“So, it was before.” I took a step closer and saw her eye twitch. “You slept with him before I went to jail. That’s why you were so enthusiastic about pushing the whole narrative that I was in a perimenopausal fog when the taxi’s windows blew out. You were making your play for him.”
“Susan, you’re being ridiculous.”
I watched her carefully. “I bet you were upset when Seraphina got her hooks into him.”
Aha—there it was, the flare of rage in her eyes. She masked it quickly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, you were. You still are.” I laughed, a bitter, humorless chuckle. “I saw that look in your eye, Courtney. You thought you were going to be able to step into my shoes when I went to jail, didn’t you?”
She sighed sadly. “This is so embarrassing for you, Susan.” Courtney walked into the kitchen and started rummaging through the cupboards. “I’ll get you a glass of water. You need to get your meds. Call your doctor right now and speak to him.” She looked at me, an expression of pity on her face. “Don’t worry, we can figure out selling this building and settling with the Andresanos later. You need to get your mental health back first.”
“Oh, I’m not crazy. I never was.” A wild impulse to lash out with my magic gripped me, but I forced it down. It wouldn't do any good to expose myself. Besides, I didn’t need to. “You’re fired, Courtney.”
A chime ran under my feet; my doorbell rang again. Oh, good grief, what now?
Courtney filled a glass with water and tried to hand it to me. I didn’t take it. “You’re being silly. You need me, Susan. If it wasn’t for me—”
“I’d be a lot richer, for starters. You represented me in court during my divorce, even though you’d slept with my husband.” I let out a bitter snort. “If that’s not a conflict of interest, I don’t know what is.”
She hesitated for a split second. “You’ve lost your mind. Here, give me your phone. I’ll call your doctor.”
“All it would take is for me to make a complaint to the Bar association, and for Vincent to submit a statement to say that it was true, that he did have an affair with you. They’d take your license.”
Courtney’s eye began to twitch again. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh, he would. And he will.” I just had to figure out a way to get him to do it.
“He—no.” She shook her head vehemently. “Even if it were true—and it’s not—Vincent won’t do that. The whole settlement would be voided.”
My heart gave a thud. I could get my house back. “The settlement happened when I was at my lowest, Courtney, and I couldn’t fight back. You were supposed to help me, but you didn’t. In fact, you made everything worse, because you had a thing for my husband, and you thought you were going to be able to get your hooks into him after I was put away.” I paused and smiled. “But you forgot who I am. Hell, I forgot who I was. But I’m back.” I locked eyes with her, my smile widening. “You don’t know what is about to hit you.”
“You’re crazy,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re fucking insane, Susan Moore.”
“We’ll see. You can go now.” I opened the door. “Watch your back.”
She stalked out. I slammed the door behind her.
Chapter
Twenty-One
The walls melted away, leaving me back in my drawing room, face-to face with Donovan. He nodded approvingly. “Your restraint is remarkable. Not only did you not stab her in the eyeballs, but you did not use magic in front of her.”
“I was tempted,” I admitted.
“I know. I saw it. It would have been gratifying to show your lawyer that you were never mentally unwell, and that you possess power that she could never dream of.” His eyes grew hot. “Instead, you are going to drag out your vengeance, and torture her later, when she least expects it.”
I chuckled weakly. “I’m not going to hurt her, not physically, anyway.”
He frowned. “You said ‘watch your back.’ I assume you will stab her in the shoulder blades.”
“No,” I said, walking back to the intercom screen to see who was ringing my bell. “That, again, can be plan B. No, I’m going to do something worse. I’m going to destroy her career.”
I checked the screen. It showed a close-up of a large beaky nose. Whoever it was, they were trying to look into the camera. “Who is at the door?”
Donovan grimaced. “It is Cress with our human agent. Her boat has been bailed already.”
“Oh. Are you going to let them in? I’m assuming that your human agent knows about magic. Or do I have to get Violet to remake the apartment I just left?”
“It’s fine, Chosen. The agent, Martina, knows us.” Cecil shimmied back into the drawing room, wheeling a whole cart of espresso martinis. “His Highness is just letting Cress stew for a little longer.” He handed me a glass, but I put it down.
“Right.” I hit the intercom button. “Come on up.” The door lock clicked.
Thirty seconds later, Cress stomped into the drawing room wearing a white jumpsuit made of paper, carrying her battle leathers and weapons in her arms. “If any of you say anything, I will gut you like a pig,” she snarled. “I am going to bathe.”
“Make sure you scrub the humiliation out from behind your ears,” Cecil called out.
A zing noise shot through the air and a throwing knife appeared, its blade buried in the wall next to Cecil’s head.
“The next one will be right in your eyeball,” Cress shouted as she left the room.
Cecil snorted, pulled the knife out, and used it to stir his martini.
A woman walked in behind Cress—the owner of the very large nose—wearing a boxy navy-blue pantsuit and sensible shoes. She had very bushy light-brown hair, sharp brown eyes, and a no-nonsense expression. She bowed, first to Donovan, then to me. “A trial date has been set. We can arrange a doppelgänger to take the princess’s place. Is there anything else you need, Your Highness?”
Donovan shrugged. “You were too efficient. Next time, leave her in the human jail for a bit longer.”
The woman suppressed a smile. “I value my fingernails too much. The princess would pull them out if she knew I deliberately stalled.”
