Page 5 of The Ruthless Rivalry

I stay silent, my eyes unfocused. Part of me wants to scream, to tell him everything, but I know he won’t believe me—not when everyone else is spinning their own version of events. He should believe me; he went to Altair. Why is he refusing to see my side of this?

He sighs, placing a business card on the bedside table. “Her name is Evelyn Chen. She comes highly recommended. Please, just consider it.”

I give a noncommittal grunt, still not looking at him.

As he leaves the room again, I turn my head slightly to look at the business card. Evelyn Chen. The name means nothing to me, and it never will.

Chapter 2

Sutton

Bishop walks up beside me and casually drapes an arm over my shoulder. I quickly shake it off. He frowns but doesn’t push back, and for once I’m grateful for it.

“So how’s our little patient doing?” he asks.

“Alex is doing fine,” I reply with a shrug.

“Fine?” Bishop raises an eyebrow. “That’s not very descriptive.”

I sigh, knowing he won’t let this go. “She’s resting now. No signs of permanent damage. She has a mild concussion, but the doctor thinks she could potentially be released tomorrow.”

Bishop nods, his eyes fixed on the courtyard ahead. “And how much does she remember?” Bishop’s voice is low, almost solemn.

I snort. “All of it.”

The image of Alex’s lifeless body lies burned into my mind, haunting me. She had been sprawled like a ragdoll at the bottom of the drained pool, her limbs twisted and splayed in unnatural angles. The stillness of her form was suffocating, taunting me with the possibility that she may never wake up again, while knowing I had a part in it.

The steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sign of life after Sly and I had brought her in. The relief I’d felt when she woke up was short-lived. The moment Alex’s eyes fluttered open, I saw the recognition, the fear, and the anger. She remembered everything.

“All of it?” Bishop repeats, his voice tinged with concern. “Well, that complicates things.”

I turn to face him, my jaw clenched. “Complicates things? That’s all you have to say? Her mother nearly killed her, Bishop. And we had a hand in it, for what?”

He holds up his hands in a placating gesture. “Now, now, Sutton. Let’s not get carried away.Wedidn’t nearly kill her, remember?”

“We set up the entire thing,” I remind him with a hiss, keeping my voice low to avoid drawing attention from the other students and parents still milling about the courtyard.

Bishop glowered, his false jovial demeanor fading. “That was necessary. You know what’s at stake here. We can’t afford to lose sight of the bigger picture.”

I clench my fists, fighting the urge to punch him. “The bigger picture? You know that drop was at least twelve feet. Alex could have died. How is that justifiable?”

His gaze flickers briefly to the side, avoiding my eyes for a moment before he shifts his weight, his shoulders tightening.

“Because sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good,” Bishop replies, his voice cold and detached. “You knew what you agreed to when we all vowed to get rid of her.”

I shake my head, disgust rising in my throat. “I didn’t sign up for this. I agreed to make her want to leave Altair. Not potentially kill her.”

I tilted my chin toward him, noting the way his jaw had tightened at my words. It was a small shift, but I could see it—the subtle, rare flicker of uncertainty that crossed his face before he quickly masked it with that usual, cold composure. It was so unlike him.

“And what’s the plan now?” My voice softened, despite the sharpness of my words. “She remembers everything. She knows we were involved. You’re lucky her father blamed her concussion for her wild words, but how long before others aren’t as quick to assume she’s wrong about what happened?”

Bishop’s lips pressed into a thin line, and his fingers twitched at his sides as if he was fighting to keep them still. He was never this fidgety.

His response came quick, but there was something in the way he said it, like he was pushing the words out rather than choosing them. “Did you handle it?”

I lean back, disgust twisting in my gut. “I said what I needed to say to keep her quiet for now. I also made sure she’d be at the ceremony tomorrow.”

“Good, good.” His voice was tight, almost too tight. “I can’t wait for Prescott’s father to see the disappointing score she’ll receive for her outburst at the pre-trial game.”

---