FORTY ONE

ALICE'S POV

"Mr. Marlon, you’ve got to be out of your mind to call me like this without the designated time I gave you. What the hell is this?" I lashed out as I paced back and forth.

"Sorry, ma'am, but Grayson heard us picking on Zenith and Zendaya," Mr. Marlon said, his voice trembling.

"You fool, how could you let that happen?" I shouted, opening my room door and quickly closing it behind me to avoid any unwanted ears listening in on my schemes.

"It was a mistake. We didn’t see him coming," he stammered.

"Shut up, you idiot. I paid you more money than your poverty-stricken eyes have ever seen in your entire life, rented you an apartment in Manhattan, and paid for your children’s fees to go to that expensive school. I just needed you to do one thing for me: get your kids to make Sylvia's kids' lives a living hell so she'd move back to LA. And you failed, you useless buffoon," I sneered.

"Ma'am, it won’t happen again, I promise," he pleaded.

"Of course not. I’m withdrawing every bene