When I hear the doorbell ringing in Ace's living room, I don't even flinch. We have both been waiting for this moment since we ran out of Travis's house, and we have everything under control.

Despite letting our anger and emotions get the best of us yesterday, we had already planned all possible outcomes since the plane ride back. We knew in advance that we might end up hitting Travis and that the cameras would record us doing it. We knew he would do everything possible to make sure we ended up in jail or, at the very least, that we'd have to face the police because of it. We were aware of the consequences and acted according to what we were willing to accept. The only surprise was Faye's presence and her involvement in all of this, but it's something that won't affect the process much beyond the fact that instead of one victim, there are two.

Ace and I have talked to one his lawyers, who is with us at home when the police ring the doorbell. She's one of the best in the city and the country, as expected, and will ensure that we get out of this by paying a fine, which is not a problem for either of us. We also took the opportunity to discuss certain details with her about the ace up our sleeve against Travis. That idiot doesn't know it now, but we have him exactly where we want him.

"Remember, stay calm and silent until they officially start questioning you. Don't lie, but don't admit anything either. Leave as much as you can to me," Kim, our lawyer, reminds us.

We nod before getting up to open the door. In front of us are two very serious police officers who immediately look at us as if we have murdered someone.

"Ace Hale and Alexa Arden?" they ask, to which we nod. "You are under arrest for assaulting Travis Huxley and Faye West. You have the right to remain silent and..."

One of the officers continues reciting our rights while they handcuff us. Kim follows us, getting into her own car to arrive at the station with us. There we find Travis and Faye, tightly embraced, which only makes me want to slam them against the wall again. My only consolation is seeing his black eyes and swollen face, while she has bruises all over her face, as well as scratch marks. I delight in the image before me, smiling broadly so that the backstabber who called herself my best friend sees that I don't regret a bit of what I did. In fact, I'd do it again without a second thought.

We spend the entire morning at the police station and court, resolving the beatings from yesterday. The judge imposes a ten thousand dollar fine on Ace and fifteen thousand on me, as my damage was greater. Travis and Faye insist on charging us with more, but none of their tricks work. When the trial ends, Kim takes the opportunity to approach the couple, followed by my boyfriend and me.

It's time to play the ace up our sleeve.

"My clients and I would like to take this moment to serve Mr. Huxley with a copy of the attempted rape lawsuit filed against him by Miss Arden."

Travis's face is a sight to behold when he takes the papers and starts reading them. As he himself said, we have nothing against him if we only have my testimony, but we have a rather complete arsenal, something he, of course, is unaware of.

"Come on, you have no evidence against me."

"Then nothing will happen to you, right?" I ask with a malevolent smile.

Before either of those two undesirables can respond, the three of us leave the room. I have no desire to deal with them any further, especially if it's just going to be a conversation full of sarcasm and jabs that will lead nowhere. Besides, I like leaving him with a sense of security.

That way, when our entire arsenal falls on him, the fall will hurt more.

•

"I can't believe Faye had the guts to do something like that."

The faces of my three friends reflect the same incredulity that Cher has just voiced out loud. After kicking Faye out of all my social networks and the groups we shared, I urgently called the girls. At first, they thought it was just a silly fight between friends, but when they arrived at Ace's house and I told them everything, they were stunned. It was a hard blow for all of us, but the anger we feel about the whole situation prevents us from reacting in any way other than with fury.

"Now you understand why I left her face the way I did, right?"

"Oh, I get it. I actually believe she deserved even more than what she got," Brooke huffs.

"I agree. In fact, I've been thinking about how to post on all social networks that Travis is a potential rapist. I'm considering uploading a photo of the two of them explaining everything, so I can ruin both of their social lives and reputations."

The reactions to my proposal are varied, as expected. Ace, who is sitting next to me, takes my hand.

"I think it's a good idea," Brooke responds.

"So do I. Screw them both," Cher replies.

"I'm not so sure," Gigi confesses with a sigh. "Don't you think that could bring more unnecessary trouble with them? I understand doing it to Travis, but screwing Faye as well... I don't know, she might retaliate and add problems you don't need."

"That's what I said," Ace says while stroking my knuckles. "Although I came up with an option that might save us from legal trouble, which is enough. We could post a photo of Travis at today's trial, casually including Faye in it since she was present at the scene, and just write the message involving Travis. That way, people will understand they're together, and we won't dirty our hands more than necessary."

"All this after the trial where he's convicted of attempted rape to avoid a possible defamation lawsuit."

The new bombs I drop makes my friends look at me in disbelief. I had completely forgotten that I hadn't told them about the rape lawsuit. These last few days, my life has turned into a very complicated soap opera, and I no longer know what information each person around me has.

"Did you report Travis? But didn't you say it wouldn't go anywhere because you didn't have any evidence?"

"That was before," I say with a mysterious smile. "Now we have an ace up our sleeve."

Maintaining the expression, I pull my phone out of my pocket and press a few buttons. Travis's voice comes out of the speaker, clearly saying he tried to rape me and that no one would believe me because I had no proof.

In a moment of lucidity I had when I decided to beat up Travis, I thought it would be a good idea to record everything myself without him knowing it, and hopefully make him confess. Not only do I have the audio, but also the video, as I managed to record it all simply by keeping my phone in the front pocket of my pants. Now I have irrefutable proof of the crime, and I am sure that Travis will, at the very least, end up with a criminal record.

The faces of my friends are a sight to behold as they watch the idiot confessing everything on my phone screen. When it ends, my boyfriend's living room fills with cheers, laughter, insults, and other expressions of celebration.

"It's the first time Travis' stupidity is useful for something!" Gigi celebrates amidst everyone's applause.

"God, if he goes to jail, I swear I'll visit him every month just to laugh in his face!" Cher assures between fits of laughter.

"I'm content with him having a criminal record and the press picking up on what happened. It'll be like marking him with a scarlet letter in society, even among the elite. To me, that's worth more than a prison sentence."

My boyfriend's words are accompanied by the soft kiss he leaves on my lips, prompting a chorus of jokes and banter at our expense.

"Well, what about you two? Did you have a good time in Los Angeles?" Gigi asks with a mischievous grin.

"We had an amazing time. You have no idea how beautiful the beaches are there, and there's so much sightseeing to do, besides..."

My stream of nonsense words meant to annoy my friends is interrupted by boos and a shout from Brooke that stands out among the others.

"Don't come at me with the sightseeing; start telling us what is really important, we've seen your Instagram stories!"

"Okay, but don't interrupt me, or I'll stop speaking," I warn with a broad smile. "So, Ace and I had been friends with benefits for almost a month. We had our first kiss the day after Halloween when I went to his house to calm down after talking on the phone with María, and we've been hooking up in secret since then. I know, don't look at me like that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but we didn't want anyone to know. Then, at the opening of Ace's new club, we started dancing, things got heated, and we ended up in bed. We told each other we loved each other, and he asked me out, so the next day we had our first date, which was the most wonderful and fun I've ever had."

"Damn, I know you tell each other everything like good friends do, but it's really weird hearing you talk about me while I'm right here, especially about what happens or doesn't happen in the bedroom between us," Ace laughs in a way I find adorable.

My friends act as if the person in question isn't right in front of them and start commenting on what I've just told them, making me laugh every time Ace reacts to what they say. I love seeing them joke around like that, teasing and laughing as if they've known each other forever. I may have lost a friend, but the group has gained one tonight, and I'm thrilled that it's my boyfriend.

"Hey, I almost forgot to tell you all the stuff about Travis and Faye," Cher says, making Ace and me turn our attention directly to her. "They've already announced two new events. We told you via text, Lex, but you were so busy fucking..."

"Cher!"

"Well, there's a date for the next race and the Christmas gala."

"What's the Christmas gala?" Ace asks, raising an eyebrow.

"It's the event Hayden organizes, and everyone goes. In the end, it's just another party, but with formal garments and a fancy façade. There are no teachers or anything, so there's an open bar for everything, as always."

Ace looks at me in surprise, probably because he didn't think I'd be into something like that.

"And you're into that?"

"Of course, I love dressing up and partying. Do you want to attend?"

"Yeah, sure, we'll go together."

I clap excitedly, and he smiles, content to make me happy with the smallest thing. Now that the topic of Hayden's gala is settled, I focus on the second event.

"And when's the race?"

"In two weeks. Registration closes this week, so keep that in mind," Brooke warns.

Ace wants to participate, of course. It's clear he wants to maintain his current winner status, and if he can humiliate Travis once more, all the better. After a few hours, the girls leave, so Ace and I are left alone. The light of the sunset starts to bathe the buildings of New York, a moment we take advantage of to prepare a quick dinner. It's almost December, and it's too cold to be on the terrace, so we put a series on in the background in the living room and start eating.

"When will the trial against Travis be? Because I can't wait to see that jerk in jail. Let's see what that fame-seeking redhead will do then," Ace asks me, his voice oozing hatred.

"Well, it's going to last much longer than our process for beating those two up. The initial hearing will take place tomorrow, and we'll see if they detain that idiot until the trial or let him go free. We'll have to present the evidence to the prosecutor, and he'll decide if there's a case or not. I think the trial itself won't last long, at least I hope so. With luck, that idiot will be behind bars next year. You know how slow justice is, we can't change that."

"So tomorrow we have another excursion to the courthouse, huh?"

"Yes, but come on, I doubt they'll even detain him. He's already pulling strings to try to cover all this up, and the crime isn't as serious as murder. I'm not too worried because I'm convinced he'll get what he deserves for what he did, but I wish he could get a bigger punishment."

"Well, I do want him arrested," Ace says with a frown. "I don't like the idea of having a potential rapist out there, ready to do what he did to you to another woman."

"I feel the same way, but there's nothing we can do, baby. At least now that he has a girlfriend, he'll stay away from other girls. I might hate Faye now, but I don't want her to go through what I did. I hope that jerk keeps himself in check."

"And if not, I won't mind beating him up again until I break his bones."

I nod and smile at the thought. Now more than ever, we need to keep a close eye on Travis. I'm not going to take my eyes off him, and the moment I see something suspicious, I'll take legal action. I also need to control myself and avoid more problems with him so he has fewer ways to defend himself in court. No more beatings unless it's in self-defense.

"Changing the subject, I have a surprise I think you'll really like," I say with a wide smile. "I'm going to participate in the race!"

The reaction I expect from him is joy, excitement, just like the one I'm showing now, but I'm in for a big surprise. Ace's expression changes from curiosity to anger, clearly displeased with the idea. He frowns and looks at me as if he can't believe what I just said, or doesn't want to believe it.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, why would I be kidding?" I ask, setting my half-eaten pizza down and frowning.

"You can't sign up for the race, especially not right now. That fucker Travis is going to use any possibility to hurt you, and this is the perfect chance. I'm not going to hand him the opportunity on a silver platter."

"Wait, wait, hold on," I say in a dangerously calm tone. "What do you mean I can't sign up for the race? Since when do I need your permission to do something?"

"It's not about needing my permission, I'm just giving you my opinion. I don't want you to sign up; it's a stupid idea, and you'll put yourself in danger just to show off."

I feel a spark of anger burning inside me, and I stand up from the couch, looking at him as if I want him out of my sight immediately. I love him, adore him, and I know we're now dating, but who the hell does he think he is to tell me what I can or can't do?

"First, stop disguising orders as opinions because I'm not falling for it," I warn, pointing at him with a long acrylic nail. "And second, the reason I want to sign up, whatever it is, is my damn problem, so don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

"Where it doesn't belong? Alexa, you're putting yourself in danger for a ridiculous reason, and as your boyfriend, that is my damn problem!"

"Don't raise your voice at me because I won't tolerate it!"

"I'm raising my voice because it seems like you don't understand me when I talk normally! How old are you, fifteen?! Grow up and realize what's going on instead of acting without thinking!"

His words make me snort in disbelief, and at that moment, I feel the full force of my Spanish fire ignite. My Spanish accent comes out, I start gesticulating threateningly, and I yell as if we were in a shouting match. He has no idea who he's messing with, and I'm about to show him.

"Grow up?! So you can sign up for the races because it suits you, but I can't because I'm a weak little girl?!"

"Don't twist my words!" he shouts, pointing a finger at me. "I'm just trying to protect you!"

"You're not trying to protect me, you're trying to control me! You disguise your orders as opinions, but I'm sure if I do something you don't want, you'll end up pissed at me!"

"Are you even listening to yourself?! You're freaking paranoid!"

"Don't call me crazy, or we're going to have a real problem!" I warn, my nail just inches from his face.

We're both standing, face to face, glaring at each other with fury in our eyes. Even though Ace is a head taller than me, the height difference doesn't make me feel inferior in the least. I've put up with enough crap in my life to know how to defend myself properly and prevent anyone from trying to boss me around like a puppet. The last thing I need now is someone trying to control me.

"You're putting words in my mouth that I didn't say!"

"Look, I don't care what you say! I'm going to sign up for the races because I don't need some kind of Big Brother watching everything I do!"

"Fine, do whatever you want, but if something happens, don't come crying to me to defend you because I've warned you in advance!"

His words and the way he says them only fuel my anger. I feel like he sees me as a little girl incapable of defending herself, which hurts because he's always told me I'm strong and brave. It makes me think he sees me as a barking dog that doesn't bite. I hate that he has this perspective of me, especially given how important he is for me now, and it's making me furious. I'd never get violent with him, but right now, I have a strong urge to hit something or someone. The safest thing to do is to leave and go back to my place to cool down.

"Don't worry! When I win and nothing happens to me, I'll go to your damn car and rub it in your face!"

With that final declaration, I open the door violently. Before leaving, I turn to give him one last murderous look, as if daring him to say something else, to argue with me. Ace just crosses his arms and lets out an angry huff, making it clear he won't budge. Fine, I'll have to prove him wrong by showing that I'm right. I finally leave the house and slam the door with all the strength I can muster.

No one controls me. No one.

Hi!

Oh, it seems we have trouble in paradise again... Who do you think is in the right?

I'll be reading you! ❤️