Page 158 of Corrupt Me

“Sadly, we’re not lucky enough for him to burst a vein,” Blake says as he watches him and waves at him, too, sticking up his middle finger.

“Abigail and I had dinner on campus, and he was there trying to befriend us. I could so easily run him over,” Dane sighs as if sad he can’t do just that.

“He asked Celine if we can go on a double date. I want to piss off that guy and you’re fucking his fiancée so… I can’t wait to reveal that to him,” Kaden smirks.

“Still, we have to find fucking Felix first,” I say through gnashed teeth.

“It’s just a matter of time now,” Blake says resolutely.

I focus on that because time is ticking and not at all in my favor.

“It will still be a PR disaster,” Dane says.

Kaden shrugs. “We’ll make the news disappear. And if people want to stay in our circle, they’ll have to never mention the engagement again.”

“What better way to show that if you betray us, we’ll ruin you,” I conclude.

***

Samuel outdid himself. When we come back from campus, the ATVs are lined up in front of the estate. He hands us a map of the compound, explaining that whoever brings the flag home will earn a carte blanche from him—a favor everyone wants. Samuel knows everything that happens around here.

As we take off, it becomes clear that he hasn’t made the quest easy for us. Every time we reach a point marked on the map, another riddle awaits us. What starts as a fun scavenger hunt quickly turns into a competition.

Hours pass as we speed across the estate, chasing after the flag.

I hear the other ATVs nearing, and Bailey says from hers, “We have to hurry.”

Revving up, we’re the first to reach the flag planted in the middle of a meadow.

“Ugh,” Celine whines when she reaches us, always the competitive one.

“I knew that quickie would cost us,” Abi huffs.

But I have my eyes on my sister because she’s a master thief.

“Don’t even think about it,” I tell her. Just to make sure, Bailey and I ride back to the estate, where Samuel waits with refreshments at the foot of the entrance stairs.

“Congratulations,” he says, dipping his head.

To make it official, he gives us a certificate with our names handwritten on it and his signature.

Celine crosses her arms. “I want a rematch.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Langley. This was a one-time thing.”

“It’s obvious you favor them,” Abi mumbles next.

“Stop being sore losers, you two,” Mia says, congratulating us.

Bailey gives Samuel the flag, and then I pull her to my side.

“We make a good team,” she smiles, tipping her chin up to me.

I arch an arrogant brow. “Did you have any doubts about that?”

“When we’re together, it feels so perfect that there’s not a single one.”

“I’ll have a lifetime to obliterate any. Our connection runs deeper than the physical and surpasses the emotional. Our souls are irrevocably interlinked.”

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