Vanessa and her girls, Claudia and Sarah, lounged in the courtyard near the pool, their laughter cutting through the air as they gossiped. The sun glinted off the shimmering water, but the atmosphere between them was anything but serene.
"I swear," Claudia said, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "that Thalia girl needs to be punished. She’s been getting way too comfortable, don’t you think?"
Vanessa’s lips curled into a smirk as she adjusted her sunglasses. "She has no idea who she’s dealing with. It’s only a matter of time before she regrets crossing me."
"She thinks she’s clever, playing innocent," Sarah chimed in, her arms crossed as she glared in the direction of the school. "But we all saw how Zev looked at her. He actually cares about what happens to her."
Vanessa’s eyes dark
