Page 80 of Ruthless Legacy

“You’re not wrong,” Vee comments, coming to stand beside me. She gives my waist a squeeze. “He makes my skin crawl. I hope you lock your bedroom door at night with him around?”

I nod my head firmly. “Trust me, I do.” I’m about to ask her if she’s ready to go for a wander when a bell rings throughout the room.

“Oh excellent. Dinner is served. I’m starving. Come on.” She loops her other arm through Rafe’s and pulls us along, leaving Archer to trail behind us.

I am disappointed to find out my neighbour at dinner is Georgie. Fuck my life. Of all the people in this room, I had to end up sitting next to her. I try to convince Vee to swap with me, but she’s having none of it. Lucky bitch has been put next to Rafe’s mum.

I feel Georgie sit up taller when I take my seat next to her. Even I have to admit she looks good tonight. Georgie has her blonde hair up in a stylish up-do with curled tendrils framing her face. Her dress is a pale green and is corset style, so it pushes her boobs up and gives her some serious cleavage.

The meal is painful. Georgie is all smiles and politeness, but she gets the odd dig in when she thinks no one is listening. Thankfully, we are sitting across from Archer’s grandfather, who I can’t help but adore. He has a funny streak and a love for one-liners that has even Georgie chuckling. He mentions more than once how much I look like my grandmother, and I see a sparkle in his eye when he talks about her. It’s obvious, if you look closely enough, that he held a torch for her in his younger years.

When dinner is finally over, I make myself scarce as quickly as I can, using the need for a bathroom break as my excuse to escape and get some air. I weave through the house until I find a door to outside and take a walk around the extensive gardens whilst I have a sneaky joint that I’d hidden in my purse. What I wouldn’t do now to be in my pyjamas in bed, watching my favourite show on Netflix. I put out the joint and spray myself with some perfume to hide the smell and head back inside. I enter through the same door I left and make my way along one of the many corridors in this house. I come to a stop and hide behind a large antique and expensive looking vase when I hear voices coming from a room to the left. Georgie’s mum comes out into the hallway fixing her hair, with a quick look up and down the hallway before she heads off back in the ballroom's direction. I arch a brow in surprise when I see Archer’s Dad exit the same room, seconds later, zipping up the flies on his trousers and running a hand through his dishevelled hair. It doesn’t take a genius to work out what those two have just been up to. Who would have thought it? Archers’ dad is giving it to Felicity Hamilton. Archer’s dad is a free agent, but Felicity most certainly isn’t.

A hand reaches around my waist, and I gasp when a firm male body presses against my back.

“What are you doing sneaking around out here?” The male voice asks me in my ear.

“I’m not sneaking around Seb. I was just admiring this vase. It looks old.”

Seb snorts behind me, which tells me he doesn’t believe a word of it. “Like you have a thing for old stuff. Who are you hiding from? Wilbur, or Archer and his possessive arse?”

I laugh and turn to face him. He’s dressed in a tux, like every other male here. He looks very much the distinguished young gentleman tonight. “Why, look at you.” I straighten his bow tie. “Don’t you look dapper?”

“And don’t you look good enough to eat, Little Red? That dress is sinful. Shall we hit the dancefloor and make Archer jealous?” He waggles his eyebrows at me, daring me to play along.

“I will dance with you,” I reply. “But not because I want to make anyone jealous.”

“Sure thing, gorgeous,” Seb says, winking at me and grabbing hold of my hand as he pulls me back towards the party.

The dancefloor is bustling with couples dancing along to the live band plays over by the corner of the room. No expenses were spared here tonight. He grabs me by my waist and clasps my hand in his as we move across the floor.

“Someone has the moves,” I say, impressed.

Seb shrugs but grins. “These hips can move.” I don’t miss that he’s not referring to his dancing skills.

“Too much information, Seb,” I say, laughing and shaking my head at him. He dips me, making me clutch at his arm, before he yanks me back up and holds on tightly to my waist.

As we’re dancing, I catch one of the serving girls, watching us from the side-lines. Well, I say watching us but really her full focus is on Seb. She looks familiar.

“I think you have a fan,” I tell him, and gesture with my head over to the girl. He follows my gaze and when his eyes meet hers, she drops her stare to her feet, her cheeks heating in colour.

“She’s a little young for me,” he replies, his gaze turning frosty.

I look back over at the girl. “She’s not that much younger than us. She looks about fifteen. Does she go to our school?”

He shakes his head, turning his attention away from the girl and back on me. “No. If she’s a server, then I imagine she attends the state school. Anyway, enough about the girl. Let’s look and see if Archer is watching.”

His mischievous eyes search around the room, and he grimaces. “Look who poor Savage got lumbered with?”

I follow Seb’s line of sight and they land on Archer and Georgie. She is clinging tightly to him, her mouth moving non-stop as she likely chews off his ear about something inanely boring. Archer, meanwhile, has his eyes focused over her head on me. His dark eyes burn into me, branding me and claiming me.

“I couldn’t think of two people more suited to each other.”

Seb sniggers into my hair. “You couldn’t be more wrong. You see, Georgie, she destroys and hurts people out of boredom and to make herself feel better. Archer destroys people because they deserve it.”

“Did Robinson deserve it when you and your cronies filled his mouth with soil and made him think he was being buried alive?”

Seb looks down at me and gives me a firm nod. “He did. That slimy little shit had been lurking outside the houses of some of the girls at school and taking photos of them getting changed. Robinson is a little peeping tom, and he needed to be taught a lesson.”

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