Page 278 of A University of Betrayal

“He doesn’t. He doesn’t even know you,” I laughed bitterly and saw the unsettled look on Larissa’s face.

She should be warned. Not that he was taking advantage of her just as carelessly as he had done with me.

Then my professional uncle finally found his words again. “Miles. Please come with me.”

“No,” I said with complete control. “There’s no need to talk.”

Bastien’s expression remained unchanged.

“Do as he says,” Adrian growled behind me, and I would have loved to turn around and give him my fist.

Because they wouldn’t take my word seriously.My opinion was either funny or nobody cared.

For what must have been the ten thousandth time, I allowed Bastien’s influence on my sanity to be greater than the truth. Too often, I pulled myself together becausehewanted me to.

Bastien squeezed my shoulder and walked past me so that I had to follow him. He stopped for a moment and looked at the car, then he looked at me, and I laughed peevishly.

It was a bad joke how generous fate had been with me.

Bastien pulled me along, shaking his head, until we were standing in the shade of one of the oak trees.

“Please don’t tell me it was you.”

I laughed again. “What do you think of me?”

Surely I was painting my most valuable possessions, and then I was doing it in such a tasteless way.

Bastien looked at me apologetically. He didn’t do that often... Because I often was the person who deserved his lectures.

“Look at the hood, then you’ll know who did it,” I snorted.

Bastien immediately looked at my car and when he looked back at me, his expression was even more serious than before.

“You seem to have a lot of people against you, kid.”

I laughed dryly.

Bastien came closer and forced me to look at him. His eyes were as gray as Nicolaj’s, only not as icy, so sometimes I wondered what his human mother had looked like. Had he inherited his dark blond hair from her?

“Promise me that won’t be a problem I’ll have to take care of again.”

“No, it’s fine, I’ve got everything under control,” I said reassuringly and looked at Adrian and the others, who were still standing with Tristan.

“I can see that,” my uncle murmured.

I just wanted to leave.

“Good.Are we done now?”

I reached for my car keys almost automatically, which made me laugh at myself the next moment.

“Miles, I understand you’re angry, but I had no choice.”

I wheeled around. “Youalwayshave no choice when it comes to your brother!”

Tristan looked to us, his face so unreadable. I turned demonstratively to Bastien so I didn’t have to see his ridiculous face, and lowered my voice. “You keep giving him a chance!”

Bastien looked around with a grim expression, but then came even closer. His voice rarely sounded emotional. But at that moment, it was. “Maybe you should start doing that too. He’s changed.”