Fraud

I’m not most people.

“Why does my dad believe I have a fiancé?”

Another twitch of his lips, the absolute silence on his side of this conversation maddening.

“Who is my fiancé?” I ask because it better not be him. Even the thought of a fake engagement between us makes my eye twitch and my stomach shrivel to an uncomfortable size.

“Are you pla

His bright green stare cuts to me for only a second before returning to the road.

“Actually, the silence is nice. I’ve discovered that I prefer you when you’re not talking. It a

Smiling at that, I shift in my seat to stare out the side window. “Fine. I’ll never say another word to you.”

“Promises, promises,” he grumbles as we turn a corner onto an entry ramp for the highway.

On either side of us, Miami speeds past, the tall palm trees, bright sun and white, fluffy clouds slipping through my fingers as Gabriel drives me to the private airport to drag me back to hell.

I hate the city, always have, especially now that the Inferno is back from Yale and once again part of it. For years, I’ve been looking for an excuse to move away, and maybe this is one.

Sure, it sucks that my dad has cut me off, but is it the end of the world?

For a long time I’ve wanted financial freedom and my own career. I’ve detested the life he was slowly creating for me.

Maybe this entire thing can be a blessing in disguise. I can get a job with my business degree, work a full year to save up and then move to a place like this to find another job, my weekdays spent earning my keep, while my weekends are spent sipping fruity drinks in the sunshine.

All in all, Gabriel may have just done me a favor without realizing it, and with that thought in mind, I turn back to him.

“I think you just fucked up, Gabe. I might be thanking you after this.”

From the side of his face, I can see his eyes roll, even as he refuses to look over at me.

“And I think you should shut up like you promised. I was enjoying the sound of nothing.”

My lips curl at that, another thought coming to mind about one of the ways I can strike back on the way home.

He wants a silent victim.

I refuse to be one.

And with the knowledge that I have on him, I’ll make the flight home the most unpleasant experience in the history of mankind.