"I'm not here to give a speech," I said, taking a step closer, my hands clenching the straps of my bag so tightly my knuckles turned white. "Everyone is ignoring me, Janella. Chloe won't even look at me. The whole tier has completely erased me from the social calendar. You told them to do this."
Janella finally looked up. Her blue eyes weren't raging; they were flat, cold, and entirely unyielding.
"I didn't have to tell them anything, Benny," Janella said, her voice dropping into that smooth, aristocratic cadence that made the stakes feel incredibly high. "They have eyes. They saw you on that stage, standing side-by-side with a valley transfer, actively working to embarrass my family's legacy. You chose your side. You chose to value her over a lifelong alliance."
"It wasn't about taking
