Page 128 of Unwritten Rules

“The one percent of the one percent just acts like this?” I couldn’t fathom how the top did all that they did. It felt soulless, like they’d signed their souls away in exchange for power and money.

There was a separate set of rules by which we lived. Yes,we. The government worked for us, law enforcement was a bill to pay, and doing what you wanted wasn’t a fantasy. It horrified me. I could get away with so much without suffering anything other than a fake slap on the wrist.

And made me angry at my mother for keeping me boxed up like she did. Kelly knew the reality, Brent knew the reality, and everyone around me was in the loop while I stood on the outside like an actual child begging for porridge.

Kelly stood at the stove prepping breakfast, keeping a bit too silent for my comfort. Was the news affecting her? Or were there other things going on she was keeping close to her chest?

“I have that meeting with Augustus today,” I injected into the silence.

She cracked an egg into a bowl. “Today’s a big day. You think you’re ready?”

I’d forgotten to mention what I’d learned about Sylvia to her. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. With what I learned about her involvement and knowledge in certain extracurriculars by way of her father—that I didn’t know if she talked to—I was not in a very sharing mood.

More secrets to hold that would tear us apart, according to Madame Dina.

I nodded, offering up a smile as I poured orange juice. Looks like we both have our secrets. “I’ve been briefed again and again since Evans started dragging me in early. James has been filling me in on details when he comes inside, too. I wasn’t technically supposed to be involved until I was twenty-one, but I’m happy I started now. It’ll make things easier.”

She flipped the omelet, the spatula scraping the pan, the only sound between us while she pondered what I said. “How come you’ve not been involved even earlier? Like when you were eighteen?”

“Good question,” I said. An answer we had yet to fully investigate.

Sylvia had been doing a lot of damage, and I had a few short months to figure out how to stop it.

“Well, I’m off on a date after breakfast,” she said, breaking up my train of thoughts by dishing up two plates with omelets, bacon, and toast.

The silence between us was less than comfortable, full of words that needed to be said, but wouldn’t be. It made me think the fortune reader may have been right in her prediction.

There were many dark paths that lay ahead of us.

“What’re you planning to do on your date?” I poked around with my fork, hoping to break the weird silence.

She clicked her tongue. “He wants to go golfing and then lunch at his family’s country club. He has no idea I’m about to wallop him with a good game of golf.”

“Ever the athletic prowess, and I didn’t know Shane was part of a country club,” I said with a mouth full of food. “I, on the other hand, have a date with a very old man. ”

“Eww! Make sure he leaves you all his money, though,” she snorted, avoiding talking about Shane. She was usually very talkative about her male ventures.

“Very funny.”

The compound for the Vaughn residence was intimidating. It was mafia style. It was an empire dressed as a mansion. The scale of every building had me holding my breath as I stepped out of the car.So,thisis what wealth looks like.The compound sprawled like a small city–straight out of a movie, where power dripped out of every corner. Every shadow told of the control the Vaughn’s held

Landscaping so immaculate, it felt unnatural. The hedges were trimmed with near robotic precision, the grass was healthy green and perfectly even, and the rows of flowers framed every edge and pathway. It was beautiful in a terrifying way, demanding respect, intolerant of mistakes.

Classic architecture and warm colorings spoke to the old but inspired design. Dark wood lined everything, and it was all comprised of leather or true velvet. Each room I came into watched me, judged my every movement.

Augustus Vaughn knew style and oozed with it.

I bet he had his own swagger, too.

I tried to focus on the intricate details of decor to steady myself and familiarize myself with my surroundings, but this wasn’t a house or even a mansion. This was a fortress. A statement.

“Welcome, Miss Montgomery. Shall I take your coat?” A man at the door opened and ushered me in, leading me through the foyer.

I may as well cooperate. “Sure, thank you.” I plastered a sickly-sweet smile to my lips, hoping to feign niceties.

“Yes, right this way. The Vaughn men shall be waiting for you inside.”

“...Men?”

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