this.”
“Don’t they?” His head flicked to something behind me. I twisted around to see my uncle over by the racetrack, his face contorted in anger, his frame defensive and angry, arguing with someone I couldn’t see.
What was Fredrick doing here? I didn’t think any of my family was invited. And wouldn’t my mum have told me if they were coming? But I didn’t see anyone else. Not Landen, my aunt, or my parents.
Just my uncle.
“It seems your family is right in the middle, gambling away what’s left of your pitiful fortune and legacy. If you have any left.” He took a sip of his drink. “How humiliating for you that you are acting so righteous now, when it’s only a matter of time before you will be on your knees in my office, begging me to help you.”
I gulped back the acid gagging my throat, my chin lifting.
“Grandpa, the closest you will see me on my knees is leaning over to throw dirt on your coffin.”
He grinned, showing off his yellowing teeth. “How fun you will be to break.”
Folding my arms, I glowered at him.
“How much I’m going to enjoy when that stubbornness is groveling at my feet. I have the means and the money to protect you, Spencer… or destroy you.”
“Get away from me.”
Lord William’s mouth brushed against my cheek, chuckling lowly. “Oh, the scandal we’ll have, Ms. Sutton,” he said, strolling away with a wink.
Chapter 23
Of course, the moment I went looking for my uncle, he was nowhere to be found, building on my already temperamental mood. What was he doing here? Was Lord William telling the truth, or was he just trying to provoke me?
And why did that man seem to want to get my family?
Frustrated and crashing from my buzz, I went searching for Theo, finding him with a bunch of nobles and celebrities, drinking and laughing, which peeved me. Had he even tried to find me? Not even a text?
Hazel, Charlie, Ben, and of course, the last person I wanted to ever be near, Lord William, circled the prince.
Damn, he’s a cockroach that won’t die.
As I stepped up next to Theo, his smile widened, his hand coming to my back.
“There you are.” He drew me in but still kept it respectable. Royals were criticized for showing too much PDA but also too little, walking the Goldilocks line of “just right.”
“Here I am.” I forced a smile on my face, acting like Lord William’s greasy gaze wasn’t drilling into me. “Why didn’t you come find me?”
“Oh sorry, I got distracted.” He motioned to the group. Two actors from a telly soap opera were standing on the other side.
My lips pinned together with a nod. “Sure.”
“It’s my fault, my dear. I was jabbering his ear off, but if it makes you feel better, we were talking the entire time about you.” Lord William’s voice was full of hidden “Easter eggs” of threats.
My back straightened, my expression going neutral as fear iced my veins. “Really?”
“I was just asking him about your interests.” He took a sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving me. “I didn’t know you had studied to be a veterinarian. How interesting.”
“Yeah, Spence was the top of her class, got invited to Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.” Theo rubbed my back.
“Wow. Impressive.” Lord Dickhead lifted an eyebrow, his mouth coiling in a knowing sneer. “And you didn’t accept?”
“No.” Arsehole. He knew my family couldn’t afford it.
“Well, it’s not like she could go anyway. So I guess it was for the best. Down the road, she can pick up charities to focus on if she wants,” Theo replied.
Like this was some adorable hobby. “What?” I pulled away, turning to look at him. I could feel the eyes of the group moving to us, picking up on the mood shift.
“Spence, you knew this. We talked about it.” Theo’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, his voice low. “As a royal, you couldn’t have continued on with your studies anyway. It would have been a waste of time and money.”
“Excuse. Me?” My foot stepped back, my shoulders rising. “A waste of time?”
John’s eyes glinted as they went back and forth between us.
Theo’s face bowed in a frown. “You know I didn’t mean that.”
“You seem to say that a lot,” I challenged. “Didn’t sound very convoluted.”
“Spen-cer.” Theo dragged out my name, his gaze darting around to the group staring at us with awkward fascination. “Can we talk about this later? This is not the place.”
The fire inside raged like