“May her soul burn in hell,” Pearl sneers.
DeeDee lifts her glass of juice. “Hear, hear.”
Misty simply smirks, shaking her head.
A quiet laugh slips through me and this time, it doesn’t feel forced.
Pearl lifts her glass. “To Scar burning in hell, too. I hope his fucking dick falls off.”
“Cheers to that,” DeeDee mutters, clinking hers against Pearl’s.
Misty rolls her eyes but taps her glass against ours anyway. I follow suit, the softclinkoddly grounding.
Then Pearl’s eyes glint with mischief as she leans in slightly. “So,” she drawls, “did Ruin spend the night with you?”
My entire face goes up in flames. “I—”
Misty immediately smacks Pearl’s arm. “Stop it. That’s none of our business.”
I let out a breath, shoulders sagging—only to open my mouth and absolutely spoil the moment.
“I mean… one less brother for you, right? So it kind ofisyour business.”
Silence.
Oh God. Why did I say that?
All three of them stare at me.
DeeDee chokes—then turns away fast, coughing as juice nearly comes out of her nose. Pearl bites her lip, visibly holding back a grin.
Misty just stares at me. Baffled. “Charlotte,” she says carefully, “are you… jealous?”
I scoff too quickly. “No.”
“Uh-huh,” DeeDee mutters, still wiping her face.
Pearl finally loses it, a laugh bubbling out of her. “Oh my God, she is.”
“I’m not,” I insist, glaring at all of them.
Misty crosses her arms, smirking now. “Relax. No one’s stealing your man.”
“He’s not—” I stop, groaning. “He’s not mine. He’s single.”
“No, he isn’t,” DeeDee says sweetly.
Before I can argue again, she shrugs, tone turning more casual. “Anyway, you don’t have to worry.”
I should stay quiet. Curb this urge to ask— “About what?”Fuck.
Pearl tilts her head. “Ruin. Or any of us, really.”
“There was kind of an unspoken rule,” DeeDee adds. “No one approaches the Prez or the VP. And well, now he’s both. Sort of.”
There’s sadness lacing her tone, but she keeps her face impassive. I blink, forcing the thoughts of my brother away. “What do you mean?”
Misty sighs. “After a few times some of us approached Wolf or Ruin—and got rejected—we just… took it as a rule.” She adds, shrugging. “Plus, Ruin made it clear a long time ago. He doesn’t indulge in club girls. Ever.”
