THE POOL PARTY

SCARLETT 

The moment my phone buzzed, a chill ran down my spine. I glanced at the screen, my heart skipping a beat.

Unknown number.

I hesitated for only a second before answering. "Hello?"

"Scarlett," a familiar voice whispered. It was my father’s secretary.

I straightened. "What is it?"

"We need to talk. I have information about your father’s case. Meet me in thirty minutes."

The line went dead before I could ask anything else. My fingers tightened around my phone. My father—the man who had given me everything, who had loved me unconditionally—was rotting in prison for a crime I was now sure he hadn’t committed. And if this call could change that, I wasn’t going to ignore it.

But I had to be careful. I couldn’t let anyone see me leave, especially Zayden. He always had his eyes on me, watching me like he had some kind of claim over me. Like he knew I was trying to get under his skin and was waiting for me to make a mistake.

With quiet steps, I slipped out of the house, my heart pounding.

When I met with my father’s secretary, his face was grave. "Scarlett, your father didn’t embezzle money. Someone framed him.”

A rush of relief and fury slammed into me at once. "Who? And do you have proof? Because we need to make them pay.

He hesitated, then spoke a name that made my blood run cold. "Zayden." 

I shook my head violently. "No. No, that’s not possible. Zayden wouldn’t do that. He’s my father’s best friend. He’s…" I swallowed. He was the man I had wanted for years. The man whose hands had once been on my body in ways I still felt in the deepest parts of me.

This can't be.

"Look into him carefully, Scarlett. You’ll see the truth. I don't really trust him. Now that your father is gone he's taken over the company they both built. So who do you think gained the most from all this chaos? So check carefully you'd find the bitter truth. I'm very sure it's Zayden.” He said with much conviction that made my blood boil.

Thinking about it made me mad. But he was partially right. After my dad was put in jail Zayden took over. I'm not really into the company. But it made sense. Why if he's actually right!

I left in a daze. The world around me blurred as my mind spun. Zayden? No. He couldn’t be behind this. He was cold, ruthless, and infuriating, but he wasn’t a traitor. Was he?

When I got back home, I barely had time to process my thoughts before my phone rang again.

Vincent.

I sighed and picked up. "Hello?"

"Where the hell are you?" His voice was sharp, but underneath it, I could hear the worry. "I’ve been looking for you. Are you okay?"

I closed my eyes for a moment, pushing everything down. "I’m fine."

"Are you sure? Because I—"

"Vincent," I cut him off, forcing a lightness into my voice. "I’m fine. Really. Stop worrying."

He hesitated, then exhaled. "Alright. Just get back soon. We have the pool party tonight."

The pool party.

Right.

I needed to focus. I had a plan—a dangerous, wicked, thrilling plan. Zayden would want me. He would break. He would crave me so much that he would do anything for me, including helping my father.

And if he was truly guilty?

I would make him pay for it myself.

I walked into my room and pulled open my closet. My fingers ran over the silky fabrics until I found the perfect outfit.

A barely-there bikini with thin straps and a matching sarong that clung to my hips in just the right way. My curves would be on full display, my skin glowing under the dim evening lights. Zayden wouldn’t be able to look away.

Slipping into it, I checked myself in the mirror. My body looked… sinful. My hips, my chest, the curve of my waist—it was all designed to make a man suffer. To make him want what he couldn’t have.

I adjusted the straps, feeling the soft fabric press into my skin. It was a little too tight, the fabric clinging to me, but that was the point.

As I stepped out of my room and into the hallway, I felt the shift in the air. My confidence burned like a flame, licking at the edges of my control. Every step was deliberate. Every sway of my hips was designed to catch the right pair of eyes.

And then I felt it.

Zayden’s gaze.

It was like a slow burn against my skin. A scorching heat that traced every inch of me. I didn’t have to look to know he was staring. I could feel his breath hitch, his muscles lock, his entire body tense at the sight of me.

I finally turned my head slightly, meeting his gaze.

His expression was unreadable, but his clenched jaw and the way his fingers dug into the armrest of the chair told me everything.

Perfect.

I stopped at the edge of the pool, letting the cool night air kiss my bare skin. Slowly, I untied my sarong, letting it slip down my legs in a slow, tantalizing motion before stepping into the pool.

Water lapped at my skin, but my attention was on the man who was still frozen in place, watching me like he wanted to devour me and kill me at the same time.

"Are you just going to stand there, Father-in-law?" I teased, my voice light and playful. "Or are you going to join us?"

His nostrils flared, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his glass tighter. He was barely holding himself together.

I swam closer to the edge, tilting my head slightly, letting my wet hair cling to my shoulders. "You should have fun, Zayden. Or do you only enjoy watching?"

A muscle in his jaw jumped.

Good.

Let the games begin.