LOGINTHE EX AND THE INSTINCT{Playlist Suggestion: "I See Red" by Everybody Loves An Outlaw / "Streets" by Doja Cat}~KOLT POV~I turned around slowly, my hand still resting flat against the small of Chelsea's back where I had caught her from falling, and I looked right into the face of a ghost I hadn't expected to see in a place like this.Jasmine."What the fuck," I muttered under my breath, completely dropping my polite society mask because out of all the people I expected to run into tonight, my toxic, money-hungry ex-girlfriend was at the absolute bottom of the list.I looked from Jasmine to Chelsea, who was standing there looking completely confused and slightly breathless from crashing into me, and I honestly cursed my own luck because so much for wanting to avoid being seen by Chelsea and just trying to survive this stupid night without talking to her.Jasmine looked Chelsea up and down with this disgustingly obvious sneer, taking in her green dress before turning her attention bac
THE COMEBACK{Playlist Suggestion: "Natural" by Imagine Dragons / "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons}~KADE POV~"If you don't smile, turn around, and walk with me right now," my father whispered, his breath hot and venomous against my ear, "I will personally ensure that your little stray never finds a single job in this city again, and I will have her brother's health insurance canceled before the night is even over."I froze, the blood draining completely out of my face, my fingers gripping the handles of my crutches so tight my knuckles popped."Don't you dare test me, Kade," My Dad continued, his voice so dangerously quiet that nobody else in the crowded ballroom could hear him over the string quartet playing in the background. "You have already embarrassed me enough by parading her in here like some kind of sick rebellion, so you are going to come with me and shake hands with the board, or I will ruin her beyond repair."He pulled back, his face a perfect disguise of wealthy
THE LION'S DEN{Playlist Suggestion: "Royals" by Lorde / "I Did Something Bad" by Taylor Swift}~CHELSEA POV~I was sitting on the edge of Chase's hospital bed a few hours before the gala, fiddling with the zipper on my jacket because my nerves were already eating me alive.But Chase just looked at me with this huge, genuine smile that actually reached his eyes for the first time in weeks."I can't believe you are actually going to do something normal for once," he said, adjusting his nasal cannula while grinning at me like I had just won the lottery. "You're actually going to a party like a normal person in a relationship instead of sitting here worrying about my heart rate or working yourself into an early grave, and I honestly think that's the best medicine Dr. Ryker could have prescribed."I rolled my eyes, slapping lightly at his leg over the blanket. "It's not a normal party, Chase, it's a billionaire's gala filled with people who probably use gold bars as doorstops, and I am
THE WOLF DEN{Playlist Suggestion: "Blood in the Water" by grandson / "The Hills" by The Weeknd}~KOLT POV~The smoke twisted around my fingers in the dark, wet air of the warehouse, smelling like expensive tobacco and blood because the guy tied to the metal chair in front of me was currently bleeding from about four different places on his face.I took a slow drag from my cigarette, my eyes fixed on Samuel, who was beaten to an absolute crisp, groaning and spitting blood onto the concrete floor of one of my empty storage properties on the edge of the city."I told you," I said, my voice dangerously quiet as I breathed out the smoke into the freezing air. "I broke your wrist and I told you exactly what would happen if you ever showed your face at her place again, and yet you still went back."Samuel whined, trying to pull against the zip ties cutting into his wrists. "I didn't... she gave it to me...""Don't insult me," I snapped, stepping forward and grabbing him by the dirty collar
DOUBLE JEOPARDY{Playlist Suggestion: "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo / "Cardigan" by Taylor Swift}~CHELSEA POV~I was sitting cross-legged on Zoe's lumpy couch staring at the massive, shiny black box Kade had sent over by courier, and all I could think about was the fact that I was probably the worst person on the planet."I mean, you have to admit it's a total 'I am obsessed with you' move," Zoe was saying from across the room, leaning against her kitchen counter with a slice of cold pizza in her hand. "He literally sent you a designer dress for the gala so you wouldn't have to stress about it, which is incredibly sweet and aggressively rich at the same time."I didn't answer her because my brain wasn't even in the room, it was stuck on replay, flashing back to that dim living room in the townhouse and the sight of Kolt's back muscles flexing as he moved inside that blonde girl.I kept seeing the way he stopped and stared at me with those dark, wild eyes, and then how he had completel
ARMOR{Playlist Suggestion: "Style" by Taylor Swift / "Mount Everest" by Labrinth}~KADE POV~I was sweating through my dark hoodie because navigating a high-end women's designer boutique on aluminum crutches is basically an Olympic sport. Especially when the floors are made of some slippery imported marble that makes you feel like you're going to snap your other knee just trying to walk past a rack of silk gowns without knocking everything over.Denver was walking beside me with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, looking around the aggressively white and gold store like he was expecting security to tackle us at any second."You know you look like a creepy sugar daddy right now, right?" Denver muttered, stepping over a velvet stool that was placed in the middle of the floor for absolutely no reason. "Two teenage guys in a place where a single shoe costs more than my car, and you're aggressively glaring at dresses while limping. It's not a good look, man.""Shut up and help me loo
THE LEAK{Playlist Suggestion: "Prom Queen" by Beach Bunny / "brutal" by Olivia Rodrigo}~VALERIE POV~Power isn't about having the most money or the loudest voice. It's about information. Knowing where the bodies are buried. Knowing who is sleeping with whom. Knowing the cracks in the armor before
WALK OF SHAME{Playlist Suggestion: "Liability" by Lorde / "Soap" by Melanie Martinez}~CHELSEA POV~For the first time in three years, I wasn't doing mental math in the checkout line.Usually, standing in the aisle of Market Fresh was a humiliating exercise in subtraction. If I put the milk back,
VIRAL INFECTION{Playlist Suggestion: "Way Down We Go" by KALEO / "Blood in the Water" by grandson}~KADE POV~The sound of a reputation dying isn't a bang. It's a buzz.It started in AP Euro. The room was quiet, Mr. Dante droning on about the Congress of Vienna, chalk scratching against the board.
THE VIP{Playlist Suggestion: "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Lorde / "You Should See Me in a Crown" by Billie Eilish}~CHELSEA POV~Friday nights at The Mirage felt like a fierce competition, but everything was fancy and luxurious. The air was filled with the smell of cash...rich cologne, o







