“Are you having fun?” Ziya asked coldly.
“Immensely. My life would be significantly more boring if I didn’t find fun in everything I do. That’s how people waste their lives away, when they don’t allow themselves any fun. That was Savannah’s problem, I suppose. She took everything far too seriously. Can you imagine how different her life might have ended up if she just had more fun with it?”
“You’re saying Savannah was murdered because she wasn’t having enoughfun?” Ziya asked, aghast.
Oakland rolled his eyes with amusement. “Well, maybe not. But she was letting herself be bogged down with worry and stress and anger.” He knocked on his chest with a closed fist. “That does something to a person. Makes it so you can never really live life to its fullest. It rots your soul.”
“You’re a bad person.”
Oakland and Ziya both looked at Amie with surprise, who would have given herself a similar look if she was physically capable of doing so.
“Sorry,” Amie said quickly. “Or, not. I—” She winced, rubbing her temple. “I just, you’re talking like you’re some paragon of living life, but you’re not a nice person. You used Savannah, you lied to Andrew, you lied tous—”
Oakland shook his head. “When you’re playing the game—”
“I don’t want to play your game!” Amie stood up. “None of us want to play your game. You might be having fun, but when it’s at the expense of other people? That’s a terrible way to live your life. You’re a terrible person.”
“Do you know how much I’ve done for other people?” Oakland chuckled, although the laughter sounded more forced than it had previously. “How many small businesses I’ve saved? How many jobs I’ve saved, how manydreamsI’ve saved?”
“I don’t …” Amie shook her head. “I don’t think any of that really matters if you hurt people to get there.” She wasn’t even tryingto convince him of anything. She knew she wouldn’t be able to. She just had to say it. “I’m sure there are lots of people who are grateful for you and your money, but that doesn’t negate the way you treat everyone as competitors or pawns. I think life is about more than just making sure you’re having the best time. I don’t know.”
She crossed her arms, looking away from the man in the chair as she finished.
“Well …” Oakland cleared his throat. “Word of advice: Ending your passionate speech with ‘I don’t know’ can significantly detract from its effectiveness.”
“Shut up,” Ziya said tiredly, standing as well. “Let’s go. He’s just wasting our time.”
“I wouldn’t be wasting your time if you’d ask the right question,” Oakland said. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask it.”
Amie huffed with annoyance. “Ask what?”
“If I have an alibi for when Savannah was murdered.” Oakland’s eyes gleamed. “Monday night, wasn’t it? I flew in from Boston early Tuesday morning. Red-eye flight. I can show you my boarding pass, if you’d like.”
“You couldn’t have led with that?” Ziya asked through gritted teeth.
“That wouldn’t have been as fun for him,” Amie said before he could respond. Oakland shrugged in silent acknowledgement, the ghost of a smile on his face.
They left him sitting in his thousand-dollar chair.
“Sorry,” Amie said once the elevator doors closed.
“For what?”
“For … that.” Amie gestured to the doors, as if Oakland was still sitting on the other side. “I didn’t think I’d change his mind or anything. I was just mad.”
“I snapped at him first,” Ziya said. “And I’m not surprised he made you mad. He’s, like, the anti-Amie.”
“Because I’m a young woman with very little savings?” Amie joked.
Her companion stayed silent as the elevator continued to descend.
“What?”
Ziya sighed. “Amie … I—”
Ding.The elevator settled to a stop, and the doors slid open.
“What?” Amie asked again as Ziya walked into the lobby. She stood there until the doors began to shut. Realizing Ziya wasn’t pausing, Amie put out an arm to stop the doors and followed her.
