Chapter 4

"What are you doing here?"

"This is my home. Get out."

Her tone was the kind you'd use on a stray cat pawing at the trash—dismissive, irritated, beneath contempt.

A dark laugh scraped out of my throat. I took in the sight of her: this woman who had crawled into my nest, standing in the middle of the home she'd defiled, chin lifted like she owned the air I breathed.

I didn't waste a single word on her.

I turned to the bodyguards behind me. My voice came out cold. Surgical.

"Trash the place."

Professionals don't hesitate.

Eva Harding's limited-edition handbag—the one she'd been clutching like a newborn—split open with a single slash.

"What are you doing? Stop it!"

She shrieked and lunged, but two guards caught her mid-stride, pinning her arms to her sides. She thrashed against their iron grip like a fish on a deck.

Useless.

"Lily Sawyer, are you *insane*? Nathan bought this house for *me*!"

I walked past her as if she were furniture. The plush pink sofa—her tacky choice, naturally—sank under my weight as I sat down and crossed my legs.

"Eva Harding."

My voice was low. Unhurried. It filled the room anyway.

"You really should have thought this through."

I let the silence stretch.

"My last name is Jiang. Did you honestly believe you could touch me and still survive in this city?"

I tilted my head.

"Did you think Nathan Butler has the power to protect you from *me*?"

The blood drained from her face in real-time—a slow leak, like watching paint peel. She knew the weight of my family name. It was a titan she couldn't afford to provoke.

Defiance still flickered behind her eyes.

But fear kept her feet rooted to the floor.

I lost interest in her little performance. My phone slid out of my pocket, and I leaned back into the cushions, scrolling lazily through my feed.

My thumb stopped.

Eva Harding had posted an update thirty minutes ago.

A photo.

In it, a QR code was plastered across my forehead. The marker ink had bled into my skin, staining it like some hideous, dark birthmark.

The caption was a single word:

*Buy?*

And directly beneath it, a comment from Nathan Butler.

*Not buying.*

Something cold and sharp curled at the corners of my mouth.

Since taking the helm of the Jiang family, very few people had managed to provoke me quite like Eva Harding.

I looked up at her—still pinned like a butterfly under glass—and lifted my phone to my ear.

"Hello? Is this the tattoo parlor?"

"Pack your gear. Call every artist you know in the area and get to the south-side villa. I have a major business deal for you."

Eva must have sensed the shift in the air. Her eyes went wide, and she started thrashing wildly.

"Lily Sawyer! What are you doing? You wouldn't *dare*!"

I didn't answer.

Thirty minutes later, half the city's tattoo artists were crowded into the living room.

They took one look at the wrecked furniture, the restrained woman, and then at me.

Tactfully, they asked no questions.

"Boss, what are the orders?"

I pointed a manicured nail at Eva, now pinned to the floor like a dead fish.

"Cover her in QR codes. Permanent ink."

"Set the scan link to a secondhand marketplace. The product name will be 'Used Inventory.' And the price..."

I tapped my chin, pretending to consider.

"Make it cheap. Twenty-five cents."

"Lily Sawyer! You vicious *bitch*! You'll rot in hell for this!"

Eva tried to scream more, but a guard clamped a hand over her mouth. They dragged her toward the bedroom, the squad of artists trailing behind with their buzzing machines.

I sat back.

Relaxed.

When the first QR code was finished, I walked in, scanned it with my phone, and checked the link.

Perfect.

I forwarded the URL directly to Nathan.

*Your sweetheart. $0.25 clearance sale. Buying or not?*

Less than thirty minutes later, the screech of tires tearing up the driveway echoed from below.

Nathan Butler burst through the door, sweat glistening on his temples, panic carved into every line of his face.

I remained on the sofa.

Unbothered.

I didn't even look up. I simply raised a finger and pointed toward the bedroom.

Nathan followed my gesture.

He sprinted.