Fuckme.
This has all been too easy.
Honestly? I have Dylan to thank for that. He’s been a real champ about being a complete fucking tool since the very beginning. I mean, he handed me the ammunition rather than me having to piece together some fucking lie about him. I was fully prepared to break out my connections and deep fake a few sex tapes on the poor fucker, but I didn’t even need to.
He handled all of the legwork on his own with being the slimy fuck he is.
Now, for the fun part of my plan.
Of course, I reminded Melody of our deal. I need the wager to be fresh on her mind the moment I make my move. She has no idea, but she’s about to admit that she wants me with the proper motivation. And by proper motivation, I mean a loaded revolver to the temple.
I’m standing outside Dylan’s office in California, the sun having just set across the skyline as I finish my cigarette in the flicker of the street lamps. The building before me is tall with stretching glass windows that reach the top and reflect the artificial lights of the business district.
I dig my phone out of my pocket, smirking at the message from Saint.
Done.
He’s such a great friend. He didn’t even question when I asked him to slap together some wedding invitations and send them out to our friends and family. Dylan’srelatives were included out of the kindness in my heart. Can’t have them missing the big reveal.
I flick my cigarette out, my boot pressing into the burnt end as the office main entrance swings open. Dylan steps out in his crisp black suit as he scowls at his phone’s screen. He’s been trying to call Melody for three days now and has only been met with her voicemail. He’snervous—his muscles coiled tightly, tension lining his shoulders, and a sense of dread in his eyes.
He has his own suspicions. He probably already knows that my sweet, dearest sister has caught on to his affair.
Good.
I hope it eats him alive.
I stalk forward, blending in with the night as Dylan crosses the street, putting space between himself and security stationed at the main entrance. He’s isolated now as he nears his car, his eyes still hyperfocussed on his illuminated screen. I can feel the anxiety rolling off him in waves.
It’saddictive.
I raise my hand in a faux cordial gesture as I near him. “Dyl! What a surprise!”
He whips around to me, surprise flaring in his gaze. “Kaden? What the fuck—”
“Let’s skip the introductions,” I muse as I tuck my hands into my pockets and tilt my head knowingly. “She’s not answering, is she?”
He blinks, realization gripping him as he lowers his phone, and his expression hardens. “What did you do?”
“Nothing, really,” I smirk. “That’s the beauty of it. You did everything yourself.”
The streetlight above us flickers, casting hollow shadows across his slowly healing cheek. He looks a little thinner than the last time I saw him.Good. Guilt does that to a person.
“You’re insane,” he mutters, searching the street for an escape route. “If you touched her—”
I step closer, making his neck crane as the scent of smoke that clings to me curls around him. “I would never hurt, Melody,” I say. “She’sdevastated. You should have heard her voice when she found out.”
His jaw tightens. “You told her.”
”Ishowedher,” I correct.
His breath stutters as his mask falls, cracking in two. His fist tightens around his phone. “You had no right.”
A laugh escapes me, low and humorless. “No right? You fucked around on her fortwoyears, Dyl. I had every right to show her the truth.”
He flinches as if struck, and I savor it as I continue.
“You think I didn’t notice? Always running back to California the moment you got the call. The way you’d watch your phone light up and angle it away from her so she wouldn’t see.”
