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“Not a problem.”
The cops leave, and most of the party goers seem to lose interest as they realize they won’t be getting a big show of anyone being dragged away in handcuffs. But I can still feel glances being cast our way, Olivia’s peers probably trying to evaluate what’s going on with her, and why the four of us are talking to her.
Ignoring the stares from those nearby, Olivia takes a step closer to Willow, fury overtaking her face.
“What did you do?” she hisses.
Willow just smiles at her, as calm as can be. You’d never know that she was worried at all before we got here, and my chest swells with pride for how she’s playing this so well. I swear I’m falling in love with her even more, watching her handle this.
“We just took a page out of your playbook,” Willow tells her grandmother, speaking in a low voice. “It turns out blackmail can be shockingly effective as a tool for getting things done. Or undone.”
Understanding flares in Olivia’s eyes, and she splutters with anger. “You—howdareyou—”
Before she can finish that sentence, two new people emerge from the crowd, stepping forward to join us. I recognize them from both the wedding we interrupted and photos that came up during our search for Troy’s hiding place.
They’re his parents.
They look as snobbish and inbred as everyone else here, dressed to the nines for this party. They come to stand beside Olivia, their gazes sliding over Malice, Vic, and me like we’re trash not fit to grace their presence.
I roll my eyes.Fuck these assholes. We have the upper hand here.
“What is going on, Olivia?” Troy’s mother bites out. Stella Copeland might be beautiful, with her dyed blonde hair and elegant outfit, but she has this look on her face like someone near her stepped in dog shit and is tracking it all over her fancy party. “The police, here? I asked them why they came, and they said they were called out by you.”
Troy’s father, Alexander, looks at Willow, and the contempt on his face is so easy to see. It makes me bristle, wanting to put myself between him and her, to protect her from his shitty judgment.
But I know I don’t have to. My girl can hold her own with these people. She’s strong enough for that and then some.
“We knew you made a deal with Troy for her hand in marriage,” Alexander says, sniffing as he turns his attention back to Olivia. “But you assured us that she wouldn’t be a problem. Thattheywouldn’t be a problem.”
He jerks his head at the three of us.
“Yes,” Stella agrees, her lips set tight. I’m sure there would be a frown line between her eyebrows if she hadn’t been Botoxed to within an inch of her life. “And this very much looks like a problem. You know how important this party is to us. We invited potential business partners to this event. It was supposed to go off without a hitch.”
They’re both looking to Olivia for answers, and it’s really fucking satisfying to see that she doesn’t have any for them.
“I know.” Olivia’s voice is curt, and her back is still ramrod straight, but there’s something in her eyes that looks unsettled.
Good. How does it feel to not have the upper hand for once, bitch?I think viciously.
Since Olivia’s words didn’t actually explain any of what’s going on, and she doesn’t seem to have anything else to say, the Copelands wheel on Willow.
Stella takes a step closer, getting into Willow’s face.
“I warned Troy against this,” she spits, her upper lip curling. “I told him that you would be a problem. That you were going to be a black mark on this family and our good name. But he promised me he could keep you in line. We even let him step away from his duties at the company to take the time to make sure you were ready to be presented to polite society. Clearly, he overestimated himself.”
She started off speaking quietly, but by the end, her voice has risen a bit, and Alexander puts a hand on his wife’s shoulder and pulls her away from Willow.
“Not here, Stella,” he says, his voice sharp and low. “This isn’t the time or the place. Troy will have to deal with her, that’s all. We will remind him that he has a duty to this family, and that it includes keeping his little…projectsat home until they can be controlled properly.”
It’s a fucking disgusting way to talk to and about a human being, and the fact that they’re discussing Willow like she’s some kind of stray Troy took in and hasn’t housebroken yet gets my hackles up.
I can’t hold back any longer, so I step forward, catching the Copelands’ attention.
“That’s gonna be pretty hard for him to do,” I tell them with a savage grin. “Seeing as he’s not alive anymore.”
There’s a split second of silence while they absorb that, and then Stella gasps. “What?”
Malice steps up beside me, crossing his arms over his chest as he stares them down.
