Page 78 of Breaking Ophelia

“Drowned. She was supposed to make it to the finish line, but one of the Boys got too eager, held her under.”

She frowns, fingers tracing the rim of the cup. “Was it you?”

“No. Just watched from the sidelines.”

She nods, like that explains something.

“So now they do it one-on-one. So it can’t happen again.”

I tilt my head. “In theory. Technically accidents can still happen, but one-to-one with the rest watching improves the outcome.”

She stares at me, eyes narrowed. “But you wanted to.”

“What?”

“You wanted to break me. Maybe kill me, if it came to that.”

I look at her, really look, and see it: the understanding, the calculation, the way she’s already planning her next move.

“Yeah,” I lie. “Maybe.”

She smiles, just a flicker. “Thanks for the honesty, I guess.”

I shrug. “If you hadn’t have given in, it wouldn’t be me burying you. It would be one of the Protectors.”

She pulls the covers tighter, like that can protect her from the rest.

I watch the way her jaw sets, the way her eyes go hard.

“You’re not like the others,” she says, finally. “You want something real.”

I shake my head. “I want to win. That’s all.”

She leans forward, elbows on knees, and grins. “Then you better keep up.”

A smile splits my face when I realize I respect her.

She’s not prey anymore.

She’s a threat.

I stand, stretch, and crack my neck. The sound makes her flinch, but she covers it with a cough.

“Your dad,” she says. “He on the Board?”

I nod. “He is the main donor.”

She snorts. “Of course. Hence ‘God Son.’ You’re untouchable”

She leans back, head against the headboard, and closes her eyes. “So what now? I just… live here, waiting for you to decide when to fuck or kill me?”

I smile. “Not quite.”

“Then what?”

I let the silence stretch, savoring it.

“You make yourself useful,” I say. “Or you make it interesting.”