Faye tossed the glossy magazine onto the glass coffee table with a sharp thwack, its cover splashed with Emily Leonhart radiant amid a litter of kittens, her cat-ear dress catching the light. "Damn, Emily’s gone all out, hasn’t she? It’s been years since I had seen someone to go all out for their company."
Tia, sprawled beside her on the cream sofa, nodded with a low whistle, auburn curls spilling over her shoulder as she flicked through dog-eared pages. "No kidding. Pet mags
and
human fashion spreads? Front cover on the most famous human magazine—her in that sapphire blazer atop a horse? Alphas, omegas, even betas are feral for her."
"She’s pulling everyone," Faye grinned, sipping her iced latte, eyes glinting wicked. "Helly Paws is a rocket—sales spiking daily, stores mobbed, online crashing twice already. I have to say... she impressed me."
"Smart play, founder as face. Founders don’t often model for their company," Tia mused, tracing a photo of Emily laughing with pups in jogger sets. "Viktor must be
seething
—his daughter outshining his empire?"
Faye’s smirk sharpened. "Oh, he’s the saddest wolf in the pack."
"He should have let her do her job."
"Darling, pride is the most lethal poison in the world."
The penthouse door hissed open then, admitting Lily—crimson dress hugging her body, orange waves pinned sleek, eyes flat as winter glass. "What’re you two plotting?" she drawled, heels clicking cold across the marble.
"Speaking of ’pride’—hey, cousin," Faye chirped, nudging the magazine forward like bait. "See for yourself."
Lily paused, gaze dropping to the spread—Emily mid-laugh, surrounded by cows in a spotted midi dress, natural joy radiating off the page. Her manicured nails tightened on her purse strap, lips thinning to a razor line.
"
Emily
."
Lily’s manicured fingers tightened on the magazine’s glossy edge as she flipped deeper into the spread, her eyes narrowing to icy slits.
There was Emily draped in a black velvet gown—sleeveless, floor-length, with delicate silver claw embroidery tracing the plunging neckline—surrounded by a writhing pile of kittens, each one clawing playfully at the fabric, their tiny paws snagging the velvet as Emily laughed mid-twirl, utterly at ease.
Another shot captured her yawning in perfect sync with a massive Great Dane, both faces split in matching expressions of blissful exhaustion, her emerald eyes half-lidded, raven hair tousled just so, the dog’s head resting heavy on her shoulder like they shared some secret bond.
Lily’s full lips pressed into a bloodless line, her knuckles whitening as she snapped the magazine shut with a crack.
"Why the hell are you showing me this?" Her voice sliced low and venomous, each word laced with arctic fury, the penthouse suddenly chilling five degrees as Faye and Tia exchanged loaded glances.
Faye’s smirk widened into a predator’s grin, her blue eyes glinting wicked as she leaned forward, elbows digging into her knees, the iced latte forgotten on the table.
She said, "Cousin, doesn’t she look
good
? Emily has got
everyone
drooling—alphas growling in DMs, omegas flooding fan edits, betas sharing like wildfire. Unofficially crowned ’Crush of the Year’ on every forum from OmegaWhispers to AlphaHub, fan pages exploding like bonfires."
"Alphas are leading that stampede," Tia chimed in, auburn curls bouncing as she flipped to the dog-eared page of Emily yawning in perfect sync with the massive Great Dane, her dry voice laced with amusement.
"Stats don’t lie—her launch posts are trending higher than your
Neon Vengeance
premiere by 20%, Ms. Best Actress. Helly Paws hashtag has got 5 million impressions overnight."
Lily’s gaze turned glacial, manicured nails digging half-moons into her palms until her knuckles gleamed white, the magazine trembling faintly in her grip. "Why the
hell
should I care about some pet-clothed nobody?"
Faye’s laugh sliced sharp as shattered glass, leaning closer with relish. "Because
you
called it fake hype, beginner’s luck that’d fizzle in a week. Look at the numbers, cousin."
"Helly Paws sold out three full lines in 48 hours, twenty stores drawing lines around the block,
Paws & Couture
already begging for exclusive behind-the-scenes. Online site has crashed twice from sheer volume.
Faye nodded her head at her girlfriend’s words. "Stats. Don’t. Lie."
"She’s still light-years from
my
level," Lily hissed through gritted teeth, chin lifting in defiant tilt, though a hairline fracture wavered her voice—betraying the sting.
"She’ll eclipse it soon enough," Faye shrugged, casual as sliding a blade between ribs, her posture all infuriating ease.
"How can you be so
damn
sure?" Lily snapped, orange waves quivering with the raw force of her glare, crimson dress straining across her heaving chest.
Faye’s eyes gleamed triumphant, reclining back into the sofa cushions with lazy certainty. "Unshakable faith, pure and simple. Emily’s a phoenix—torched to ash by Viktor’s decision. Hate her, love her, obsess or ignore—doesn’t matter. People
talk
about her. Always will. She’s magnetic that way."
"Even when she stalked you, Lily," added Tia.
"I don’t give a
single fuck
about her or her flea-bitten empire," Lily spat like venom, crimson dress swirling dramatic as she spun on her heel, stalking toward the penthouse doors—each stiletto clicks echoing like gunshots on the cold marble, doors slamming in her wake.
Tia waited until the elevator’s chime faded to silence, then arched a knowing brow at Faye, voice dropping conspiratorial. "Think she and Hellen are dating yet? All that ’best friend’ smoke lately..."
Faye’s smirk twisted slyer, eyes narrowing with fresh intrigue. "Maybe. But Hellen isn’t backing down. That restaurant stunt made it clear."
"Well, Emily is an omega... and Hellen looks like a dominant alpha." Hellen was a dominant alpha, and Tia’s judgement was always correct.
"That’s their job, darling. But let’s focus on us now." Faye also thought that Hellen was a dominant alpha, but right now she wanted her girlfriend to focus on her. As for Emily and Hellen, it was their own personal business.
"Should I give you a kiss?" Tia had a teasing expression on her face.
"Yes~" Faye nodded her head readily, giving her girlfriend a pleading look.