"Oh, sure. Let's tell everyone we're stuck in a closet together. That'll kill the rumors."He winced. "They're already saying worse."I felt like he'd punched me. I pressed myself back against the shelf, trying to get any distance at all. His eyes dropped again before he jerked them up to my face. I
Amelia POVI sat with Emma in the little break area, nursing cheap coffee that tasted like dirt.She was reviewing notes on her tablet while I tried not to hunch in on myself.She glanced up. "You know the rumors about you and Richard are making the rounds in the office, right?"I set the coffee dow
I tugged at the black dress Emma handed me, trying to hide the way my hands shook. It felt like armor and a noose at the same time. She didn’t say anything about how I looked. Just handed it over and told me to be ready. When I pinned my hair back, I could see my face in the cracked mirror. Pale. Ti
A knock. I jumped. I wiped my face and opened the door a crack. Simon looked exhausted. Hollow."Amelia. Let me in."I moved back. He stepped in and closed the door. The silence between us was thick."You’re not okay," he said finally.I didn’t meet his eyes. "What do you want?""I want you to stop
I told myself I was down in the archives to clear my head, to figure out what to do next, to put that damn kiss out of my head. I was trying to figure out how the fallback plan even got leaked and how to make it make sense. I was trying to prove I could still help. That I was worth keeping here.The
I tore my arm free. “I’m going to find out who did it.”Richard didn’t blink. “Do it quietly.”Jenny’s smile said she was planning her next move.Adam waited in the hall. Storm-light lit his face like a threat. “Amelia.”I didn’t stop. “What.”“You’re tearing the House apart.”“I’m telling the truth