The morning light was a cold, sharp reminder of the bruises hidden beneath Kaia's tailored suit. She woke up on the floor. Her body was freezing, and every bone felt like it had been shattered and glued back together.
She grabbed the edge of the bed and pulled herself up. She walked to the bathroom. She applied a thick layer of foundation, painting over the deathly gray color of her skin.
She picked up her phone and dialed her best friend, Alaia Stafford. "I need you to investigate something for me right now."
She hung up the phone. She put on a tailored black suit. She slid dark sunglasses over her eyes to hide the broken blood vessels.
She walked past the living room. She didn't even glance at the manila envelope still sitting on the coffee table. She walked out the door and got into the car.
The Maybach drove down Madison Avenue. Kaia walked into a high-end luxury boutique to pick up a custom dress.
The store manager rushed over, bowing slightly, and led her to the velvet sofas in the VIP lounge.
Kaia sat down and picked up a magazine. Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted outside the glass doors.
She looked through the floor-to-ceiling window. Seraphina was running frantically down the sidewalk, constantly looking over her shoulder.
A man wearing a black baseball cap was jogging right behind her, acting suspiciously.
Seraphina suddenly changed direction. She sprinted straight toward the boutique.
She pushed the glass doors open and screamed, "Someone is following me!" She threw herself onto the carpet, landing directly at Kaia's feet.
The store clerks froze in shock. One of them scrambled to call security.
Kaia sat perfectly still. She looked down at Seraphina, who was violently shivering on the floor. Kaia's gut told her this was another cheap, staged performance.
Tires screeched outside. A black Range Rover slammed to a halt against the curb.
Gerrit threw the car door open and charged into the boutique like a hurricane.
His eyes immediately locked onto Seraphina on the floor, and then onto Kaia sitting calmly on the sofa.
Gerrit dropped to his knees. He pulled Seraphina tightly into his chest, whispering soft words to calm her down.
Seraphina buried her face in his neck and sobbed loudly. She pointed a shaking finger toward the street. "That man... he was going to attack me. I know someone paid him to do it."
Gerrit's body went completely rigid. He slowly lifted his head. His eyes locked onto Kaia, filled with a murderous, terrifying rage.
He stood up. He marched over to Kaia. A flicker of uncertainty crossed Gerrit's face. He looked from Seraphina's tear-stained face to Kaia's perfectly calm demeanor. "Kaia, what the hell is going on here?" he demanded, his voice tight but lacking its usual blind certainty. Seeing his hesitation, Seraphina let out a dramatic, breathless gasp and let her eyes roll back, faking a dead faint. Panic overrode Gerrit's logic. He reached down and grabbed the lapels of her black suit jacket, hauling her up to face his fury.
"Is there no limit to how low you'll sink, Kaia?!" he roared. "You hired a stalker to terrorize her?!"
The fabric cut into Kaia's neck, but she let out a cold, raspy laugh. "Where is your proof?"
Her defiance was the final straw. Gerrit didn't throw her this time; instead, he gripped her arms and shook her with such violent contempt that her vision blurred. The sudden, jarring motion tore through the fragile stability of her internal injuries. No impact was needed—her body simply gave up.
A thick, heavy taste of rusted iron flooded the back of her throat. A mouthful of hot blood rushed into her mouth. Kaia clamped her teeth together. She forced her throat muscles to swallow the blood back down into her stomach.
But she couldn't catch it all. A thin, bright red line of blood leaked from the corner of her lips and dripped down her pale chin.
Gerrit saw the blood. His pupils shrank. His hands froze in mid-air, a sudden flash of confusion hitting him.
Kaia raised her hand. She wiped the blood away with her thumb. She stared at him, her eyes sharper than broken glass.
"You are going to regret this, Gerrit," she said, her voice dead and hollow.
She pushed past his frozen body. She kept her spine perfectly straight and walked out of the boutique, the fire of absolute hatred finally igniting in her chest.
