Lady Harmonia's Academy for Distinguished Young Women

Chapter 9: Arrival

The ride home was painfully silent, the air in the car thick with tension. Jace sat in the passenger seat, his body slumped against the window as the city blurred past. His head still pounded from the remnants of the hangover, but it was the weight of everything else that made him feel like he was suffocating. His dad hadn't said a word since they left the principal's office, but Jace could feel his anger radiating in waves.

When they finally pulled into the driveway of their Upper East Side townhouse, his dad parked the car but didn't get out. Instead, he sat there, hands gripping the steering wheel, knuckles white. Jace didn't move either, his heart thudding in his chest as he waited for the inevitable.

"Start talking," his dad said, his voice low and dangerously calm.

Jace swallowed hard, trying to find the right words, but everything felt jumbled in his head. He didn't even know where to begin. "Dad, I... I didn't—what she said about us pressuring people, about the coke, it's not true. Liliana's lying—"

His dad's hand slammed against the steering wheel, making Jace flinch. "Don't. Lie. To. Me."

The words came out in a harsh, clipped tone, each one heavier than the last. Jace's stomach twisted as he saw the raw anger on his dad's face. He had never seen him like this—this furious, this disappointed.

"I'm not lying!" Jace protested, his voice rising in desperation. "We didn't pressure anyone into anything! We—yeah, okay, we did the coke, but it wasn't like that. She's making it sound worse than it was, like we—"

"Enough!" His dad cut him off, his face turning red as he turned to face Jace fully. "You think I'm stupid? You think I don't know how this looks? You're telling me that Liliana Davenport, a girl from one of the most respected families in this city, is lying about this to what—save her own reputation? You think I'm going to believe that after everything you've done?"

Jace's throat tightened, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. His dad didn't believe him. He was already too deep in this, and no matter what he said, it wouldn't matter.

"I'm telling you the truth," Jace said quietly, trying to keep his voice steady, but the guilt was gnawing at him. "We didn't pressure anyone. We were just... It got out of hand. We messed up, but it wasn't like she said. It wasn't."

His dad exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Do you even understand the position you've put us in?" His voice was cold now, hard. "This isn't just some minor screw-up, Jace. This is cocaine. This is an arrest waiting to happen. You're lucky Truno Davenport is even giving you a second chance. But instead of owning up to it, you're sitting here, still lying to my face."

Jace's chest tightened. No matter how many times he tried to explain it, no matter what he said, his dad wasn't going to see it any differently. He wasn't going to believe that Liliana had twisted the truth, wasn't going to believe that this wasn't entirely their fault.

"I'm not lying," Jace whispered, but the words felt hollow now, and the weight of the situation pressed down on him like a tidal wave.

His dad shook his head again, disgust etched into his features. "You're going to pack your things. You're going to go to Lady Harmonia's tonight and face the consequences of your actions. And when this is over, if you make it through this, you're going to take a long, hard look at the mess you've made of your life."

Jace bit the inside of his cheek, fighting back the wave of frustration and anger that threatened to boil over. But what was the point? His dad had already made up his mind, and there was no talking his way out of this.

"Fine," he muttered, his voice tight as he opened the door and stepped out of the car. "I'll pack."

Jace slammed the front door behind him, the sound echoing through the spacious, empty house. His hands were shaking, his mind still spinning from the conversation in the car, but it wasn't over. He could hear his dad's footsteps following him, heavy and deliberate, down the hallway.