Heartless People

NINETEEN

The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must, therefore, be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.

~ Niccolò Machiavelli

LAUREN.

I do not like malls, or boutiques, or grocery stores; in all honesty, restaurants, church, and our charity were the only places you could really ever find me
spending time with other citizens. If I ever needed to go shop for any reason, I called ahead and made sure they were closed to all other customers. My suits
were tailor-made and the tailor came to my house. The rest of my clothes Camila had gotten for me, and I knew she also did not frequent malls. I supposed it was the product of being raised rich or maybe just our own ego.

Either way, it was how we were why did it matter? Because I was hunting, and like all hunters, I needed to understand my prey in order to trap it.

"And this is the necklace she ordered correct?" she asked, lifting the yellowgreen heart-shaped diamond double halo pendant up to her face.

"Yes, this is the custom necklace Mrs. Jauregui ordered. She picked out the diamond herself," the seller replied, moving to take it back from her. However, she pulled back, a wicked grin spreading across her face. She wore a casual fitted white dress and her black hair, which was always up in all the pictures I had seen of her, was now down and in loose waves.

"Whatever the price, I'll double it." She had already moved to place it around her neck.

"And I'll just double my bid on top of that." I finally stepped into the front of The Ocean Mile Jewelry store, popping the jelly beans I had in my hands into
my mouth. Her black eyes widened as she stared at me before turning back her to guards. "Gentlemen, the lady no longer needs your assistance. You are free to take your leave."

Not only did her guards leave, but the jeweler did as well, locking up behind the counter before rushing back behind me and into the back room.

"Just so you know, my wife prefers pear cut diamonds; she'd never be caught dead with hearts around her neck." I leaned on the showcase, popping
another jelly bean in my mouth. "But you don't really care, you just want to upstage her in any way you can, and since Emilio won't let you shoot at her
again, you think a diamond necklace will work in annoying her, Liling? Pity, my wife assumed you were smarter. I, on the other hand, was positive you were just a wannabe mafia princess."

Her nose flared at me and within a second she lifted a gun, pointing it right into my face. "You honestly think I wouldn't have a weapon? Pity, I thought you
were smarter than that. Emilio, on the other hand, thinks you are useless." I glanced down at the gun still in my face. "You gonna point that thing in my
face all day or are you going to shoot?l

"You don't think I would?" She pulled the trigger and, of course, nothing happened.

"You truly are an epic idiot aren't you?" I stared at her in pure awe before laughing. "Jesus, no wonder Ju-long didnt want to step down, both his children are imbeciles—"

"You son of a bitch!" She charged at me, but before she could do anything but make animal noises with her mouth, I smacked her arm away and grabbed a
fistful of her hair before slamming her head right through the glass case. I didn't really hear her screams as I dragged her face along the glass edges, cutting into her porcelain skin before throwing her on the floor, my shoes on top of her chest.

"You're a disappointment," I spoke down to her. "But you've also explained so much. All of this, all the planning, you really have no idea what is going on, you are just a mindless puppet who is jealous of my wife. All I had to do is let it slip to a few people that I was getting my wife a necklace and here you come crawling like a rat to a cage. You try to dress like her, change your hair, your walk, your makeup—all to be a woman you can never be. How sad is your fucking life? Did your father not love you enough, is that it?"