Chapter 18

My voice trembled as I tried to explain, "Archer, it's not what it looks like. She attacked me first—"

But my words were drowned out by Claire's pitiful wails. "She hates me, Arch! She's always hated me. She wants to ruin everything between us."

The intensity of his glare cut through me like a blade, the depth of his disappointment and anger more than I could bear. I stumbled backward, my mind racing for something—anything—to make him understand. "Archer, please, you have to believe me. She—"

A voice bombarded the three of us. “What’s happening here?” My dad's authoritative voice broke through the tension, his subordinates flanking him, their curious eyes assessing the scene.

“D-Dad.. It’s nothing,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

“S-Sir!” Claire uttered in a shaking voice, her feigned innocence sickening. Archer's stern face remained fixed on me, unmoved by my father's presence.

One of my dad's subordinates leaned in to whisper something to him. He let out a deep sigh, nodding