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Chapter 82 Pick Up Where We Left Off
Chapter 82 Pick Up Where We Left Off
One month later, I found Isobel walking to her car alone.
I waited by the boot, yanked a sack over her head, dragged her behind the bleachers, and beat the smug out of her.
She never saw me.
No one did.
Then I did it again.
And again.
Every week, like clockwork.
Every time she showed up to school with a bruise or a limp, I made damn sure I had an airtight alibi.
Isobel cracked fast.
Couldn’t hack it without her little entourage flapping around her.
By week five of getting jumped out of nowhere, she quit showing up altogether.
Her parents yanked her out and shipped her off to a boarding school overseas.
With her gone, the bullies backed off.
Guess they figured I might put a bag over their heads next.
But I didn’t come out unscathed either.
I was sixteen.
I’d barely kissed a boy, let alone fought off some drunk creep in an abandoned building.
So yeah, maybe that night carved something jagged into me.
Maybe that’s why I took up boxing.
A hand waved in front of my face. ‘Hello? You heard what I said?‘
I snapped my mind back to the present. ‘Yeah, I heard. You talk loud enough to be heard five blocks away.‘
‘So, you do remember Isobel, right?‘ Serenna’s smile sharpened. “You’re not still traumatised, are you?‘
+15 BONUS
I stood up, forcing her to tilt her chin up to keep eye contact. ‘If she’s stupid enough to show her face, I’ll make sure to continue where we left off. And you?‘ I stared down at her. ‘Might want to watch your step, sweetheart. I hit a lot harder than I used to.‘
***
I’d just returned to Moss & Flame post–lunch when my phone lit up.
‘Mirabelle, please. You’ve got to come back.‘ Savannah sounded like she was two seconds from crying or committing a crime.‘ Eliza Black’s ripped the sketches apart ten times now and still hates them. The film festival’s right around the corner. If Nyx Collective doesn’t deliver, we’ll have to pay breach penalties–serious ones.‘
‘You do realise Violet won’t let me help her unless I agree to be her assistant, right?‘ I said. ‘And there’s no version of reality where that’s happening.‘
I’m the boss,‘ Savannah huffed. ‘What she wants doesn’t matter. ‘ll double your pay. Just come back and sort this shit out. For me, please.‘
My eyes flicked to the last text from my bank.
1/3
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