Jennifer's POV
People thought power came from being the smartest in the room, but that is just wrong. Power came from influence. From whispers. From knowing exactly who to use and when.
And today, I knew exactly who I needed.
Her name was Claire. A shadow in my circle. A hanger-on who would laugh too loudly at my jokes and nod at everything I said, desperate for scraps of my attention. Most people ignored her. I didn’t — not when I could use her.
I found her in the library, hunched over a stack of books she probably didn’t understand. She looked up when I slid into the chair across from her, her eyes lighting up like a child being noticed by a celebrity.
“Jennifer! Hi, I didn’t expect…”
“Shh,” I said smoothly, cutting her off with a finger to my lips. “We don’t need the whole room li
