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“If I had wanted justice for myself, I would’ve sued you. It wouldn’t be hard to ask those women to talk. And your perfect persona wouldn’t be so perfect anymore.”

She looked at me, and fear swam in her eyes.

“But I have more important things to deal with than this immature behavior. We need to talk. Likeadults.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” she said.

“Then listen up. One, you stay away from me and my sister.” A headache bloomed and pounded my temple. I glanced down at her knee-high boots. “If you don’t, I’ll shove that heel up your ass until it reaches your throat. The internet would love seeing their beloved influencer like that, wouldn’t they?”

She flared her nostrils.

“Just because a man doesn’t want you anymore doesn’t mean you attack your competition and her little sister.” I rubbed my temple, trying to ease the pressure. “Find yourself a man who loves you. Stop wasting your time on someone who doesn’t. You’re a gorgeous woman, so you shouldn’t have any problem finding someone.”

Hurt flickered in her eyes, but disappeared quickly. “Does he love you?”

Arrow had never said those words to me. But this conversation wasn’t about his love for me. It was about a bully who couldn’t accept rejection and was trying to bully me and a younger girl.

“That’s none of your business,” I said.

“If he hasn’t said those words to you, he doesn’t. He’ll leave you soon.”

“Even if he does, I wouldn’t hire people to hurt the next girl. That’s insane—and illegal.”

“She scratched up my car!” Sylvia threw out her arms in defiance.

She glared at me, probably wondering how she could hurt me. If she attacked me, I’d have no choice but to defend myself by breaking her arm.

“I think you’ve acquired a lot of enemies over the years, Sylvia. You should watch your back from now on. You don’t know who could retaliate. People turn ugly when you give them no way out.”

I could tell she was thinking about my statement. I was sick and tired of this childishness.

“Arrow said he’s replacing your car—which he didn’t have to.” I gathered her scattered makeup products on the counter and placed them back into the bag. The gesture was like me putting pieces of her back. I didn’t know why I did it. Maybe because I also felt like I was scattered.

Sylvia’s brow furrowed, gauging what I was doing to her makeup bag. She probably thought I wanted to whip it at her or something.

“He’smyboyfriend now. So I suggest you move on. I’m very possessive and . . . can turncrazy.”

Sometimes, bullies needed to know the pain they inflicted on others. I considered myself a decent person, but that changed when those I loved were threatened.

“Are we clear about where things stand?” I zipped up her Versace pouch.

Glaring at me, she seethed, “You stay away from me, and I’ll stay away from you.”

“Excellent.” I watched her shove her beauty pouch into her giant purse.

She shot me a hateful look before stalking to the door without apologizing for the attack. But that was okay—I didn’t need one. I simply wanted her to realize I knew she was behind the attack.

Relationships were so strange. They could make people commit horrible crimes. I hoped this eyeliner event would be etched in Sylvia’s mind whenever she wanted to hurt someone again.

CHAPTERSIXTY-ONE

ARROW

My friendsand I split up. Royce, Forrest, and Grayson took the second floor because it was larger, while Remi and I scoured the third floor. People were everywhere, and it was hard trying to locate a young girl and Orion Reimann.

This event served two purposes for me: finding Aimee and confirming Orion’s identity. I had been working a lot the past couple of weeks trying to find information on a man who had done everything he could to remain hidden.

But people made mistakes when they were taken by surprise, even extremely skilled individuals. Having worked in the field, I was trained to look for details that others could miss, and I’d spotted something interesting that changed my entire outlook.