Page 65 of Frayed Owner

It was just my history like any other part of me—like having blue eyes and a bullet point in my bio. She didn’t getstuckon it like everyone else fucking did.

She really was amazing.

And I was in love with her.

Fuck.

Yeah, she deserved to be loved—her more than maybe anyone else after all she’d been through—but… Her life was never going to be easy. And one of five to be with her was something I was going to struggle with.

But as she changed topics to how she wanted to carve out some time Friday to include Teddy in our new “spa night” because she had an idea for a fur treatment for him, I knew it would be worth it. She would always make each of us a priority and be good to me.

Probably better than a woman who would only date me.

And I wanted to spoil her just as much.

Time to get on that.

16

The prank got better after people were filled in what was going on. Yeah, a few people yelled at me at lunch, but most were congratulating me on something so creative and different… Even if they didn’t want to.

But they laughed it off and rolled with it. A big part of that was Winter and his friends and I knew that. Also, the headmaster’s support.

With what I did, there was talk of changing the rules. Apparently, a freshman coming up with something so different no one else had been inventive enough to pull was the ammunition he’d needed to go to the board. Winter and his friends were part of the driving force, saying they were tired of people going for the easy targets and being lazy.

They were framing the whole thing that this new wave of lazy was tarnishing the reputation of Morrigan students and they were about to graduate after working hard. They weren’t going to allow it.

Which was why a bunch of master’s students made sure my prank was all over our social media, not even just Winter’s friends.Whichwas how our regular media caught wind of it.

The next morning, I froze as that same unknown number that sent me the information about Kevin sent me a link. So it couldn’t have been Charles. He was locked up.

Plus, I’d checked the number with my old phone and all the family numbers I’d had saved there.

I was glad I was still alone in my dorm room as I hit play.

“Are you going to rein in your sister, Ms. Shaw?” someone shouted at Jean as she walked along. “Isn’t it your duty as theheadof the Shaw family?”

Jean stopped and slowly turned to the voice, taking off her sunglasses, and I knew that look of amused hostility.

It made me fucking shiver and hug myself as I kept watching.

“‘Rein in?’” she mocked. “I know you’re a sexist fool, but my sister isn’t a mare no matter your viewpoint on a woman’s place in our society. Your word choice wasn’t a slip, nor was your inflection on me being the head of the Shaw family. I understand you do not like a female being the head, butshockinglyyou don’t matter enough to get a vote.

“And before you twist my words to make me sound classist, I’m judging you that you can’t even do your job with integrity seeing how biased you are. I’m not even the first female head of the Shaw family and the family flourished under a woman and it was better for our community, so maybe we shouldlearnfrom that and embrace this isn’t revolutionary.

“Now, on to your question even if distasteful. My sister is an adult. Athrivingadult who impressed the headmaster of Morrigan from her last entry into the Wicked Challenges. As the kids say, she’s killing it. And I would expect nothing less of her. She freed herself from the grasp of Charles Shaw who constantly forced the women of this family to be mediocre.

“Over and over again we were put down and lectured not to shine so his beloved, monstrous heir, Alex, didn’t look the fool and as lazy as he was. I have not a doubt that Clare would have shined just as brightly if she’d been free to do as she wanted as well. Bevin did everything right. She followed the rules, and given it was new, went the extra step to check.

“Cheaters shouldn’tcheat. People should have more honor. She wanted people to be nicer and not so vile to each other. We should all aspire to be the same. It’s not her fault that the dominos fell and people were exposed. I heard students were hiding in their dorms all day so nothing else came out. The real story is what have they done that’s so bad that they need tohide?

“Or why have the standards of Morrigan fallen so much that a freshman is the only one challenging the system and now has enough points that no one can realistically catch up to her? Not to demean her excellence, but we should have others excelling as well. It’s laziness, and I applaud Headmaster Kerwynn for taking the swift steps to correct it.

“But while we’re on the topic of my sister, I will publicly state that the Shaw family will be withdrawing their support of the Rice family in suing Bevin Millen.” She nodded when a few people gasped. “I’m sorry for the Rice family, but Curtis Rice was a corrupt officer, and I have the proof that I’m giving to Bevin’s attorney.

“He was an employee of Charles Shaw. He wasn’t the only one, and all of that I’m giving over to the chief of police as I said. My father is a disgusting man who was trying to humiliate and traumatize his own daughter for not being silent property. Well, Charles Shaw is no longer in charge, and I will not allow this madness to hurt my siblings, Millen in last name or Shaw.”

That was the end of the clip. I let out a slow breath and backed out of it only to find I had more messages.

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