Chapter 71
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Kayla held Tristian’s gaze, her expression cool, her voice steady. “Yeah, I’m dead last in school right now. But who says I’ll stay there forever? Don’t forget. I wasn’t exactly a failure back in middle school.”
Tristian’s smirk faltered as a memory struck him. Kayla had entered the school with the second–highest score in the entrance exam, and she had been more than capable back then.
Jackson had been proud of her results, often holding them up against Tristian’s to point out his shortcomings. More than once, he had been scolded for not even measuring up to a girl. The sting of those words had never left him.
When Kayla saw his silence, she tilted her chin ever so slightly, a confident smile spreading across her face. “What’s wrong? Getting nervous?” she teased.
To Tristian, it was nothing but bravado. She was bluffing, trying to rattle him. Her shining moments were a thing of the past, from before high school.
Everyone knew that plenty of girls lost their edge once they moved up, and Kayla was no exception. Her grades had collapsed over the past year, and she had been stuck at the very bottom ever since.
The idea that she could claw her way back to the top in such a short time was laughable. If she had that kind of ability, why had she bombed the last exam?
A cold, mocking laugh stirred inside him. If she wanted to play games, then he would raise the stakes.
“Scared? Hardly. Since you’re so confident, let’s make it interesting. A bet without stakes is just hot air, don’t you think?” His eyes gleamed with mischief, though there was a darker edge beneath it.
Kayla’s lashes flickered, as though she had caught the malice in his tone, but she showed no hint of backing down. “Fine. What do you have in mind?”
His gaze slid to her long, glossy hair, and his lips pulled into a chilling smile. “That hair of yours. If you don’t make it into the top fifty in the finals, I’ll shave you bald myself.
“And then you’ll stand in the middle of the schoolyard and shout three times that you’re worthless.”
The look in his eyes was triumphant and cruel, as though she had already lost and he was savoring the punishment to come.
She had humiliated him once by shaving his head, and now he intended to return the favor in kind.
Before he could finish, Bailee shot to her feet, fury blazing in her eyes. “Tris! This is ridiculous. Kay’s your sister and a girl! You can’t treat her like that. Without her hair, how is she supposed to face everyone at school?”
But Tristian only shrugged, the corner of his mouth lifting in a half–smile. “Mom, it’s a bet. The stakes have to mean something, otherwise there’s no point. If Kay doesn’t think she can win, she doesn’t have to agree.”
He turned back to Kayla, his eyes filled with open challenge and contempt.
Kayla met Tristian’s eyes without the slightest hint of fear. “Mom, Tristian’s right. A bet isn’t worth anything if the stakes aren’t high. So what if it’s shaving my head? He went bald and survived. Why should I be afraid?”
The memory of that humiliating day, Kayla pinning him down and running clippers over his head, flashed in Tristian’s mind, and bitterness darkened his expression.
“Fine,” he said coldly. “You’re right. It’s only hair. But when you lose, I’ll make sure it’s the kind of haircut you’ll never forget.”
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Chapter 71
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Kayla gave a faint smile, her voice unhurried. “Slow down. Who said I’m the one who’s going to lose? You still haven’t told me what happens if you do
Tristian scoffed, dismissive. “You? Win? Keep dreaming.”
Even if she had the ability, he would find a way to make sure she never got the chance.
Kayla didn’t rise to the insult. If anything, her smile grew brighter. “Winning or losing is one thing. But what’s the matter. Tristian? Don’t tell me you don’t even dare put something up yourself.
“Or was all that talk earlier just bluster? Because a real heir doesn’t go back on his word.”
His face hardened, his voice dropping into a growl. “Fine then. What do you want?”
Kayla tapped her chin as if thinking it over, then suddenly lit up. “I know. If I win, Sexton Manor and the land around it go
to me.”
The request caught him off guard. “Sexton Manor? That rundown place? What would you even do with it?”
Suspicion coiled in his mind. ‘She must be up to something.‘
Across the room, Jackson narrowed his eyes, watching Kayla closely, clearly thinking the same.
Kayla’s expression softened, her voice tinged with nostalgia. “That’s the house I grew up in. It holds so many memories from when we were kids. I want to keep it as a reminder.
“But when you turned eighteen, Dad gave it to you, and you’ve never cared for it. Now it’s falling into ruin, and it hurts to see it like that.”
Then, as though worried her words might be misunderstood, she lowered her gaze and hurried to explain, “Dad, Mom, this isn’t jealousy. I just can’t bear to let it go to waste.”
But her eagerness only made her sound defensive.
Tristian let out a sharp laugh, convinced he had unmasked her true motive. “Not jealousy? Please. You can’t stand that Dad gave it to me instead of you. You’re pathetic.
“To think you’d envy a worthless old house. How shallow can you get? If you really wanted it, I’d just hand it…”
Before he could finish, Jackson cut him off, his voice firm and final. “Enough. Choose another wager. Sexton Manor belongs to Tristian Stop fixating on it.”
Kayla’s eyes flickered, but she didn’t push. She pivoted smoothly, her tone almost eager. “All right then. Meadowbrook Villa.
That works too”
Her quick shift, the way her voice lifted with excitement, made even Jackson falter.
He had thought there was some hidden reason for her fixation on Sexton Manor, some secret he didn’t know. That was why he had intervened.
He’d expected her to argue. But the way she moved on so easily left him second–guessing himself, wondering if he’d simply imagined it
Tristian, on the other hand, reacted instantly, his face twisting with anger. “Absolutely not. Don’t compare that crumbling house to Meadowbrook Villa Kayla, you really think you can play me?
“Sexton Manor was just bait, wasn’t it? What you really wanted all along was Meadowbrook Villa. And I almost fell for it.”
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Chapter 72
