The rest of our vacation passes in a simr fashionzy mornings, outdoor adventures with Miles during the day, quiet


    evenings together after he goes to bed. I work on my sketch whenever I have a moment alone, refining details and making notes


    about colors and textures for the final piece.


    This vacation is the most rxed I''ve seen Arthur in years-since before his presidential campaign began. Away from the


    constant pressure of being Alpha President, he''s yful, affectionate, and fully present with Miles and me in a way he rarely has


    time to be back in the city.


    But I have to admit, by the time we''re packing to leave, I''m eager to get home. I miss my apartment and my coffee dates with


    Alice, and now that I''ve finished the sketch for my painting, I''m eager to get back to my studio so I can start outlining it on the


    canvas.


    The flight back to Ordan feels infinitely shorter than the journey out, or maybe that''s just because Miles and I both knock out the


    moment the ne takes off-both exhausted from our adventure.


    Before I know it, we''re touching down, and Ezra meets us at the airstrip. But as we climb into the waiting car, I can''t help but


    notice his grim expression.


    "What happened?" Arthur asks once we''re inside the secure vehicle, clearly picking up on the same thing I did.


    "A lot," Ezra admits. "Iris''s debut was even more sessful than anticipated. The polls are showing an 87% approval rating for


    her after the confrontation with Selina."


    I blink in surprise. "Seriously?" I didn''t expect anyone to care that much about that —at least, gaining approval from the masses


    is certainly not the reason why I said the things I did-and I certainly wasn''t anticipating so much approval.


    Ezra nods. "People love a good redemption story, and your gracious handling of the situation won over even some of Selina''s


    staunchest supporters. The way you referred to her as your ''sister'' and invited her to enjoy the party made youe across like a


    kind and forgiving person."


    "So I''m popr now?" The concept is bizarre after the disastrous event where my dress was destroyed and the subsequent


    interview where I felt like a Selina clone.


    "Very," Ezra replies. "Your approval rating is actually higher than Arthur''s, which is saying something since his usually sitsfortably around 85%. It probably won''t be permanent-approval ratings tend to peak like this then dip slightly once the buzz passes-but right now, you''re looking fantastic. And everyone seems to have forgotten about your initial:.. faux pas. No offense."


    "None taken,” I say, shuddering slightly at the reminder.


    Arthur''s eyebrows rise. "There''s something else, though, isn''t it? Good news doesn''t usually make you look like you''ve


    swallowed a lemon, Ezra."


    Ezra''s mouth thins. "You''re right, Alpha. There has been... another development."


    +25 Bonus


    As Ezra pulls out of the airport parking lot, he exins that Selina''s approval ratings have dropped significantly since the ball.


    Her ratings were already lowering during hera, thanks to rumors about the car crash and the newsing out that she''s not


    actually a Willford.


    But after her unexpected attempt to crash my debut, her ratings dropped even further.


    "Her approval rating has tanked," Ezra exins. "Down to 12%. And that percent is mostly made up of die-hard supporters who think this is all a conspiracy to discredit her. After the way she crashed your party, people then got hold of the information


    regarding the car crash, and the masses are calling for justice; some are even saying that she should get life in prison for it."


    Life in prison. I have to admit, with Selina in thea, I didn''t really consider what sort of punishment she should receive for


    what she did—not even just the car crash, but also calling CPS and trying to get Miles taken away while I was injured in the hospital.


    I guess I thought that a fuckinga would be punishment enough. None of us thought she would ever wake up from it, honestly.


    And then right after she woke up, we went on vacation, and obviously my mind was preupied...


    "So what happens now?" I ask, ncing at Arthur. His jaw is set hard, eyes dark with that look that I know all too well.


    Ezra nces at us in the rearview mirror. "Your parents have called a meeting at the Willford estate, actually," he says. "They''ve


    requested both of you attend so you can discuss Selina''s fate."