Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 126060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
At first, Jenny had tried to curry favor with Amaranthe, but Amara didn’t play favorites in class. She was a strict but fair instructor. She took dance seriously, just as she took riding shadows seriously. The only dancers who could play around in class were the little ones. She wanted them to have fun and learn to love ballet.
Geno and his brothers leaned against the bank of windows, arms folded, seemingly watching the girls go through the classic ballet positions. They were really studying the position of the shadows in the studio. Amaranthe was just as careful as they were to avoid being close to a shadow just in case one of the assassins burst out of an opening to attack with a poison blade.
Jenny’s up to something again, Nicoletta warned. She’s whispering to the girl next to her.
That’s Priscilla. Priscilla Clake was older than Jenny by a year but an introvert. She rarely talked. She kept shaking her head, refusing to look at the younger teen. Abruptly, she laid her head flat on her legs in a long stretch, attempting to ignore Jenny altogether.
Jenny muttered something under her breath. It appeared as if she didn’t like that the atmosphere in the studio had calmed, and no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to her. She used her foot to shove at Reba. Reba was on the mat beside Jordan. Jordan stretched, her head turned toward the girls working, a smile on her face. Jenny indicated for Reba to kick Jordan. Reba frowned and shook her head. She tried to look away from Jenny, but Jenny shoved her foot at Reba again and indicated Jordan.
Amaranthe sighed, stood up and walked over to the group of teenagers. “Jenny, you really are the most immature, childish girl I’ve ever had in one of my classes, and I’ve taught all over Europe in the most prestigious schools. You wouldn’t have lasted five minutes. You have no discipline at all.”
Deliberately, Amaranthe was as cutting as possible, setting herself up for the girl’s retaliation. The hope was that Jenny would run straight to her handlers and demand justice for the humiliation in front of her friends.
Her face bright red, Jenny leapt up, taller than Amaranthe, her fist shooting out toward her face. Amara blocked the punch.
“I do believe that is considered assault, Jenny,” she said. “And in front of witnesses, too.”
The other girls gasped. Three of the younger girls began to cry.
“You’ll have to press charges, Amara,” Geno said, on his feet. “She can’t keep getting away with her bullying tactics.”
The door to the studio opened and London Porthman hurried in. She stopped abruptly when she caught sight of Geno, Salvatore and Lucca. Immediately, she broke into a huge smile. She was a woman of about forty with blond hair and blue eyes. She had a very trim figure and was tall like her daughter. She wore slim wool trousers and a blue silk blouse with a dark brown topper over it. She looked extremely chic.
“How lovely to run into the three of you,” she said. “I can’t remember the last time that happened.” Her gaze swept past them to take in her daughter, who stood with both fists clenched, her face red and a scowl twisting what could have been a pretty face into something nearly ugly.
London looked around the room at the crying children. “What’s going on, Geno?”
“Your daughter just tried to assault the instructor. Fortunately, she was able to block the punch before she was struck in the face. As you can see, Jenny being physically violent toward Amaranthe upset the younger children. I’ve advised Amara to press charges. It won’t hurt Jenny to spend the night in a facility. As it is, she’s banned from this school, and I’m going to see to it that she won’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of getting in any other school I oversee or have any influence with.”
Jenny paled. “He can’t do that. She’s sleeping with him, Mom. That’s why he’s taking her side. They’re making this entire thing up. Reba and Priscilla will tell you the truth. He’s only saying that because she’s sleeping with him. She even made him get rid of Ms. Marchel.”
London turned to Geno with a shocked look on her face.
Ignoring her, Geno centered his attention on Jenny. “Why would you give your mother partial information? Are you hoping she says something to anger me? Or upset Amaranthe? Do you have any concept of the difference in our social status? If your mother were to lose her social status, you would no longer be welcome at any of those events you love to go to. None of the privileges you have right now would be yours any longer. You’re dependent on your parents’ status. They own certain companies. Do you know what I can do to those companies, Jenny? Do you have any idea what would happen if they angered me because they insulted my fiancée the way you have?”