Ally's POV
With a scornful laugh, she turns on her heel and saunters away, leaving a trail of unsettled whispers in her wake. As she exits, I allow myself a small, victorious smile.
"Who was that?" Nathan's voice comes from behind me, close enough to send shivers down my spine.
"Nobody," I reply, turning to him with renewed confidence. "Nobody important at all."
I glide through the crowd until I am interrupted.
"Ally?" Poppy's voice slithers into my ear, a chilling reminder that serpents lurk even in paradise.
My heart stutters, but I refuse to let her presence derail my night. I turn, poised and graceful, ready to dismiss her once more. "Poppy, I thought I made myself clear."
"Oh, you did," Poppy says, her lips curling into a smirk that doesn't reach her cold eyes.
