Page 48 of Heartless Sinner

I lifted my chin, smiling up at him. “I’ll meet you in the Throne Room in ten minutes. Be naked when I get there.”

What a great headline: Brooks Byron Caught Butt-Ass Naked on Caliran King’s Throne.

He chuckled and tossed the dirty napkins into my glass. “Soon, you’ll be begging me to fuck you.”

“I’d rather slit my throat with my own tiara before doing such an abhorrent thing again.”

“With what tiara?”

Motherfucker.

“I want that back.”

He turned to my grandparents and thanked them for such a lovely meal, like he hadn’t spent all of it tormenting me under the table.

“Brooks Byron definitely wants to fuck you,” Vittoria said, staring dreamily at me through the mirror’s reflection while Elodie untied her corset.

Somehow, Elodie had talked her into coming to my room to get ready for the yacht party.

Fine by me. Vittoria wasn’t the problem. Her mother was.

“Hard pass,” I grumbled from my bed.

“What?” Vittoria asked with a gasp. “The man is gorgeous and pretty much US royalty.”

“And I’m not pretty much royalty,” I replied. “I am royalty. We are. He’s nothing special to me.”

Vittoria sighed, her shoulders falling. “He’s so handsome.”

Yes, Vittoria. I have eyes.

Elodie snorted behind her while fighting with one of the corset laces.

“So is the devil.” I clicked my tongue. “You’d better be careful, or he’ll drag you into his hell—take my word for it.”

I grabbed my phone and started scrolling before anyone noticed the jealousy on my face.

I stopped scrolling when I hit a photo of Brooks and me. Some weirdo had taken separate pictures of us, stitched them together, and drawn a bright yellow squiggle between us like a celebrity breakup announcement.

I read the caption with Brooks’s quote, and my urge to strangle Brooks came back.

“Disgraced Senator Kenward’s daughter was in no way responsible for any assassination attempt on my father. If she had been, I’m sure she would’ve had better aim than the losers who were responsible.”

On one hand, I wanted to throat-punch him for calling my father disgraced. On the other, I liked him defending me.

It was the most passive-aggressive compliment I’d ever received.

Against my better judgment, I scrolled to the comments.

Imagine going from a princess to a literal killer.

Keep that traitor bitch in Calira. We don’t want her back.

Lock the slut up.

The GIFs piled on too.

One with Regina George.