She tore her gaze away from me and continued walking.
As much as I tried to push forward the thoughts of her demise in my head, all I really kept seeing was her on her knees for me, a king.
Queens belonged with kings, not lords.
Fuck me for that thought.
Nine
Bianca
That is a monster rock,” Aubrey said, eyeing my diamond with wide eyes when we stopped in the courtyard before lunch. “It had to cost hella money.”
“Ivanov has it. Word in the halls is Stella is livid. I’d watch your back if I were you, Bianca.” Emy shot me a sympathetic look.
I’d briefly glimpsed Stella and her posse three days ago in the halls. It was the same day as the face-off with the kings. The rich bitches hadn’t even glanced in my direction, but I knew Emy was right. I’d heard the rumors. Stella was gunning for me. She thought she and Hail would be married, but I’d come along and ruined her dreams.
And no one fucked with Stella Monroe’s dreams. The brunette looked like she could rival the devil. I’d never spoken to Stella. I’d seen her hanging on Hail’s arm during one of those bullshit parties David liked to throw, but I’d managed to make myself scarce that night.
Fortunately, I’d had no further issues with the kings. I hadn’t seen them at lunch anymore, and Levin, who was in my econ class, hadn’t been there, but I’d seen him in the courtyard. Something about him dragged me in, but he also terrified me. Out of all the kings, Levin was the one who was the hardest to read. He was quiet. Intimidating. His keen blue eyes were always taking everything in as he silently watched. Chills had rushed up my spine when we saw one another earlier. I pulled myself away from the memory of his eyes on me and focused back on the moment.
Hail managed to rearrange his schedule so we shared a morning class, which sucked, but it was better than him being in all of them, so at least he wasn’t always around. Had he been, I might be inclined to throw myself off the astronomy tower just to get the hell away from him. On the other side of that was Vincent Valentino also being in my class that hour. It set me on edge, wondering when the two would clash.
“What was the proposal like?” Aubrey asked, drawing me back to the moment. “I mean, no one even knew Hail was seeing you. It came as a total shock.”
“Don’t you think it’s weird people our age are getting engaged?” I asked, ignoring her proposal question.
They didn’t need to know I was forced into it, or that the night of my engagement the men had threatened me and hurt me. That I’d been exposed and treated like a piece of meat. There was nothing romantic about my engagement.
Emy shrugged. “Not really. People like Hail are expected to. It’s a way to carry on a family legacy. And everyone knows the Ivanovs are into some crazy shit. Hail is set to take over his father’s business someday.”
“And what business is that?” I ventured delicately.
Emy and Aubrey exchanged quick looks.
“You mean you don’t know what you’re marrying into?” Aubrey frowned.
“Honestly, this whole thing kind of came as a shock to me,” I muttered.
“Wait. Weren’t you two dating all summer?” Emy pressed.
I bit my bottom lip. “Uh, yeah. It just happened fast.”
“Well, Hail’s dad heads the Ivanov clan.” Aubrey cleared her throat.
I stared back at her, not having a clue what she was talking about. She cast a hasty glance around the outdoor commons before leaning in.
“He’s a freaking mob boss. Bratva, girl. Russian mobsters.”
I couldn’t even speak. I had no idea that was what he was. I’d just thought he was a rich douchebag.
“And the De Santis clan are their rivals. Italiano. That’s why the lords and kings hate one another so much. Dominic’s father is the kingpin for their crime syndicate. There’s lots of bad blood,” Emy added in a whisper.
“Jesus,” I hissed. I peered around and hauled in a calming breath. I already knew De Santis was mafia, but I hadn’t really stopped to put two and two together. What were the chances of finding a De Santis at Bolten? Pretty damn high it seemed. He might have information about my dad, considering the rumors of the gambling debt. There was no way I’d get to ask him though now though.
Hail was headed toward us with Tate in tow. Tate was just as gorgeous as Hail. But I knew he had to be just as toxic as Hail, Fallon, and Drake were, the remaining members of the lords. I’d managed to keep my distance from the three of them. Even Hail had been leaving me alone for the most part.
“Bianca,” Hail said. His eyes swept over Emy and Aubrey. “Ladies.”