Page 98 of Scattered Glitter

For now.

Talking helps. I need to keep them talking.

“You said the dress is for tomorrow night?” I ask quietly.

“Yes,” Koen replies, squeezing my ankle once more.

“I work Saturdays,” I murmur. My schedule comes out almost like an excuse. “They’re the busiest.”

“Is that so?” Levi turns to look at me. “What do you usually make on a Saturday night?”

I frown, not sure where this is going. “Why?”

Levi and Koen exchange a look, then answer in perfect unison, “We’ll double it.”

I blink. “You’re serious?”

Koen nods. “You’re with us tomorrow.”

His tone makes it seem as if it’s a fact, not a request, and part of me isn’t sure how I feel about that.

“Okay, so… what is this tomorrow?” I ask again, feeling my curiosity start to outweigh the tension.

“Our thirtieth birthday.” Levi is practically bouncing in his seat. His energy is contagious, and despite myself, the corner of my mouth quirks up.

“Okay, that’s… nice, but what does it have to do with me?”

“First, you’re our guest,” Levi says, grinning. “And second, we’re throwing the party at the Lane Building in the museum section. There will be a lot of eyes on us. We need you to steal something, make a quick switch, and charm someone. Wrap him around your finger. It should be easy for you, especially once we pick out the perfect dress to show off how stunning you are.”

His words hang in the air, and I let out a breath, trying to absorb it all. Stealing something, making a switch, charming someone… none of this is new to me. I’ve been playing this game for years.

Am I really up for this?

“So, that’s what these tests were about?” I ask. “To see if I can pull this off?”

“Yep.” Koen nods curtly. “And don’t tell me you can’t do it. I watched you do it all with so much ease,and it was honestly a treat to witness.”

Okay, I can do this. But there’s more on the line now, more people involved. The stakes are higher.

It’s your way out of here, Nova.

“And after that,” I press, my tone hardening with resolve. “You’ll get me my new Mustang and my villa in Tuscany?”

God, that sounds surreal. A Mustang and a villa. Like a dream ripped straight from the pages of a life I don’t deserve.

“After…yes,” Levi confirms, though there’s hesitation in his voice.

Are they playing me? A part of me wonders if this is just a carrot dangled in front of me, a shiny promise they’ll pull away once I’ve done their dirty work.

No. This is more than a deal. It’s a lifeline. It has to be.

Koen glances back at me, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “Why do you want a Mustang if you don’t even like to drive in a car?”

Why do I want it?

The Mustang was my dream once.Beforethe crash, before everything fell apart, it was freedom. Speed. Power. A way to outrun everything we hated about the world. I wanted it so badly that I didn’t think twice about stealing one when Ace suggested it. God, I should’ve known better.

That car was supposed to be my escape. Instead, it became the cage that killed them.

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