Chapter 49

Madison

The phone rang three times before Sophia picked up.

"Madison?" Her voice was cautious, guarded. "It's late. What's wrong?"

I forced brightness into my tone, pacing my apartment in designer heels I'd bought specifically for this trip. "Hey, babe! I know this is last minute, but I was thinking—what if I came with you guys tomorrow? To Turks and Caicos?"

Silence.

"Madison, you know I can't—"

"Please, Soph." I let a tremor creep into my voice. "I just... I really need to get away right now. And I miss you. We barely see each other anymore."

"That's because you've been..." She trailed off, but I knew what she wasn't saying. That's because you've been obsessed with Arthur Winston.

"I've been what?" I challenged, my voice sharpening despite my best efforts.

Another pause. Then, carefully: "Madison, this trip is Carter's idea. It's supposed to be his apology to Arthur and Cecilia for what happened at the mall. If he finds out I invited you—"

"He won't find out." I interrupted, my mind racing. "I'll say I was already in the area. That I ran into you guys by coincidence. Come on, Soph. When have I ever gotten you in trouble?"

I could practically hear her thinking, weighing her options. Good. That meant she was considering it.

"I don't know..." Her voice was small, uncertain.

Time to play my trump card.

"Remember freshman year?" I said softly, letting the words hang in the air. "When those girls locked you in that storage closet? When everyone at that party pretended they didn't hear you screaming?"

"Madison—"

"I was the only one who came looking for you." My voice dropped lower, intimate and threatening all at once. "I was the only friend you had, Sophia. The only one who gave a shit whether you lived or died."

The silence that followed was thick, suffocating.

"That's not fair," she whispered finally.

"Isn't it?" I examined my manicure, keeping my voice light. "I'm not asking for much, babe. Just the address. That's all I need. You don't have to do anything else."

I heard her breathing, quick and shallow, and knew I had her.

"Fine," she said, her voice hollow. "But Madison, if Carter finds out—"

"He won't." I smiled, triumphant. "I promise. You won't regret this."

She gave me the address—some ridiculous beachfront villa in Turks and Caicos—and hung up without saying goodbye.

I stared at my phone, satisfaction curling through me like smoke.

Got you.

The villa was exactly as pretentious as I'd expected. I'd arrived the same day they landed, checking into a boutique hotel just down the coast. Close enough to be convenient, far enough to avoid suspicion.

Now, standing in my hotel room with my phone pressed to my ear, I could hear the panic in Sophia's voice.

"Madison, you said you wouldn't—"

"Relax," I said, examining myself in the mirror. The dress I'd chosen was perfect—red, skin-tight, cut low enough to be interesting but not desperate. "I'm just asking which room is Arthur's. That's all."

"No." Her voice was firm for once. "Absolutely not. Madison, you need to leave. Now."

"Sophia." I let ice creep into my tone. "Don't make me remind you again who your real friends are."

I heard her breath catch, and knew the threat had landed.

"East wing," she said finally, her voice breaking. "Master suite. But they're out right now—Arthur and the guys went fishing, and Cecilia took Alice and me to some cove. They won't be back until—"

"Perfect." I hung up before she could finish.

I spent the afternoon getting ready. Hair in loose waves, makeup dramatic but not overdone, the kind of effortless perfection that actually took hours to achieve.

By the time the sun started to set, I looked like every man's fantasy—beautiful, confident, available.

Arthur won't know what hit him.

I slipped into the villa just after dusk. The place was empty, everyone still out on their respective excursions.

Finding the master suite was easy—Sophia had been right about the east wing. I let myself in, my heart pounding with anticipation.

The room was massive. King-sized bed with crisp white sheets, a balcony overlooking the ocean, and—most tellingly—Cecilia's clothes scattered across a chair.

That little bitch.

I arranged myself on the bed, one leg crossed over the other, my dress riding up just enough to be tantalizing. Then I waited.

Arthur

The boat rocked gently as we made our way back to shore, the sun hanging low on the horizon.

Carter was still grinning like an idiot, holding up his phone to show us yet another photo of the marlin he'd caught. "I'm telling you, this thing was massive. Sophia's not gonna believe it."

"She'll believe it when she sees the picture," I said, leaning back against the side of the boat. "Which you've shown us approximately fifteen times now."

"Sixteen," Max corrected, not looking up from his own phone. He'd been like that most of the trip—distant, distracted, his fingers constantly moving across the screen.

Carter shot him a look. "You've been texting Alice all day. Don't act like you're not just as bad."

Max's jaw tightened, but he didn't deny it. Just kept typing, his expression unreadable.

I pulled out my own phone, checking for messages from Ceci. Nothing new since this morning, when she'd sent me a photo of her and Alice at the cove—both of them grinning, windswept and sun-kissed.

God, I missed her.

"You're doing it too," Carter said, pointing at me. "You're all doing it. We're supposed to be having a guys' day, and everyone's just thinking about their girlfriends."

"Yeah, I miss Alice like crazy, but she hasn’t replied to a single message of mine." Max shot me a cold glare.

Carter and I exchanged a glance. There was something off in Max's tone—something defensive and sharp that made my shoulders tense.

"Haha, Alice's probably just having too much fun." Carter said awkwardly.

"...so much so that she’s completely forgotten about you," I added.

I saw Max throw a punch at me. I stood my ground without dodging an inch, then swiftly counterattacked.

The air in the boat shifted, became heavier. Carter opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then seemed to think better of it.

Max fell silent for a long time before speaking. "Maybe you’re right. She really doesn’t love me at all."

He squatted down. "I actually envy you. Cecilia loves you so deeply."

I replied, "I love her just as much, and above all, I respect her deeply too."

Max's gaze snapped to mine, sharp and assessing. "Don’t I respect Alice? I’d buy her anything she ever wanted."

"Then why did Madison reduce Alice to tears with her harsh words?" I leaned forward, holding his stare. "And when I can see how scared Alice is around you."

"That bitch." I saw Max's hands curl into fists.

Carter said nothing. After all, his fiancée was also part of it.

The temperature in the boat dropped about twenty degrees.