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"What?”My voice is low and dangerous.
"I don’t know, Maverick!" she blurts out. “I’m not her keeper.”
“You must know something! You're her supervisor for fuck’s sake.” I snap, trying to keep my impatience in check but failing miserably.
"I can tell you," Heidi says from right behind me. I turn to face her and notice the giant handbag on her shoulder and the unpleasant expression etched on her face.
"Heidi, keep your mouth shut, and mind your damn business,” Mallory seethes.
"Fuck off, Mallory." Heidi sneers before shifting her attention towards me. “Skylar paid a hefty sum to get rid of Scar."
"What the hell?" I glare back and forth at Mallory and then Heidi. "What are you talking about?"
“Ask Skylar.”
My body turns rigid as her words sink in. I feel like I've been hit in the stomach. When I requested Mallory to give Scar a chance, I had kept it a secret. The last thing I would have wanted was for her to believe that she could only ever achieve her dream job because of my connections, which cuts me to the core. I gave her this as a cherished gift for her fourth birthday present, hoping it would inspire her to follow her passions. But now that Skye pulled this crap?
"Fuck, Mallory!" I seethe, my anger bubbling to the surface. “What the hell were you thinking?”
She throws her arms in the air. "I'm sick of being stuck in this damn place! I want to break free and create a life for myself!" she says in self-defense. "Skye is right. You will always go above and beyond for Scar. What is it about her that's so deserving of your loyalty?"
I take a menacing step toward Mallory, closing the distance between us. "She deserves nothing but the absolute best, and I am determined to give her everything she desires. Don't even think for a second that I won't act against you if you accept her offer. I'll make sure your entire world falls apart, and you'll never be able to own a gallery again."
“Oh, and I quit, too,” Heidi says as I unlock the door and ignore Mallory's pleas and worthless apologies.
As soon as I jump back in my car, I call Scar. My mind races as I wait for her to answer.
It goes straight to voicemail.
I toss my phone on the passenger seat and start the car, gripping the steering wheel for dear life. Gem's yellow beetle is on the street when I approach the house. I park my car in my parents’ driveway and jog across the lawn and up the porch steps. I raise my hand to knock but stop when I notice Scar curled up in a ball through the front window and Gem consoling her with tears falling freely down her face.
I walk up to the front door and give it a few knocks. After a moment or two, the door slowly creaks open, revealing Gem standing in the doorway. She greets me with a sad smile on her face.
"Hey," she greets me, glancing behind her before looking back at me.
"I need to talk to her," I say, my voice urgent.
Gem bites her lip and shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea right now," she murmurs, looking at the floor.
I let out a sigh and run my hands down my face. "Please, Gem. It's important."
Gem speaks in a low voice. "Heidi found out that Sklyar paid Mallory a half a million dollars to fire Scar."
"I know," I grit my teeth. “I’m handling it.”
Gem shakes her head in frustration. "That fucking bitch," she spits out in anger. "She just can't leave Scar alone."
"Did something else happened?" My tone is harsh and impatient. I can feel my frustration building up.
She turns to me. "Yeah. Skylar didn’t hold back how she truly felt about Scar through several text messages."
My gut drops at her words. The last thing I wanted was for Scar to get hurt, and I managed to do that since I've been back. I was responsible for Scar's pain, and it was all because Skylar was obsessed with me. Her relentless pursuit had caused nothing but suffering for those around me, especially Scar.
"It's not your fault, Mav," Gem says, trying to reassure me.
Just as I am about to say something else, my phone starts ringing. I pull it out of my pocket and see it's Skylar calling. Gem must have noticed, too, because she snatches the phone out of my hand before I could answer.
"What are you—" I start to say, but she cuts me off.
