Chapter 2 Maverick Bishop
“Isn’t he already in a relationship with someone?
” one of the girls asked, confusion crossing her face as she leaned closer to the group.
“I heard he got into a relationship with a girl right after Jessica left. I thought he was serious about her. Weren’t they even talking about getting married or something? ”
The girl who had been telling them about her sister immediately took a sip of her cocktail before answering.
“I doubt that girl knows anything about this. I mean, who would willingly let her boyfriend go meet his ex? Either she’s incredibly easy to fool, or she has to be completely clueless if she’s actually letting him go meet Jessica.”
She shook her head before continuing.
“Because, from what I can see, Ivan would run straight back into Jessica’s arms if she called him. Why else would he send her a gift like that?”
“Obviously. I mean, come on! What kind of man sends a necklace worth millions to his ex the moment she returns home?”
“I mean, isn’t that the kind of thing you send to your girlfriend, not your ex?”
The other girls murmured in agreement.
Zoe immediately noticed the way Rose was gripping her clear martini glass, her knuckles turning white around it.
Zoe reached over and gently grabbed Rose’s hand, pulling her away from the girls. She stepped closer and carefully took the empty glass from Rose’s trembling fingers before placing it back on the bar counter.
Rose immediately reached for another glass and downed the drink.
Zoe looked at her with concern. “Are you all right?”
Rose took another sip of whiskey. A tear slipped down her cheek as she shook her head.
“No, I’m not.”
Her voice trembled as she set the glass down, trying desperately to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill.
Zoe’s jaw clenched as she watched her, worry filling her eyes.
“It’s going to be all right,” she said softly. “We’re going to find you a better boyfriend. That asshole wasn’t worth marrying anyway.”
“I know.” Rose nodded, but the tears continued to fall.
She picked up the martini again and drank, barely noticing the burn of the alcohol as it slid down her throat. The ache in her chest only grew stronger.
Everything she had been trying to hold back was finally coming to the surface. The pain, the anger, the humiliation—all of it seemed to collide inside her until she could barely breathe through it.
She looked at Zoe, her voice breaking.
“Zoe, I wasn’t even worth more to him than that cheap snow globe his ex-girlfriend gave him. How can someone be so heartless?”
Rose placed the empty martini glass on the counter and pressed a hand against her chest.
It wasn’t only the fact that Ivan didn’t love her that hurt. She could have accepted that, eventually. What hurt even more was realizing that the relationship she had believed in so completely might never have meant to him what it had meant to her.
She had dreamed of a happily ever after with Ivan. He had been her crush for so long that when he finally proposed to her, she had believed she was getting the life she had always dreamed about.
Their families knew about their relationship. Everyone knew they were planning to get married. Their businesses had even started working together, and her father was already involved.
Everything in their lives had become intertwined.
They had been only a few months away from marriage.
And now, in a matter of hours, Rose was realizing that the future she had spent so much time imagining could disappear as if it had never existed.
The life she had pictured with Ivan had shattered before her eyes, just like the snow globe she had broken earlier that day.
Zoe immediately stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Rose.
Rose let out a shaky breath and clung tightly to her. She was already a bit drunk.
“I’ve never had sex!” she said, shaking her head. “My dad is so strict. He wouldn’t let me get close to anyone. How can I be in my twenties and still have no love life?”
She let out a frustrated sigh.
“And now, when I finally thought I was going to kiss someone for the first time, it turns out he’s still hung up on his ex. How can life be this unfair?”
She shook her head again, still unable to make sense of it.
“I thought that if you loved someone, they would eventually fall in love with you too.” Her voice softened. “But I guess that’s not how it works. You can love someone with everything you have, and they still might not love you the same way.”
She looked at Zoe, genuine confusion written across her tear-streaked face.
“How is that even possible? I thought…” She paused, struggling to put her feelings into words. “I thought love was supposed to be simple. If you love someone, they love you back. But it doesn’t work that way.”
Her gaze dropped to the floor.
“Why didn’t it happen for me?”
Zoe forced a small, reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry. I’m going to find you someone better. Someone who’ll make you forget all about that asshole.”
Rose gave a weak nod.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I don’t want to think about him anymore.”
Her eyes were swollen and red from crying.
Zoe’s expression hardened as she looked at her. She placed both hands gently on Rose’s shoulders.
“Don’t worry about anything. Just sit here and have another drink. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Rose looked at her through tear-filled eyes and nodded.
Zoe gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before turning and walking away.
The moment Zoe disappeared into the crowd, Rose leaned against the bar and reached for another martini. She stared down at the glass for a moment, then took a slow sip.
Meanwhile, Zoe pushed her way through the crowd, her anger growing with every step. She scanned the room, searching for one person.
Her brother.
Maverick Bishop.
She spotted him almost immediately. Even among a crowd of wealthy guests, his tall, handsome figure was impossible to miss.
Zoe quickened her pace and headed straight toward him.
Maverick was standing with a few of his friends, a glass of whiskey in one hand. The moment Zoe stepped in front of him, he stopped mid-conversation.
“Maverick,” she said, her voice strained. “I need your help.”
The distressed look on his little sister’s face immediately wiped the amusement from his expression. His brows drew together, and he straightened, concern flashing across his face.
“What happened?”
Zoe stepped closer, her hands curling into tight fists at her sides.
“I need you to take revenge on someone for me.”
Maverick stared at her for a moment, clearly confused.
“Take revenge?”
“I don’t care what it takes,” Zoe said, her voice trembling with anger. “I want you to destroy him. Completely.”
Maverick’s eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
Zoe looked directly into his eyes.
“Ivan Carrington.”
The moment she said his name, her anger surged again.
“I want you to ruin that asshole. I don’t care how you do it. Just destroy him.”
Maverick’s jaw tightened as he processed her words. He handed his glass of whiskey to Xavier Chen, who was standing beside him.
“What the hell is going on?”
Xavier glanced between the siblings, his expression filled with confusion.
“Isn’t that your friend’s boyfriend?”
Lucian, who was standing nearby, nodded slightly.
“Rose Monroe, right?”
Zoe’s expression hardened even further.
“Yes. Rose.”
She turned back to Maverick, her eyes burning with fury.
“Can you do it?” she demanded. “Or do I need to do it myself?”
Maverick stared at her, his confusion quickly giving way to concern. Tension tightened his shoulders as his eyes searched her face.
“What happened?”
“He hit her.”
The words came out through clenched teeth.
Maverick went completely still.
Zoe’s voice shook with fury as she repeated, “Ivan slapped Rose.”
The words had barely left her mouth when Maverick’s expression changed.
His eyes went completely dark.
Zoe had never seen that look on his face before. He had always been protective of her, but the moment she saw his expression go blank, she expected anger to follow.
Instead, there was something far more unsettling.
A deadly calm settled over his features, burning in his eyes.
Before Zoe could say anything else, Maverick suddenly turned away and stormed off.
Zoe stood there in shock, watching him walk away.
For a moment, she couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Then her body stiffened, and she shouted after him, “Are you seriously not going to help? How can you be like this? All I’m asking for is one little thing. How can you not care?!”
Maverick kept walking, leaving Zoe standing there with anger coursing through her veins. She was already furious over what had happened to Rose, and now Maverick wasn’t even willing to help.
She had expected him to at least offer to do something.
Instead, he had simply stormed away without giving her an answer.
That was enough to make her anger flare even hotter.
Zoe’s hands tightened into fists as her expression hardened. She turned around and stormed toward the side of the room.
She grabbed her purse from one of the tables where she had left it and pulled out her phone. She immediately opened her contacts and began scrolling through the names.
It didn’t take long to find the contact she was looking for.
Blaire Lane.
She tapped the name and immediately called.
The phone rang several times before anyone answered.
Zoe called again.
This time, Blaire picked up.
“Zoe?”
“Are we meeting today?”
“I’m coming. I’m so sorry we couldn’t meet at the last party, but—”
Before Blaire could finish, Zoe interrupted her.
“I need you to help me with something.”
Blaire immediately fell silent.
There was a moment of shuffling and muffled noise on the other end before she asked, “What’s going on?”
The concern in Blaire’s voice made Zoe’s expression harden even further.
“Blaire, I need your help getting revenge on someone.”
She lowered her voice slightly.
“You know some dangerous people, right? You’re the only person I know who knows the kind of people who can make someone’s life a nightmare.”
There was more shuffling on the other end.