Page 106 of Light My Fire Three Times
Ivy leans forward, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement. “Okay, so I’ve been filling Sloane in on everything that’s been going on. She’s got some ideas, Liv. And she’s ready to help.”
Sloane doesn’t look like she’s just ready to help. She’s already planning, already running through a dozen possible strategies in her head, and I don’t know whether to be relieved or intimidated.
“Well,” she starts, “first things first: I want to hear it from you. All of it. The full story. I need to know exactly what’s been happening with Stokes and why he’s dragging you into this lawsuit. I’ve done a little of my own digging, but I need it from you.“
I swallow hard, the weight of everything coming back to me in a rush. For a moment, I feel a little lighter. I’ve finally found someone who might actually be able to help.
And that’s when I realize just how badly I need this. I’ve been carrying this burden for so long, not knowing how to make it stop. But with Sloane in front of me, it feels like there’s a way forward—a real one.
I take a deep breath, ready to tell her everything—the whole damn story.
The words are coming out in a rush, spilling over each other, stumbling because I’ve been holding them back for too long.
“Stokes,” I start. “He wasn’t what he seemed. He was… charming, you know? When I interviewed for the job, and even when I first started. The kind of guy who makes you feel like you’re important, like you matter. He knew how to manipulate you. It makes you think that you were lucky to be there, lucky to have a job. But… he wasn’t. He wasn’t a good boss. He was just good at making you think he was.”
I pause, staring down at the table, trying to find the right words. The memory presses against my chest. I can’t breathe.
“But once you’d settled in and made the job your whole personality, he shifted. He’d yell, you know? He’d yell, but it was always in front of other people, so you’d feel humiliated. And then, when you’d ask him about it, he’d act like it was nothing. He’d always make it feel like you were the problem.”
I shake my head, the words tumbling faster now. I can’t stop them.
“The worst part is that I let him. I let him do that. Because I thought it was normal. Because I thought I was lucky to have such a high-powered job. He'd say things like, ‘You’re lucky I put up with your mistakes.’ Or ‘You're just too sensitive.’ It was always me who was wrong, and I believed it.” I laugh, but it’s bitter.
“I should’ve known, you know? I should’ve seen it. But he was good at twisting it and making everything feel like it was on me. As if I just worked harder and did better, everything would be fine. If I put in more hours, made myself always available, always answered the phone…”
I shake my head. My hands are trembling on the table, and I must hold them still to keep my composure.
“I was just on vacation in Coyote Glen when I quit. Because he wanted me to cut my trip short, and I’d just… had enough. Which I guess is when he started to get the ball rolling with the lawsuit.”
“Hmm,” Sloane replies as she takes notes. “Tell me more about that call.”
“He’s accused me of embezzling money, taking things I didn’t earn, and it didn’t even make sense. It was like he was trying to rewrite everything, make me out to be the villain, and he knew it was going to be hard to fight him.”
“Not with me on your side, it won’t be.” Sloane grins. “Because I have already started my work. I’ve already done some digging.”
“You have?”
She nods. “Yep, and he is a textbook abusive boss. Iknowalready that this isn’t the first shady thing he’s done.
I feel a shiver run down my spine. It’s like she’s pulling back the curtain on something much darker than I ever knew. “What do you mean?”
Sloane flips her notebook closed for a second, her green eyes flashing with an intensity that makes my heart race. “He’s been getting away with this kind of behavior for years, Olivia. I’ve found multiple complaints filed against him by former employees. And guess what? None of them ended well. People who tried to fight back were either fired or silenced. But none of them had the guts to go after him the way you’re doing.”
She leans back in her chair, giving me a long, searching look. “And that’s exactly why he’s coming after you. He sees you as a threat.”
I swallow, trying to push back the surge of anger and dread rising in my chest. It’s validating, in a way, to hear that Sloane has already gathered all this information, but the nightmare is only getting worse.
“So, what’s the next step?” I ask, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice. “How do we fight him?”
She shoots me a wink. “I am going to find out everything I can about him.” She leans in just a little, her words lowering as if she’s sharing a secret. “And trust me, Olivia, we will make sure Stokes knows he picked the wrong person to mess with.”
I can’t help it. I feel a spark of hope light up inside me. I hadn’t realized how badly I needed to hear those words. “You really think we can beat him?”
Sloane’s grin widens, but there’s no humor in it—just pure, unfiltered confidence. “I don’t think. I know we can. And I’ll be damned if I let him ruin your life.” She taps her fingers on the table, the sharp sound of her rings against the porcelain mug punctuating her words. “I’ve seen worse. We now have the advantage, Olivia. It’s time to put him on the defensive.”
For a moment, I sit there, letting her words settle into my chest. A weight is being lifted. There’s something about the way Sloane speaks. Calm, assured. She’s already won the fight before it’s even begun.
That makes me think we have a chance at this. I sit back, the tension that had been coiling in my chest loosening. “I don’t even know how to thank you.”
