She shot me a look — pure hatred, dripping from every sharpened edge of her aura — then stormed out with the guard close behind.
The moment she left, the air snapped back to normal.
Like surfacing from underwater.
Ollie let out a low whistle.
“Crazy fucking bitch.”
Rod snorted. “He’s right. Some girls really don’t know their place.”
Something inside me cracked.
My chair scraped loudly as I stood.
Jess whispered, “Seph, don’t.”
But I didn’t stop.
I stepped forward, gloves clenched at my sides, heart hammering.
Ollie smirked. “What? You got something to share, new girl?”
Dev straightened — slow, deliberate, a predator scenting blood.
I lifted my chin.
“I feel…” I began, voice shaky for a second before it hardened.
“I feel like you’re a coward. And a bully. And if you spoke to anyone like that outside this room, you wouldn’t have your asshole friends protecting you.”
Rod let out an “oh shit.”
Wendy looked like she might faint.
Dev’s mouth twitched — one tiny corner.
Approval.
Ollie shoved himself to his feet.
“You think you can talk to me like that?”
Jess stood instantly beside me.
Dev’s hand settled lightly on the back of my chair.
Possessive. Warning. Deadly.
Ollie looked between us — me, Jess, Dev — and something in him deflated.
“Whatever,” he muttered, dropping back into his seat.
I exhaled shakily.
Wendy swallowed. “Th-thank you, Seph. That was… honest.”
Jess squeezed my arm.
