It had only been ten minutes since Ivy and Sal arrived at Lola’s apartment, and already the men assigned to watch over them were running out of patience.

"I wonder how much longer they’re going to take," Percy muttered, checking his watch for what felt like the hundredth time.

The three of them were parked along the curb in separate vehicles, blending in with the normal traffic.

Beside him, Benny took another bite of his sandwich and nodded in agreement.

"At least we know they’re safe."

"That’s true," Nico said from the backseat.

His attention never left the surroundings.

Ever since the incident at the academy, Xander had tightened Ivy’s security and ordered them to keep a closer eye on her without drawing attention.

Which was why they were dressed in casual clothes instead of their usual black suits.

To anyone passing by, they looked like ordinary men going about their day.

In reality, they were monitoring everything.

Nico’s sharp eyes swept across the street once again.

"So far, no one’s been following them."

"Good," Percy replied.

Then suddenly, his expression changed.

"Actually... I think we might have a problem."

His words immediately caught Benny’s and Nico’s attention.

"What?" Benny asked.

Percy nodded toward the entrance of the apartment building.

A sleek car had just pulled into the driveway.

The moment the driver stepped out, all three men froze.

Benny nearly dropped the rest of his sandwich.

"Hell no."

Nico leaned forward.

"What is he doing here?"

***

Meanwhile, upstairs in Lola’s apartment, the atmosphere was considerably less dramatic.

At least for everyone except Lola.

Ivy stared at her friend and winced.

"No wonder you sounded like you were about to cry over the phone."

Lola looked terrible.

Her mascara was smeared beneath her eyes.

Her hair resembled a bird’s nest.

And judging by her expression, she hadn’t slept much either.

"Seriously," Sal said, looking mildly horrified. "You need to clean yourself up. Just sitting there is enough to scare people."

Lola shot him a glare.

Unfortunately, she lacked the energy to make it intimidating.

"You two are impossible."

She buried her face in her hands.

"You’re not being understanding at all. I’ve been lying in bed all morning because I finally realized what I did last night."

Sal immediately narrowed his eyes.

"Is this about threatening to beat up Xander if he ever hurts Ivy?"

The effect was immediate.

Lola’s face went completely pale.

Meanwhile, Ivy slowly turned to look at her.

"You actually said that?"

Lola looked ready to pass out.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes," Sal replied helpfully.

"What exactly did you say?" Ivy asked, trying—and failing—not to laugh.

The more horrified Lola looked, the harder it became to keep a straight face.

Lola grabbed a cushion and hugged it against her chest.

"I don’t remember the exact words."

"That’s even worse," Sal informed her.

"Oh my God."

Lola buried her face in the cushion.

"What have I done?"

Ivy had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing.

Truthfully, she wasn’t worried.

If Xander had genuinely been offended, Lola would’ve probably found a resignation letter waiting for her this morning.

The fact that nothing had happened meant he either hadn’t cared...

Or he had found the whole thing amusing.

Neither option seemed particularly dangerous.

Unfortunately, Lola wasn’t thinking that far ahead.

She yanked at her hair dramatically.

"Oh my God, I threatened Xander Emerson."

"Technically, yes."

"I threatened Xander Emerson!"

Sal nodded.

"Still true."

Lola looked moments away from tears.

The funny thing was, waking up beside Taylor had originally been the most shocking part of her morning.

Now it barely registered.

Compared to realizing she’d drunkenly threatened one of the most powerful men in the city, everything else suddenly seemed insignificant.

"Oh my God," she groaned again.

"I’m never drinking alcohol again."

Neither Ivy nor Sal believed her for a second.

"Ugh, I really need to wash off this embarrassment before I die smelling like it."

Lola threw the comforter aside and climbed out of bed.

Grabbing a towel, she was about to head to the bathroom when the doorbell rang.

"Are you expecting someone?" Sal asked with a frown, already moving toward the door.

Before he could take another step, Ivy held out a hand to stop him and walked ahead instead.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention it," Lola said casually.

Ivy paused, her hand already on the doorknob.

"The person outside is none other than Kevin."

Lola’s eyes widened a second later.

"Wait—"

But it was too late.

The door was already open.

Ivy froze.

Standing on the other side was Kevin.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The noise inside the apartment faded into the background as they stared at each other.

***

An awkward silence filled the living room.

Kevin sat at one end of the couch, nursing a cup of coffee. Every now and then, his gaze drifted toward Ivy, who sat across from him with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Neither of them seemed willing to be the first to speak.

Meanwhile, Lola and Sal lingered near the corner of the room, stealing glances at the pair.

"You shouldn’t have asked him to come," Sal muttered under his breath. "Do you realize how much he annoyed me with all those phone calls and messages? The guy practically blew up my phone. I almost wanted to throw it into the ocean before I finally switched it off."

Lola shot him an offended look.

"Why are you blaming me? I only called him because you and Ivy were coming over. Besides, didn’t Ivy say they were schoolmates?"

Sal fell silent.

It was true. Ivy had said they were schoolmates.

But what he had noticed was the way she became guarded whenever Kevin was around. There was a tension between them that went far beyond a simple old friendship.

Does Raven know something she hasn’t told us? he wondered.

Lola narrowed her eyes when she noticed him zoning out.

Without hesitation, she smacked his shoulder.

"Ow!" Sal rubbed the spot and glared at her.

Lola ignored him completely.

Taking matters into her own hands, she walked over and dropped onto the couch beside Ivy.

"So," she began with a bright smile, determined to break the suffocating silence, "what brings you here, Kevin?"

Kevin immediately shifted in his seat, looking slightly uncomfortable under everyone’s attention.

His gaze flickered briefly toward Ivy before returning to Lola.

"I was worried about Ivy," he admitted. "I saw what happened in the studio parking lot the other day."