Page 30 of Gambit
It doesn’t come as a surprise; as I said, I was expecting it. “I’m aware, but this is what happens when people get a whiff of power. They want to take it down.”
“Hmm. You are a liability to this institution, Ms Hughes. Your academic future is hanging by a thread, and I have just the scissors to cut it with the university board.” He slides a piece of paper across the desk. “Withdraw from Castle voluntarily, say it’s due to personal reasons, or I’ll make sure you’re expelled for academic misconduct.”
“What?” I spit out, glaring at the piece of paper on his desk. “You can’t be serious?”
My heart beats steady, even as I take in his words. This isn’t just about university. If I leave, Dad will see it as a failure. He’ll think I can’t handle the real world, let alone our empire.
“Refusal isn’t an option,” Peters adds, a smirk crawling over his face. “Unless you want to be seen as a troublemaker who got herself expelled from one of the finest institutions in England.”
I don’t know which is worse. Either way, Dad will be severely disappointed to the point where he might take everything I’ve worked for away from me. This is part of my test. Fail here, and I fail full stop.
Peters has the exact noose around my neck that will do the most damage to me without killing me, which he can’t do.
But I can’t let him see how big this hit is to my gut. “Give me time to consider,” I say, voice even, hiding the storm inside.
“Forty-eight hours,” he replies with a dismissive wave. “And if anything happens to befall me in the meantime, the paperwork will automatically be set in motion for expulsion.”
I walk out, not letting him see the anger that’s ready to boil over. Outside, the air is fresh, a stark contrast to the stiflingatmosphere I’ve just left. Texting the guys as I head straight for the townhouse; they’re already there when I walk in.
The shock has worn off on the short walk, and now I’mpissedbeyond belief. How dare this trumped-up cunt threaten me.
My face must look like thunder as I walk into the living room to see the guys waiting for me because Raphael asks, “Wow, okay. Who lit the fuse on your tampon?”
I’m too angry to rise to the joke, so I lay it out. “Peters has given me an ultimatum. Forty-eight hours to leave Castle voluntarily, or he will get me expelled for academic misconduct.”
“What?” Tarquin barks. “He can’t do that.”
“He can and he will. He has me right where he wants me. Dad will never accept this. My life is ruined either way.”
“Look, Damon isn’t an idiot. He must know Peters has it out for you. If you go to him and tell him, this will be a distant memory by tomorrow,” Oliver says.
“And if he doesn’t believe me? I’ve got too much riding on this. I cannot fail. And going to Dad is not an option anyway. Whichever way this blows, he will see it as a failure. I’m caught between a rock, a hard place and a mountain.”
I flop on the couch and the guys surround me, giving me their support.
“Do you want us to kill him?” James asks seriously.
“You can’t. He made sure of it.”
“Fuck,” Raphael mutters. “What a prick.”
“We need something on him, something we can blackmail him with,” Oliver says. “This isn’t over, Eliza. Not by a long shot.”
“Blackmail,” James says, nodding. “Classic, but effective.”
“We’ll start digging,” Tarquin says. “He is VC here, which means he’s in deep with the mafia. No way is he squeaky clean. Who did he screw to get VC?”
“Eurgh,” I mutter, holding onto the vomit at the thought of anyone screwing him. “But you’re right. There has to besomething. Some skeleton in the closet.”
“Don’t worry,” Tarquin says with a smile. “We’ll find something to bury him with before the forty-eight hours are up.”
Leaning back against the soft leather of the couch, I let out a deep breath and close my eyes for just a second. It’s not just my academic career on the line—it’s a power play for control over my future and everything I’ve been groomed for since birth.
“Who do we know who he’s connected to?” I ask.
“His allegiance isn’t well known, but I believe it’s to the Highams. We can start there. I’ll hit up Adam and see what he knows,” Oliver says. “His parents are in the same field as mine, so he’ll talk as long as I can make it worth his while.”
I nod. “I have money?—”
