Chapter 184:
Makenna’s POV:
I was reluctant—lunch with this cunning fox was the last thing I wanted.
But Dominic was a mind reader, or worse, he had all the dirt on the Dunn family. He leaned in close, his breath cold against my ear, and delivered a threat that sent a chill down my spine.
“Coming with me or not? Refuse, and I might just spill the beans about you, Jessica, and Frank. Imagine the stir that would cause.”
“You…” My glare could have cut glass, frustration gnawing at me. With no way out, I grudgingly agreed.
I tried roping Alice into this mess, but she bolted, fabricating a weak excuse and practically shoving me toward Dominic before vanishing on her own.
“I wouldn’t want to intrude on your little lunch! I’ve got things to do, so I’m off!”
Alice’s words hung in the air as she ignored my desperate glance and disappeared faster than a hare with a hound on its tail.
What a heartless girl!
Left with no choice, I reluctantly trailed behind Dominic to the restaurant.
As we sat down, waiting for the food, he started tapping his fingers on the table, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
“How did the written exam go today?”
I took a sip of water, my enthusiasm as flat as a pancake. “It was fine.”
He nodded, but his next words carried a subtle warning.
“You’d better take these tests seriously and not get any funny ideas about slipping out of the palace.”
Internally, I rolled my eyes. If I could, I would’ve beaten the shit out of him just to vent my anger.
I was fishing for a comeback, but before I could get a word out, someone else slid into the seat beside me.
𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚: gⲁ𝓁𝗇𝓞ⱱ𝖊𝗅𝗌﹒𝖼𝖔𝗆
“I, however, think it wouldn’t matter if she didn’t pass the assessment. Why put so much pressure on her?” The words were in my defense, yet they sent a cold shiver down my spine.
It was Bryan!
I hadn’t even noticed him enter, but now here he was, right next to me, that same sinister smile playing on his lips.
A bad feeling curled up inside me. This wasn’t the kind of thing Bryan would usually say. Wasn’t he the one hell-bent on keeping me tethered to the palace, under his thumb?
What was he plotting now?
While I was lost in my thoughts, the air between Dominic and Bryan thickened with tension.
“What’s your angle, Bryan?” Dominic’s voice was sharp, like a blade unsheathed. “Everyone knows you and Clayton had a falling out over a woman. If we’re talking about being pushy, you wrote the book on that, didn’t you?”
Bryan’s face darkened like a storm cloud.
I could feel the sudden shift in the atmosphere, and I subtly scooted to the side, praying I wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.
But Dominic wasn’t about to let me slip away. He gave me a look full of mischief.
“If memory serves, wasn’t this charming lady here the woman at the center of it all?”
I froze, my glare at him laced with venom.
That jerk! He’d just thrown me headfirst into their sibling rivalry, a squabble that had nothing to do with me.
I met his gaze with icy indifference, refusing to be dragged into the fray.
But Dominic wasn’t finished. With a lazy smile, he added, looking at Bryan, “Ever since that little incident, you’ve been stirring up trouble for Clayton, and even I, despite my innocence, got caught in the fallout.”
Listening to Dominic play the victim made me want to roll my eyes right out of their sockets.
Innocent? Dominic was no saint, no better than Bryan!
Then, Dominic turned to me, raising an eyebrow as he asked, “Miss Dunn, what do you think? Wouldn’t you say Bryan can be a bit overbearing?”
