Ellie's fury hadn't cooled since that moment—Davon's hand holding Elise's, his protective stance, the way he didn't even look at her. It replayed in her mind like a cruel dream, fueling a storm she could no longer contain.
Late that evening, she found Nikki alone in the courtyard, still stewing about how Lucian and Devin had so easily claimed Anastasia and Patricia as theirs.
"They'll regret it," Ellie said suddenly, stepping out of the shadows.
Nikki jumped, clutching her chest. "Ellie—what do you mean?"
Ellie's eyes glowed with a wild determination, her voice low but venomous. "Davon, his cousins, Elise, her silly little friends… all of them. They think they've won. They think they're untouchable. But they're wrong."
Nikki frowned uneasily. "You sound… dangerous."
Ellie stepped closer, lowering her voice to a whisper that sent chills through the air. "While Davon and Elise go away on that school trip next week, we'll strike. Anastasia and Patricia—those girls always hanging around his cousins—we'll take them. They'll learn what it feels like to lose everything."
Nikki's stomach flipped. "Kidnap them? Are you insane? That's not just a prank, Ellie—that's… that's too far."
But Ellie only smiled, a cruel, twisted smile. "Too far? No, Nikki. This is justice. Elise thinks she can steal Davon from me? Her friends will pay. And when she comes back, she'll have nothing but grief."
Nikki shook her head, backing away slightly. "Ellie, I don't know about this. You're scaring me. Maybe we should just—"
Ellie cut her off sharply. "Enough. You can either stand with me, or you can stay out of my way. But I swear this—I will destroy their happiness. Forever."
Nikki bit her lip hard, torn between loyalty and fear, while Ellie's shadowed figure loomed with burning obsession, her plan already set in motion.