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I simply liked doing it. I liked to see people uncomfortable. I liked to see what kind of drama I could stir up. How would they react? Or worse, how would they die.

I wished I could’ve seen Grandma Neasy’s face when Cookie got sick. The fear and panic she must’ve felt. That dog was about seven years old. I’m sure she was attached to her. Too bad I couldn’t see the look in her eyes when she thought her precious pup would pass away.

It was like the look in Dream’s eyes when she realized Midnite was dead. She was mortified. It took the self-control of Jesus in a strip club to not laugh. To not smile. Instead, I channeled my glee into tears. I mustered up those drops to throw everyone off, but deep inside I was cackling.

See, I’m not crazy. I’m not mentally ill. I’m just different. There is no healing me. Therapy and anger management were a waste of time. But bless Justice’s heart for thinking it might work. I had to pretend until my true father comes and rescues me.

Quickly, I guzzled the wine and rinsed the glass out before I got in trouble. Once I was done, I went back into my room. Things were almost as I left them but I could tell Justice had been in here. He was probably searching for that letter that I destroyed. I wasn’t dumb enough to leave any evidence in my room after Melody’s snoopin’ ass came in here.

And Justice thinks he’s slick giving me a phone. I already know he’s probably uploaded some kind of app to track my every move. My other phone was still hidden at school. That’s the one I would use for any real work.

I was tempted to check my secret email on this phone to see if Tavares had messaged me, but decided against it. Instead, I’d use it for normal shit. It felt good to finally have a phone again. I’ve been on punishment for what felt like forever. Being able to get on TikTok and YouTube was a relief.

Didn’t Justice realize that without entertaining distractions I had to make up my own fun? Maybe with a little social media and streaming, I could keep my boredom at bay.

Before I went to those sites, I saw on the Apple News app an article about The Banks Grand. That sent me down a rabbit hole.

What the fuck!? Justice didn’t even tell me this. Someone bombed the casino to distract from a robbery. And Kyle Boutte was in prison for it. I’d met Kyle a few times and knew that he was Kira’s brother.

As I continued to read, I saw that Kira was shot here! What the fuck? How could Justice not say anything to me about this?

Kira came here with a gun and tried to break in and security shot her. That’s what that bitch gets. What if she was coming for me because Justice’s soft ass told her that I was the one who set her up for Midnite’s death.

All of a sudden I erupted into laughter. Kira was dead. The casino was closed. Kyle was in jail. The drama I caused. Look at what I’m capable of.

I’m just so upset I wasn’t there to see it all unfold. The next time I pull people’s strings I need to be there for the fallout.

But I must pat myself on the back. I’m proud of myself. For now, I’ve gotta suppress any urges to manipulate or hurt anyone. I have to try to make Justice think that I’m healed.

50

Melody

Life was slowly moving back to normal. Well, as normal as normal could be right now. The penthouse Justice rented for us was beautiful. It had three large bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Keenan had his own space and I had mine. It was temporary because eventually we would be back with him.

But while his demonic ward was living there, I was staying far away. It was bad enough that Keenan had to go to school with her. But he was safe there. And according to him, they rarely saw each other since they had completely different schedules.

While he was at school, I decided to post up at a nearby café and work on my book. Maybe it was the baby or the fact that Roman was no longer hanging over my head, but I had a creative freedom inside of me that I never felt before.

I may never be a lawyer again, but I could use all my experience for this book series. It was so salacious and juicy that I couldn’t get enough of it as I was writing it.

I sipped my turmeric latte as I typed away. Characters were coming alive. Scenes were leaving me stressed out and angry. That meant if I was enjoying it, the readers would too.

Things were almost perfect. I just felt so bad for the Banks family because of what happened at the casino. They were cooperating with the cops, and Kyle and Will were going to do serious time. They were, of course, facing lawsuits. People died and people were injured. But that’s what insurance is for.

Eventually it would be okay. It was just a setback. The brothers were working day and night to clear everything up. Even Serenity had come back to town.

Storie was back home with Justice. When I asked how things were going, he told me he had a plan. I knew better than to ask for details. The less I know, the better. But I knew that meant he was going to kill or disappear her.

For now, my son was safe. I had a baby growing inside me and something waiting on my computer that belonged to me.

I got up and ordered breakfast to fuel my brain. A cheese omelet and four slices of turkey bacon.

“I could’ve gotten that for you,” Derrick, the security guard, said to me.

“I needed to stretch my legs,” I responded.

It was weird always having security around. Having somebody watch me eat still felt strange, but after Kira, I wasn’t complaining.