I laughed at her bullshit, not hiding my contempt. “Your ex-husband has never cheated on me. He loves me. By the way, do you like your new home?”
“I may be in this rathole, but I still have eyes and ears outside these walls, and they’re watching you,” Saira threatened, not giving a damn about the officer in the room.
“I’m not afraid of you,” I answered indifferently, crossing my legs.
I flicked a piece of lint from my sweater, taking in Saira’s new shade of green. “Chic, but not quite Tiffany. Guess you’ll have to settle.”
She leaned closer toward me. “Oh, you like trinkets from Tiffany? Did Alistair buy your necklace? Did he take you to Manhattan? It’s the same necklace he bought every woman before you. I wonder who he’s fucking now. Maybe one of my girls.”
I clapped my hands slowly. “Well done. You are a good liar. This necklace is a new collection piece, and it’s one of a kind, like no other, just like Alistair. He’s an incredible lover and a loyal one. He wasn’t like that with you, was he?”
Her eyes narrowed into slits. “How’s Julian? I enjoyed fucking him before breaking him.”
“He’s not ruined, Saira. He’s not sitting behind bars. You are. Remember that.”
“I loved Julian.” She beat her heart with her fist. “That snake, Sapphire, took everything away from me. And you? You took everything else. My money, my businesses, my son, his father, and my freedom.”
“You’ve got it wrong, Saira.”
“What?” Her eyes blinked in disbelief.
“You’re the snake.” I smiled, leaning in enough for my voice to cut low. “Fuck with my family, and I’ll fuck you up so bad you wish you were never born. Never underestimate me.”
“You should watch your back. I will destroy you and make your life hell.”
I shook my head and laughed. “You already tried, Saira, and you failed.”
“What do you want?” She sneered, clasping her hands.
“I want answers.” I tapped the table three times.
“If it’s about Julian, you’ve already got your answers. Check the court report.”
“It’s not about Julian. It’s about me.”
We locked eyes, the silence stretching until it cut like glass. At last, Saira folded her arms. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do,” I countered. “You orchestrated every attack on me, didn’t you?”
“Why would I do that?”
I slammed my fist on the table. The crack echoed. “Cut the bullshit. I’ll say it again. How long, Saira?”
She slid her chair forward, a twisted smirk tugging at her lips.
“You conniving viper.” The words hissed out of me.
Her glare sharpened, cold and venomous. “Some people are born to serve. When Julian signed his contract with me years ago, he committed to serving me.”
“It wasn’t meant to last a lifetime.”
“Let me finish, you piece of shit,” she snapped before smoothing her tone again. “I know everything about the people I invest in. Andeverythingmeans family.”
“Is that all people are to you? Commodities? Pawns?”
“It’s business, Vera. You should understand that.” Her ghost-gray eyes locked on mine. “And you should be more careful about the lovers you choose.”
My stomach turned to acid. Anxiety flooded down my spine, sparking through every nerve until my arms and legs felt like lead. The name tasted bitter on my tongue. “Holly James.”
