Page 84 of Sweetheart: Part One

But that wasn’t all. While Love would hold Vex at arm’s reach so I’d never know if he gave a shit, Rook didn’t have such restraint. He’d been circling her like a hyena.

“You’re not hard to read, Harrison. She’s your first, and you can’t handle the idea of watching her walk away with that.”

Rook leaned back, giving me that half sneer he always did when he wasn’t sure if he should take my bait.

Of course, he took it.

“First what?”

“Rejection from a beta Sweetheart?”

Those sorts of reactions from Rook, they were on the sunny side of the moon for me. When he acted like a prick, I could relate. This one was easy: Vex was a challenge, she hated him, which he wasn’t used to, and it was fuelling his obsession.

“She wants me,” Rook snorted, just like the predictable idiot he was. “Had her melting in my lap earlier.”

My grin widened.

Rook was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a liar for bragging rights. So he was telling the truth, only, I didn’t believe for a second that Vexwantedhim. She’d come for me for a signature as a last resort, not expecting his at all, and I could guess why. My balcony and Rook’s faced the same way. I’d heard the scream from my room the other night just in time to see her flinging one of his trophies onto the driveway below—which was pretty fucking hilarious. But after, Vex had run from him, terrified.

This was exactly what I’d stayed for. If she was giving him affection like he just claimed, it could only mean one thing.

Blackmail.

Primitive and so fucking Rook.

And the only blackmail Vex would respond to was a threat on her contract. If I found what Rook had on her, I could pull the trigger on it and get her out of here.

At my abrupt silence, Rook’s fixed expression poorly masked discomfort. That part was almost its own victory: watching his arrogance calcify as he reached the conclusion that he’d just taken my bait.

Fucking idiot.

Satisfaction coiled tight in my chest, a buzzing cord of contentment warding away the silence.

Rook was good for that. A fool, sure, but compared to the rest of this lifeless world? He was a diamond, finding ways to surprise often enough that I still felt a vibration when I trashed him like I just had.

Now. Was there a way to flip this script on Vex to trick her into spilling? That would be fastest, since Rook would be on lockdown for a while after this.

I got to my feet, watching the calculation in his eyes—the little spark of irritation as I dismissed him while he was still coming up with ways to retaliate.

It would come. Something designed to wound me. Then it would fall short and I’d get another echo of that victory. Spoiled and incapable of not lashing out when beaten, he was always courteous enough to offer me that.

I wondered what it would be? A threat? Perhaps a reminder of a past victory? (Or Love’s, since Rook had so few to count).

Five years, and he still hadn’t figured out that shame was one of those emotions I just didn’t have. Only Love knew that truth, since the world served me better if I could give it the illusion of a win every once in a while.

I was almost at the door when Rook’s jab came.

I turned, a smirk on my lips as I rested my shoulder against the doorframe.

But then his words landed.

Truly landed.

“Guess she’s worth losing Drake over, then?”

I realised my smile had slipped too late as I cycled his words a dozen times, searching for the bluff.

Drake?

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