Chapter 7

 

 

Cyrus Blackwood

The pen in my hand clicked relentlessly against the desk. Wren Carter sat two rows ahead, her foot bouncing like it carried a mind of its own. Every now and then, she threw a glare over her shoulder.

I ignored it. Because if I didn’t, I’d laugh. And that would ruin the game.

The bell rang before I could get a rise out of her. She packed her things in a hurry and stormed out, Gen trailing close behind like a guard dog. My jaw tightened.

Genny Lin.

Always interfering. She hadn’t always been like that. Our families were practically stitched together—her father and mine bound by years of loyalty. There was a time she used to sit beside me, laugh with me… trust me. Now she looked at me like I was something rotten. Funny how things change. A loud burst of laughter snapped me out of my thoughts.

Ryan was bent over, clutching his stomach, his phone in hand. “You should’ve seen her face!”

Lucas didn’t laugh. He looked uneasy. Ethan barely glanced up from his screen.

I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed. “Was the dead animal really necessary?”

Ryan shrugged like it was nothing.

A flicker of irritation sparked in my chest. It wasn’t that I cared. It was that it wasn’t enough.

“She didn’t react?” I asked flatly.

Ryan scoffed. “Barely. Just slammed the locker shut and walked off.”

My fingers tightened around my ring. That wasn’t how this was supposed to go. She was supposed to crack. Snap. Fight back harder. Fear me. But she didn’t. And that annoyed me more than anything.

“And you?” I turned to Lucas. “Where were you?”

Before he could answer, Ryan cut in, “Busy flirting with the football girls.”

“I was distracting them,” Lucas shot back. “Unlike you, I don’t make a scene while committing a crime.”

Their argument blurred into background noise. I stood and moved toward the window. Down below, students swarmed the courtyard but I found her instantly. Wren sat on a bench, still as ever. Gen beside her, talking animatedly.

And then—

Wren looked up. For a split second, I was sure our eyes met. Then she looked away. Like I wasn’t worth the effort. A slow smile curled on my lips.

She knows.

And now she’s playing along. Good. Because so am I.

---

The charity event was suffocating.

I moved through the crowd effortlessly—smiling, nodding, playing the perfect heir. Until I saw her. Gen stood near the corner, dressed in midnight blue, scrolling through her phone like she wanted to be anywhere else. I walked over.

“What’s up, Gen?”

She looked up, unimpressed. “What do you want?”

I smirked. “Can’t I talk to a friend?”

“Friend,” she echoed, like the word tasted wrong.

Silence stretched between us.

“You need to stay away from her.”

Straight to the point.

I tilted my head. “Or what?”

Her gaze flickered past me to my father.

A threat.

A soft laugh escaped me.

“Go ahead,” I said casually. “Complain. You didn’t have a problem staying quiet last time.”

The effect was instant. Her face drained of color. For a moment, she looked like she might say something. Instead, she shoved past me, eyes glistening.

Something twisted in my chest. I ignored it. Because she knew the truth. And so did I.

I ignored her and suddenly felt the need for air. So I made my way upstairs. The balcony air was cold, sharp against my skin. I lit a cigarette, watching the smoke curl into the night. Gen’s words lingered but they didn’t matter. Wren started this.

She walked into a world she didn’t belong in and decided she wouldn’t bow. That wasn’t how things worked. There was a hierarchy. And she was disrupting it. I hated that.

I pulled out my phone and opened the file Ethan had sent earlier.

Wren Carter.

Class schedule.

Workplaces.

Address.

My eyes skimmed until something caught my attention.

A small, unimpressive pizza place. A slow smile spread across my face. Let’s see how long that fire lasts outside campus.

Wren Carter

The smell of soap clung stubbornly to the air, mixing with melted cheese and pepperoni. It made my head spin. I wiped sweat from my forehead and shoved the last pan into place before rushing out front. The line was ridiculous.

Orders piled up. Voices overlapped. Everything moved too fast.

Good. Busy meant I didn’t have to think. Didn’t have to remember. Didn’t have to feel. I barely had time to breathe these days—between shifts, classes, and hospital visits. My mom kept telling me to eat properly. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was counting every coin. A sudden shift in noise snapped me out of it.

I looked up—

And my blood ran cold.

Pale blue eyes.

Bronze hair.

That smile.

Cyrus Blackwood.

Behind him—his entire group.

Laughter. Expensive clothes. Disgust written all over their faces as they looked around the small pizzeria like it offended them.

What were they doing here?

No.

No, no, no—

Before I could think, I dropped behind the counter.

“Wren?” someone called, confused.

I didn’t answer. My heart slammed against my ribs as I curled into myself, trying to stay out of sight. They can’t see me. They can’t—

“Seriously? This place?” One of the girls muttered.

“Relax,” Ryan’s voice rang out. “We’re here for a reason.” My stomach dropped. They were looking for me. A cold wave of dread washed over me.

If they knew where I worked—What else did they know? I forced myself to breathe. Stay quiet. Stay hidden. Let them leave. Minutes dragged like hours.

Finally when I peeked through the gap, they were gone.

Gone.

Relief hit so hard my knees weakened. I stayed busy after that. Cleaned everything twice. Took on extra work just to keep my hands moving. Anything to drown out the fear clawing at the back of my mind.

By the time the place emptied out, it was late. I locked up slowly, double-checking everything.The night outside was quiet. I grabbed my bag and stepped toward the door—

The bell rang.

“We’re closed,” I started, turning around and froze.

They were back.

All of them.

Blocking the exit.

Laughter echoed against the walls as my steps instinctively moved backward.

Cyrus stood at the front watching me like he’d been waiting. “Hey, Wren,” he said softly. My name sounded wrong in his mouth. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

No one moved. No one spoke. The air felt suffocating. My back hit the counter.

Ryan leaned forward, grinning. “Nice place you’ve got.”

Before I could react—

Something cold and sticky splashed across my face. Laughter exploded around me. I flinched. Just for a second. But Cyrus saw it. And his smile changed.

Satisfied.

Predatory.

He took a step closer. “Now that’s more like it.”  They all had their phone camera's pointing at me. My fingers curled into fists. Don’t react. Don’t break.

Don’t—

He stopped just inches away. Close enough that I could feel the heat of him. Close enough that I couldn’t breathe. His voice dropped. “Let’s see how long you last out here, Wren.”