the way you think, Queens.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“What do you say we become allies and crush him?”
“Crush him how?”
“In a way he’ll fall at your feet like a puppy.”
I don’t want that. I only want him to feel the pain he inflicts on me. I want to hurt him as much as he hurts me.
I want him to look in the mirror and hold back screams because he’s been making me feel invisible.
Since that night, I’ve never been invisible to him. But lately, he’ll pass me by and greet Veronica and Summer, but not me. He’ll smile at them, but never me.
It’s like he’s punishing me for something I’ve never done. Okay, so maybe I did the same, but he started it.
Or did I?
I don’t remember. Either way, he’s at fault. I refuse to lose to him or anyone else.
I focus back on Aiden. “How do you intend to do that?”
“Give me your phone.”
“What are you going to do with it?” I ask suspiciously.
“Just give it.”
I unlock the device and pass it to him.
He types something, then shows me. He texted Cole from my phone.
Silver: We sent Papa’s driver away and guess what we did?
Cole sees the message but doesn’t reply.
Aiden’s lips pull in a smirk as he types again. He’s so keen about details, he even included how I address my father.
He sends another text and shows it to me.
Silver: Aiden fucked me so hard, I’m so sore and can’t move.
I gasp, bile rising to my throat at the image he’s painted in Cole’s head about me. “Why did you do that?”
“Isn’t that what you want him to think?”
“Yeah, but not that way.”
“Believe me, he needs to get the crude details to react…” he trails off and brings out his phone. Cole’s name flashes on his screen. “Speak of the devil.”
“Are you going to answer?” I murmur.
“No. It’s better to keep him in suspense, don’t you think?”
“Why, of course.” This is my revenge. I didn’t throw myself away and have sex just to spite him, but Cole thinks that.
That’s the only part that matters.
My phone buzzes with a text from an unknown number. Aiden starts to look at it, but I snatch it away.
I don’t want him, of all people, to know about that part of my life. We might be allies, but I don’t trust Aiden, not even a little. If he thinks disclosing this would benefit him in any way, he’d do it in a heartbeat.
One peek at the text causes my skin to prickle.
Unknown Number: I love the new watch.
I’ve been receiving these types of texts for the past few weeks. At first, I liked how someone praised my piano playing and said I have the best dresses.
It’s when they started to describe my daily routines and the clothes I wore outside that I recognised I might have a stalker.
The only reason I’ve ignored it is because they’ve just been harmless texts. Besides, Papa is preparing for an important internal campaign. I won’t, under any circumstances, divide his attention.
Mum is also in that campaign, and if she knows about this, she’ll raise hell and take it to social media. That’s the last thing I want.
So for now, I’ve decided to keep it to myself. If it gets more persistent or creepy, I’ll tell Papa or maybe Frederic. He’s PR-savvy so he’ll know how to deal with it.
We arrive at my house first. “Derek, please drive Aiden home.”
“I’ll keep Nash on the edge.” Aiden winks. “This is going to be so fun.”
No. It’s not fun. I might want to get back at Cole and I won’t allow him to throw me the short end of the stick, but I don’t enjoy this.
It’s just a necessity.
Aiden, however, is finding the most joy in it.
I’m about to step out when Papa peeks in from the passenger window. “Aiden, perfect. Come join us.”
An automatic smile lifts my face the moment I see him. I barge out of the car and squeeze him in a hug. “Papa! What are you doing home this early?”
He strokes my hair back — it’s a habit he started from when I had a fever ever since I was young, and it usually puts me back to sleep. Even now that I’ve grown up, he still does it.
I’ve always loved it when I’m sick. It’s the only time my parents nurse me all night without fighting.
Papa is a tall man with a darker shade of blond hair than mine. His eyes are a light