Chapter 978
A cold shiver ran down Samantha’s spine. Her grip on the phone went shaky as the words tumbled out in this weird, robotic tone that didn’t even sound like her. “Gunning for… Raven Valor?”
“Damn straight, Ms. Mathis!” The voice on the line crackled with urgency. “Get your head in the game!”
Samantha squeezed her eyes shut, her stomach doing backflips.
The whole city was frothing at the mouth over those five golden tickets to the Selection Event. And Raven? She’d somehow snagged one right under
everyone’s noses.
Every power player in Deariton was kissing up to Scion these days–the Four Lords‘ new golden boy. These slots? They were basically VIP passes to the big leagues.
No way the old money families would let some nobody waltz in with their prize.
They’d either whack Raven to free up the slot… or worse, turn her into their perfect little puppet.
“Those sons of bitches!” Samantha’s hands shook with rage.
‘Do they have a death wish?‘ she thought. Everyone knew Raven was Keegan’s protege.
“Who talked?” she hissed. If Raven wound up dead, she’d be the one explaining to Keegan why his investment got iced.
And that conversation? Yeah, no thanks.
The secret was tight–only a select few knew Raven was Scion’s right–hand woman. Someone had ratted her out.
“When I find the snitch,” Samantha cracked her knuckles, “they’ll be begging for a quick death.”
Shit had hit the fan hard. Now, even Deariton’s Eight Great Families were mobilizing. If they got to Raven first, she didn’t wanna think about that nightmare scenario.
No matter how talented Raven was, she couldn’t fight off eight clans at once.
Her choices were grim: become the Families‘ lapdog, swallowing monthly doses of poison like a good little puppet, or get turned into a brain–dead husk by some nasty parasite. The alternative? A quick trip to the grave.
Taming someone like Raven wasn’t a walk in the park, especially not for the paranoid heads of those aristocratic families.
They’d pull out the nastiest tricks to keep him in line–think slow–acting poison that’d have her begging for the antidote after every mission, or worse, a parasite burrowing into her brain to make her their obedient pet.
No matter how this played out, Samantha knew she’d have nothing but bad news for Keegan. Before he’d left Deariton, he had made it crystal clear: protect Raven at all costs.
But now, the eight families saw Raven as a threat–a weed they needed to yank out fast. Letting that happen wasn’t an option.
“Miss Mathis,” the subordinate piped up, voice low/“this hasn’t hit the streets yet. Only the big families and a couple of shady groups sniffing around the
nominations know what’s up.
“They’ve got the dirt on Raven–know she’s just some kid from a nowhere city with no backup. That’s why they’re acting so ballsy.
“They’re scrapping like dogs over a spot next to the Scion. No way they’re letting some no–name like Raven waltz in and steal it.”
“If she won’t play their game,” the subordinate added, “they’ll just take him out.”
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Chapter 978
She knew they were right, but the news was already out there, spreading like wildfire. Stopping it now? Good luck.
She could march up to the eight families, plead with those jealousy blinded clan heads to back off, but they’d laugh in her face
Samantha wasjust one of Keegan’s many disciples–her reach was short, her power limited. Going toe–to–toe with Deariton’s elite famillest That was a fight she couldn’t win.
AD
