جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

(KAIRA'S POV)Slade's friends hanging out was just what I expected it to be.When the car being driven by Slade pulled up to a pool house and I heard loud music playing, I started to wonder if I had done the right thing by coming along."Don't you worry." Slade said with a dry chuckle. "We don't bite."I turned to him with a glare. "And what on earth makes you think that I am intimidated by your friends?" I challenged.He turned to me after taking off his seatbelt."I didn't say anything about intimidating. I'm only telling you that they don't bite." He said so casually that I almost believed I was being too dramatic.But then I had to quickly remind myself that this is Slade and he knew perfectly well what he was saying."Whatever." I muttered.I tried to get my seatbelt off but then I saw that it was still strapped. I jiggled it gently but it still wasn't giving way.I turned to Slade. Of course he was looking at me, his eyes set like I was entertaining him."Would you like my help?

(KAIRA'S POV)The moment Shelly walked in, the energy in the room shifted. It was like someone had turned down the temperature by ten degrees.I watched her scan the room, her eyes landing on me with laser precision. That smile never wavered, but I could see the tension in her jaw. The way her fingers gripped her designer clutch a little too tightly."Hey everyone!" She chirped, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Sorry I'm late. Had to... freshen up.""Fashionably late as always, Shelly." Germaine said, but there was something sharp in his tone.Shelly's eyes flicked to him briefly before returning to me. "Kaira. You survived the pool, I see."Her words were light. Playful. But I heard the barb underneath. You survived.I straightened my spine. "I did. Thanks for asking."Her smile tightened. "Good. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you on your first night out with us."The threat was barely concealed. Everyone felt it."Okay!" Jackie clapped her hands loudly, breaking the te

(KAIRA’S POV)I have lived in PineCrest for thirteen years, which means I have also had the privilege (thanks to Tom Horton) of going from PineCrest elementary to PineCrest high school. I kid you not, despite all these years I have made no friends. Literally, none at all. The most attention I get is when I am getting bullied or being laughed at. The only people I am cordial is some of my teachers, and of course Mrs Skye, our ink club matron. That being established, you know how antisocial I am in school so I kid you not when I say that I have no idea who the angry but pretty brunette, holding my phone is.Her almond eyes looked me over like my presence deeply disgusted her.“Who the hell do you think you are?” She greeted.I frowned, unsure of what to say. She leaned forward. “It doesn’t matter that your cheap mother found her way in to the Horton family, you will always be a charity case.” She laughed. “Slade already made it clear to us all.”My heart sank. The fact that she invol

(SLADE'S POV)"A fair!!" She exclaimed, eyes widened as she peeked through the window at the huge iron gates."More like a VIP preview night." I corrected. My attention was on my phone, where I was going through my itinerary."Even better! Because now we have a lot of rides to ourselves." She was craning her neck even harder now. "And I think I see older people.""Probably. Our parents were the ones invited." I couldn't keep my eyes on my phone for long, I had to steal a glance again and I was disappointed because I couldn't see those sparkling blue eyes but at least she wasn't so sad anymore.Her excitement was palpable, it has been since we got here and she realized that we are here for the exclusive launch of a fair."What are we really waiting for?" She asked, her body almost out of the car.A couple of knocks on the window interrupted my answer."That." I said with a sigh as I slipped my phone in my pocket. "Are you ready?""I've been ready since we got here! I love fairs so much

(MAKAIRA'S POV)I didn't know what had come over Slade.One moment he was complaining about boredom and checking his emails, the next he was squaring up to this Harry guy like he was about to start a fistfight over a stuffed bear."Step back." Slade's voice had been cold as ice, his jaw set in that rigid way I was starting to recognize meant he was holding something back.I opened my mouth to say something—to tell him it was fine, that I didn't actually care that much about the toy—but the words died in my throat when I saw the look in his eyes.He was furious.Not at me, I realized. At Harry. At the way Harry had looked at me, the way he'd kissed my hand, the way he'd called me beautiful."Slade—" I started, but he wasn't listening.He was already at the counter, slapping down money for the game. The attendant, a bored-looking teenager with acne and a nose ring, perked up when she saw the cash."Three rounds each," Slade said without looking at her. "We'll see who gets the highest sc