Crown of Lies

I looked up, nibbling with uncertainty and nerves I thought I’d deleted from being an outcast at school. “Do you think they sent it by mistake? Why would they invite me?”

“What is it?” Fleur plucked the invite from my hold, scanning the details. “It has your name on the top, so it isn’t a mistake.”

She read out loud, “You’re cordially invited to spend the evening reminiscing and sharing life’s progress with the girls from St. Hilga’s Education this coming Friday at the Palm Politics. Yourself and plus one are invited.” She wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, I can hear their contemptuous attitudes just from a generic invitation.”

I hung my head, massaging the muscles in my neck. “It’s short notice, isn’t it? Do they mean this Friday or next?”

She glanced at the envelope, peering at the stamp. “Uh oh, it’s tonight. It was sent a week ago. I guess it got lost in the mailroom. It is, after all, addressed to Elle the Ding Dong Belle.”

I smothered my face in my hands. “Oh, God, don’t remind me of that awful nickname.”

“Man, kids are cruel,” Fleur muttered.

I didn’t untangle myself from my hands, pretending the pink light coming through my fingers could erase my childhood, and I could forget about pranks and nasty little girls.

Fleur straightened some paperwork on my desk, stacking a pile of folders, and placing a few stray pens into my stainless steel holder. When order had been granted, and my nerves had calmed somewhat—reminding me they couldn’t hurt me anymore—that I was in my Belle Elle tower and they were down there in Manhattan somewhere, I looked up and breathed deep.

We were living our lives. Away from each other. It was perfect.

Only Fleur ruined my co-existence by saying, “You know you have to go, right?”

“What?” My mouth hung open. “No way in hell am I going.”

“You have to. Not to prove to them how incredibly successful and powerful you are but to prove to yourself.”

I scoffed, plucking a pen from the holder and tapping it wildly against my notepad. “I don’t need to do anything of the sort.”

She planted a hand on her hip, giving me a raised eyebrow and a look that said ‘yeah, right.’

I ignored her. “No way. No how.” I snatched the invite and stabbed my finger at the plus one. “Besides, I have no one to go with. If I had some drop-dead gorgeous man who could remind me to stand tall and not let them win, then maybe. But I don’t, and they’ll most likely have their man candy with a rug rat or two. And I’m still an outcast like I always was in high school with her cat.”

Sage nudged my ankle, yawning with her cute little tongue shaped into a funnel.

“I love you, Sage, but you’re hardly ‘bring to a party’ material.”

I’d already unwittingly showed how sad and depressing my personal life was to Mr. Everett by wearing her on my shoulders yesterday.

No.

I’d had enough embarrassment in my life already without adding more to it.

Refreshing my laptop screen, I did my best to read forecast numbers and find them riveting.

Fleur shifted. “I really think—”

“No.” I kept my eyes glued on the spread-sheet. “Now, if there isn’t anything else, I’d appreciate some quiet, so I can get this done.”

She sniffed but turned and plodded dramatically to the door. Reaching it, she turned with a spin so fast it kicked out her dress into a tulip flare. “You know what? I’m taking charge of this. You wore that ivory and caramel lace dress because I made it easy for you to do so. This is the same sort of thing. I know you don’t like him, but he’s handsome and will have your back.”

My heart froze into a popsicle.

She’ll call Mr. Everett?

How does she know about him?

He won’t have my back.

He’ll find some other surface to push me against and terrorize me more.

I stiffened. “No, Fleur. Whatever you’re thinking. Stop it.”

“You’ll thank me once you’ve seen yourself in their eyes. When you’ve felt their awe at how hard you work and their envy at your unlimited bank accounts. And you’ll pretend you aren’t, but you’ll be happy when they flirt with your man and find out he only has eyes for you.”

She’s going to do it.

She’ll call him.

She’ll deliberately sabotage my desire never to see him again.

Before I could tell her I had no intention of being fulfilled by jealousy or had any desire to announce to the undeserving witches from high school what my bank account looked like, she was gone.

To ruin my life.

And I couldn’t do a thing to stop it.

Chapter Sixteen

“I’M GOING TO kill my assistant tomorrow.”

David raised an eyebrow as I climbed from the backseat of the Range Rover. “Nice of you to inform me. I’ll ensure the appropriate lawyers are called.”

I gave him a grim smile. “I do not want to be here, David. Do you think—”

He smothered a slight grin. “Ma’am, if you want, I’ll drive you right home. But if you don’t mind me saying, you look beautiful, and it seems a shame to waste such beauty without having one drink before you go.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re a meddler. Just like she is.”

“I’m nothing of the sort. In fact, I’ll help with the murder tomorrow if tonight is not a success.” He closed the back door and headed toward the driver’s seat, leaving me abandoned on the sidewalk about to enter the dragon’s playground. “Consider me a willing accomplice. Now, go and have fun, and call me when you’re ready to leave.”