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“Itwasn’t intentional.”
“Doesn’tmatter.Rosebacked away so fast that she fell.Shewasn’t thinking clearly because of you.”Shepaused, contemplating her words before adding, "Andbecause of me."
“No,”Ispoke sternly, leaving no room for argument.Fewpeople held a place inPoppy’sheart, andRosewas one of them.Poppywas ferociously protective of her cousin.Icouldn't let her shoulder the blame forRose'stragedy. “It’snot your fault.”Iinstinctively reached forPoppyto comfort her, but she withdrew from my touch.
“Exceptit was my fault,”Poppyargued. “ShethoughtIbetrayed her.”
“Youdidn’t.”
“Youshould leave.”
Myjaw clenched. “Areyou sure that’s what you want?”Ishifted closer. “Ifeel bad forRose;Ido.Butwhatever’s happening between us, it’s bigger than her.Iknow you feel it, too.Otherwise, you wouldn’t have let me come up.”
Poppywas unmoved.IusedRoseto gain entry to the party, and as far asPoppywas concerned, we were both complicit in the accident.Therewas no convincing her otherwise or reversing the damage.Frustrationswelled within me at the knowledgeIhad lostPoppyfor the night, with no recourse other than giving her space.
“Fine.I’llgive you until tomorrow to think it over,”Isaid without moving.Imight be seething, but my legs had a mind of their own.Theywere rooted in place, feeding off the vision before me.WithdeterminationIdidn’t knowIpossessed,Ibacked away. “Later,Ambani,”Imurmured before descending from the balcony.
ACT 3
ChapterThirteen
DAMON
MytrustyoldLouisvilleslugger took out the passenger side window ofSophie’scherry-redRollsRoyce, the sound music to my ears.Ittook making two more dents beforeSophieemerged from the house, her screams piercing the air.
“Damon!Whatthe hell?”Sophieshouted, running to the driveway. “OhmyGod.Stopit, stop it.”Shethrew her fists against my back asIkept whacking, my cigarette hanging loosely from the corner of my mouth.Thebig bangles around her wrists dug into my shoulders.Evenat home,Sophienever missed the opportunity to dress up, accessorizing her one-shoulder sweater wrap with large pieces of jewelry.
Iwas positive her flashy clothes no longer held any appeal forPoppy, who was draped in my clothes whenIleft last night.Despitethat small consolation, my anger demanded retribution, and it focused itself onSophie'scherished car.Sophiehad escaped my wrath for the past few days whileIwas preoccupied withPoppy.Unfortunately,Sophie’sluck ran out whenPoppyturned skittish around me.Thesetback didn't deter me, andItextedPoppythroughout the day, refusing to linger far from her mind.Imade suggestions such as going to a movie or dinner.Bothwere met with radio silence.WithPoppyno longer serving as a distraction,Ihad the sudden urge to exact revenge onSophie.
Imade another dent in the passenger side door.
“Youbastard.It’smy favorite car,” she cried. “Whyare you doing this?”
Favoritecar?Wealthyheiresses and their problems.
Draggingthe cigarette away from my mouth,Ilet out a long exhale before putting it out with the sole of my shoe.NotthatSophiedeserved an answer, butIstill gave her one.
“Youtouched my favorite thing in the world, soI’mgoing to destroy yours.”Thegrip on my bat tightened at the reminder.Iswung the bat over the windshield, the glass cracking from the impact.Thefragmented pieces rained down onto the front console and seats.
Thistime,Sophiehad no theatrics left to display. “Poppy,” she uttered, summing up the situation in one word.Sophiethought it'd be entertaining to watch anAmbanianonymously fuck aMaxwell, then freak out upon discovering their identity.Sophieneeded to learn a hard lesson.Provokingthe wrong people with silly mind games had dire consequences.
Therewas a time whenIwould have vehemently denied any emotional attachment to anAmbani.Thatship had long sailed, my sanity along with it.Theonly reasonSophiewasn’t buried six feet under was because her little stunt brought me toPoppy.Destroyingher beloved car was the tip of the iceberg in terms of payment due.Whistling,Icircled the car and unleashed my anger on the driver’s side window.
Maliciousfury consumedSophieupon witnessing the destruction of her prized possession. “Foryour information,” she spat, “your girl came ontome."
Afresh wave of anger surged within me, prompting me to stab one of the tires with a pocketknife.
Sophiecrossed her arms defiantly. “Wouldyou have preferred ifIturned her down?BecauseIdon’t thinkLittleMissUnsunshinewould have slept with you otherwise.”
Iglared atSophie, despising the truth in her words.
"Idid you a favor, and we both know it," she continued, her voice laced with bitterness. "Sohow about you get off your high horse and shower me with gifts of gratitude instead?Isaw how you looked at her; you were infatuated with her.Youkicked me out during a threesome so you wouldn't have to share her.Yougot what you wanted, so why are you acting likeIdid you wrong?"
BecauseifSophiededuced my obsession, she should’ve understoodPoppywas off-limits.Therealization refueled my rage. “Ifyou saw howIlooked at her, why didn’t you leave?”Ibarked. “Whythe fuck did you touch her?”
Sophiearched an eyebrow in challenge, ticking off the reasons on her fingers. “Ididn't think it'd be a problem since we’d shared the same girl before.Asfar asIunderstood, you were taken enough withPoppyto fuck her.HowwasIsupposed to know you planned on pursuing anAmbanigirl outside the bedroom?”
Thereasoning was plausible, though it didn't matter in my current state of irrationality.Shehad the audacity to lay her hands onPoppy, andIcouldn't let such an offense go unpunished.Movingto the next tire,Ideflated it with a swift motion.
