Chapter 54

Chapter 54:

Rhys disappeared from my life.

I didn’t care if he was in jail or in a hospital, as long as he wasn’t six feet under. It was a fine Friday, and I was at the Nyx Collective studio admiring the necklace I’d just designed.

I’d used my employee perks to get it custom-made—my design, my materials, my signature, my everything.

There was literally only one of these in the world.

And in two days, it was going to be Yvaine’s birthday present.

I had barely had time to breathe in its perfection when my phone lit up with Yvaine’s name.

Shit. Had she somehow found out?

Surprise ruined.

I picked up, bracing myself.

Instead, I got:

“That dickstain! Next time I see him, I’m stapling his lying mouth shut. The balls on him, spewing bullshit like he’s got a diploma in defamation. Did he eat shame for breakfast or was he just born this scummy p>

“Whoa, slow down, what happened?” I asked.

“Check your phone. I just sent you some screenshots. That sewer rat’s mouthing off again p>

I opened the images.

“Are you kidding me?” I muttered. “Rhys actually said that p>

“Said it, sent it, and broadcast it,” Yvaine spat. “Someone in his boys-only group chat leaked it. It’s already in, like, fifteen chats. I saw it in a spin class group I don’t even remember joining p>

“Of course it’s going viral,” I mumbled. “Everybody loves a good scandal p>

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“I got myself added to his little dick-swinging group chat. Don’t ask how. I tagged him in every message and asked him to retract his damn lies p>

“I’m guessing he didn’t comply p>

“He went silent, that weasel. Then someone kicked me out of the group, probably after Rhys went crying to the mod like the spineless little coward he is p>

I nodded. “You got the coward part right p>

“He’s not just a coward. He’s a half-baked twatwaffle with a megaphone for a mouth p>

“Twatwaffle?” I laughed. “You, uh, seem to have picked up some new vocabulary p>

“I’ve got loads more. That sad little fart-stain, walking around like his mouth’s directly wired to his arse. Honestly, if he had half a brain cell, it’d die of loneliness. Calling him useless is an insult to actual useless things. He and Catherine should get married already—perfect match, right down to the trash they spew. Cupid’s algorithm finally doing its job p>

I pulled the phone away from my ear.

Her volume was breaking the sound barrier and rattling my skull.

“Breathe, Yvie,” I told her. “He’s got nothing, so he’s making stuff up to shift the blame. Don’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction p>

Yvaine huffed, but her voice dropped a decibel or two. “He even sent voice messages, like he’s the one being wronged. Can you believe the nerve? I could scream. I am screaming p>

Anyone would have been furious getting publicly dragged through the mud. But I had already slipped into strategy mode. “Cool your jets. Don’t go back in the ring swinging just yet p>

“Nope, NO chance in hell. I need to get back in that group. I’m not done with him.” I could practically hear her rolling up her sleeves. War mode: activated.

“NO, don’t, Yvie,” I said quickly. “Let them keep yapping. The worse it gets, the better p>

“Are you fucking serious right now?” she yelled. “It’s getting worse by the second. I swear, I’m two clicks away from hiring some hacker to nuke their phones from orbit. You haven’t seen everything I have. What sent you was just the tip of the flaming shitberg. Rhys’s idiot friends are talking so much shit, it’d need a bleep every other word if I read it out loud p>

“That’s okay. Let them keep talking p>

“You serious right now? Is this Mirabelle I’m talking to? Or has some peace-loving alien taken over your body p>

“Just hear me out. Do you know anyone else in the group? Someone who can keep feeding us screenshots p>

“Hell yes. One of my friends is in there. Rhys has no idea we’re connected. He’s my little undercover spy p>

“Perfect. Tell him to keep grabbing everything. I want every single lie Rhys spits about me on record p>

There was a pause. Then Yvaine caught on. “You’re going legal, aren’t you p>

“Damn right I am p>

I hung up, messaged Savannah to cover for me, and left work early.

I didn’t go home. I took a left instead, down the street behind Nyx Collective.

I remembered seeing a law firm near here.

Small place, nothing flashy.

But it’d do.

If Rhys wanted to run his mouth, he could do it in court.

The receptionist looked up from her computer with a tired smile. “Hello. Do you have an appointment p>

“No p>

“We’re closing soon, and all the lawyers are in meetings. Maybe come back on Monday p>

I started to turn, already planning to hit another firm or maybe just call someone online.

Then a voice called out behind me: “Mirabelle? Mirabelle Vance p>

I stopped, glanced back, and saw a guy in a perfectly ironed suit stepping out of the lift with a black briefcase. Lawyer vibes were written all over him.

I stared at his face for a beat before it clicked. “Finnigan Carter, right p>

“Guilty as charged.” He walked over, grinning. “What are you doing here p>

“I could ask you the same. Are you working here p>

“Sure am p>

“Right. You did pre-law in college, I remember now p>

“Damn, it’s been ages,” he said. “You here for legal advice p>

“Yeah.” I nodded, but glanced at the clock. “But you guys are closing, right p>

He shrugged. “Nah, come on. I’ll take you. I just wrapped up my last case anyway. Was gonna sneak out early. Guess fate had other plans p>

“Are you sure? I don’t want to mess up your plans p>