The next morning.

The traces of last night still lingered in the room, but Matt was already pulling away.

He buttoned up his shirt, calm and efficient, like last night had been nothing more than a brief distraction.

Before leaving, he said, "Stay away from that place for a while."

I smiled and tilted my head.

"What? Worried about me? Afraid I'm working too hard?"

He paused, grabbed his jacket, and tossed a bank card onto the bed.

"I don't like trouble."

Then he walked out.

The door clicked shut.

His footsteps faded, and the room went quiet again.

I turned the card between my fingers for a long moment before laughing.

Matt really was generous.

Too bad.

I happened to like making trouble.

Not long after he left, the doorbell rang.

Slow.

Steady.

Patient.

I walked over and looked through the peephole.

A smile tugged at my lips.

I opened the door.

A woman stood outside, perfectly made up, carrying herself like she owned the place.

She looked a little surprised that I'd answered so quickly. Then she smiled.

"Aren't you going to invite me in, my dear best friend?"

I lifted my chin and stepped aside.

"Of course." I smiled back. "You're always welcome."

Vanessa clicked in on her heels.

She still looked polished and in control, but the second her gaze swept the room, her face went stiff.

Matt and I had been reckless last night.

The couch. The floor. Even by the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Proof was everywhere.

The aftermath of last night was impossible to miss.

His tie lay abandoned on the carpet.

Vanessa stared at it for two seconds, then looked up with a smile.

"Looks like I came at a bad time."

I leaned against the doorway and nodded. "You did. Your fiancé just left."

For a split second, the polished mask Vanessa always wore almost cracked.

But she recovered fast.

She crossed the room and sat on the couch like nothing had happened.

"You're still the same. Always joking." Her tone stayed light. "But here's a little advice. Some men aren't meant to be touched."

I raised an eyebrow. "Like who?"

Her voice softened, almost sympathetic. "Matt, for example. Men in his position get bored. They want something new. Keeping a woman around for fun isn't exactly rare. I've seen it happen plenty of times."

She smiled and met my eyes. "You're not the first, and you won't be the last."

Her gaze lingered on me. "You don't actually think sleeping with him a few times changes anything, do you?"

I laughed.

Vanessa's eyes darkened. "What's so funny?"

Tilting my head, I answered lazily, "I was just thinking... when Matt hung up on you at your birthday party last night and kissed me instead, he never mentioned he was just looking for something new."

The room went dead quiet.

Vanessa's hand tightened on her knee.

The smile never left her face.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a bank card.

"This kind of childish provocation doesn't mean anything to me."

With a casual flick of her wrist, she tossed it onto the table.

"There's five hundred thousand dollars on it. Take it and leave Averyton. And stop chasing someone else's man like a bitch in heat."

Another bank card?

This really was a lucrative line of work.

I glanced down, picked up the card, and turned it between my fingers.

Then I almost laughed.

"Five hundred thousand?"

I looked up at her.

"Is that really the best you can do these days?"

I set the card back down.

"I'm pretty sure that's not even enough to cover the necklace Matt bought me at auction last week."

Vanessa's expression instantly changed.

I acted like I hadn't noticed.

Flicking the card between my fingers, I went on casually.

"Oh, right. I remember you called him a bunch of times that night. Sorry about that. We were having too much fun in the jacuzzi. I even told him to answer, but he got annoyed and turned his phone off—"

"Enough!"

Vanessa finally snapped.

The word came out almost as a scream.

Her chest rose and fell sharply. The polished, elegant mask she'd been hiding behind shattered completely.

She glared at me, eyes burning with venom. "What are you so proud of? Who do you think you are, Elle Emerton? You're nothing but a toy.

"Look at yourself. Your parents are dead. Your family's company is gone. You were cornered in an alley by creditors like some stray dog. What, did you forget all that?"

Her voice shook with pure hate. "When your mom jumped from that roof, the wind blew her skirt everywhere. Who in Averyton didn't see it?

"And your dad was even more pathetic. He died without ever knowing who leaked that confidential file."

My face stayed blank.

I didn't say a word.

Vanessa seemed to slip into some twisted high.

She sneered and kept going. "Don't blame me. Blame your parents for being idiots. They were so easy to fool. My dad barely set the trap before yours signed the papers.

"And your mom...

"She actually cried and begged me to take care of you. Hahaha. How can someone be that stupid?"

Her laughter cut off.

Because I suddenly held up my phone.

The red recording light blinked on the screen.

Vanessa's eyes widened.

Finally, she realized what she'd just confessed to.

"You—"

Her face twisted with rage.

The slap cracked across my face.

My head jerked to the side, and blood filled my mouth.

But that wasn't enough for her.

She grabbed my hair and yanked.

"You bitch! You set me up! You Emertons really are—"

"Let her go."

A cold voice sliced through the room.

Everything went still.

Vanessa froze.

Slowly, almost like she couldn't believe it, she turned toward the door.

Matt stood there.