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5__The start of senior year

8 years later

“Erin?!” came the shout from downstairs.

“Yes, mom?!” she yelled back.

“I’m leaving, honey! I didn’t make breakfast, so come down to the main house to eat before you leave, okay?”

“Okay!”

The sound of the front door slamming closed echoed through the house and Erin sighed.

She stood in her bedroom, before her closet mirror, studying herself in the uniform.

First day of senior year. Whoopie.

She should have been happy, overjoyed even, because this, at least, was the last year of high school, after which she would finally be free!

Sadly, all happy thoughts were killed by the knowledge that once more, Erin had to get through an entire year of being in the same class as Braden bloody Stone and his jackass friends!

Leaning towards the mirror, she added another clip to the high bun she’d twisted her thick chestnut brown hair into and quickly adjusted her bangs. Erin tilted her head, quirking her mouth up on one side to see her single dimple. “Okay, we’re good,” she muttered to herself, smoothing her hands down the front of her blazer.

Three hours. That’s all they had before the school bell rang and the vacation was officially over. Erin bit her lip, blinking back tears at how sad it all was.

Grabbing her bag, she threw it over her shoulder and took a final look in the mirror. This year’s senior uniforms had rather short skirts. Frowning, Erin gave the hem a tug before dusting the shoulder of her green blazer and heading for the door.

The click of her black school heels sounded down the stairs until she reached the front door and stepped out onto the vast green terrain.

Looking, as she always did, at the magnificent view that stretched forth around the Stone estate, Erin drew in a lungful of fresh morning air.

This morning seemed different from others. The air smelled of school and homework and tests and, suddenly, she didn’t want to breathe it in so deeply anymore.

“To hell with school,” were her words. The words Erin would have said if she wasn’t bound by a contract. Tucking her hands into her blazer pockets, Erin started down the stone path that led to the main part of the estate where the glorious Stone mansion stood.

For the past eight years, she had done all that the Chairman had expected of her. She’d taken up all of Braden’s tutorial classes at home with him, she’d gone for the “billionaire” extra-curricular activities they’d told her to go for, not that Erin was complaining. It was nice to ride horses and learn how to play golf and go on vacations to the Stone Hotel Retreats.

That was all good, especially because Erin got to do it with her mother and Stephanie.

What wasn’t great was the amount of work she had to complete for both the academy and their home tutoring. Erin was intelligent, but just barely enough to endure the workload. Most of the time, she was chasing deadlines and gulping down coffee.

Worst of all, however, was what she had to go through being in contact with Braden nearly every single day.

Over the past eight years, there was not one insult, not one threat in all of existence that she had not heard from Braden Stone.

He said whatever he wanted to her and didn’t give a damn whether it hurt her or not.

Thank God Erin had a mouth of her own and Braden got as good as he gave. She would not be a pushover in front of that boy, she refused to allow it! She knew all too well how much he hated her and wanted her gone, but Braden didn’t seem to realize that Erin wasn’t dying to be friends with him either. She hated him just as much.

Reaching the back of the Stone house, Erin slipped in through the back entrance, greeting servants as she went.

“Erin, you’re here!” said Stella, the kind lady who’d replaced her mother as Cook once Alicia had been promoted to a Housekeeping position to oversee the host of servants that Stephanie had decided to hire.

“Morning, Ms. Lee,” greeted Erin sweetly, leaning over the kitchen counter to kiss the lady’s cheek. “Where’s mom?”

Stella pointed her chin toward the hall, her hands were busy with dough. “She’s directing the moving men with Stephanie’s new office desk. Quickly, sweetie, go have breakfast. The table’s set.”

Erin nodded, glancing at her watch. "How much time do we have?”

“Thirty minutes before the chauffer arrives for you two. Go on.”

Erin grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and hurried off to the dining hall. She would only eat a little and then go and see the Chairman. Nearly every morning for the past eight years, Erin had developed the habit of seeing the Chairman before he left for the office and she left for school. She'd outgrown seeing him as a Santa Claus, but she did start seeing him as, well, a grandpa.

It was sad to think that Braden had such a great grandfather and yet he wanted nothing but inheritance from him.

Erin snorted in disapproval as she reached the dining hall. Her gaze rose and her feet immediately halted.

Someone once said: “Speak of the devil and he’ll hear you call his name and then pop up out of nowhere like a freaking Jack-in-the-box!”

The someone was Erin's second best friend, Phoebe. And she’d been drunk at the time.

At the breakfast table sat Braden Stone. His icy, blue gaze was focused on her, his elbows on the table with his fingers steepled to form a pyramid.

He looked every bit the heir he was.

Erin scowled. How was she supposed to eat at the same table as that Grinch-like creep?

Braden's eyes narrowed when she didn’t move.

“If my driver arrives and you’re not ready because you’re taking your damn time to have breakfast, don’t think I’ll wait for you,” he said darkly.

Erin nearly sighed, not missing how he emphasized that it was his driver. It was okay. It was fine. She’d just ignore him.

Pulling her bag off her shoulder she drew out the chair furthest from him and lowered herself onto it, reaching for the coffee and pouring herself some.

Gritting her teeth, Erin tried to quietly eat even as his gaze grew heavier and heavier on her.

Rapid footsteps approached the dining room. “Braden, which card did I give you?” asked Braden’s father as he entered. Michael Stone stopped when he saw Erin. She froze with a bite of pancake in her mouth, looking up at him with that pitiful wide-eyed look of hers. Michael nearly scoffed. “Oh. Erin.”

Erin lowered her fork and returned her gaze to her plate, having suddenly lost her appetite. Facing both of them in one morning? This day wasn’t going well. “Good… good morning, Mr. Stone.”

Michael raised a brow. “Mm. Morning. Are you having breakfast?”

Erin’s fingers tightened on the fork. His question translated to say “You’re actually shameless enough to sit at the same table as my son and stuff your little piggy face?” It had been eight years now. Erin was fluent in Rich People Subtle Insults.

“Well, then,” said Michael, placing a hand on Braden’s shoulder, both of them staring at Erin. “You should eat, of course. You do need your strength to overthrow Braden, don’t you?”

Erin heard Braden scoff and clenched her jaw. She did not need to hear all this. Lowering her fork, she grabbed her bag and stood.

“Little girl.”

Erin stopped, turning to the entrance behind her.

Julius Stone stood in the doorway, his hands held behind his back as he looked at her.

Erin held her bag closer. “Oh… good morning, Chairman,” she muttered.

Julius frowned and slowly approached. “What did I tell you about being cowardly before these two?” he asked her.

Erin heard Michael Stone scoff. “Good morning to you too, Dad.”

Julius looked at his son with bitter disapproval and then lowered his gaze to his grandson. “Braden. What did Erin do the moment she saw me?”

Braden’s gaze hardened as he tried hard not to glare. “She greeted,” he muttered.

Julius raised his brows. “Then what did you learn from that?”

Braden’s jaw clenched even tighter. “Good morning, grandpa.”

“That’s right,” said the Chairman. He looked at both Erin and Braden. “Now then, kids. This is your final year in high school. I am expecting the absolute best from both of you. Understand? Especially you, Erin. You’re the good example.”

Erin felt her shoulders lower from the weight of the responsibility he gave her, but she forced her gaze up. Her mother was living the best life she ever had before. Erin wouldn’t jeopardise that. “Yes, Chairman.”

“For fuck’s sake,” muttered Michael. “It’s been years, Dad. Drop this crap already.”

The Chairman gave his son a sharp look. “Tell me that one more time, Michael, just one more time and Braden’s out of my will.”

Michael blinked, his lips immediately sealing shut as he knew his father wasn’t joking.

“Now,” said the Chairman, handing Erin a card. “For all your expenses outside of home. Since you’re a senior and everything.”

Erin’s eyes were wide as she stared at the card. “A… a b-black… a black card?”

Wide-eyed, Erin looked at Braden who was staring at the card in her hands in disbelief and anger. She gulped. The chairman didn’t know it, but he’d just made her life a whole lot more difficult.

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