Forbidden Kiss (Carson Cove Scandals 1)

* * *

Later that day

I arrived at Carson Cove University thirty minutes before my hearing was scheduled to start. It was being held in one of the small assembly rooms—ironically enough, the same one where Alexis Devereaux gave her speech to the first-year law students. I assumed that word about my suspension hadn’t leaked—otherwise Melinda would have been blowing up my phone. I wasn’t ready to believe that the situation was going to be fully resolved until I heard the academic committee’s ruling—there was a chance that I could still be expelled. Alexis’ word didn’t mean much to me, even if she did fix things with my mother’s job.

“Ah, you’re here.” Alexis turned the corner, and her face lit up when she saw me—a stark contrast to our previous encounters.

“I am—but why are you?” I raised my eyebrows inquisitively as rage started to flood my veins.

“I’m just here to observe the hearing.” She smiled. “I want to make sure Carson Cove University’s brightest young art student gets treated fairly.”

“I did what you asked—what more do you want from me?” I narrowed my eyes and tried to control my anger.

“Nothing. Our business is done.” She walked to the assembly room and opened the door.

Alexis was talking to Dean Richart when I was finally summoned—and the hearing was a complete joke. The academic council had already made their decision and rendered it less than ten minutes after I walked in. It was a terrible mistake, there was no plagiarism, and they were dropping the suspension. I would be allowed to make up any work that I missed, and they were giving me an extension on all of my assignments. I would have been happy under normal circumstances, but the entire ordeal left me sick to my stomach. I didn’t do anything wrong, but my entire future could have been ruined by one wave of Alexis Devereaux’s greedy finger.

“I trust this will be the last time we see each other.” Alexis walked up to me outside to assembly room once the hearing was over.

“You never know. I might come to the wedding just so I can see if he’ll really say I do.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Oh, he will. Bryant and I discussed it earlier this morning.” She held up her hand. “I already have an engagement ring.”

“What the hell…” I blinked in surprise.

“Well, I picked it out myself, and he hasn’t seen it yet

—but I charged it to his account at Mancini Jewelers. I know he’ll approve the charge.” She smiled. “Bryant will obviously want his new bride to have the best ring in Carson Cove.”

“You win, Alexis.” I shook my head back and forth. “I’m going home.”

“Hold on—you made a good point. You definitely should be at the wedding…” She tapped her finger on her chin. “I know! You can be my Maid of Honor!”

“No thank you.” I felt my rage returning.

“Oh, but I insist.” Her smiled turned into the sinister one I remembered. “You should right there by my side when he says his vows—it’s only right since you were instrumental in making the big day possible. If you decline, I’ll just have to find you a wonderful gift…”

Great, she’s still threatening me…

“Fine.” I gritted my teeth and did everything I could to resist the urge to slap the lipstick off her face.

“I thought you would be honored to stand by my side.” Alexis nodded and started walking towards the door. “I’ll have my people call your people—or I’ll just text you…”

Alexis had won another battle—I was powerless to do anything to stop her. The reset button on my life had officially been pressed, and I had to find a way to make it worth living—without Bryant. I wondered if he had any idea that our relationship came to a crashing halt because of his bride-to-be. It was too risky to tell him. I had to stand in the world of the privileged one final time while he said his vows to the most awful woman on the planet—and then I would be permanently done with their world. I didn’t belong there—I didn’t even think I was going to stay in Carson Cove after graduation. The open wound would never heal if I didn’t leave—somewhere out there was a future that I could embrace—I just had to find it first.

I can’t stop any of this, so I might as well move on. What choice do I have?

Chapter Twenty

Bryant

“Shaina, open up.” I knocked on my daughter’s door—I didn’t know if she was inside, but I was going to break the door down if I had to.

“Who’s there?” A rather gruff voice answered.

“Open the fucking door.” I knocked louder.

“Dad? Dad is that you? Hold on!” I heard Shaina’s hurried voice on the other side of the door.