Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 125121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“That’s not all, my friends. That’s not even the worst of it. I’ve got years’ worth of lies, tricks, secrets, and manipulations that was all tucked away on HapApp’s server.” I held up my phone. “If you want it, it’s yours.”
“Don’t you dare!” Saylor lurched to her feet—freed from Ava by Gabriella and Katie. The two struggled to keep a hold on her. “I swear, Sinclair, if you do this, I’ll—”
Dozens of chimes, beeps, and buzzes went off at once.
“Oops,” I sang. “Too late. Everyone, you just received the ‘behind the scenes’ into the real Saylor Burkhardt, and everything she’s done over the years to control and destroy any Royal who steps the slightest bit out of line.
“It’s all yours for the low, low price of two hundred and ninety-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents.” I snapped my fingers. “Come on, people. Revenge isn’t cheap. As you’ll find out when you take yours against Saylor, because trust me, you’ll want to spring for elaborate and over the top.”
I’d never seen trust-fund babies whip their daddy’s plastic out faster.
“Stop it! No!” Saylor ran at Iris and tried to snatch her phone away. “Those texts are private. You have no right to read them— Stop or you’re out! You’re all out of the Royal line!” She flew at another group of girls who ran to get away from her—fingers speed-typing their card numbers all the way. “Sinclair!”
Saylor grabbed my collar, hauling me up to her bulging, red eyes. “Shut this down! Do it now or I’ll—”
“Shut up, Saylor,” I barked. “I’m giving the ultimatums now. I kept back the worst of the texts. The truly horrific things you’ve said and done to people—including your best friends for nineteen years.” Saylor paled. “Yeah, those.
“If you don’t want it to get out, you’ll back off my family. Jack isn’t out of the line, and he never will be. He’s going to live happily in his home, with my mom, running his business until the end of time. Repeat that, Saylor. I want to hear you say it.”
“I’m going to end you, bitch. No matter what it takes. No matter how long,” she hissed. “I’m going to put you right next to your sister.”
I believed her. I knew true hatred when I saw it. It reflected in the mirror whenever I thought of the Phantom.
“Wrong answer.” I shoved her off me. “But you’re heated, so I’ll give you a chance to cool off before we talk again. I have a lot more demands.”
I walked off.
“Did you hear me!?”
Katie and Gabriella had to restrain her, then they had to pull—tugging her to the opposite staircase as credit payments went through and people started to read.
“You’ll regret this, Sinclair! Do you know who I am?! No one stands against me!”
I flapped a hand over my shoulder. “Yeah, yeah.”
“You’re dead! You and every freak who helped you! Dead!”
I strolled off the balcony, laughing my head off.
Something pressed to my side.
“Don’t scream.”
My lips parted and a hand slapped over them, snapping me to their chest. My muffled shout swallowed in their palm.
“You just don’t quit, do you, Sinclair?” Levi’s rank breath blew on my ear. “All I needed Saylor to do was get my family back in, but you had to fuck that up too. Let’s go!”
“Hphm!”
Levi hauled me off. The rough handling jerked my body and rocked me back on the object pressed above my hip. It split my seams, then my skin.
Stumbling over my feet, I shouted into his hand—calling for my guys on the other side of the concrete and cinderblocks. Levi dragged me farther away from them. From the Royals. From campus.
And through the trees.
“Pick up your fucking feet!”
We stumbled over tree limbs and ant hills, going in so deep my shouts wouldn’t be heard if he did remove his disgusting hand.
“Not like I asked for any of this.” Levi kicked the back of my leg to keep me moving. “I didn’t give two shits about your sister until they private-messaged me. They offered me two million and a place at the top tier! What was I supposed to do? Say no?
“Four generations of Thompkinses have tried to elevate our status, but I was the one who was going to do it. I would rise higher than my father or grandfather ever did. All I had to do was mess with some Dreg.” He laughed. “I didn’t even have to think about it.”
“Hmm! Hph!”
“What was that?” Levi roughly shook my head. “You’re sorry for being a poisonous bitch who blew in and ruined everything? Too late!”
I went flying.
A hard shove flung me at a tree. Feet tangling, I fell against the bark—losing the skin off my arm as an offering.
“The chick was dead,” Levi shouted, spittle flying. “It was all over, then you had to show up and stir the shit again. Who the fuck do you think you are anyway? Getting in my face and threatening to kill me? I should’ve put you down right then and went on eating my pancakes.”