Page 55 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 5

“But you aren’t now,” he said firmly. “So please sign the papers and don’t disobey me again.”

“I need to know why I’m not safe now. What am I not safe from?” I thought about Miller checking everything so thoroughly in Felix’s apartment. What exactly had he been looking for?

“Because you’re a Pruitt,” Matt said, like that was explanation enough.

I just stared at him. “I don’t know why that changes anything.”

Mr. Pruitt looked exhausted as he pushed his salad to the side. “Because there are a lot more people that want you dead besides Isabella now. Let’s have the main course, shall we?” He snapped his fingers.

I wasn’t sure if it was to signal the server or to show that it was the end of the conversation. But I was too stunned to speak anyway.

Elite - Chapter 17

Monday

I walked up the steps of Empire High in my new uniform. It didn’t feel like students were staring at me anymore. Whatever rumors had been circulating had died down, probably thanks to some other rich-person scandal. I made my way through the big wooden doors and down the crowded hallway.

The rest of my weekend passed in an awkward blur. Mr. Pruitt wasn’t how I’d imagined him. He was protective of me, despite the fact that he swore he only just found out about me. He treated me like I belonged. And he was trying hard to get to know me. But when he presented me with a contract bigger than any of my textbooks, it made me wary.

I’d signed the relationship agreement as soon as Matt had. I didn’t even really get a chance to look at it. If Matt trusted it, so did I. But as for the house rules? I hadn’t signed those yet. Mr. Pruitt had given me a stern look when I didn’t have it signed and ready yesterday morning like he’d requested. But instead of chastising me, he handed me a section of the Sunday paper to read. Instead of reading anything, I just stared at the crossword puzzle and missed my uncle.

I spotted Kennedy by her locker and hurried over to her. She hadn’t answered any of my calls yesterday. Or the night before. And I was dying to talk to her. “Hey, are you okay?” I asked.

“Hm?” She looked up at me. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

I just stared at her. There were dark circles under her eyes. One of the times I’d called, her mom had said she was taking a nap. If that were true, wouldn’t she look a little more rested? “I’m fine. I was worried about you after you ran off.”

“That was nothing.”

It wasn’t nothing. She’d confessed that she loves Felix. Well, kind of. She hadn’t actually said his name. But I knew. She knew that I knew, right?

Kennedy started playing with her camera instead of looking back up at me. “How was the rest of your weekend?” she asked.

Should I push this?I stared at the way her bangs hid her face when she was fidgeting with her camera display. If she wanted to talk about it, she would. I couldn’t force it. “Um. It was okay. Mr. Pruitt gave me some weird house rules document to sign. I’ve only read about half of it, but it’s all pretty insane.”

She finally looked back up and she was smiling. “Did you expect anything less than crazy from him?”

I laughed. “Not really.”

“I’m sure it only gets weirder. I’d just sign it and get it over with.”

“Fair point.” She was probably right. I couldn’t memorize all the rules anyway. I thought about the contract sitting on my bed. Signing it would make Mr. Pruitt happy. And he was significantly more pleasant when he was in a good mood. “Oh, and Matt and I made up.”

“Well that’s good. How did Felix take it?”

Oh balls.I’d been so happy that Matt and I had gotten back together that I hadn’t even thought to tell Felix. “Um…I haven’t told him. Felix and I got into a pretty bad argument after you left.” It wasn’t much of an argument. He’d pretty much just said I was the worst and walked away. And I was. I’d treated him awfully. I hadn’t even meant to.

“So you and Felix are done?” she asked.

It was a weird question. I’d just told her I was back with Matt. But it was less weird if she was secretly in love with Felix. “Mhm. I’ll try to talk to him today though. I really want to be friends.”

“Do you think he’ll still sit with us at lunch?”

“I don’t know.” Kennedy and Felix were my only friends at Empire High. I didn’t even want to think about the fact that there was a chance I’d lost that. He’d forgive me, right? I hadn’t intentionally led him on like he believed. I was trying to protect Matt. I was dealing with other things. But it didn’t matter what I told myself. I still felt guilty. “At least I won’t have to sit with Isabella at lunch today.”

“Are you sure about that?” Kennedy asked.

“Yeah. She didn’t come home. I guess she’s still in the Hamptons.”