Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Olivia simply sighed. “Jess, you literally grew up in the roughest part of this town. Your brother went to prison for dealing meth.”
She put her hand over her mouth like she couldn’t believe Olivia said it. She shook her head and looked Jimmy’s way. “That’s not true. He was innocent.”
“Like Keane is innocent? Or like you don’t want to be associated with criminals? Because I’m pretty sure the evidence was clear.”
“Olivia, I was trying to help you.” She moved in, getting closer. “I am still trying to help you. Please, listen to me.”
Was she going to try this? It wouldn’t be the first time. Jessica liked to play the victim, and when she couldn’t find someone to turn her into one, she did it herself. It was straight out of her playbook.
As she approached, Jessica put a hand on Olivia’s shoulder and then fell back on a gasp.
Yep, she was playing that game.
“Olivia, why did you push me?” Jessica asked on a cry.
She suddenly had Jimmy’s attention again. He rushed over to her. “Olivia, did you push her?”
Miranda shook her head. “She did it to herself. Livie didn’t lay a hand on her.”
Jimmy looked so confused. He now had a trembling doe in his arms, clutching him like he was the hero she’d been waiting all her life for, and it was working. He looked up at Olivia, his expression going dark. “Looks like your boyfriend won’t be the only one in a cell tonight.”
“Please help me. She has so much money and she will use it to ruin me and all I tried to do was help her,” Jessica sobbed.
Jimmy stood up, his shoulders squaring. “Olivia Barnes-Fleetwood, that is assault.”
Olivia wasn’t really thinking. It had been a rough night, and the last thing she needed was this moron walking in and causing trouble all over again. She should have known the minute Scott showed up that the world would go to hell. But she wasn’t about to let Jessica think she could get out of this without some damage.
“Oh, shit,” Miranda said. “I know that look.”
“She asked for it. That fake-ass falling. Girl, if you were in the NBA, you would get fined for that,” Gigi said with no sympathy.
Her papa stepped forward. “Livie, sweetie…”
Her mom put a hand on his arm. “There are some things a woman just has to do. Let her take it out on that mean girl so she’s calmer when she deals with her dad.”
Olivia slapped the shit out of Jessica, the smack deeply satisfying.
Jessica’s head snapped over with the force.
Jimmy started to step in.
Her mom had her cell phone out. “What was Betsy Ann’s number, Tanya?”
Tanya was grinning like this was the best show she’d ever seen. She whipped that number out of her brain in a heartbeat, and Jimmy stepped back.
Apparently, the law wasn’t as important as his wife not finding out he was flirting.
“That’s what I thought,” her momma said.
Olivia looked down at Jessica, narrowing her eyes. “Look, I’m sure you’re here because Scott showed up like the awful memory he is, but I’m not taking your crap this time. You don’t work for me anymore. You don’t have any power over me, so I’m going to say this once and only once. I do not care about your man. I do not want your man. I am only talking to him because he forced my hand. If you try this short drama crap with me again, I’ll show you how that works in my world, and I promise you will not like it. And you need to understand that when I prove you’re lying about my man, it won’t be my fists that take you out. I’ll ruin your life. If Keane goes to jail for this, I won’t care about anything else. I’ll have one job in the world and that is to make you miserable for the rest of your life. You’re right. I’m rich. You took my boyfriend and I didn’t do a thing to you. I let you walk off into the sunset with him.”
Jessica’s eyes were red from crying, and her voice sounded hoarse. “He left me in New York. After he lost his job, he said he made a mistake.”
Olivia held a hand out. “I don’t care. I don’t care if he hurt you. There’s no sisterhood here. I left you alone after you humiliated me. Well, you’re finding my line, girl. Here it is. You hurt a hair on my real man’s head, and I will destroy you in every way possible. You will end yourself to get away from me. Am I understood?”
She audibly heard Jimmy swallow, and when she looked up he was nodding.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
Jessica got to her feet, her shoulders squared. “Well, if you want to be with some asshole who tried to hurt you, who am I to stop you. I won’t try to help again. You can have that loser ex-con.”