the time, I let Finn take the lead. He’s good at socializing and has the table laughing at his antics. I appreciate him so much in this moment.

Desserts and after-dinner drinks are ordered, and I sense the shift in the tone of this gathering. My grandfather clears his throat and says, “Gentlemen. Now that we’ve all dined and fellowshipped, perhaps we can address a little business.”

He looks at me and my friends. “I know you may be wondering why you three are the only prospects in attendance here this evening.”

I reply, “We recognize what an honor it is.”

“Yes, well, don’t. It has nothing to do with honor and everything to do with wanting to personally inform you of some changes that will be happening on campus. I didn’t want you to be blindsided.”

I nod stiffly, sitting with my back erect. We’re being removed from our positions. It’s that clear. Whoever the bad actors are on campus, they’ve succeeded in getting us booted. I owe my friends an apology. I’ll fix this. I’ll tell my grandfather I’m the only one who needs to be replaced.

“As you all may have heard, the female Laurent…LaReauxhas declined our offer to join the guardian lines.” He pins me with his gaze. “And after speaking with her, I understand why.”

Yup. We’re fucked. She ratted us out. I knew she would. I’m not even surprised.

“So we’ve gone back over all the information we have on her and her family, and we’ve decided to fully reinstate the Laurent line as a legacy line.”

I sputter, “Reinstate?”

“That’s correct. At one time, Joshua Laurent was invaluable to The League, and the council believes the business connections he’s amassed in his absence could serve us well now. He’ll be more of an asset as a league member in good standing than he would a guardian line. Or, in this case, as a permanently removed line.”

I look around to where the other members are nodding. One from the recruitment committee says, “Yes, the preliminary research into the Meyers’ has not yielded the results we’ve hoped for. There are a few too many indiscretions we’d have to clean up before they could pass the security check.” He looks to Holden’s dad for confirmation.

Mr. Sullivan’s lips pull tight as he says, “That is the security council’s position at this time.”

Another man I recognize from the resource council says, “We are in agreement that the amount of time and attention that would be required offsets what we’d gain in the interim.”

My grandfather steeples his fingers under his chin. “Thank you, gentlemen.”

They’ve already decided, so why are they sharing this here, at this dinner, and how does this affect The Trium? I don’t have to wait long for clarification.

“We’ll inform Joshua Laurent of his full reinstatement shortly, at the rank he was when he was suspended. It puts him decades behind his peers. As such, his daughter, Moira Hughes, and her husband will become more involved in The League.”

“What does this mean for Thea, sir?” Finn asks.

“I’m glad you asked, young Finn. She’s fully accepted as a legacy heir. As I said, Joshua’s appointment is to the level he was at prior to suspension. Therefore, her status will surpass some whose families have been slower to rise through the ranks. I expect a lot of pushback on campus.”

Right, because the parents know better than to question the high council’s vote. But they’re not above using their children in whatever way they can to create drama.

Finn says, “We’ll make sure everyone adjusts to the change.”

With a definitive nod, my grandfather says, “I expect nothing less.”

Chapter18

Finn

Thea. A fully accepted legacy heir. She’s not at the bottom of the pile either. According to my dad, her family’s only two levels below Eloise’s. Mr. Cox is right, that’s gonna piss off a lot of people.

---