Matthew Black's POV:

Heading away from the brunette beauty i flicked open my phone.

"Yo Ashton, we might have a situation. Its about the Rivers deal, meet me out back."

"Fuck sakes" a deep voice hissed on the other side before disconnecting his line.

Marching towards the tree line i pulled out a smoke and lit it "Rivers huh?...this could end up bad... or it could be a strange coincidence"

Snorting i shook that thought from my head knowing damn well there was no such thing as a coincidence only well planned manipulations or down right bad luck.

My mind kept going back to the little brunette with blazing blue eyes and plump lips. What kind of trouble would she stir up being here? Is she possibly related to James?

"What the fuck is it dude?" Ashtons shouts out as he storms towards me meeting under the mix of pine trees.

"Jeez who pissed in your fruit loops this morning" i asked raising an eye brow at his shitty mood.

"Some bitch mouthed me off in the hallway this morning, making me look like a fucking idiot in front of some students"

"Ashton was pissed; Kudos to whoever the chick was, i'd make sure to send flowers to her funeral."

"Worst part is she is so god damn hot, the things i would do to that girl" he groaned rubbing his face in frustration.

"What'd she look like?" I asked curiously, any girl who got Ashton this frustrated deserves a fucking gold medal. He wasn't one to get riled up so easily.

"...Or get riled up at all really, Ashton was as cold and meticulous as a robot"

"Ugh petite, toned body, brunette with these god damn tempting lips and blazing blue eyes"  he described her.

My heart stopped in my chest with sudden recognition. "Rivers" i uttered under my breath.

"Did you not hear me? I was talking about the damn girl" he snapped.

"No Ashton,  i met the girl, her name is Payton Rivers."

****************************

an uncomfortable moment of silence passed between us. Ashton kept pacing back and forth trying to find the words to say.

"So the hottie with the silver tongue is Payton Rivers, as in James Rivers?" Ashton asked me again.

"Could be pure coincidence.. but if I've ever learned anything it is that there is no such thing as a coincidence" i explained to him.

Honestly there was really no way of knowing anything yet, except the obvious fact her last name wasn't common in these parts of our Province and she had those exact same intense blue eyes.

"Fuck how did we not know James had a daughter, i thought all the loose end were dealt with?" Ashton snapped his temper surfacing, with everything going on i was surprised how well he was dealing with all of the stress.

Knowing Ashton he was probably coping by doing a nightly binger.

Sighing Ashton switched on his phone, dialling and muttering something before hanging up again  and dialling another number.

"I got Mariah to look into her, you and i are going to get closer to her and see what she knows" his brows furrowed. "If shes his daughter we need her on our side for now and we have to keep this strictly between the inner circle, my father cannot know"

Smirking i spoke up "good thing we both share classes with her then hey?"

Ashton flicked out his smoke with a curt nod and then stomped back towards campus.

And here i thought this year would be easy.

Ashtons POV *************

"Watch it asshole"

i stopped in my tracks, who the fuck thinks they can talk to me like that. Today was already a shit show and i could feel my patience wearing thin.

Stepping back i stood in front of a petite figure with long chocolate tresses kneeling down and gathering the textbooks that were strewn across the floor.

"Imma need to put this Princess back in her palace."

"Excuse me?" I snapped irritated as she kept collecting her things off the floor deliberately ignoring me.God this chick wouldnt even give me the time of day.

"Are you deaf or just stupid" i asked sneering down at the person who thought she could talk back to me. The figure stilled, visibly shaking with anger before snapping her face up to look at me.

Fuck  i didn't expect that, she was gorgeous with plump rosy lips and blazing blue eyes. Swallowing i checked her out closer noting the slight crook in her nose as if it had been broken and reset -but only noticeable enough to a trained eye.

Feeling my pants tighten slightly i growled in frustration. "Are you deaf or stupid?" I snapped completely irritated at my attraction to this girl and her clear disrespect to my authority.

Anger sparked in her brilliant blue eyes before an icy mask slid onto her face. Leaving me surprised, It was an expression that i easily recognized- hell it was one i wore everyday.

Something about her was slightly familiar but i couldn't place why. The smirk tilting the corner of her lips or the glossy brown hair all screamed at me to recognize where i had seen her from.

"Are you blind or just an asshole" she snapped back and i stilled, shocked this little girl (who now stood her full height and barely reached my chest) spoke back to me.

Did she not know who i was?

Before i could chew her out she opened her smart ass mouth again.

"Thought so, fucking prick" she retorted before swinging her bag over her shoulder and walking away rudely.

Stunned i felt anger flood my veins, realizing a crowd had formed i snapped at all of them to mind their own business before sauntering off to the back of campus for a smoke. I needed the hit of nicotine like i needed a chill pill.

Standing out back with a smoke between my lips i felt my phone vibrate. Of course it was Matthew, he would be the only person to call me this early, everyone else knew better then to call me before 10 am.

"What do you want" i snapped answering my phone.

"Yo boss there may be a situation about the Rivers Deal, meet me out back"  then he hung up.

I stilled, Rivers? What now? I thought we had dealt with that situation and buried it to rest. Anything regarding James Rivers only brought more trouble.

Cursing out my life i headed towards the tree line knowing thats where Matthew would be waiting.

"What the fuck is it now" i snapped as Matthew came into view, leaning against the trunk of the tree a smoke burning from his lips.

"Jeeze who pissed in your fruit loops" he muttered before stomping out his smoke.

Leaning against another tree across from him i took a long drag of my smoke. Letting the tobacco and nicotine fill my lungs.

"God damn problem after problem. Question after question."

"Some bitch mouthed me off in the hallways and worst part is shes hot as hell like, the things i would do to that girl" i groaned feeling irritated and hot all over again, making Matthew smile.

He's always had a thing for girls with smart mouths.

"What she look like?" He asked, i smirked. How did i know he would ask? Its Matthew fucking Black thats how.

"Petite, toned body, long curly brown hair, god damn tantalizing  lips and  these blazing blue eyes" I described thinking back to the feisty woman. She definitely was a bred and born beauty.

"Rivers"

I barely heard him mumble it but i heard, annoyance simmering beneath the surface of my skin.

"Did you not hear me? I was talking about the girl" i snapped she was clearly gonna be a problem and it wasn't like him to lose his track of thought, especially on particular women of interest.

"No dude, i've met her... her name is Payton Rivers.."

My face dropped, grinding my teeth together. i felt like punching something. Who was this girl? And why is she here?

"So the hottie with the silver tongue is Payton Rivers? As in James Rivers?" I couldn't wrap my head around it, although if it were true thats one thing they would have in common they both had smart mouths and intense blue eyes.

Matthew rubbed his scruff before nodding "from what I've gathered she could be, but it could be pure coincidence except the fact that the james rivers house- you asked to keep an eye on, has been occupied recently by a supposed family member"

I could feel anger flood my veins, i was already saddled with the HD6 gang Issue and now a ghost from my past pops up like some April fools joke. I couldn't catch a fucking break.

I looked at Matthew "how did we not know James Rivers had a daughter?" The seriousness of this was insurmountable we needed to find out what this girl knows. Shrugging Matthew put out his smoke deep in thought.

Opening up my phone i dialled my sister Mariah.

"Hey i need you to look into a girl named Payton Rivers"

"Rivers? Like James Rivers?" Her soft voice spoke through the phone.

"Mariah just do it, and keep it quiet" i snapped before hanging up. I loved my sister but the less she knew the better, for now at least.

Looking at Matthews smirk  i rubbed my jaw stressed to say the least.

"I got Mariah to look into her, you and i are going to get close to her and see if she knows anything" his smirk grew wider. "If shes his daughter we need her on our side and we cannot let my father find out."

"good thing she shares classes with both of us  then hey?" Matthew snickered.

I flicked out my second smoke, nodding swiftly  and then stomped back to campus.

Shit was gonna get real.