Chapter 55 : "Worlds Collide"

*Aaron's POV*

I had two hours left before Violet's deadline, and the clink of ice against crystal in a dimly lit room was the only sound that accompanied my entrance. Mr. Henderson, his silver hair slicked back, eyed me with suspicion. Mr. Atwood, his fingers steepled and eyes sharp, nodded slightly. Mrs. LeCroix, draped in silk, regarded me with an unreadable expression.

"Evening," I said, voice low, the word hanging heavy with implication.

"Cut the pleasantries, Aaron," Mrs. LeCroix's voice was dangerously soft. "What's this about?"

I slid the documents across the mahogany table, their contents splayed like a gambler's final hand. My father had given them to me just a moment before my entrance, his aid making the difference. He had everything to lose if Violet managed to get control over the other families, including ours.

They flinched as they recognized their own secrets, intertwined with Violet's scrawled treachery. The air thickened, tension coiling around us.

"Mutual enemi