Gilded Vendettas • James M. Beaufort.

Chapter 2 • The Dynasty

I let it fall, my heart,
And as it fell you also claim it.
It was dark and I was all right,
Until you kissed my lips and you saved me.
My hands they're strong, but my knees were far too weak, Stand in your arms without fall into your feet, But there's a side to you that I never knew, I never knew.

All the things you say that were never, were never true,
And the games you play, you always, always win.

But I set fire to the rain,
Watch it pour as I touched your face,
Let it burn while I cry,
Cause I heard it screaming at your name, your name.

◌⏳┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈⿻*.·

I stormed out of the room, my mind racing with the implications of what had just happened. I couldn't shake the feeling that everything was teetering on the edge of disaster. As I made my way back to the committee meeting, I tried to push the encounter with James out of my mind, but his words lingered like a dark cloud.

When I reentered the room, Lin and Ruby were still discussing the final details of the welcome party. Ruby looked up at me, concern etched on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft.

"Yeah," I replied, forcing a smile. "Just had to deal with some Beaufort nonsense."

Lin raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. "Well, we're almost done here. Just need to finalize the schedule for the promo video shoot."

"Great," I said, trying to focus on the task at hand. "Let's get it done."

As we wrapped up the meeting, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. The Beauforts always had a way of causing trouble, and I knew this wasn't the last I'd hear from James. But for now, I needed to concentrate on the welcome party and make sure everything went off without a hitch.

"See you guys later," I said, packing my things. "And if something goes wrong, call." Without hearing any protests about not wanting to bother me, I walked out and started to chew on some grissini, my favorite snack—the crackling sound helping me focus my mind. When I turned the corner, I spotted Louis at the school entrance, his face filled with unhappiness.

"What happened?" I asked, stopping chewing on the grissini. Louis scoffed bitterly, further confusing me.

"Grandpa pressed the drama club professor. He doesn't want me to play the love scene. He thinks the press will pounce on me like sharks drawn to blood," he said, and I just rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, it's always like that.— But hey, at least you know how to fix it. Play tree role."

Louis scoffed and shook his head.

"This might be the last time I can audition. He wants me to focus on wine products, like he forced you and Mag to focus on the fashion line."

I remained silent and sighed loudly. Louis' words rang true. The three of us were forced into almost everything in our lives, even Margot, the golden girl, still gets upset sometimes.

Louis sighed as he massaged his temples, then turned to me. "Faris said he saw the Beaufort stepping out of the room with you. What were you guys doing?"

"Faris? Who?" I changed the topic instead, and Louis flicked my forehead. "Son of CEO of Saudi Aramco, don't play dumb."

"Yeah, whatever."

And we walked to the limousine. Louis opened the door for me, and he stepped inside the car too.

"What was going on with you and Beaufort?"