by C. Morgan
Emily and I had spoken to Tommy and after I’d told him that we didn’t want or need him in our lives anymore, he’d followed through on his threats just like I’d known he would. We’d been cut off from our respective trust funds and while my tuition for the semester had already been paid up, he’d withdrawn his details from the financial office and let them know that he wouldn’t be responsible for paying any future installments.
After today, we were officially on our own. I’d made my peace with it and if I was being totally honest, I felt lighter for it. Better.
Maybe one day we’d make amends with our parents, but I’d come to realize that they were the ones who needed to apologize. They had as much—if not more—growing to do than I did. That especially counted for my father. As for Mom, well, I didn’t really know.
In the meantime, Emily and I wouldn’t starve. The allowances we’d been getting paid into our accounts every month until we got cut off had been sizable. Neither of us had ever gotten close to spending even half of it before it’d been replenished, and so we’d both managed to save up tidy sums of money over the years. While I was sure he would’ve if he could, Tommy couldn’t touch those accounts. They were in our own names and the deposits had already been made.
We wouldn’t be able to come close to covering the cost of our education though, which was why I was here. Even if I got one of the jobs I’d applied for, there was still no way I’d be able to continue at Edgewater if I didn’t get some help.
It wasn’t just about me, either. Emily had moved in with Jess, and her parents had agreed to let her stay there for her last year of high school. After that, she planned on getting a scholarship here or at another Ivy League so she wouldn’t have to depend on our parents.
Mercifully, we didn’t have to worry about her school fees. She was still a minor and Tommy would never let her get kicked out of the private school she went to, especially not due to non-payment of dues. It’d be all over town in less than sixty seconds and it was a blow I didn’t believe he’d let his reputation suffer.
The Dean wasn’t red faced for once as he looked at me from across his desk. Instead, he wore a mildly curious smile as he waited for me to settle in. “What can I help you with today, Mr. Burke? I must admit, it was quite a surprise seeing your name scheduled for an appointment in my diary. I don’t recall having asked for a meeting with you recently.”
“You didn’t, sir,” I said. “I made the appointment because I need to ask for your help.”
His brows jerked up, but he didn’t say anything. Before I’d come here, I’d promised myself that I’d be completely honest with him. It was more difficult than I thought it would be to sit there, across from a man I used to think of as one of my father’s lackeys, and humble myself.
I did it, though. For me, for Emily, and for Ruby.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about it, but my father and I have had a falling out,” I explained. “As a result, he’s elected to stop paying for my tuition. While I understand that this is unorthodox and perhaps unfair to ask, I didn’t want to leave at the end of this term without trying. I would like to continue my education. I’d like to do something with my life, but in order to do so, I need help.”
The Dean remained silent when I was done talking. His dark gaze bounced from one of my eyes to the other before he eventually pulled his glasses off his face and folded his hands on his desk. “You’re right. It is unorthodox for an existing student to come directly to the dean of an institution for financial aid, but it’s not unheard of.”
He sat back in his chair, but his eyes never moved from mine. “I’m willing to help you make it work, but only as long as you promise me right here and right now, man to man, that you’ll apply yourself properly.”
“Absolutely, sir. Yes,” I said as relief rushed through me. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“There will be no further toleration of any foolery on your part though, Mr. Burke. I looked into it when I saw your name in my diary and I see your grades have improved vastly these last months, but you’re being permitted to stay by the grace of the university. With your father no longer at your back to protect you from the fallout and a less than stellar academic and disciplinary record, I’m afraid you’ve run out of strikes. One more infraction, and not even I can save you.”
“Yes, sir.” I’d been expecting that, but it wasn’t the part I was worried about. “Do you need me to complete any application forms for the financial aid? What about housing? I’m all packed up and ready to move out of my dorm, but if I’m staying, do I get a new dormitory assignment or should I start looking for alternative accommodation?”
To my surprise, he started chuckling. “None of that will be necessary, Brysen. It might not be unheard of for a dean to be approached for financial aid, but it’s not necessary for me to intervene on that front with you.”
“Excuse me?” Everything inside me deflated. “I thought you said you were willing to help me make it work.”
“Yes. Yes, I am.” A slight crease only just started furrowing his brow before it smoothed out and he chuckled again. “Oh, I see. We’ve had a misunderstanding. Your education has been paid for in full, Mr. Burke. There’s a payment earmarked for your sister’s education as well. There will never be any need for either of you to apply for financial aid. Your housing, tuition, all of it has been taken care of.”
“By who?” My heart was pounding. I was so shocked, I was pretty sure my hair was standing on end. “What was the misunderstanding, then?”
“The arrangement you and I have come to regarding your continued education here has nothing to do with whether it’s been paid for. Just because a student has the means to study here doesn’t mean that he or she will be entitled to admission or re-enrollment. I’m letting you come back because your grades and demeanor seem to have undergone a transformation recently, so I’m giving you another chance.”
“Thank you, sir,” I murmured again. “Who’s paying for it, though? I know it’s not my dad.”
He shook his head before he leaned forward and picked up his glasses again, not putting them on but letting them dangle between his fingers.
“It’s not him, but Tommy isn’t the one with the real money, is he?” the Dean asked cheerfully. “Surely you know that you come from serious family money, inherited for generations upon generations? The kind of money no one, not even Tommy, can amass in one lifetime.”
“What does that mean?” I asked. “I don’t have any grandparents left and if it’s not Dad and you’re talking about generations of money, then it’s not his brother either. We’ve never gotten along with our uncle anyway, so I doubt he’d do something like this for us. The money our mother’s father left us is tied up in the trusts Tommy has cut us off from.”
A strange expression crossed his features before his expression softened. There was something weird about the way he was looking at me suddenly, like he understood me better now than he had just a minute ago.
“It seems there’s a lot that’s been kept from you, dear boy,” he said. “I can’t even begin to understand your family dynamics, but I respect your mother and her family enough not to involve myself by presuming to know why she kept you in the dark.”
I frowned, but he continued before I had to ask him to explain. “Alison made the payments for you and your sister from her own trust account. As far as I understood it, she said that it’s a family account that will eventually pass to you two in any event. The money that was left to your respective trusts accounts by your grandfather was only a nominal amount to assist you on your way until such time as you gained access to the family accounts.”
What the…? I knew the old man had money and that my mother came from it, but I hadn’t had any clue that she was sitting on generations worth of wealth. Not that it really mattered right now anyway.
When the time came, Emily and I would have to talk to Mom about it but for now, I was just shocked and beyond relieved. Definitely also taken aback.
“Don’t waste this chance, Brysen,” he said kindly. “You won’t get another at Edgewater. Take spring break to figure out what you want to do, and then come back to me on the first day of class with your decision. We’ll see what we can do then to get you into the correct programs.”
“I already know what I want to do,” I said, grinning for the first time since I’d woken up this morning. “If I can still get into the program, I want to study psychology and pursue a career in counseling.”
“Counseling?” He arched a brow at me. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, sir.” Ruby and I had done a lot of research and talking. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that I’d finally found my calling. “More specifically, I want to counsel young people. Ideally, I’d like to work in a high school setting to help kids who need it.”
Kids like the young boy I used to be and kids like my sister.
The Dean stood up and extended his hand toward me. “That’s an excellent choice, Brysen. A noble one. I’ll see what I can do about transferring you from finance to psychology.”
I shook his hand. “Thank you, sir. For everything.”
On my way out of the office, I bumped into Clark in the waiting room. He grinned when he saw me walking out. “Oh, look. Burke’s in trouble again. I knew your recent quiet streak was too good to last. What did you do now?”
I rolled my eyes at him. Nothing he said could ruffle my feathers right now. “I’m not in trouble this time. Good luck with whatever you’re here for. The Dean’s in a good mood, if it helps.”
“Well, at least I’ve got that on my side,” he grumbled. “You’re not going to ask what I’m here for?”
“Nope,” I said, already losing interest in him as I glanced down at my watch. “I don’t really care. Honestly, all I care about right now is finding Ruby and getting out of here. Enjoy the break. See you when we get back.”
Without waiting for him to respond, I ducked out of the waiting room and headed out to find my girl. She’d been in my corner for weeks helping me figure things out. I couldn’t have done it without her, and now I wanted to share the good news with her.
Thankfully, I knew exactly where to find her. She was packing up her dorm room when I got there, looking as sexy as fucking ever in my Edgewater t-shirt and a pair of shorts as she boxed up her textbooks. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head, and she was swaying to music playing on the earbuds pressed into her ears.
I swept her off her feet from behind, turning her in my arms and lifting her against me as I grinned. She popped her earbuds out, cocking her head at me expectantly. “How did it go?”
“We don’t have to worry about anything anymore. It’s all been taken care of. The university is going to let me stay and apparently, Mom has paid up mine and Emily’s education in full.”
“Wow.” Her eyes blew wide open, then she smiled and started drowning me in kisses as she hooked her ankles around my hips. “I’m so thrilled for you. That’s amazing news. You must be so relieved.”
“In the mood to celebrate?” I asked, carrying her over to her bed and laying her down gently before following her to the mattress. “We still have a couple of hours before you have to vacate the room. We should make the most of them. We’ve had some good times in here. It’d be a pity not to give the place a proper send off.”
She glanced around the space before winding her arms around my neck. “This room has definitely been good to us. I’m not sad to see it go, though. We’re on to bigger and better things next term.”
“Yes, we are,” I agreed, leaning forward to kiss her while holding my weight on my elbows. “I love you, Ruby. Thank you for riding this out with me.”
“Thank you for letting me.” She smiled as she pulled my head down to hers. “I love you too, Bry. I’m so damn glad everything worked out the way it has.”
“So am I,” I said. “There was a time I didn’t think I’d ever feel this kind of hope for my future, and it’s all because of you.”
“You say the sweetest things to me,” she teased. “In case you missed it, I’m already on the bed and underneath you. You don’t have to try to charm me into anything anymore.”
“Maybe not, but I’ll never stop trying to charm you,” I said. “You’re one hell of a girl, Ruby Sprite. If I have any hope of holding onto you until we’re old enough to make it official, I’m going to have to use every trick in the book to keep you happy.”
I meant it, too. I would never stop doing everything I could to make sure she was happy with me. Every damn day for the rest of my life, I’d remember what she’d done for me and how much she meant to me. She’d literally saved my life after that crash, but she’d saved it so many times since and I’d never take that—or her—for granted.
She was my forever. All I needed to do now was to make sure that she wanted to spend it with me. Oh, and get into psychology. And graduate. And get a job and then ask her to marry me. But with her by my side, none of those things seemed as daunting or impossible as they had before.
I loved her. She loved me. That was all I really needed to know.
The End
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Hate me all you want, 'cause loving me might just be harder.
No one is standing in my way of being the first to graduate from an Ivy League school.
Especially not my flaming-hot first love.
With his golden blond hair, tanned skin, sparkling blue eyes, and surfer’s body, every girl wants him and every guy wants to be him.
It doesn’t hurt that he has a boatload of money backing him up or that his family name is on the gym at our college.
When we meet again, there’s nothing left of the boy I used to know in the man he’s become.
He looks at me like I’m the enemy and I know I am because, once upon a time, I broke his heart.
Now, he’s out for revenge and he won’t stop until he gets it.
Bring it, wicked rich bad boy.
Bring it.
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About the Author
Chloe is a hometown girl from Tennessee who loves a great short romance, drinking coffee most of the day, and hanging out with family. When she's not writing, she can be found playing the piano or surfing Facebook!
Having been a reader all her life, she's hoping that you'll find yourself lost to time, laughing and falling in love all over again with her books.
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Wicked Plans
Copyright © 2021 by C. Morgan.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
Editor: Eric Martinez
Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art
