Chapter 199

Zoe's POV

"Oh god, MJ—" I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around my trembling friend. Xavier stayed back, giving us space. His jaw worked silently as he processed Maisie's story.

Something felt off as I held her. The Maisie I knew would have been sobbing uncontrollably after reliving such trauma. But her breathing was steady, her posture stiff. Too controlled. Like she'd built walls around whatever emotions should have been there.

Xavier cleared his throat. "Maybe we should continue this somewhere... cleaner." His nose wrinkled at the dusty, cluttered space.

Maisie pulled back with a small smile. "AlphaXS34, huh?"

"Cornhead24," Xavier shot back.

I blinked between them. "What?"

"Your boyfriend here contacted me on the dark web," Maisie explained. "Cornhead24 was my username. Twenty-four's my age."

Xavier crossed his arms. "AlphaXS was perfectly discreet."

"Except when you're flirting with a girl twelve years your junior," Maisie teased.

"I'm not that old!" Xavier's indignant protest m