drug—addictive and all-consuming. For so long, I have deprived myself of indulging in it, but when the day finally arrives, it will only make their misfortune taste that much sweeter to me.
However, my focus must remain purely on Colt for now. Not that I’m complaining. When I sink my teeth into his devastation, I’ll make a feast out of the pretentious, arrogant heir. I’ll gorge in his misery and suffering like it’s a banquet prepared solely in my honor. It’s time that I am sat at the head of the table and be given the retribution that’s so rightfully mine. I’ve been starved for it long enough.
But then again, all good things come to those who wait.
My mother used to say—beware of the fury of a patient man because there is nothing more lethal than a person who is a master at biding his time to achieve his most nefarious desires. Aside from Teddy, she was probably the only other person who knew all too well what lies dormant in my resentful soul and the lengths to which I would go to get what was owed to me.
And for years, I did just that. I played my part to perfection, knowing all my sacrifices would be rewarded in the end and that I would finally have the life that was always destined for me.
But it only took the events of one spring night for my sacrifices to be laid to waste. I had to stand by and silently watch all my grueling work be undone by the four men I have vowed to destroy. Like his so-called best friends, Colt played his detrimental part that night, ripping my very future away from my grasp, making sure that never again would I be able to get such a golden opportunity. He killed a part of me, and I will make sure to kill a part of him because of that.
The life and reality he so cherishes and flaunts in our faces will cease to exist. I’ll reveal the lies and secrets he’s lived all his life being oblivious to, and in the end, where he once saw kinship, he’ll recognize as a foe. He had a hand in destroying my future, so it’s only fair I have a hand in obliterating his sanity.
All I need is a distraction.
A decoy.
I straighten my spine, knowing the answer will reveal itself to me soon enough, and the probabilities that I will get them in my ethics class are zero to none. I try to stay focused on the lecture, but I find the task incredibly difficult since listening to Professor Harper’s voice grates on my nerves. It’s not her no-nonsense approach to the class that irks me to no end, but it’s the way she doesn’t raise her voice a decibel higher than needed that really aggravates me. It’s a calculative move that ensures everyone in the room is silent enough to pay close attention to her every word. That is if they want to have any chance of getting a passing grade at the end of the semester.
I’m proof that a calculating mind is a dangerous thing; therefore, Emma Harper’s manipulative tactic makes the skin on the back of my neck prick. Still, I put on my best-winning smile as her eyes bounce from one student to the next, finally landing on me. I don’t miss how she pretends to see right through me, acting as if I’m not worthy of her attention or time as her gaze continues to scour the student-filled rows. I fist my hands to the side as I watch her dismissive gaze continue with her hunt, only to finally fall on the man I’ve also set my sights on. A sudden satisfied grin threatens to unleash itself as I pay close attention to the hard-nosed professor and what she’s about to do.
“Mr. Turner, can I have your input on the matter?”
To her chagrin, Colt continues scrolling through his phone, ignoring her completely.
“Mr. Turner?”
He lets out a huff and places the phone face down on his desk, unintimidated by her disgruntled scowl.
“Did you even hear the scenario I presented just now to you and your colleagues, Mr. Turner?”
Colt keeps the blank expression stitched on his face instead of answering her.
“No, I didn’t think so. Very well, then. Although I hate repeating myself, I’ll indulge you this once for the sake of your declining grade. The scenario I threw out to the classroom is as follows. You are a member