Brendan hasn’t taken his eyes off me, and now I stare right back at him. I can feel the danger there, only it’s not the vicious playfulness I get from Aarya, but a cold power that is prepared to crush me. I refuse to bend, though. There is nothing I hate more than an idolized bully.

Just then the door to the parlor opens and Ash walks in with a girl and a big grin.

“Come on,” Layla mumbles, and I don’t miss a beat. I can feel everyone’s eyes on us as we walk toward the door.

Ash opens his mouth to say something, but Layla cuts him off. “I don’t want to hear it.”

Layla and I walk right past Ash, who makes no attempt to follow us. We pass the guard and are most of the way down the hall before Layla speaks again.

“He did that on purpose,” she says with an edge to her voice.

“Who, Ash? Do you mean showing up late?”

“The whole thing. Sending us there to see what kind of trouble it would cause, probably knowing that Aarya was going to call you out, showing up late with that stupid innocent look on his face. Ugh,” she says as we make our way up the stairs.

“So he set us up?” My mind reels at how Ash could have orchestrated a fight when he wasn’t even there. I’m not sure if I’m impressed or disturbed.

“Yes, of course. He put us in the hot seat to see what kind of information he could pick up in the aftermath.” By her tone, I can tell Ash is going to get an earful from his twin tomorrow. She stops in front of our door. “November?”

“Yeah?” I say.

“You did well in there. You held your own and you didn’t let them force you into guilt.” She opens the door and walks in.

I smile. “Thanks, Layla. That means a lot.”

“But they also pried information out of you and out of me. And everyone is now wondering if you did kill Stefano. That wasn’t a win by a long shot,” she says, and pauses. “Also, if you ever again publicly spout a piece of personal information I give you, we’re going to have a serious problem.”

I lock the door behind me. “What personal information? The firstborn thing? Isn’t that something everyone knows?”

She frowns. “Everyone but you, which means the only way you could have found out is if I told you. In their eyes, it means we now have some sort of alliance. You also took a shot at Brendan’s ego. There’s no way he’s not going to retaliate.”

Chapter Fifteen