Page 82 of Martyr

“Who is this person again?” Demitrious waved the waiter over and tapped his glass more vigorously than was necessary.

“Isn’t he the boy you and Yejun beat up in Café Soul last year?” Beck pursed his lips. “What was that for again?”

“He made the moves on someone Yejun was involved with,” West lied, sticking to the story he and the others had come up with shortly after the event. No one could know the real story, especially not his father. He’d trust Beck with it if it were up to him, but it wasn’t.

The truth involved all three of them, and he wouldn’t go against Yejun’s or Lake’s wishes no matter what he personally thought of the latter’s cousin.

“That Iris girl, correct?” Beck was clearly trying to steer the conversation away from the task to help West avoid more comments from his father.

West appreciated it, but this also happened to be a subject he wasn’t fond of discussing.

“The one who was expelled?” Demitrious scowled. “What a waste of funding. I can’t believe riffraff like that are even still allowed enrollment. If it were up to me, Foxglove would be turned into a private university immediately. Only those set to enter Club Essential should be allowed access to our curriculum. Do you know how much effort went into cultivating that school to make it what it is today?”

Yes, but West also knew the man sitting across from him had very little to do with that effort.

Demitrious Corleone liked to take credit for accomplishments he didn’t make. They were well aware he would attempt the same once they did catch the hacker. But it didn’t matter.

Once Lake took the throne, West’s father would be in for the shock of a lifetime.

“Still,” Beck sighed. “Terrible what happened to her.”

“I hardly think expulsion is the end of the world,” West said. The only reason she’d gotten off with just that was because it’d become obvious she hadn’t been aware of the severity of her actions. Yejun, despite how livid he’d been, had taken pity on her in the end and opted for banishment over—

“Yes, well, she died, so…” Beck shrugged but then lifted a brow when West stared at him. “Didn’t you know?”

“No.” He shook his head, unsure how to feel about this revelation. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, she was one of my students. The family reached out after it happened, hoping I could help answer their questions. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very much help.”

“Questions?”

“According to her mother, she took her own life.”

West was admittedly surprised. He hadn’t known her very well, but Iris hadn’t struck him as the type of person to easily succumb to a shit hand. She’d been kicked out of Foxglove, sure, but she’d made it away with all of her limbs and no physical harm to her person—unlike Rase, whose offense was far less extreme than hers had been.

“Why would she do something like that?” he asked before he could help it.

“Why does anyone do anything?” Demitrious, clearly bored by the topic, downed his fourth glass of wine and then finally stood up. “Let Lake know I was disappointed not to see him here—actually,” he held up a hand, “never mind. I’ll call him myself. Beck, always a pleasure.”

Beck stood and bowed, but West didn’t bother.

He just couldn’t understand. Iris had been virtually let off the hook, and for something as serious as treason and assassin—

“Are you all right?” Beck rested a hand on West’s back. “I apologize. I didn’t realize you knew her that well. I was certain you wouldn’t care what became of her since you and Yejun ran her off campus.”

“It’s fine,” West said solemnly.

Beck’s multi-slate went off then and he frowned down at the screen.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” he sighed. “A student has suddenly begun to cross boundaries, that’s all.”

“That’s what you get for being a hot, young professor,” West teased, trying to regain some semblance of a normal mood.Whether or not Iris had taken her own life or simply died of other causes, it didn’t affect his life. “Add rich to the list. Of course they’re throwing themselves at you, especially now that Lake is officially off the market.”

“Has he made an official announcement?”

“Not yet, but everyone’s seen the claiming mark on Nixie’s neck.”

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