Page 156 of Her Wicked Plan

Leo. He sounds almost angry.

His quiet words make it hard to understand what he is saying. The woman now speaks in a pleading tone.

Scarlet.

My blood boils. Why the hell are they talking all secretive? I inch forward on the wall, approaching where I would turn to continue walking. Her voice is full of sadness, and it’s annoying.

Is he consoling her? My fingernails dig into my palms, surely drawing blood as I struggle to hear her words.

Then, the volume of her voice rises. “I shouldn’t have kissed you, Leo. I understand that, but you looked so sad and…”

“And you think that gives you the right to kiss me?” His low voice booms like thunder.

She sniffs, which makes me believe she is crying. What a sensitive piece of shit.

When did this kiss even happen? It was recent. My eyes lift immediately in realization. Scarlet mentioned she kissed Leo because he was sad. This happened after he found out about his mother.

That little bitch! What did she think she could do? Make him feel better? Distract him?

The blood boiling under my skin has reached a new temperature. I’m not sure what to even call this sensation, but the heat is tearing at my skin.

Shutting my eyes, I inhale a deep breath until the feeling slowly simmers down. Then I remember he let me distract him.

He chose me.

“Did you end up telling Myles?” her question comes out nervous.

“Of course, I told him!” he yells through his teeth. “What? He hasn’t informed you that he knows?”

“I haven’t heard from him since you returned.”

“It looks like he gained some common sense and decided not to deal with you anymore.” His voice has a bite to it. She cries again, but his words bring a smile to my face. “I asked you to leave me alone, Scarlet. Please respect that.”

I hear the office door slam shut instead of her response. She didn’t get the chance to mutter a word to him. I give it a couple more seconds before I round the corner.

Scarlet is wiping the tears from her eyes with the sleeves of her button-down when she hears my footsteps. She stops her hands, eyes shooting at me.

Standing there with the journal cradled against my chest, I tilt my head to the side and look at her with piercing eyes. “Scarlet.”

She breathes, rubbing her hands down her body to smooth out her dress. “Veronica.”

She doesn’t think this will be anything more than a greeting with how she is walking past me. “That was quite the conversation.”

She freezes, standing beside me, and her head turns towards me. Our shoulders almost brush because we are so close. With my eyes trained forward, I sense her looking down at me, her heels giving her an extra inch over me.

“Excuse me?”

“You kissed him, which doesn’t surprise me.” I tip my head to the side steadily, meeting her bright green eyes. “But you did it when he was upset. I didn’t think you’d stoop this low to make a move on someone when they were vulnerable.”

Her bright eyes grow dark as they zero in on me. “I’m sorry, but I don’t care to hear your opinion of me.”

“By opinion, you mean truth, right?” My eyes pinch to mimic hers. “Because we’ve had talks about how you truly are, Scarlet, and you know what? I take back what I said earlier.” My body twists to face her. “I’m not surprised you’d stoop this low. It isn’t the first time you preyed on someone at their weakest. What was his name again? Nathaniel?”

Her hard mask slips, eyes sliding open wide as I bring up the name of a guard who used to work here. Scarlet swallows hard, teeth clenching tight that someone knows about her dirty little secret.

“What was he dealing with again?” My pointer finger taps my chin as I think, and then I snap my fingers, making her flinch. “That’s right! His sister had just died in a car crash, and he was in despair. What did you think you were doing? Making him feel better? Making all his worries fade away with your cunt?”

Her breathing heightens, and I suppress a laugh. “That’s not how it was.”