Page 115 of Heartless Legacy

Chapter 68

Thea

My mission at the social club was a success. Not only did Phoenix Foundation hack the security feed at the social club and download the video files, but they somehow wiped the drives remotely and fried the computers in the security room. I didn’t ask what they plan to do with the information. Whatever it is, can’t be much worse than what The League does with it.

G hands me my food with his usual pleasantly gruff greeting and I carry it to my table. There’s a bucket, mop and caution sign in the middle of the floor. My path around it brings me close to the legacy table. I’m still in my avoiding conflict era, but it seems the girls at the table didn’t get the memo.

Everyone sitting there is a prospect. The girls sit together on one side. They’re all still thick as thieves. Even after the new prospect indoctrination period was over, most of them continued to work together. A few teamed up with guys. I didn’t want an alliance, not that anyone asked.

Someone stage whispers about the challenge scoreboard. Another asks why the league changed their rules, saying it’s unfair that the prospects at the bottom half of the board are getting preferential treatment. I want to ask if she’d like toswitch places and be one of the people who will find themselves conscripted into the guardian lines, but I keep my mouth shut as I make my way to my seat.

I don’t know if they forgot where they are, or if they’re just so comfortable in their spots at the legacy table without The Trium sitting around, that they’re feeling reckless, but someone says too loudly, “I’m serious.Thatwas their challenge. They had to fuck strangers out in the open, in the middle of chambers, with everyone watching. She’s the only one who did it. Such a slut. But I guess if I could pretend under the disguise of it being a challenge requirement, I’d spread my legs for legacy men, too.”

“No, you wouldn’t. We already know what it takes to make a good match. Which is why she doesn’t have one. It’s all a test and when she went through with that challenge, she proved she doesn’t belong in our world. She’s not Wren material, and definitely wasn’t wife material. Her loss is Eloise’s gain.”

That in chambers challenge was last year. How long have they been waiting to bring that up? I’m not ashamed of what I did. I’m mad I fell for Pax’s bullshit, but I’m not ashamed. I would have chosen the beating. Ididchoose it, but Pax had other ideas. It was a gamble trusting him. Especially knowing his feelings about women being recruited, and I’m grateful he intervened.

Pax told me to fight, and I did, in the only way I could in that moment. They weren’t there. They don’t know the consequence of not going through with it. In the heat of the moment, I thought I could refuse, but there’s no way I would have endured being beaten. I would have fought back and then where would I be? The truth is I wouldn’t have been able to deal with anyone else touching me with those masks on. It would have broken me.

So if their words are supposed to humiliate me, they don’t. I feel their eyes on me as I take my seat. I slowly peel my bananaand turn to face their table. I make eye contact with each of them as I shove the banana in my mouth as far as it can go.

My actions momentarily shut them up, but before I’ve even finished unwrapping my utensils, the stage whispering starts again. I bite into my BLT sandwich and hum in approval. G is an amazing chef. I know he’s just using whatever ingredients are out, but the food is always cooked and seasoned to perfection.

The legacy table makes it a point to exit through the door closest to me. One guy announces his great uncle is a high council member and that he’s willing to put in a good word for me, for a fee. All I have to do is suck on his banana the way I did the one from the tree.

The girls giggle, egging him on. I ignore them, sipping my water. I wasn’t planning on taking anything from the female prospects since they encompass the middle ranked positions on the board. They earned their spots by teaming up with male prospects. But now, I’m going to lump them in with everyone else.

Pax

Finn

We need to talk.

I drag the towel through my damp hair as I read the message in our group chat. Ten minutes later, I’m fully dressed and heading to Holden’s room. Finn shows up a few minutes after me.

“We’ve got to show up at the party tonight.” I say. “You could have at least been on time since you’re the one who called this meeting.”

“I had to make a stop somewhere and this conversation couldn’t wait.” Leaning against the door, he says, “We need to clear the air about what happened in the woods with Eloise. We havea lotto discuss to get us all on the same page, and we won’t be leaving here until we are.”

“What’s left to talk about that we haven’t already? I caught you guys red-handed.”

Holden says, “You did, and we apologize.” Finn scoffs, so Holden corrects, “I apologize for how we handled things. We could have told you what we planned.”

Finn says, “I don’t apologize for shit. She had it coming.”

“Whether she did or not, Finn, the way you two went about getting payback could have blown back on all of us.”

He asks, “Did you worry about how your actions could have blown back on us last year when you were conspiring with Eloise against Thea? Or did you think your actions were justified, and you were willing to deal with the fallout if you ever got caught?”

I heave a sigh, because he’s right. I thought I was doing the right thing and so did they. “I guess I’m struggling with it, because I didn’t know what you were planning, and I know I sound like a hypocrite right now.”

“Did you even ask Eloise about what Holden overheard?”

“I don’t need to ask. I watched the video from the library, and I know Eloise had something to do with Mayhem Night. It just all caught me off guard.”

Finn juts his chin towards Holden. “You go first.”

There’s more they need to say? I look expectantly at Holden, who calmly relays, “I’ve been trying to find out what the other prospects have to do to earn the right to claim the fourth bloodline.”

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