Page 91 of Vicious Little Snakes

“Why Pip? What I mean is, why’d your parents name you that?”

Her dewy face brightens, and one of her fingers winds around a strand of her overly processed hair as she begins explaining.

“Oh, it’s a family name. My mother says it means attractive or beautiful. It’s silly, really.”

I raise my brows, and Pip laughs as if it’s just too embarrassing to admit that she’s so pretty.

I look her up and down before offering, “It also means a hard seed from a fruit.” She frowns as I add, “The kind you spit out.”

“Oh.”

It’s a short answer but adequate enough to prove that Pip’s just realized this is a competition, and she’s sorely unprepared. I smooth my hands over my skirt, letting out a sigh and looking forward.

A woman emerges from the rug-lined hallway with a clipboard in her hand and looks at me.

“Caroline Whitmore.”

“Good luck,” I offer a pale Pip before standing and following my guide down the hall.

As we walk, I let my eyes drift, mentally taking notes about the art on the walls and the procured antiques. We stop at what I assume is the chair’s office door, and the woman that led me looks back over her shoulder, smiling before she knocks.

“Come in,” I hear from behind the door.

I stand a bit taller with my best smile in place as the heavy door is opened. But what I see isn’t at all what I expect.

Big brown eyes stare back at me, attached to a haloed braid atop her head.

Arden fucking Livingston.

She relaxes her arm across the back of her chair as she sits sideways, smiling from ear to ear. Internally, I’m losing my shit, but outwardly, my smile never dims.

Did she maneuver this? Why the fuck is she here? Is this some kind of revenge for what I said? Oh my God, she’s here telling the sordid details about my birthday. Fuck.

But even amid all those swirly thoughts, it’s my last thought that has me sweeping my hair over my shoulder and feeling vicious.

What the fuck are you doing with Liam?

“Caroline, please take a seat,” the chairwoman offers, extending a hand.

“Thank you.”

I glance at Arden as I walk to my chair, sitting and keeping my eyes forward.

The chairwoman takes one more look at the file on her stark white desk before closing it and looks up. “I hope you don’t mind. Arden asked to join us, and since she attended your party, I thought, why not. I can never say no to my niece.”

I never read that. How did I not know this? Fuck, fuck, fuck.

My polite laughter spills from my lips.“Fantastic.” I shift to look at Arden. “I didn’t realize you were related to the chairwoman.” I add in a teasing voice, “You kept that a secret on purpose.”

“How could I tell you, Carebear? Surprising you is everything I thought it would be.”

Bitch.

* * *

My bag hits the floor as soon as I walk through the door, slamming it shut. Grey’s feet slow as he bounds down the stairs, staring at me like I’m crazy.

It’s appropriate. I am. I’ve just endured the worst half hour of my life. Everything I said was countered by fucking Arden while she tried to gaslight me nonstop, driving me to mentally configure how I’d hide her body.