If Tyler and Rose stayed under the same roof much longer, something was bound to happen. Tyler’s relationship with Rose wasn’t strictly brotherly—no matter how many times Tyler swore it was. Georgiana didn’t believe in male-female friendships. And their body language sent a clear message: there was tension between them. The fact they hadn’t done the deed yet wasn’t an assurance it would not happen in the future. It was even worse, in a way. It built pressure, making Rose—the one girl Tyler had never had—too big of a temptation for him to resist.

Why did everything have to go down this way? And why now?

Georgiana felt as if a cosmic conspiracy was in place to undermine her relationship with Tyler. But she wasn’t a “live and let live” kind of girl. She was used to taking action and gaining control over things. She’d even tried to convince her brother to provide a distraction for Rose as soon as she’d moved in with Tyler six months ago. Ethan, five years their senior, was drop dead gorgeous and a womanizer. But he’d refused without even meeting Rose. And now was dating one of Georgiana’s best friends, Alice, so his charms were out of the picture. To hell with him, too. Georgiana needed a different plan, something final that would keep Tyler and Rose apart for good.

Georgiana turned away from the window and started pacing the apartment again in search of inspiration. It took her a few laps of the room before an idea began forming in her mind. At first, she couldn’t quite grasp it. Georgiana was sure she’d overlooked something, but couldn’t put her finger on what. Then, out of the blue, a possibility came to her. She needed to talk to her dad and see if he could help her.

Georgiana sprang into action. She grabbed her bag and car keys from the coffee table and hurried toward the door. Halfway there, she paused and turned around to go get her phone. She picked it up from the floor and checked the screen, only half-hoping to see if Tyler had called her back. He hadn’t.

Never mind, he could wait. Right now, she had bigger fish to fry. Filled with purpose, Georgiana plonked the phone into her bag and exited her apartment. She felt strangely calm and regenerated. It was good to finally have a plan.

It’d be complicated to achieve, and she’d have to pull a lot of strings to make it work. Hard, but not impossible. And, oh, Rose wouldn’t even know what had hit her. Georgiana opened her car and sat behind the wheel. She paused a second with her finger on the ignition button. She closed her eyes, imagining the face her rival would make when she found out. It’d be priceless. But now wasn’t the time to celebrate, it was the time to set her plan in motion. To pull it off, she had to act quickly. Georgiana revved the engine and backed out of her parking spot, speeding away on the almost empty street.