Page 23 of Shattered Sinner
I tapped my fingers on the table, stalling a moment as I tried to gain a bit of confidence before I blurted out what I’d been thinking.
“The photos are bad, but nothing that wouldn’t eventually pass. Politicians come back from worse things all the time, and it had nothing to do with him. So, he must be getting something else out of this that has nothing to do with keeping his daughter safe.”
“I shouldn’t be surprised you picked up on that. Your father would be taken care of financially, amongst other things, for this arrangement.”
“I knew it.” It took everything within me not to drop a cuss word or two at the revelation. His reasoning for this engagement and marriage had nothing to do with my behavior, but everything to do with him gaining more money and, I would assume, more power, because he’d have a strong connection with someone who could squash any story about him if anything happened. Including when he launched his bid for higher office after he was done being Mayor of Brentson.
I would swear on everything that my father was the world’s biggest asshole, and so was my mother for agreeing to the stunts he liked to pull. While this wasn’t the first stunt he’d pulled, this was by far the worst.
“All of this is a big decision and you do have time to make it.”
I blinked at him once and stared. If this had been my father sitting in front of me, this conversation would have gone around in circles until I agreed. “I didn’t know I had a choice.”
“I don’t want to drag you kicking and screaming down the aisle. If you decide that this isn’t going to work for you, that’s fine. Your parents will be another story, but there will be no hard feelings on my end.”
This dinner was full of surprises that I couldn’t have predicted. At least one thing I couldn’t call it was boring. “Thanks, I’ll think about it.”
I was still firmly against getting married to Tristan, but I now had the potential to buy myself time with all of this, which made me not saying outright I had no intention of being in this union.
We finished our meal in silence, the soft music and the clatter of plates and cutlery the only sounds in the restaurant. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but I was very much lost in my own thoughts, and Tristan allowed me to be.
As we got up to leave, Tristan helped me into my coat, and together we walked to the front of the restaurant, where we waited for the valet to bring my car around. When it pulled up to a stop in front of us, I turned to Tristan.
"Goodnight," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Night, Bianca."
I got into my car and pulled away from the restaurant, feeling slightly more confident than when I entered. Knowing that I actually had a choice changed my thoughts on the situation and gave me even more to think about with regard to moving forward. Now, while I couldn’t predict the future, I did feel slightly more optimistic about it.
13
EASTON
Achilled air swept over my skin as I walked into the tiny room. It took everything within me not to clench my jaw because of the cold. My stubbornness refused to let on how much I hated it. Then again, it was unsurprising given where I was. The concrete walls did their job of making the space look physically cold. The room was mostly empty outside of a table and a couple of chairs. If I hadn’t known better, I would have assumed I was at a police station. Goose bumps appeared on my arms as I sat down across from the polygraph examiner that was an alum of the Chevaliers.
I’d arrived at the Chevalier Manor for my second initiation task, and I was somewhat regretting it given what I’d walked into. The Chevaliers claimed to value honesty and good character above all else. In order to join, I had to prove my loyalty and my ambition, so I understood the point of this, but that didn’t mean I wanted to do it.
The examiner looked me in the eye, and it almost felt as if he could see into my soul. “Are you ready, Mr. Beaumont?”
I stared at the lie detector machine sitting only a few inches away from me. The nerves that I’d kept under wraps since I’d arrived here burst to the surface, ready to erupt at any moment. “Yes,” I said. I did everything I could not to show any fear over what was about to happen.
He attached the sensors to my fingers. “Remember, honesty is the most important thing here. Lying will have consequences.”
If I wasn’t aware of the seriousness of this task, I would have waved him off. Consequences. I knew all about that.
The examiner leaned forward in his chair with not a speck of a smile on his face. “First question. Is your name Easton Beaumont?”
“Yes,” I answered confidently as he gave me a softball question.
“Do you attend Brentson University?”
I nodded slightly. “Yes.”
“Have you told anyone about the Chevaliers or this initiation process?”
“No,” I said firmly, quickly noticing that we were getting into the serious questions now. My heart thumped hard as the sensors registered my response. I was pretty sure it had skipped a beat. I thought back to what I told Bianca, but she’d already known I was going through this.
He made a note on his clipboard. “Do you have any secret allegiances that could conflict with the Chevaliers?”
