Chapter 3

My name drowned in a room full of contempt.

I set down my glass and pushed open the heavy wooden doors to the terrace.

Cold air hit my face, and I drew a long breath.

Grandmother was due back from her overseas business trip in three days.

Tonight's events would reach her ears, twisted and exaggerated beyond recognition.

I stood on the terrace for twenty minutes before going back inside.

Lorraine Pruitt blocked my path. “William, don't go looking for trouble with Carter.”

Her eyes tracked my direction, guarded, certain I was going after the pocket watch.

Lorraine was the first person to reach out to me after I was brought home.

She'd seen my name once on a sponsorship list at the orphanage.

Back then, the Pruitt family had all but frozen her out. I'd scraped together my scholarship money and sent it to her in secret, enough to get her through the worst year.

Later, once I was back with the Delgados, I pulled every connection I had to help her secure control of the Pruitt family's management.

I thought we were ride-or-die.

But now she was shielding Carter, standing between him and me.

I shifted to walk past her.

She grabbed my wrist. “Be good. Barbara's already made her choice. If you make a scene now, you'll only embarrass the Delgado family.”

“Let go.”

I tried to shake her off, but Carter glanced our way and her grip tightened hard.

The sudden force threw me off balance. My foot turned and I tumbled down the steps.

My right kneecap cracked against the tile with a sharp, clean sound.

Pain shot straight to my skull.

Lorraine stood frozen. “Why do you have to play the victim? You've had everything since you came back to the Delgados. Carter only has Barbara.”

Victoria Cox and Althea Mason followed over.

“What happened?”

Victoria glanced at my swollen knee. Her expression didn't change.

“So what's the Delgado golden boy performing now? Trying to keep Barbara by getting hurt?”

Althea had her hands in her pockets. “William, you pulled this same trick three years ago. Aren't you tired of it?”

“Did that little notebook of yours calculate exactly how far to fall, too?”

Victoria pressed her fingers to her temple. “William, you've already backed Carter into a corner. All he wanted today was one pocket watch. Was that really worth hurting yourself in front of everyone?”

“If it's really about saving face,” her voice flat, completely even, “I'll dance the next one with you. That enough to get you through the night?”

I gritted through the pain and got to my feet, pushing past them.

“Move.”

“William!”

Victoria lost patience. She seized my arm. “If we hadn't pitied you and helped you find your footing back then, you think you'd be where you are today?”

I fought to wrench free.

She yanked hard.

The sound of bone leaving its socket.

My left shoulder dislocated.

The pain swallowed every sound in my throat.

Victoria's hand hung in midair.

She stared at my arm hanging limp, but her voice stayed rigid. “You had to fight me on this. All so you could go chase after a man?”

I clenched my jaw, my right hand clamped over the dislocated left shoulder.

Sweat ran down my face and dripped onto my tailored suit.

Althea's mouth curled. “Drop the act.”

“You're William Delgado. The real young master who grew up tough. A little scrape like this is nothing to you. Don't expect us to feel sorry for you.”

My face was drenched in cold sweat, and I smiled at her.

“You're right. I've had it rough before. It doesn't hurt.”

I let go of my right hand. My left arm hung at my side.

The smirk vanished from Althea's face. She turned away, unable to look at my shoulder.

Victoria's voice shook. “I'm calling the private doctor.”