Christina’s POV
I kept my eyes on my food,shoveling spicy chicken into my mouth without acknowledging Serenna’s presence.
She dropped into the seat across from , shopping bags thudding against the floor. "Not talking to ? Last ti we saw each other, you punched and yanked out my hair. It still hasn’t grown back properly. You should apologize. Now you’re ignoring like I don’t exist? Where are your manners?"
"Manners?" I looked up at last. "You sat without invitation, you’re spitting all over my lunch, and taking a seat soone else might actually want. Unless you plan to buy food and shut up, find the exit and use it."
Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again as she tried to formulate a coback.
Her face suddenly brightened with malicious glee. "Just thought you might want company," she said with artificial sweetness. "Heard the Grangers canceled all their wedding invitations. After following Niall around like a desperate puppy for years, he finally dumped you. Poor Christina."
She clicked her tongue. "What now? Your mother told mine you’re cutting ties with your family. No man wants you, no family behind you... planning to live under a bridge?"
I offered her an icy smile. "Everything you say revolves around n. Can’t exist without male attention? I wonder what unlucky guy will end up with you. You had a thing for Niall, right? Well, he’s available now. Just know that Beatrice is in the picture too. You’ll need to compete with her."
"I don’t even like him anymore," she protested. "He’s such a player. I’d never want soone like that."
She watched , searching for signs of heartbreak or vulnerability.
All she got was the sound of my fork scraping against my plate.
She snapped her fingers in my face. "Hello? Don’t care about Niall? Fine. But you’ll definitely care about what I’m about to tell you."
"Doubt it."
"It’s major news. Life-changing."
I wiped my mouth with a napkin. "Still don’t care."
Her nostrils flared. "God, you’re insufferable. I’ll tell you anyway—Isobel Brooke is back in town."
My hand froze midway to my iced coffee.
My expression barely changed, but the slight twitch of my eyebrow gave away.
Serenna noticed imdiately, latching onto my reaction like a predator sensing weakness.
"Ha! You’re not so unbothered after all! You should be terrified. Rember what happened? Her family sent her away because of you. I heard she’s had it rough. Think she’s forgotten? You’re probably at the top of her revenge list."
Her smile stretched wide with triumph.
I took a slow sip of my coffee. Too much ice, not enough coffee.
Akira stirred inside . "Want to bite her face off? I still rember how she tastes from last ti."
"Tempting, but we’re in public," I thought back. "Besides, her botox might poison you."
I knew Serenna wasn’t warning out of kindness. She wanted to see flinch, to confirm that the supposedly tough Christina Vance still had vulnerabilities.
If we’re digging up skeletons, let’s talk about Isobel fucking Brooke.
In high school, no one could make sweat like she could—not teachers, not my parents, not even my perfect sister Beatrice.
Isobel was the undisputed Queen Bitch of Westbridge Prep. Rich, powerful, and cruel enough to destroy soone before breakfast and still look flawless by third period.
While I focused on my studies and designs, she ruled from the back row, applying makeup and filming content for her adoring followers.
We existed in separate worlds until she chose as her target.
All because so guy she wanted had a crush on .
I never flirted back or showed interest.I didn’t even know his na. But girls like Isobel don’t need real reasons to attack, just targets.
I didn’t learn the actual reason until much later, when I beat the truth out of her.
To Isobel, the idea that anyone would choose over her wasn’t just offensive—it was sacrilege. And I had to suffer for it.
I ignored her passive-aggressive comnts and the whispers behind my back. Every school had an girls, and I had more important things to worry about.
My indifference only fueled her hatred. She escalated from basic pranks to sothing far more sinister,she drugged my drink at the school dance.
Soone replaced my soda with vodka laced with sothing else. Before I realized what was happening, I was stumbling and disoriented.
I was led out of the dance hall straight into a trap, into an abandoned building where a guy who’d been watching for months was waiting.
What Isobel didn’t count on was that beneath my quiet exterior, I wasn’t weak. My parents might have ignored , but I’d spent years training at the training facilities when no one was paying attention. Even my own pack underestimated my strength because I never showed it.
When that scumbag tried to take advantage of , I fought back with everything I had. I smashed his nose with a piece of tal I found, probably broke a few ribs too.
I escaped, called the police, filed a report—did everything right.
Then my parents dropped the case.
The Brooke family had connections and significant business dealings with my parents. They threw hush money at the Vances, calling it a "teenage misunderstanding."
My parents took the money without even consulting . Their business partnership with the Brookes was more valuable than their daughter’s justice.
So I handled it myself.
I found Isobel walking to her car alone exactly one month later.
She didn’t see waiting by her trunk. Didn’t hear coming until I yanked the sack over her head and dragged her behind the bleachers.
That’s where I beat the smugness right out of her.
She never saw my face.
No one did.
Then I did it again the next week.
And again.
Every week, like clockwork.
Every ti she showed up at school with a bruise or a limp, I made sure I had an ironclad alibi.
Isobel broke faster than I expected. Without her entourage fluttering around her, she crumbled. By week five of being jumped out of nowhere, she stopped showing up altogether.
Her parents pulled her out and shipped her off to so fancy boarding school overseas.
With her gone, all her little followers backed off too. They probably figured I might put a bag over their heads next.
But that experience changed . I was sixteen. Had barely kissed a boy before fighting off so drunk predator in an abandoned building.
So yeah, that night carved sothing jagged into . Maybe that’s why I started spending more ti at the pack training grounds afterward.
"Hello? Earth to Christina!" Serenna waved her hand in my face. "Are you even listening?"
I snapped back to the present. "Yeah, I heard you. Hard not to when you talk loud enough for the entire mall to hear."
"So you do rember Isobel?" Serenna’s smile stretched with malicious delight. "You’re not still traumatized, are you?"
I stood up, making her tilt her chin to maintain eye contact. "If she’s stupid enough to show her face again, I’ll make sure to continue where we left off." I leaned closer. "And you? Might want to watch your step, sweetheart. I hit a lot harder than I used to."
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