I had no doubt then. I have no doubt now.

“It’s just that if you can’t be honest with yourself, well, it’s cowardly, don’t you think? All the why are you here, Mercedes,” she says, mimicking me, “when you can’t admit to yourself what you truly want.”

“Your pussy.”

“Exactly. My pussy.”

I lean toward her to whisper the next part. “Thing is, I do want it, little monster. I’d love to feel that tight virgin cunt of yours squeezing my cock.”

Her mouth falls open at my inelegant response.

I straighten, victorious. “But one of us has to be the adult here. Think of what’s best for the little monster.”

“Stop calling me that!”

“What’s the matter? Have I ruffled your feathers?”

“Fuck off.” She folds her arms and turns to look out the window.

I chuckle as we pull in through the compound entrance where cars are already lined up, dozens of elegantly dressed men and women mingling in the courtyard.

I climb out of the car and extend my hand. “Shall we?”

She places hers inside mine. “Let’s.” She smiles wide, putting on the mask she reserves for Society events. The socialite. The wealthy, gorgeous young woman who hasn’t a care in the world. It must be exhausting.

I slip a hand to her lower back and don’t miss the looks we’re getting as I lean close to her ear. “Ivy will be here tonight. I expect you to behave. Or else.”

She stops and looks up at me. “Is that why you brought me? A repeat of my punishment with Miriam?”

My jaw tenses. Does she see it? “On the contrary. She has agreed to come to show her support of you. She doesn’t want you going before The Tribunal any more than I do.”

Her face loses some of its color then, and I rub a circle into her lower back.

“It won’t come to that,” I say.

“How can you know that?” she asks, looking up at me, that vulnerable girl beneath the armored woman before my eyes.

“I will make certain of it. I promise, little monster. I will protect you.”

She looks momentarily confused, but before she can comment, we’re interrupted. As soon as we enter the ballroom, Mercedes shines brighter than the chandeliers, the center of attention, laughing, telling stories, being the Mercedes they all know and love to hate.

It’s a little while later when Santiago walks in with Ivy. I know Mercedes has been watching for them, and I hear the small pause in her speech when she sees them. No one else would notice it, though. She’s quick to recover.