Page 91 of Ruthless Legacy

There are no planned selectee events this weekend, and I’m ahead on my research paper for school. It looks like I’ll be able to attend the Valentine’s Day party after all.

“I can’t wait to see your costume, Thea.”

“I’m glad we brought our dresses early. The rest is just makeup and hair.” Which Moira has arranged for us. A squeal erupts from behind me, immediately putting me on guard. I turn in my seat. I don’t see a threat, other than the girl at the future wives table, jumping up and down on the recently waxed floor in her too high heels.

Something that sounds an awful lot like a cowbell rings and the table erupts in applause. “LJ?”

“She just got engaged.”

I crane my head, looking for someone on their knees. Or someone looking elated that she said yes. All I see are the same girls who sit at that table day in and day out.

“Oh, good for them. I didn’t think they had it in them. Which one is her partner? I’d like to send a congratulations gift to the blushing brides to be.”

LJ shakes her head. “Thea, they’re not a same-sex couple. No one sitting at that table is into that.”

“How disappointing.” I give one last look at the girl and the table. She’s back to siting down, and everyone’s eating like her little outburst didn’t happen.

“Gah, why is she making such a big deal about it? It’s Zachary Amos. His family’s ranked in the bottom two hundreds and they don’t even live in Canyon Falls, so she’ll probably have to move after graduation.”

Leave it to Eloise to be a hater. If the girl’s happy, why can’t that be enough? I stab my fork in the air, imagining stabbing her, and say, “I wouldn’t mind moving away from here. In fact, I’d be all over that option.”

She flips her hair over her shoulder. “That makes sense, considering where you come from. I wouldn’t expect you to understand how utterly embarrassing it is to be engaged to a bottom feederandhave to move away.”

“I understand the logistics of moving away from everything you’re used to, and getting thrown into a family you know nothing about, better than anyone in this school. And if you’re saying my upbringing makes me incapable of succeeding among the so-called elite, then you may carry on with that assumption.”

“It’s not an assumption if it’s a fact.”

“And it’s not a fact if it’s based on speculation, snobbery and rumorsyou’vestarted.”

“Thenpleaseenlighten me. When have you ever casually mingled in a room full of people with more than six zeros in their bank account?”

“Never.” I turn back to LJ and Austin, letting Eloise think she’s won something. Casually mingled? Never. Mingled because I was on a job, or surrounded by people illegally obtaining those zeros? Plenty. And if I weren’t here, I’d be back in Nags Creek helping Sasha re-home some of those zeros. Hell, I could easily have those zeros, but I traded some high end jobs for favors which, if used correctly, are worth way more than money.

Eloise is so smug sitting over there, insulated because of her status. She definitely thinks she got away with what she did to me. She hasn’t. I’m totally coming for her ass. I might not have grown up here, but I think I’ve shown I can adapt. Her. Them. They’d never survive two hours in even the tamest situations I’ve been in.

“That’s what I thought.” Her haughty tone draws snickers from her friends.

Pax leans back in his chair and says, “The marriage contracts we make are important, Eloise. It doesn’t matter the rank, it’s about fortifying our ranks and ensuring the next generation is born. Allowing people to marry outside of legacy families diminishes our influence in the world.”

He’s looking at me when he says, “Her marrying in the bottom two hundred is better than no marriage at all, because that means that family is useful. Not everyone can say that. Some lines will stay unmatched and eventually die off, or another branch of that family will take over. There’s always an opportunity to move up, or fall all the way down.”

I mirror his body language, knowing this little spiel is aimed at me. “Fall down, or pushed down. Need a hand reaching the bottom?”

“The Trium is the exception to that rule. Nobody is, or will ever be, stronger or rank higher than us.”

“Oh, I don’t know about all that. I have it on good authority that phenomenal pussy has toppled entire kingdoms.”

“The girl owning pussy good enough to weakenus,good enough to get between us, doesn’t exist.”

I chuckle, my gaze flicking to Finn’s. I have to fight to keep back the smile that’s threatening to form on my lips. “What about you, Number Three? Do you agree with that?”

Eloise answers, “Of course he does. Skanks like yourself have tried to get between us before, and itneverworks.”

She thinks she’s put me in my place. Embarrassed me. “Skanks, like me?” Why does she always assume name calling will hurt my feelings? “Oh, Eloise, I can promise you that in this vast, wide world, there are no skanks likeme.”

I jump onto the table, stifling my grin when LJ groans, “Here we go.”

I roll my hips, running my hands up the sides of my body -dancing to music only I can hear- as I slink down the length of the table. The students hurry to move their trays, so I don’t step on them. When I reach where Eloise is sitting, I drop to my knees and whip my hair around as I arch my back, then crawl the rest of the way. I toss my hair over one shoulder, locking eyes with Holden, then Pax, and finally Finn.

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