I am so going to get an earful. Dragging the door open, I barely had time to breathe before Aunt Irene’s eyes landed on Darien behind me. “Before you say or do anything,” I rushed out, hands raised in surrender, “let me explain.” - “And you didn’t tell me,” she said after my stumbling explanation, voice clipped, “because you thought I’d drag you home and make you abandon the certificate.” I nodded, sheepish. She exhaled slowly, then turned her gaze on Darien. He sat like a student in the principal’s office, but somehow, somehow, still carried the air of someone in charge. His posture was loose, deliberate. Unbothered. “And what’s your reason,” Aunt Irene asked coldly, “for not turning her over to the academy authorities? Or blackmailing us?” Darien lifted a shoulder in an easy shrug. “I have money.” “I have more.” Her tone was flat, dangerous. For the first time, his composure shifted ever so slightly. But then he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, that sly smile tugging a
Last Updated : 2025-08-31 Read more