Page 103 of Vexatious Queen

“March eighth,” Dad said, just as the servers walked in with plates under covered domes.

They set the table and were gone again in a fast and efficient manner.

I grabbed Dad’s hand as we sat down to eat.

“Until we know what is going on, we will never be safe. So why not take the bull by the horns?”

His lip twitched.

“You are as persuasive as your mother,” he said, making me smile. “Alright, I’ll think about it and get an evening booked. But until then…you stay away from Vadin and Christov. Undoubtedly, Vadin will reach out again and try to draw you outside of Wayward. He is dangerous, Lilya. I don’t say that lightly.” I nodded. “Okay, let’s eat.”

I wouldn’t do anything stupid, that was how people got kidnapped and killed, but I wanted to know things. Things that only Vadin knew.

Nash preached that information was power. It was time that I took that to heart and found out a little information of my own.

FEBRUARY 2 – MONDAY 3:00 PM

Ren

The bell rang, and I sucked in a deep breath, jerking out of my thoughts. I glanced at Blake’s empty seat. He had missed class again today.

Ethan had a checkup with his doctor this afternoon, and Theo and Blake went with him. I’d hoped to hear something by now. I just couldn’t stop thinking about Ethan and the agony he must be in. The physical pain was bad enough, but losing Ella…it was too much.

The class filtered out, but I remained seated and focused on the tests Mr. Sharpe had given me to mark. He had two junior classes, and I had finished grading a little over half of them.

He rose from his desk, and even though I was looking down, I saw him walking toward me. I put a small check mark and moved on to the next question.

“I thought you’d be done by now,” Sharpe said as he stopped at the edge of my desk.

“That makes two of us,” I said, not bothering to look up as I drew an X and then two more checkmarks.

I couldn’t shake the image of him with Patricia. It was probably nothing, but my mind wouldn’t let it go. Why were they meeting so late?

“If this is too much for you, I can always find someone else to help. I would’ve asked Blake, but considering he is absent again, I doubt he will be reliable.”

I looked up from the grading and stared at Mr. Sharpe. Was he doing this on purpose? Trying to piss me off so I’d quit? Or was this some other kind of test I wasn’t aware of? Because I couldn’t figure out what being an asshole got him.

“I’m perfectly fine. Those two piles are complete, and I only have a handful left. If you like, I’ll drop them off in your office when I’m done. And as for Blake, he took his father, who was shot, to the hospital for his check-up,” I said, flatly. “I’d appreciate you not being so ignorant and condescending toward Blake. I find it very unprofessional.”

His jaw twitched, and his eyes went from cool to hard, but he didn’t intimidate me. I had started asking myself, What would Edmundo Genovese do? or WWEGD, for every situation like this. I waited for Mr. Sharpe to respond, but he seemed unnerved by my candor and at a loss for words.

“Don’t take too long, Davies,” he said, scooping up the completed piles as he walked away.

That was enough. I was done with Sharpe’s attitude and sick of people talking down to me.

“It’s Genovese,” I said firmly to his retreating back.

Sharpe stopped and slowly turned around.

“I guess you hadn’t heard. I’m surprised, considering it was last week’s hottest gossip after my father arrived and caused a scene. My father is Edmundo Genovese, and from now on, I would like to be addressed with my proper name.”

The words, and treated with respect, were insinuated by my tone. I held Sharpe’s stare, unbothered by his arrogance. He licked his lips, his eyes betraying his shock and maybe fear. It was hard to tell since the look was quickly masked.

“Very well, I’ll call you Ms. Genovese.”

It was technically Mrs. now, but that was still on a need-to-know basis.

“Or Ren, I’m good with either,” I said, giving him a small smile and marking the next test. “I’m glad we got that settled.”