Page 214 of Depraved Boys

“She told the police she stood by her original statement,” Sebastian spat. “Then she had the gall to walk out, tell Mr. Pinkerton that she had told them the truth, and signed the fucking papers for the transfer of her share of your house.”

His words were like a kick to the gut, and I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a sob. Tears blurred my vision. “I’m sorry.”

Sebastian crumpled the letter and stormed out of the dining room.

I bowed my head and breathed hard. What the hell did this mean? That Prakash really attacked her? My eyelids fluttered closed, and tears streamed down my cheeks. Ashley’s resentment went beyond financial disputes. She would do anything she could to strike back, including securing the incarceration of an innocent boy.

“Wills.” Leopold scooted over to Sebastian’s seat and placed a large hand on my arm. “Seb isn’t angry with you. He directed his comments your way because you’ve had a lifetime of dealing with that girl.”

Some of the tension left my shoulders. It made sense, I suppose. With a nod, I whispered, “Right.”

I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand and stood. People from other tables were already gaping at us. There was no point in giving them a further show. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

His blond brows drew together. “Wills—”

“I’ve got to go.” I spun on my heel and rushed out of the dining room.

The scraping of Leopold’s chair legs against the floor told me he would follow. As much as I tried to hold back a full-blown breakdown, tears flowed down my cheeks by the time I stepped into the hallway. If ever I saw Ashley again, I would strangle her with my bare hands.

A group of third-year girls gaped at me as they walked past.

“Do you think she got pigged like her sister?” asked a blonde.

“The kings would want to one-up the knights,” replied a red-haired girl. “She wouldn’t escape with her hair and uniform intact.”

The blonde giggled. “That’s for sure!”

I clenched my teeth. Where was the compassion for a fellow female suffering such a heinous act? They seemed to think it was some kind of joke.

“If anyone’s going to be pigged,” Leopold snarled, “it will be three little girls who can’t keep their mouths shut!”

The trio of third years scampered down the hallway, screaming like happy toddlers playing monster. When they reached the door to the stairwell, one of them wiggled her ass while her friend gave it a few spanks. Whatever the fuck that was supposed to mean.

I tried pulling Leopold away, but he kept snarling at the girls over his shoulder, which made them run closer, tap him on the back, and sprint back to the stairwell.

We continued to the other end of the hallway toward the west wing.

“Leopold,” said one of the girls from behind. “Karen Penfold fancies you!”

“No, I don’t!” her friend shrieked.

“Don’t push me.”

“She does! Karen said she wants to—” muffled sounds echoed down the hallway, presumably from Karen Penfold clamping a hand over her so-called friend’s mouth.

“Annoying little brats,” Leopold snarled.

A door opened, letting in cool, blossom-scented air. Sebastian stepped inside, holding his phone. He glanced from Leopold to the taunting girls and shook his head. “Don’t give them attention unless you want half the underage population following you back to your room.”

He placed an arm around my shoulder, enveloping me in his warmth. “I don’t blame you for any of this.”

The words were a balm to my troubled soul, and the rest of my tension unknotted. I placed my hand over his heart. “Thank you.”

“Did you call Pinkerton?” asked Leopold.

“Just cashed in on the insurance policy I set up earlier,” said Sebastian. I was about to ask what he meant, but he added, “We’ll talk later.”

The girls followed us down the hallway, up the stairs, and into the top floor of the east wing. With each annoying shriek, they attracted more little girls until the sounds of their merriment made my head throb.