28

28
Johan

That wasn’t wise.
But it was the best I could do without falling apart in front of him.

Maybe—just maybe—if I did try to help him… If I showed him patience, kindness, consistency… he’d start to see.
He’d see how much better he deserved. How Lucian—for all his charm and power—would never give him the softness he needed.

So yes.

You could say that if I earned his trust, I would sabotage his relationship with Lucian.
And maybe that made me selfish. I won’t deny it.

But I wasn’t ashamed.

Because Lucian wouldn’t appreciate him. Not fully. Not honestly.

Lucian didn’t know what to do with something fragile. He only knew how to own things, control them, bend them to his world.

But Halo?

He wasn’t meant to be owned.

He was meant to be chosen.

And I—
I wanted to be the one he chose.

And I was going to do everything—use everyone—to make Halo believe I was worthy.

The private investigators had been thorough. They uncovered enough to confirm what I’d suspected: Halo and Jessica had bad blood. Something about a betrayal. A deep one. She’d been close to him once and burned that bridge hard.

Perfect.

That meant she knew things. Things Halo would never tell me himself.

And my first move?

Get close enough to extract every detail.

I found her in the house library, buried in a thick book with her legs tucked under her. She looked like she belonged there—sweet, studious, clueless.

“Hey, pretty,” I said smoothly as I stepped into the room.

Her head lifted instantly, and her blue eyes lit up like a damn Christmas tree. I almost scoffed.

She looked at me like I was some walking future—power, money, charm, all dressed in cologne and quiet confidence.

“Pretty?” she repeated, blinking. “Mr. Johan, isn’t that… a bit much?”

I smiled and sank down beside her on the velvet couch, closing the space between us with practiced ease.

I reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You are pretty,” I murmured, letting my fingers linger just long enough. “And call me Jo.”

She blushed—of course she did. Girls like her always did. So easy to flatter. So easy to pull close when they thought you wanted them.

Now all I had to do was press the right buttons.

Get her talking.

Make her think she was special.

Then use every piece of her guilt, jealousy, and bitterness to tear down whatever fragile loyalty Halo still had.

And I’d smile while doing it.

I leaned into her shoulder, letting out an overly dramatic sigh.

“Jessi?” I asked sweetly. “Can I call you that?”

She tensed for half a second, then nodded a little too quickly. “Call me anything… I mean—yeah, that’s fine.”

Pick me.

It was written all over her face. This girl would throw her best friend under a bus if it meant being chosen. The kind that would burn bridges just to warm her hands over the ashes.

Perfect.

I let my pout deepen, just enough to look wounded but still charming.

“Do you know I’m heartbroken?” I whispered.

Her brows furrowed, all sympathy and soft concern. She leaned in closer without even realizing it.

“My boyfriend cheated on me,” I said, voice low and fragile, “and now I think… maybe I want to try dating women again.”

I looked up at her through my lashes, giving her just the right amount of vulnerability.

“You know I’m bi, right? But I tried to date just one gender… and clearly, that failed.”

She swallowed, lips parting slightly.

Hook set.

Now all I had to do was reel her in—slowly, sweetly—until she cracked wide open and gave me everything I needed.

And maybe, if she begged hard enough, I’d let her think I meant a single word.

“I know you’re bi, Johan,” Jessica said softly, her voice almost reverent. “I’ve followed you for years… I’m a big fan. And yes, I know that man doesn’t deserve you.”

I nearly laughed.

If she knew the kind of things my boyfriend was capable of, she’d sprint in the opposite direction without looking back.

Yeah—I still had a boyfriend.

A boyfriend who suggested we open the relationship so we could both "explore."

Explore, huh.

What he meant was: fuck whoever you want without consequence.

I never liked the idea. I agreed to it, but it always left a bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe that was my fault, for pretending I could do casual.

But I didn’t want casual.

I wanted something real.

Someone like Halo.

Stubborn. Guarded. Complicated—but loyal. The kind of person who wouldn’t treat love like a vending machine.

Not this girl.

Not Jessica, who was already ready to toss her pride aside for a little attention. She didn’t know the first thing about loyalty.

Still… I played along.

I gave her a soft look, all wounded edges and unspoken longing. Leaned in just enough for her breath to hitch.

“Thanks, Jessi,” I murmured. “It’s just been… hard, you know? Being wanted by someone who doesn’t really want you.”

Her eyes were wide, caught in the glow of being needed.

I almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

And to test the waters—to see just how far she'd go—I leaned in and kissed her.

Soft. Slow. Purposefully unsure, like I needed comfort. Like, I didn’t know what I was doing.

She melted into it almost instantly.

Her fingers twitched against her book, then tangled in my sleeve. Desperate. Starved. Hungry for meaning in something I gave just to see if I could.

I pulled back before it deepened, watching her with a carefully constructed look of uncertainty.

Her lips were slightly parted, her breath shallow, her eyes wide with hope.

Perfect.

“You don’t have to say anything,” I whispered. “I just… needed that. Needed to feel something.”

That was the lie I fed her.

Because the truth was—I didn’t feel a damn thing.

Not for her.

But I needed her to think I might. Needed her tethered to me by the illusion of being special.

Because the closer she clung to me, the easier it would be to pry her open.