Page 26 of Reflections of Peonies
“Well—” She seemed hesitant but continued. “This Bianca girl has been spotted with you and Professor Abernathy around campus. She knows Finn, and she’s roommates with Jiayi Chou. We’d wondered how she knew everyone since you’re all… you. Then, she and Professor Dubois began to make their affection more obvious. While it’s against the rules for a professor to date a student, it doesn’t stop it from happening.”
A strange sound echoed in my ears. Despite my horror, a plan continued to form in my mind. It was a terrible idea, but at the same time, it might work.
The problems this could solve.
But it would be really, really irritating.
“There’s also—” She wavered as she glanced at the others, but apparently, she’d become their spokesperson. “Well, they say itmakes sense that she knows your circle then. She can’t be withyou,” she said boldly, looking me up and down. “You’re not like that. And she can’t be one of Professor Abernathy’s girls. She’s been seen with him too many times.”
I was desperately fighting the urge to hold my face.
“So,” I ventured, needing to make sure that I had this perfectly straight, “people think that Bianca and Bryce are together? What’s this about a fight?”
“Finn got jealous!” the sad girl spoke up. “He challenged Bryce when he found out, but Bryce won.”
Finn could easily defeat Bryce, but that wasn’t important. How in the world did people come up with this crap? Did everyone have nothing better to do?
But… this was helpful.
I hadn’t considered this approach, but it might work. We could transfer the conservatorship. Ideally, Bianca would be established as able to make her own decisions, but that would take a while. We needed to get her out of there first and deal with the legal matters later.
Bianca was going to kill me.
Or maybe she wouldn’t. The last time I saw them, she didn’t seem to hate him nearly as much. Besides, if my theory was correct, it wasn’t like this would be legally binding anyway.
But nobody had to know that part yet.
“Have you lost your mind?”Bryce placed his hands on his desk, his shock so evident that his eyebrows nearly rose to his hairline. “I can’t marry her!”
Finn scowled. He clearly took personal offense to this suggestion. “Why not me?”
“Because—” I half-heartedly gestured toward him. “Right now, she hates you more than Bryce. And it wouldn’t be legal. This is temporary. Besides, she might not even agree.”
“How does that make me the better option?” Bryce put his hand to his chest. His offended expression was almost comical when combined with the swelling and bruises. “How am I a less horrible choice?”
“Don’t be stupid.” I crossed my arms. How much longer did he plan to deny it? “It’ll be easy. We’ll play into the existing rumors about the two of you, and once people learn you’re actually siblings, the marriage will be annulled anyway.”
Bryce’s face lost all color, and he fell back into his seat. His shocked gaze stayed steady on mine. “What are you talking about?”
Finn’s expression was blank, but he didn’t appear surprised. His hatred for Bryce was beginning to make a lot more sense.
Damen’s was different. Though, from his recent reaction—the way he blamed Bryce for Bianca’s abuse—he clearly suspected.
However, suspicion was different than knowing. And now I was sure—the confirmation was written all over Bryce’s face. Newfound horror flooded my emotions.
But not toward Bryce.
“There was no way this was your idea, you were only five,” I said, holding his gaze even as his face twisted. “Why was she sent away? Wasn’t she wanted? Because of that, she—”
“You don’t need to repeat what she’s been through,” Bryce hissed, his fists clenched on the desk. “I was there when we were told. And as for your questions, I don’t have the clearance to divulge that information.”
“Don’t have the clearance?” I couldn’t believe the stupid words coming out of his mouth. Even Finn, who had begun leaning forward, watched Bryce in suspicion. “You’re an ErBashou. You have almost all of the clearances that a personcanhave.”
“I don’t have clearances for everything,” Bryce said, his gaze unwavering.
Alarm clouded my thoughts. It was too soon for the Council to know about Bianca. I thought we’d have more time.
But if someone there had known about her all along?
