Christina’s POV
I leaned forward, closing the distance between Zoe and .
"You used to be so bold and outspoken. Where did all that confidence go?"
"I’m calling the police!" Zoe whimpered, her mascara running down her cheeks.
"Go ahead. You started this ss, not . If you call them, they’ll arrest you. Harassnt, inciting violence, assault." I snorted. "Plus public intoxication. God, who drinks at ten in the morning?"
Zoe reached for her phone but froze midway.
I moved closer until our noses nearly touched. "Delete your posts. Instagram, X, everything. Right now."
Her fingers twitched, lips trembling. "I... I won’t delete them."
"You will. Otherwise, I’m calling the cops. Don’t you realize you’ve just given Ysolde enough ammunition to sue you? Your online sar campaign is textbook defamation and malicious falsehood."
"Exactly!" Ysolde chid in. "Malicious!"
I’d picked up a thing or two from lawyer Hanna, and now was the perfect ti to use it. "She can sue for damages—lost business, all the broken furniture, reputation harm. Don’t think a judge won’t issue an injunction forcing you to retract your statents. If you’re lucky, you’ll get away with a written apology. A public one. Pinned to all your social dia accounts. Want your skincare-obsessed teenage fans to see you begging for forgiveness in front of a bakery display case?"
Zoe squird. "I—"
"Because that’s where this ends if you keep going. Civil litigation. Discovery. Cross-examination. And then your face will go from influencer mood boards to cautionary tales on law school blogs. So cry all you want. But the next words out of your mouth better be ’I’m sorry.’"
Zoe bit her lip. "I’m calling Cassian."
"Go ahead. If he still takes your side after all the stupid things you’ve done, he’s even dumber than I thought."
Her fight was gone. "Fine, I’ll delete them..."
Her fingers flew across her phone screen, and within seconds, the posts on Instagram and X disappeared.
"Can I go now?" she mumbled, eyes fixed on the floor.
I glanced at her battered face, then at Ysolde, who looked relatively unscathed.
Ysolde nodded.
I tilted my chin toward the door. "Get out."
Zoe scrambled away, nearly tripping over herself.
As soon as she vanished, Daniel’s voice filled the shop.
"Soone just uploaded a video!"
He waved his phone, showing the rest of us the footage.
It was a clear shot of the chaotic scene.
The two of us against her, making her look like the victim rather than the instigator.
I sighed, already anticipating what would follow.
This video would definitely be shared.
Zoe getting slapped was far more entertaining than Zoe being denied custom jewelry.
The internet loved drama.
I looked at Ysolde. "Looks like we’re both about to be internet famous for all the wrong reasons."
She shrugged. "Worth it. She started it."
She tossed her phone onto the counter and called her staff over. "Everyone, go ho for the day. There’s plenty of fresh cake left in the back and display case. Help yourselves and enjoy the rest of your day off."
Minutes later, the "Temporarily Closed" sign was up, the staff dispersed, and only Ysolde and I remained in the shop.
Ysolde brought out so of the remaining cakes from the kitchen.
She plopped down across from . "I’m starving. Fighting takes energy."
"Do you need sothing for your face?" I asked. "It looks a bit swollen."
"I’m fine."
"What exactly happened?"
Ysolde shrugged. "She ca in and ordered. I was in the kitchen. I guess that’s when she posted her al online and started demanding to see the manager. When I ca out, she imdiately went off on . Said I was still hung up on Cassian and ruining their relationship. She claid I’d pulled strings and now Cassian won’t answer her calls and kicked her out of his apartnt. Apparently, it’s all my fault."
"Unbelievable."
"I told her to shut up and get out. She tried to trip . I kicked her. Then you ca in."
Her phone vibrated.
She picked it up.
"Zoe’s followers are going wild in the comnts."
I pulled out my own phone. "This woman knows how to rile up a mob."
Initially, the comnts were vicious—death threats, slut-shaming, people calling a thug and Ysolde a has-been witch.
Every insult imaginable was hurled our way.
Then soone uploaded a longer video showing Zoe slapping Cassian first before starting to scream.
That quickly shifted the mood.
Next, Sugar & Whim’s regulars flooded the comnts, posting pictures of puffs and mousse tarts, raving about the cakes and tagging their friends.
The replies turned into a dessert celebration.
Half of them forgot why they were angry in the first place.
By mid-afternoon, the original video had disappeared, and most of the outrage had faded with it.
People were losing interest.
I texted Hudson: [Did you have anything to do with this?]
He replied: [I didn’t even get a chance to step in. Soone else beat to it.]
Akira stirred within . "Interesting. Soone’s looking out for you two."
I raised an eyebrow, looking up at Ysolde. "What about your brother? Did Emtt help?"
"No," Ysolde shook her head. "I asked him. He’s been in etings all day and hasn’t even seen the news."
We both felt confused.
If it wasn’t Hudson, and Emtt knew nothing about it, who had the power to shut things down so quickly?
"Well, whoever it was, I’m grateful," I said.
Akira humd in agreent. "A mysterious ally is better than no ally at all."
The situation didn’t end there.
Soone started digging into Zoe’s past, uncovering scandals—her history of causing trouble at school and always playing the victim.
The narrative was already shifting.
We discussed it for a while, speculating it might be one of Zoe’s competitors in the entertainnt world.
"Or your secret admirer," I joked.
"Or her enemy," Ysolde said.
Turned out, we were both right.
Reviews
All reviews (0)