I took a step out from my room only to hear Davon gasp at the sight of me. I smiled and smoothened my already perfect gown.

“How do I look?” I asked as if not already knowing the answer to that.

I had on a black halter neck gown that showed off my back and the back chain Davon had splurged on for me. My hair was wrapped up, allowing some tendrils to fall down and frame my face but that was not what held the outfit together. It was the diamond stud earrings that Davon had somehow managed to get his hands on. I had berated him for it, but when he told me that we were loaning it out, I relaxed a bit.

“You look stunning.” He mused, looking equally amazing in a matching black suit with silver embellishments and jewelry. His hair was coiffed back and not in the messy mop that he always left it in. Davon looked hot.

My eyes trailed down to his half open shirt, calling my attention to his chest. Was that a tattoo?

“Should we get going?” Davon’s voice called me out of my trance, making me clear my throat and put my hand in his.

“Sure.” I agreed.

With that we finally left his apartment. Our new destination? The auction.

As soon as the car came to a halt, we got down and headed into the building, murmurs already flitting around as I walked by. I could hear some of them.

A woman in pearls whispered loudly, "That's the one from the wedding scandal."

My jaw tightened, but I kept walking.

I winced at their words but Davon’s comforting touch calmed me down. Soon enough we got to the main room, my eyes immediately landing on James and Veronica as soon as I walked in. Fortunately, both of them didn’t notice me so we headed into the room and took our seats. I wanted to surprise them once I won this bid.

In two minutes the curator came forward and addressed us all.

‘Good day ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Ashton auction. There are several business deals to bid on but we’ll be starting with the best. The construction deal was put forward by Ashton Conglomerate.’

“Let us begin. We’ll start the bid at seventy thousand dollars.”

The room lit up, everyone raising their paddles bidding for the deal but I didn’t make a move. The bidding went on until James had the final bid at two hundred thousand dollars, his grin wide.

“Going once. Going twice.” The curator started until I raised my hand.

“Three hundred thousand dollars.” I announced, placing my entire life on this bet.

James and Veronica turned back to see who placed the bet, the smile from their faces wiped off when their eyes settled on me.

“Three hundred thousand. Going once. Going twice. Sold to the woman in black. “Congratulations Miss Scarlett Clear.” The curator announced, causing the room to explode in shock and whispers.

I stood up to my feet, Davon following my lead when James and his wife wasted no time in rushing over to me, disdain written all over their faces.

“How dare you come here you whore? Don’t you know your place?” James spat at me. I cocked my head and smiled, poking at him.

“Aww, is someone sad because they lost a bid? What happened, did you blow all the money you stole from me on hookers and drugs?” I asked, deliberately taking a glance at Veronica.

“Coming from someone who brought her own man whore to this event.” Veronica hissed. “Is this the man you cheated on James with? He isn’t even what I pictured. Such a way to lower your standards Scarlett.” She ended with a chuckle.

I got fed up, all my rage surging forward. Before I could say anything, my hand already reacted, flying through the air and slapping Veronica square on the cheek. She let out a surprised shriek, her hand on her red face.

“You bitch!” Veronica screeched, taking a step forward with her hand raised to return the favor but Davon was quick on his feet. He pulled me back, taking my place, his hand already stopping Veronica’s mid way.

“Touch Scarlett and I’ll make sure you suffer.” He warned as he threw Veronica’s hand away, his voice more threatening than I’ve ever heard it.

“You bastard!” James shouted out, moving to land a punch but Davon easily sidestepped it, returning the gift with even more force. James stumbled backward and crashed to the floor, his perfectly styled hair now a mess, his dignity shattered.

I was even surprised because Davon had never raised a finger on anyone until now and it was all because of me. I blinked as Davon turned to me, his features softening.

“Do you want to get your surprise now?” He asked, as if oblivious to the commotion he had caused.

I silently gave him a nod, not sure what to say. Davon pulled out his phone, tapped a few buttons and turned it to James who was still struggling to get up even with Veronica trying to help him.

The loud sounds of moans filled the room and it didn’t take a genius to guess what it was. A sex tape.

“I thought you’d like to see proof of who the real whore was when you were with Scarlett. If I’m not mistaken, this is you and Veronica just three months ago at the Fairview hotel.”

James’ mouth quivered as people gathered, each wanting a view of what Davon had shown.

“How did you get that?”

“Does it matter?” I finally retorted with a grin, following Davon’s lead. “By the end of day, the blogs should have this and much more. Next time, think of who you try to mess with.”

Davon’s hand found mine and pulled me along, leading us out of the conference hall. He didn’t say a word and neither did I but my mouth hung open in awe at what he just did for me. My heart welled up and I could feel butterflies form in my stomach.

As I followed him, I could only wonder one thing. What the fuck was that?

Since I was ready to take James and his lover down once and for all I decided to release their sex tape. Davon had shown it to them at the auction and of course people had seen it but James was smart enough to have that covered up.

Well, not anymore.

Once I anonymously posted it online, It didn’t even take up to a day for the blogs to spread the news of everything.

Now, speculations started as soon as their video was leaked to the press; courtesy of Davon, about whether I was truly the one who had an affair. Luckily for me, the crowd sided with me, dragging James’ name through the mud. His stocks plummeted and his business funding dried up trying to sort out this publicity mess. It was more than I could have hoped for but I knew that I had one more trick up my sleeve.

I smiled and dropped my phone on the nightstand, wanting to go to bed. I wanted to wait up for Davon but he had told me that he would be home late from work so now all I wanted to do was rest.

I pulled the covers closer to my body and in a minute I was fast asleep.

Three hours later, a loud noise jolted me awake, and I strained my ears to listen closely to whatever was making that sound. I stayed that way for a minute longer, and when I didn't hear anything else, I snuggled back into bed. That's when I heard the loud bang again. I sat up and turned on my side lamp, searching the room. Nothing moved.

I got out of bed and grabbed the baseball bat Davon kept beside the headboard, then carefully walked toward my bedroom door.

My heart pounded as I pressed my ear against the wood, listening for any sounds from the other side. The apartment had gone silent again, but something felt wrong. The air seemed heavier and the hairs on my arms seemed charged.

I slowly turned the doorknob and peered into the darkened hallway, the living room glowing with faint street lights. I gripped the bat tighter and stepped out, my bare feet silent on the cold hardwood floor.

"Hello?" I called out softly, immediately regretting it. If someone was in my apartment, I'd just told them exactly where I was. That was dumb.

I crept toward the living room, checking the kitchen as I passed. Everything seemed normal. Everything was exactly the same way I left it before I went to bed. I ran my hand through my hair, mentally berating myself for being so on edge but that’s when I noticed it. The front door was slightly ajar, even though I was sure I locked it behind me when I came back.

My blood ran cold. Someone was in the apartment.

Before I could react, a figure jumped out from behind the couch. I swung the bat wildly, trying to hit him, but strong hands grabbed my wrists, twisting until I cried out in pain and dropped my weapon. The man wore a mask but I could see his eyes. Dark brown and cold.

"Scarlett Clear," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You've caused a lot of trouble."

"What do you want?" I gasped, struggling against his grip. "I don't have any money…"

"This isn't about money." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a knife, the blade catching the dim light. "This is about sending a message."

Fear filled my mind as he raised the knife. I threw my weight to the side, breaking free for just a moment, but he was faster. His hand tangled in my hair, yanking me back as I screamed for help. I fell to the floor, dragging him down with me. We struggled with my hand still fighting for the knife but it was no use.

With one hit to the head, stars danced across my vision and my grip on him loosened. My assailant used the opportunity to pin my hands above my head and grin at me, his eyes glistening.

"James wanted me to give you a message," he hissed before raising the knife and plunging it down towards my chest. I closed my eyes, waiting for death but the next thing I heard was a loud thump and the sound of a body hitting the ground.

I opened my eyes to see the man next to me on the floor, passed out, the knife still in his hand. I heaved a sigh of relief and scrambled out from under his unconscious body, gasping for air at what just happened. That's when I realized that I was not alone. I looked up to see someone, holding a vase in his left hand and fury in his eyes. My breathing calmed down and my shuddering stopped.

“Davon,”

The vase dropped from his hands and he closed the distance between us, grabbing my arms and checking if I was hurt anywhere, his brows furrowed in concern.

“Did he hurt you? Are you okay?”

“James did this.” I mumbled, my body going hot and anger pumping through my veins. “James tried to kill me.”

“Are you sure?” Davon asked, unsure of whether my ex-fiancee would go to such lengths to get me out of his way.

“He told me before he tried to…” I choked up as I pointed to the man lying unconscious on the floor, the memory of the intruder almost killing me flashing through my mind. Tears welled up in my eyes and my shoulders slumped. I could have died tonight.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I'd come within seconds of death. If Davon had been even a minute later...

Davon pulled me close and hugged me, his warmth giving me some semblance of comfort.

“Don’t worry Scarlett. I’ll make sure he pays for this.” Davon whispered to me but I was way past letting someone help me bring James down.

I was going to destroy James myself. If he thought that the sex tape was bad he had another thing coming. Before I got the justice I deserved, I was going to make him pay on my own terms.

The living room of Davon’s penthouse felt like a crime scene out of a movie, mostly because it was. Blue and red lights from the police cruisers downstairs pulsed rhythmically against the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting rhythmic shadows across the expensive rugs. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the sharp, chemical odor of fingerprint powder.

I watched as a forensic technician in a white jumpsuit carefully bagged the serrated knife that had almost ended my life. Next to it lay the shattered remains of the heavy marble vase Davon had swung to save me. It looked like a piece of modern art, broken and jagged, much like my life had been just a few weeks ago.

I stood up from the velvet sofa, my legs feeling like lead. A female officer tried to put a shock blanket around my shoulders, but I pushed it away. The warmth felt suffocating. I needed the cold. I needed to feel the bite of the air to know I was still breathing.

I wiped a trail of cold sweat from my forehead, my fingers trembling. But as I looked at the bloodstains on the carpet—James’s assassin’s blood—the trembling stopped.

"I'm going to his office," I said to no one in particular.

Davon, who had been huddled in the corner giving a statement to a detective, whipped his head around. His face was a mask of exhaustion and worry, his usually perfectly styled hair falling over his forehead in messy dark tufts. He excused himself from the detective and strode over to me, his boots clicking sharply on the hardwood.

"Scarlett, don’t," he started, his voice a low rumble of concern. "You almost died an hour ago. The paramedics haven't even finished checking your vitals. You need to rest. You’re in shock."

"No," I snapped, the word cutting through his protest. I looked him dead in the eye, and for the first time, I saw him flinch. "James thinks I'm currently bleeding out on your floor. He thinks he won. He thinks he finally erased the last piece of evidence of his crimes—me."

I took a step toward the door, my resolve hardening with every second. "I want to see the look on his face when I walk through his front door. I want him to know that no matter how many people he hires, he can’t kill a ghost."

Davon reached out as if to grab my arm, then stopped himself. He knew that look. It was the look of a woman who had nothing left to lose and everything to burn.

"I can't let you go alone," he said.

"I’m not asking for permission, Davon. And I’m not asking for a bodyguard. I need to do this."

I didn't wait for him to respond. I grabbed a heavy wool coat from the rack by the door—another one of Davon’s and walked out into the cool night air.

The drive to the Stein Empire headquarters was a blur of streetlights and neon signs. The city was just beginning to stir, the sky turning a bruised shade of purple and orange as the sun prepared to rise. By the time the towering glass monolith of the Stein building came into view, the first rays of light were reflecting off the windows, making the building look like it was made of gold.

It was a lie. The whole building was a monument to theft and betrayal.

I pulled the coat tighter around myself and walked toward the entrance. The massive revolving doors groaned as I pushed through.

Near the security desk, a guard was slumped in his chair, a half-eaten donut on a napkin beside him. He was snoring softly, his cap tilted over his eyes. James’s arrogance was his biggest flaw; he felt so untouchable that he didn't even bother to ensure his front door was properly guarded at dawn.

I walked past the desk and got to the executive elevators—the ones that required a biometric scan. I pulled out a small, encrypted keycard Davon had given me weeks ago "just in case." He had told me his tech team had cloned James's master access during a previous gala.

The reader beeped, the light turning a mocking shade of green.

The elevator ride was silent. I watched the floor numbers climb on the digital display. 40... 45... 50... 60. My heart was hammering against my ribs as I stared at my reflection in the mirrored walls. I looked pale, my eyes sunken, but there was a fire in them that hadn't been there when I was Scarlett Stein-to-be.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I wasted no time and entered the penthouse office. And sure as I was, James was there, silhouetted against the floor-to-ceiling windows. He was looking out at the city, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. On the mahogany desk behind him sat a half-empty glass of bourbon. His favorite poison.

He didn't even turn around when the doors opened. He simply let out a long, satisfied breath.

"Is it done?" he asked. His voice thick with a confidence that made my stomach churn. "Is the problem... resolved?"

"Not quite," I replied, straightening my shoulders.

At the sound of my voice James spun around so fast I swear I saw his beady little eyes shake in that empty skull of his. I watched his face go from chalky to deathly white when his eyes landed on me. Then, a splotchy red of confusion. Finally, it settled into a mask of pure, unadulterated hatred.

"You?" he breathed, the word coming out like a hiss. "How are you here? It’s impossible."

"I'm hard to kill, James. You should know that by now," I mocked, moving closer without a fear in the world. I didn't stop until I was standing directly across from his desk, the very desk where he had signed the papers that stripped me of my inheritance.

"You sent a man to kill me in my sleep," I said, my voice steady, devoid of the tears he probably expected. "He failed. He’s currently in custody, and Davon’s penthouse is crawling with detectives. It’s only a matter of time before they trace the payment back to one of your shell companies."

James stared at me for a heartbeat, his eyes darting toward the door as if expecting the police to burst in right then. Then, he did something I didn't expect.

He laughed.

It wasn't a nervous laugh. It was a loud, mocking, booming sound that echoed off the glass walls. He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with genuine amusement.

"With what, Scarlett? You think a low-level thug's confession is going to stick to me? I have lawyers who can turn a murder confession into a misunderstanding before the sun is fully up."

He gestured vaguely at my appearance, his lip curling in disgust. "Look at you. You’re wearing a borrowed coat in an office I pay for. You have no money, no reputation, and no power. You’re pathetic."

"I'm here to give you one chance, James," I spoke up again, ignoring the insult. "Return the assets you stole. Admit to the blogs that the 'embezzlement' charges against me were fabricated. If you do that, I might—might—let you walk away with your freedom."

James walked around the desk, stopping just inches from me. He was taller, broader, and he tried to use his size to intimidate me, just like he always had.

"Or what?" he whispered, his breath smelling of alcohol. "You'll tell your 'childhood friend' Davon to write me a mean letter? You're nothing, Scarlett. You’re the girl I replaced because she was too boring to keep. Everyone thinks you’re a thief and a fraud. Even if I confessed right now, the world would just think I was being 'charitable' to a mental case."

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low snarl. "Now, get out. Before I have security throw you out—again. And this time, I’ll make sure they’re not as 'clumsy' as the man I sent tonight."

I felt the urge to scream, to fly at him and scratch the arrogance off his face. But I didn't. I remembered what I had found on the servers. I was the person who knew where the bodies were buried.

I turned toward the elevator, my movements slow and deliberate. I reached the door and pressed the button, the 'down' arrow glowing like an ember.

As the doors began to slide open, I paused and looked back over my shoulder. James was already reaching for his scotch, his back to me, dismissing me as if I were a common fly.

"By the way, James," I called to him.

He didn't turn, but I saw his shoulders stiffen.

"Check your private server. Specifically the 'Cigar' folder. I think you’ve got a leak. A very... expensive leak."

The sound of his glass shattering against the marble floor was the most beautiful music I had ever heard in a long time. I didn't stay to watch him scramble. I stepped into the elevator and let the doors close, leaving him alone in his golden tower to ponder on the damage I was about to cause.

Downstairs, the sun was fully up, blindingly bright. I walked out of the building and leaned against a cold stone pillar, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps. My phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was a text from an unknown number.

I saw you leave. You shouldn't have gone there alone. Look behind you.

I spun around, my heart leaping into my throat. The street was empty except for a black sedan idling at the curb, its windows tinted so dark they looked like ink.

The back door of the sedan swung open.

"Get in," a voice commanded.

I froze. I wasn’t sure who the man was but I was sure as hell that I wasn’t getting into a car with a complete stranger.

"Who are you?" I whispered to the dark interior of the car.

The figure in the back seat leaned forward just enough for the morning light to catch a flash of silver—a signet ring I recognized from my father's old business journals.

"Someone who hates James Stein as much as you do. But if you stay on this sidewalk for another minute, his 'real' security will find you. And they don't use vases, Scarlett."

I looked back at the Stein Empire building. High up on the 60th floor, I could see the silhouette of James at the window, watching the street. I looked back at the man in the car, silently praying that he wasn’t going to kill me.

With a heavy breath, I got into the car.