Page 70 of Tempting Little Thief

There is no knife he’s waiting to thrust into my back, but also no trust he can be given.

Outsiders are what they are for a reason.

Greed and the need for power are hard enough to handle for the people bred into our world, and it’s only that much harder for those who stumble upon it.

And the ones who stumble tend to fall flat … right into a pre-dug plot at Greyson Cemetery.

My father would have his head, without a second thought, if Bastian so much as lingered too long.

Curious minds cause conflict,as he would say in justification, just as he loves to remind me, some paper trails need not be forged, daughter. We’re only dishonest when we must be.

That is his favorite line when I argue my case as to why I should be sitting in classes all day and not privy to his business meetings, being that I’ll take his place one day. We could easily forge my transcripts to reflect I completed all that was required, but he won’t allow it because “paper trails.”

Truthfully, he’s not being entirely overcautious. I know there must be tracks inquiring minds can touch, just in case, and every once in a while, someonedoesdecide they want to know more about who we are and what we do. Paper trails point them in the direction we want them to go, allowing us to control the narrative.

For instance, if you look at my transcript, it shows an eighteen-year-old Olympic gold medalist. Honor student, doubling her studies in international business and investment management with a perfect record. The average man reading my file would see it for what it is, an academic genius, likely due to being a spoiled rich girl with every resource available at her fingertips, just as they believe Greyson Elite Academy to be some kind of rich kid club.

But if, say, an enemy of my father was to look at this, he’d begin strategizing immediately. Seeking allies in favor of keeping Rayo Revenaw from expanding his reach any further than it already is—which I fully intend to do in time.

So poor Bastian, and his lack of living proof, won’t sit well with my father, should he take an interest in him, but I won’t give him reason to.

My father knows I’m no angel, even if he and the other elders demand we pretend to be in the presence of most, but he’s fully aware of who his daughter is and likely knows some of the things I might be up to. It’s his job to keep me in line, focused and headed in the right direction, but he allows a bit of leeway as I never give him reason to worry.

He expects me to be cunning and ruthless when the situation calls for it, as it does when dealing with potential prospects. So long as I continue to do what’s expected of me, be pretty and perfect in all areas, and poisonous to the ones that matter most, he pretends to leave me alone, expecting Sai to report if the reality reads otherwise.

Saidoesreport to my dad, but as his lifelong best friend, Sai knows how to work my dad when necessary. He would never directly lie to a pointed question, so he’s strategic with the things he shares and always has to give him more than I would want because if he didn’t, my father would grow suspicious, Sai would be relieved as my guard, and who the hell knows who would be put in his place.

So, basically, if I want to hold on to my new naughty friend for a while, all I have to do is keep him away from my dad.

It shouldn’t be too hard.

Right?

Chapter 13

Rocklin

The prospects are abuzz, the result of Valley’s scheme having posted early on the town’s social media sites, and the need for a celebration works perfectly in our favor.

The girls want to meet Bastian, as is their right, since he took it upon himself to slip into the space that belongs to them as well. Besides, they’re my girls. They should know who to blame if blame needs a name.

Tonight, we’re partying in The Devine Lounge.

The space is larger than our Greyson Suite to allow room for all of us. There’s shiny shit everywhere and reflective glass makes up ninety percent of the room, representing a strong and solid front—cracks are for the weak, and those who create them are thrown out.

Valley passed her first test, as well as her second, though she doesn’t know it yet.

Everyone we’ve ever allowed within these four walls knows the mark of a Greyson when they hear one, but nobody knows who carries out what task. It’s a way to track loyalty outside of the unspoken threat against their families should they dare to breathe a word, of course.

Most are smarter than that, and the rare few who crave approval from their parents, running to them for what they hope will be their first pat on the back of their lifetime, learn the hard way doing so will earn them the opposite.

The parents know the drill and would hit them with a litany of disgrace they’d feel through the phone.

Once accepted, all parents who send their children here are after something. That’s literally the point to them living under the same roof and attending the same school as other high-profile attendees. No one leaves here without something. If you aren’t brought into the fold of one of our worlds, if not the Greyson Society directly, you still leave with a golden stamp of acceptance. Being invited to Greyson Elite is an honor in itself. Graduating from it is an open invitation to hold your nose as high in the air as you wish.

Not to mention the connections gained along the way, and some come solely for this reason.

Some areinvitedsolely for this reason.

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