Chapter 64 Crown Jewels

Chapter 64 Crown Jewels
~SCARLETT.
Can I be considered a bad person for playing with this kid's emotions just to keep Liam in check?
Maybe.
Probably.
Okay... yeah. Definitely.
But if stringing Lucas along was the only thing keeping Liam from breaking through every boundary I've built... then so be it. Let him see I've moved on. Maybe then he'll stop trying to claw his way back into my life.
"You'll what?" Liam and Lucas said at the same time.
Lucas sounded thrilled.
Liam sounded like he was about to start throwing furniture.
I bit back a smile. Trust the universe to hand me not one, but two L-named headaches. Figures.
Still smiling, I pushed to my feet and sauntered over to Lucas. "Yes," I said, syrupy sweet. "I'll go as your date."
I didn't spare Liam a glance.
Lucas lit up like a damn Christmas tree.
Liam? He was radiating heat like a ticking bomb.
Lucas, clearly reveling in it, threw Liam a smug glance, then turned back to me, grin still wide. "The barbecue's tomorrow, around noon. I'll pick you up?"
I paused, doing the math. If I timed it right, I could still make it to The Velvet Fang tomorrow night, and avoid Rick tearing my head off.
"Sure," I said lightly. "Sounds good."
Lucas beamed like he'd just won the lottery, and I turned toward the door. This little performance was already draining.
"Well, now that that's settled," I said with polite finality, "shouldn't you be heading out? Don't you have... I don't know, classes or something?"
He chuckled. "I mean, I could stay, you know."
"You don't have to," I said breezily. "Really. I'm fine."
"I go to WIN," he added, like it was no big deal. "Took a few days off this week for my birthday... but honestly, I don't really trust this guy around you."
My brows lifted.
WIN?
Wexley Institute of Nevada.
Not exactly your average college down the block. That was the kind of place kids went to when their parents had deep pockets.
So this wide-eyed puppy was actually loaded.
Of course he was.
"I can take care of myself," I folded my arms as I turned to face him fully.
He lingered for a second, like he was tempted to push back, but then let out a breath and gave a reluctant nod. "Alright. But if you need anything-"
I lifted a brow. He got the message immediately.
"Right," He flashed a sheepish smile.
Walking him to the door, he paused on the threshold, then glanced back over his shoulder, tossing one last smug grin in Liam's direction.
Liam hadn't moved. He stood rooted to the spot, a statue sculpted out of fury and barely contained restraint, his jaw clenched so tight I could almost hear it crack.
Then the door shut behind Lucas, and the silence that followed was deafening-the kind that hums under your skin, like even the walls are holding their breath.
And suddenly, all I could think about... was my damn pizza.
Walking back into the kitchen, I headed straight for the microwave. Yanked it open, grabbed the plate. Not hot anymore-lukewarm at best-but I didn't care. Hunger beat heat any day.
The first bite? Bliss. Salty, cheesy, greasy bliss. Leaning against the counter, I chewed slow and steady. Each bite was less about the food and more about stalling-drawing out the calm before the storm I knew was coming.
And right on cue, Liam's voice cut through the silence.
"What the fuck was that?" he snapped, just as I swallowed the last bite.
I didn't answer. Just reached for a napkin and slowly wiped my fingers.
Footsteps thundered behind me, each one louder than the last.
He was already storming into the kitchen before I even turned around.
"What. Was. That?" he repeated, voice raw now.
I finally faced him, deadpan. "What was what?"
He closed the distance in two steps.
"Don't play dumb, green eyes." His jaw flexed. "You're going to that kid's barbecue now? As his date?"
I gave a lazy shrug. "What's so wrong with that?"
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. Then let out a cold, bitter laugh that had no real humor in it.
"Oh, I get it. This is just another game to you, huh? Like at The Velvet Fang. You're not into him. You're using him... to get to me."
And the thing was...
He wasn't wrong.
Which only made my chest tighten and my temper flare.
Brushing past him without a word, I moved calmly back to the living room, my socked feet silent against the floor.
Lowering myself onto the couch, I let out a dry, humorless laugh.
"Sure," I said coolly. "If that's what helps you sleep at night."
Then I looked up at him, calm and cold. "Move on, Liam." I let it land. "I have."
He stayed silent, frozen at the edge of the kitchen, eyes fixed on me, unmoving.
"I'm not going with Lucas to spite you," I added. "I'm going because he seems decent. Genuine. He doesn't come with lies, baggage, or...emotional wreckage."
His jaw ticked.
"And just so we're clear? You moving in across the street doesn't change a damn thing. That door? It's not just closed. It's sealed shut."
He opened his mouth, but I didn't let him get a word in.
"And Mrs. Winslow?" I pressed, narrowing my eyes. "She loved that house. How the hell did you convince her to give it up?"
The pause that followed was brief... but enough.
"She's... a little forgetful," he finally said in a low voice. "Her husband's been gone a while. I told her he was waiting for her at a retirement home by the coast. Said she should go to him."
I stared at him. The disgust was instant.
"You lied to an old woman?"
"I did it for you," He stepped into the room. "And I didn't just take her house. I found her a place, handled the paperwork, and paid for everything. She's taken care of. Safe."
He moved closer to the couch as his voice dipped lower, "I know I shattered your trust. I know I don't deserve a damn thing from you. But I'd give up everything if it meant I had even a chance of being worthy of you again."
Stopping in front of me, his eyes were locked on mine with a sincerity I might've fallen for once-back when I didn't know better.
"I'd lie. Start over. Do whatever it takes," he said softly.
Staring up at him, I wore a blank expression, unmoved.
What a joke.
As if a few desperate words could rewrite the past.
As if a speech could erase the nights I spent on the street... 
Pregnant. Alone.
Broken by the truth he never told.
Did he really still think I was that naive twenty-two-year-old who used to believe in forever?
My face stayed blank as he sat beside me, too close.
Eyes gentling further, his gaze dropped to my mouth before his hand lifted, fingertips brushing the corner of my bottom lip. Too gentle. Too familiar.
And just like that, the fury I'd been holding back surged to the surface.
My chest tightened, breath catching in my throat as instinct took the wheel.
I leaned back just enough, then drove my fist forward-hard and fast-right into his Crown Jewels.
Dead center.