Page 9 of Shattered Crown
The man sitting in front of the desk had his back to me, but I didn't need to see his face.
I knew those shoulders. Broad, stiff, carrying tension like he’d been born with it. I knew that posture, spine straight as a blade, feet planted like he owned the ground beneath them. I recognized the suit. Armani, charcoal grey, one my father favored. It looked good on the man in front of me. If only he wasn’t so despicable.
Remember the mantra, Aria. Don’t let him get to you.
My hand was still on the doorknob. I couldn't seem to let go.
Dr. Warren sat behind his desk, face gray, fingers gripping the armrests of his chair like a man holding on for dear life. His eyes flicked to me with naked relief.
"Miss Kealoha. Thank you for coming so quickly. Please, come in."
The man turned.
He looked even meaner than I remembered. The years had definitely not been kind to him. There was a scowl on his face which I was sure wasn’t for this particular event. The man never smiled. That would explain all the angry lines across hisforehead. His gray eyes revealed all the wicked thoughts running through his head.
He’d completely lost all of his boyish charm. I almost scoffed. This was the proud boy who thought he was too good for me? Ha! If only my thirteen-year-old self could see him now. She wouldn’t have looked at him for more than a second. She definitely wouldn’t have tried to kiss him either.
It was clear my feelings toward Sebastian Dubois were mutual. Good.
Our gazes locked at that exact moment. The temperature in the room plummeted. The already cold look in his eyes dropped several degrees. I watched recognition move through him. Then his eyes narrowed, and contempt settled over his features like frost crystallizing on glass.
He rose to his feet. "Miss Kealoha." He said my name like he was scraping something off his shoe. "What a surprise."
Indeed. I’m sure he hadn’t expected to see me. We’d drifted away from the same social groups, but not before he managed to tell me how he really felt.
The Kealoha girl is exhausting. All that aggressive cheerfulness. I don’t know how you do it.
I walked into that conversation. I wasn’t the type to care what others thought about me, least of all Sebastian. The problem was who he was saying it to.
And Ethan seemed to buy it because he dumped me the next day, saying he couldn’t deal with my… how did Sebastian put it? Right. Cheerfulness.
I released the doorknob. Stepped fully into the room. Let the door fall closed behind me with a soft click.
"Mr. Dubois." I kept my voice pleasant.Good, Aria. You don’t care about him. Not one bit."I didn't realize Evie was your daughter."
"Clearly." His eyes traveled over me in that condescending manner he’d mastered. "If you had, perhaps you would have taken greater care with her safety."
Be calm, Aria.
Dr. Warren's head swiveled between us like a spectator at a tennis match. Sweat had begun to bead at his temples, darkening the thin hair on his hairline. "You two... know each other?"
"Our families have crossed paths." Sebastian didn't look away from me. Didn't blink. "At various society functions. Over the years."
"Back when Mr. Dubois was still perfecting his particular brand of condescension. Though I see he's graduated to outright hostility. Congratulations on your growth." I lasted a whole minute before throwing an insult back at him. I’d say that’s cause for celebration.
I watched as a muscle twitched beneath his left eye.
“I want the student gone. I want her,” he pointed at me, “gone. Or so help me God, I’ll sue this entire school.”
Dr. Warren made a sound like a small animal being stepped on. “I’ll fire her right away. I’m so sorry, sir.”
I rolled my eyes. “You can’t fire me, Dr. Warren. You’re not even paying me to be here.” I met Sebastian’s gaze head-on. "I was the substitute teacher in Evie's class today," I continued, moving further into the room. I didn’t want to give him the chance to speak yet. "I made sure to hold pressure on the wound and keep her calm while we waited for the nurse to arrive." I stopped six feet from where he stood. "So before you continue your tirade, perhaps you'd like to hear what actually happened from someone who was actually there."
Sebastian stared down at me, using his height to his full advantage. "I know what happened. My daughter was injured in your classroom. Beyond that, the details are secondary."
"The details are everything." I crossed my arms over my chest. "But I wouldn't expect you to understand the nuance. It requires actually listening to people, which has never been your strong suit."
"My strong suit is protecting my family. Something I take seriously, even if you find it inconvenient."
