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CHAPTERSEVEN

VIVIAN

After doingsome more research on Calvin, I wasn’t sure if reaching out to him had been such a great idea.

The stress I’d been dealing with cloudedmy brain. Calvin Wong was currently vying for the top seat in The Triad against another member. He had climbed the ranks over the years and had become a trusted member. His father died a few years ago. The Triad had respected his father, and that respect had been passed onto Calvin. Creating a fake identity to join specific group chats had gotten me enough information that exhausted me.

I didn’t want to think about violence and death anymore. I showered, slipped into my silky pajamas, and slid into bed. Kaylee was already in bed because she was heading to a Sanrio event in Boston with her friend Violet tomorrow. Violet’s mom, Grace, was driving them to look at all the stuffed animals and K-pop collectibles.

Kaylee had saved her allowance money to spend at this event. She finished the lo mein and also ate the salad in the fridge. She told me my account for her Heartstrings app was all set up. All I had to do was play along and interact. She needed all the feedback I could give her.

She kept her word, and I’d keep mine.

I couldn’t believe Kaylee created a dating app. Should a thirteen-year-old girl be doing this? Should I allow this? What was the right way to raise a teenage girl? She was smarter than most kids her age. Even if I stopped her from doing what interested her, she’d probably go behind my back to do it anyway. So, taking part in her project would help me monitor her. With her brilliant mind, she could make this world a better place.

Arrow's face invaded my mind as I tried to clear my thoughts so I could fall asleep.

Can you let me know when you’re ready?

I hadn’t met a persistent man like him. Most men would have moved on already.Was this a game to him? Maybe he liked a challenge, and winning a date was the prize he’d aimed for.

You’re overthinking again.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I grabbed it to see a notification from Heartstrings.

You have two heart tugs. One yellow heart tug and one red heart tug.

What did they mean?

I had planned on looking at the dating app tomorrow when I wasn’t so tired. But the tugs intrigued me. Sitting up in my bed, I clicked on the icon with two adorable smiling hearts connected by one string. An adorable logo that illustrated the app beautifully.

I browsed through the app.Colored hearts rated the connection scale. Yellow meant a wonderful friendship. Pink meant a potential love match. Red signified passion, while black meant not a chance.

Goodness. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this coming from Kaylee. She was only thirteen years old! She shouldn’t be thinking about these things!

Remember when you were a teenager?

Being a guardian to her was like being a parent, and I had no experience whatsoever. I was more like a big sister to her. But I also lacked experience in that area—I was an only child.

“Who are these people?” I asked no one in particular.

Curiosity had me checking out the red heart tug. What made the match? More importantly, what kind of profile did I have?

What the hell was I thinking, trusting a thirteen-year-old girl to set up a profile for me?

You’re just helping her test out a prototype.

Still, I had to know everything.

Ismiled at my alias, Tulip, which showed an image of a single yellow tulip. She knew I loved yellow tulips. They reminded me of joy and new beginnings in the spring.

Oh my God.

I gasped at the preferences in my profile.

Preferences:A man with brains who can buy me whatever I want. Stable job. Funny.

Age:Late twenties.