Page 130 of Feed Your Fiends

“Two brothers,” I say.

“Who look nothing alike.”

An angel and a demon.

“Nevertheless.”

“Maybe it’s time for a new photo.” I take the instant camera and hand it to Rie before sitting behind Hale. I make a crown with my fingers and place it onto Hale’s head as he smiles into the camera a second before another white flash goes off.

The photo slips out, and Hale catches it before slipping it into the homemade picture frame. Then he takes his phone, snaps a picture of it and uploads it to his profile.

“What should we caption it?”

“You’re Beaulieu’s new king,” I say, taking the phone from him and typing the caption,All Hail King Hale.

Hale.

Hail.

Hale.

Hail King Hale…

Doesn’t that sound royal?

Elle

For once in my entire life, I wish Rin was around. I eye my outfit, one that should be sporty but modest given that I’m meeting my boyfriend’s father.

Mypretendboyfriend’s father.

Mypretendboyfriend’smurderousfather.

So, why does my outfit matter? Why should I care what sort of impression I make? I’m not sticking around. I don’t give a damn if I make Gant proud by being the perfect piece of eye candy on his arm, or if his family views me as nothing but a money-hungry wet hole he’s temporarily obsessed with.

And I damn sure don’t care about impressing Bart because I secretly hope he’d surprise me and like me for his son. So that maybe I could delay my plan…

And it's not because I’d hope Gant’s only living parent would approve ofus.That he would give me a crumb of affirmation that’s not related to malice and money endeavours so that I could pretend for a bit longer.

‘Thank you,’he said, wrapping his arms around me this morning.‘For coming today. For showing up for me.’

I don’t care about that, about him either. I just want to look nice, for myself.

What I do care about is getting this folder to Bart Auclair and that money transfer into my bank account before midnight.

I eye the dark green folder embossed with its golden letters and quickly readjust it in my purse so that the corner isn’t peaking out before I sling the bag over my shoulder. Should I carry it on my shoulder? Or clutch it daintily in my hand? Was my bag too big? Too goofy looking with my pleated skirt?

Damn, if only I were in Beaulieu’s dorm, I could ask Aria or Stassi. They’d probably been to hundreds of cricket events. They’d know if my beach waves made sense or if my outfit was too tennis adjacent, totry hard.Gant had shoved his card into my palm, laid his head and laptop onto my lap and begged me to order whatever the fuck I wanted, and I’d finally relented.

But everything I showed him he liked because I liked it. I could’ve shown him a top with actual crickets on it and so long as it stretched tight over my tits, he’d like it too. The reason he dresses so well is because he has a personal stylist who fills his closet with his favourite shades of blacks, whites, and grays in a variety of patterns, textures, and fabrics I couldn’t pronounce. He has a perfect outfit for every occasion without a clue or care as to how it got there.

His closet is organized with little brushed plaques of suggested occasions, right down to brunch. Needless to say, he was zero help as he helped himself to my pussy as I scrolled.

Rin.If only I could’ve called her, but Gant was slinking behind me in the mirror before we left. I hope he isn’t slinking around the ladies’ bathroom door in the lobby waiting for me to finish my bout of diarrhoea because I’ve been in the bathroom for no less than ten minutes at this point. I’d begged him to go start his game. Promised him I’d be right behind him, but every time I reach for the door handle, my stomach rolls over at my new reality once I put the folder in Bart’s hands.

He would’ve burst in by now, ignoring any shouts of the other ladies drifting in and out, but I’d heard the horsemen’s voices. Hale and Zedd’s, and other voices that could only belong to the wealthy who’d lured him away. Voices that are so smooth and low, so unbothered by life’s trivial affairs because they don’t apply to them.

I open the folder and look at the letter Rin typed up.For me.

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