Brutal Obsession (43)

A chill goes through me. Did they do their research on me? Did they just look at my social media, or did they actually try to get in contact with me? It doesn’t seem like anyone wanted a quote. No missed calls or emails…

Farther down, there’s another photo of Greyson on the ice in his CPU jersey, skating along the wall. His expression is serious. The writer goes on to say how all is well in Crown Point, with his past transgressions seemingly swept under the rug.

It mentions us. Me and him. There’s a photo of us together, with Steele blurred out in the background. In his apartment? Who would have taken a picture of that?

I stare at the words on my screen, which go blurry after a minute. Violet and Greyson seem to have no problem moving on. Perhaps they agree that mutual destruction is the way to go. Either way, Crown Point citizens should know who they’re rooting for when Greyson Devereux steps on the ice every weekend.

“Are you still there?”

I flinch. “Yeah.”

“Well?”

“Um, sorry, I didn’t…” I clear my throat. “I’m not quoted. There’s no proof that I said anything at all—because I didn’t.”

Mom scoffs. “Of course not. I said, don’t talk to anyone. This is libel, and I’ll be contacting the newspaper immediately. This is absolutely ridiculous. To think, this piece had to be approved to go to print.”

My stomach drops. “It’s in print?”

“Front-page news,” she says, her tone conveying her continued disgust.

Oh god.

He’s going to kill me. He’s going to release the video that already proves I broke the NDA, and wrap it up with this article, and deliver both to his father. And then I’ll be well and truly fucked.

“Let me know.” I hit the end button, not bothering to say goodbye.

She’ll either make headway or she won’t. Simple as that. And until then, I’m not going to be seen in public. No chance of that. I can afford to miss my Monday classes exactly twice before I fall behind.

I can already picture how pissed Greyson is going to be and what he’ll do to retaliate. This was already a game to him, but it’s getting worse. The stakes are inching higher and higher, and I’m afraid I’m not going to like where he takes this.

The ball’s in his court… Or is it?

What if I act first, for once? What if I set the record straight with him and make him understand that I had nothing to do with this?

Before I can lose my nerve, I text him.

Me



This wasn’t me. I promise.





He texts back a second later.

Greyson



I know.





I narrow my eyes. He knows?

Willow bursts into my room, her phone in her hand. “Violet—”

I motion to my computer, open on my lap, and make a face. “I got a call from mother dearest, accusing me of breaking the NDA.”

She gasps and comes to sit beside me. “You didn’t.”

“I know.” I narrow my eyes. “But someone obviously found out about it.”

She reels back. “You think I had something to do with it?”

Oh god. I grab her hand to keep her from getting too far. “Oh, hell no. Girl, my trust in you is absolute. But I’m wondering if Greyson mentioned anything to… someone else.”

Relief flows across her expression, quickly chased by confusion. “I doubt it. The whole point was to pretend it didn’t happen, right?”

“No chance of that,” I mutter.

Willow checks her phone again. “Wait.”

“What?”

“Screenshot the page,” she orders. “I think they just pulled it.”

I do, making sure to get the headline and all the images, too. I refresh the page, and the headline has been replaced by something else. An abandoned mall being converted into an indoor dog park later this year. I type in Greyson’s name into the search bar and get an error.

I meet Willow’s gaze. “How many people do you think saw that?”

She winces. “I found it because the headline and first image were in my inbox.”

Shit. Fuck.

No doubt that’s going to raise questions, whether or not they’re able to read the full article. Actually… at least that puts me in the clear. I’m not mentioned until the second half. But Greyson?

“His dad was in town last night,” she says.

I pause. “What?”

“His dad. The senator. They were photographed getting dinner together, hugging, the whole thing. The senator’s social media was making a big deal about visiting Crown Point to see the mayor and the president of CPU.”

“Protecting his investment. Isn’t he coming back for some charity thing next month, too?”

Willow grunts her affirmation. Paris had mentioned it—bragged about how her parents are coming in specifically for it.

I pace beside my bed. “Okay, so this article might’ve been planned for a while, or it could’ve been a spur-of-the-moment thing. All we know is that I didn’t say anything, and I can’t imagine Greyson would’ve either. Obviously.”

“Suspicious timing, for sure.”

I suck my lower lip between my teeth and think about everything that’s happened this semester. It just feels like everything is unraveling. Not just school but my life.