Page 119 of Ruled By Rivalry

He ignored it, of course. “Graduated with honors. Valedictorian at Thornfield High. I was sad to read about your mother’s passing. So tragic in those formative years.”

I almost cracked. But she was in the room with me now, and Mom would’ve never backed down or shown fear.

So, I didn’t either. “You’re still here, though. That’s good.” I fooled myself into seeing some kind of compassion on his face, but the situation was too intimidating to trust my instincts.

Right in front of me, Hunter Ashwood came to a halt; his hands, like mine, were crossed behind his back. Probably for different reasons, though. “I remember—” But he stopped himself, narrowed in on the dress again. “What are you wearing?”

“Elliot had it made.”

His eyes darted back to mine, but I couldn’t read whether he approved of what I was saying or was planning to have me murdered.

He probably could do it if he really wanted to upset his grandson.

“He didn’t design it, though. Did he?” He looked like he was about to discover facets of Elliot he’d never seen before. I hated to kill that glimmer of hope in his eyes, but I loved it all the same. For Mom.

“Oh, no. I did.”

Slowly, he repeated, “You did.”

Realization flashed across his face. I could see the gears turning in his head before he reached out, letting the fabric glide between his fingertips as he inspected the stitching. “You did,” he repeated once more.

And I think that’s when I won over Hunter Ashwood.

Chapter 46

I found Elliot and Allegra not far from where I’d just become reluctant . . . not-enemies with Hunter Ashwood. Around the corner, at the end of a narrow hallway, whisper-shouting at each other. Huddled so close together you’d think they were discussing the nuclear codes.

My first thought was how often it had been like that in their relationship. Arguing, fighting, whisper-yelling in a corner at fancy events, dressed in fancier clothes, and drunk on even fancier champagne.

Over her shoulder, Elliot spotted me and beckoned me closer with a covert gesture. His eyes flicked back to her, and whatever glimmer of peace had been in them faded. They narrowed just slightly.

“It wasn’t like that. I only had that video on my phone because we looked cute. When we broke up, I watched it again and remembered how good we were together. We were, weren’t we?” I imagined she was batting her lashes at him, sighing dreamily.

His face twitched. Almost a grimace. “I just thought that times of crisis always made us stronger. When Adeline died, God bless her. When you decided not to go to Yale. You know?” He didn’t seem like it. “So then . . . when we broke up . . .”

“When you broke up” was the first thing I heard Elliot say. “You broke up with me. I don’t know why you keep saying it like it was my fault. It was your decision, Allegra.”

“I just thought! If I could get it out there, and Hunter got a little mad at you . . .”

“He didn’t though, did he?” Elliot huffed. “He got really fucking mad. He threatened to disown me, Allegra. He kicked me out.”

“How could I possibly have known he’d do that?” she cried. “He’s never done that before. And it worked, at first! You opened up again, we talked more.”

“Oh my God!” He let his hand wash over his face. “Because I thought we were friends. Because you said you wanted us to be friends, and I always want what’s best for you. I thought that’s what you did, too. What friends want for each other.”

“I do!” Allegra shook her head. “I do. Which is why I told you about Maeve. Why I told People—”

“You what?!”

But that wasn’t Elliot’s voice. It wasn’t Allegra temporarily imagining things and interrupting her own statement either. My hand reached for my mouth: open. They both turned to look at me.

Her eyes widened while Elliot’s annoyance morphed into something else. The corners of his lips pulled up all on their own. The argument with his ex-girlfriend was seemingly all forgotten about as he said, “I was wondering when that was going to happen.”

“Maeve,” she pleaded. But I wasn’t quite sure what for. For me to leave them alone? To understand her? To grant her the benefit of the doubt Elliot wasn’t extending this time around?

She couldn’t be asking for forgiveness; she hadn’t apologized yet.

Then again, I hadn’t apologized to Elliot when I should’ve either.