“Here. We can take a rest here.”

Lyza had continued on in her outing with Aiden, catch still underfoot and unwilling to allow this development to ruin this much needed respite. Where this walking would lead her, or where she was heading for specifically, the Designer couldn't say. Any point of interest really would do, but for one who's lived in Los Demonios her whole life that was a tall order. No place felt… fitting. Everything was already seen, from the higher luxuries of life to the less than… acceptable states of lower living. 

That is, until Lyza came across a park. The only one down here in the lesser districts of the city. 

A far cry from the more grandiose one in the wider portion of Demonios, yet not unappealing in any measure. It was smaller, less fit for those wanting to spend a day outdoors and more fit for infrequent visits. Instead, this one was smaller. Better suited for those who had little time to themselves, constantly at work and were in need of a place to take a break within. 

Further proving such a claim, it was empty: quiet. Not a soul in sight, all that might visit too busy making ends meet. The last time a park was as such, Maya and Aiden nearly died. 

They thought it best to rest in such an area, in the dead of night and after reconciling over past mistakes, and nearly lost their lives in the process. While it didn't happen to herself personally, Lyza still had half a mind to just walk away. Find someplace else to relax. But she held the feeling that, if she didn't do so now, she might lose that chance for the rest of the day. 

So Lyza decided now was the best chance to gather her thoughts. Resting herself on the first bench she saw, or rather the first one that wasn't covered in bird excrement, she cautiously surveyed the area, making sure that she was truly alone here. If there was a chance that someone, anyone, was lurking around in the shadows she did not want to risk it. 

Lyza was being cautious, and really who could blame her? 

She did not wish to repeat the mistakes of the past. Especially now when she was meant to put her mind at ease.

Thankfully, everything seemed to be clear. Once more, there was not a single person in sight. Perhaps a few homeless betas in the bushes, a speculation at best, but nothing which'll prove dangerous. 

Good

That meant Lyza could proceed without worry of any eavesdropping. 

Reaching into her jacket pocket, she retrieved her little companion before placing him down on the ground by her feet. Aiden looked at her colossal heels, remembering the prisoner held within before looking up at Lyza confused. 

“Care to explain what you're doing?” Being out in the open like this was, again, dangerous. If that already wasn't clear before. But being on the ground where all manner of critters and insects lurked was even moreso. While they might not make a meal of him, Aiden felt safer when not thrust into such a position. That said, Lyza didn't seem all too concerned. If anything, she seemed eager. 

“Just give me a second here, okay?” She insisted. “I think you'll be able to help me out with something.”

Aiden's brow furrowed. Getting roped into another scheme, after the wonderful track record of previous ones, wasn't all too appealing. “And that is?” 

Lyza only smiled, answering with actions rather than words, as she removed the high heel of her right foot. The very same which held her little captive. 

Half expecting the poor girl to come crawling out, bawling and begging for mercy, Aiden was surprised to find them… eerily silent. As Lyza held the heel in hand, the beta below her could only watch and wait for some sort of reaction. Anything really, be it crying or screaming, to prove that they were alive. Instead, all he heard was the Designer's soft, if not all-encompassing laughter as she dropped her footwear on the ground. It fell with an ear shattering crash, forcing Aiden to cover his own and reminding him of his position. 

But this was not intimidation. At least not for him.

“You might want to look a little higher,” she recommended, immediately understanding what it was Aiden was looking for. “Sorry about the boom there, but our little tag along just needed some air. She's in a spot that's not really… well circulated..” 

Immediately understanding what it was Lyza was implying, as he too was once in similar situations, Aiden looked up only to see the Rosen Employee stuck in between the Designer's toes: their body curled around the twitching appendages, unable to freely move. 

Lyza took care so as not to break her little treat, but unbeknownst to Aiden they had been moving a lot prior to this breath of not so fresh air. 

Too damn much in fact, trying to get away when all they had to do was be still and submit. It was rather irritating actually, and on more than one occasion did Lyza think to just crush the life out of the shrunken woman. 

A few steps and she nearly did. 

But the Employee was important. They had knowledge. Answers to questions in regard to Lynette. Lyza couldn't just throw away someone so valuable. 

But she sure as hell could make their situation even more unbearable. 

With expert control, Lyza was able to twist and turn the Employee’s body with her toes, forcing their legs over one while their back was kept underneath another. Their arms were kept firmly between the space between the five extremities, and at the lightest crunch could they be snapped like twigs. The Beta woman's size made this manipulation difficult, but Lyza's had plenty of practice, and as such expert control was maintained. 

That's what Lyza wanted them to understand. That with the lowest portion of her body could she make the Employee's life torturous. That at any single moment could she decide to end this. 

Such realizations made revelations over certain topics come by so much more smoothly. loosen otherwise tight lips. 

But even if she could get any information out herself… It never hurts to have a little help every now and then. 

Lyza brought her foot forward, only inches away from Aiden's entire three inch body. He could feel the heat radiating off of it, a result of walking in heels all day. They were red, sore, and covered in a thin layer of perspiration. A consequence of poor choice in footwear for an outing. And what was more… there was an… odor to it. An air of impurity that hung as heavily as steam. 

Lyza was normally hygienic, and even in this new lifestyle of hers that fact remained the same. As such, any odor was nothing too unpleasant for one who has endured worse before. But for the woman who was forced to endure hours of this torment: made to suffer unfathomable pressure and humiliation? Nothing she did would ever do away with the sweat and shame. It was engraved in her very being. 

Aiden tried to look between Lyza's toes, past the beaten and bruised woman who groaned in pain. He met the Designer's crimson eyes… and shrugged. “What the hell are we even doing?” he questioned. “What's the point of trying to break her?.”

Once more, Lyza chuckled. “Not break her, silly. We still need her. And I need you to do something spe~cial.” 

Spreading her toes open, Lyza allowed the employee this one reprieve. This mercy from being forced into constriction at the hands, or rather feet, of the lowest digits of someone's person. 

They landed with a thud, bouncing once on the cold gravel floor before coming to a stop. The poor girl coughed out a lung as she tried to breathe in fresh air, the pain of expanding her chest to do so apparent. 

“I want you to help me interrogate her,” Lyza revealed, much to Aiden's shock. “Force her to tell us what she knows.”

The Beta could only look up at her in astonishment. Him? Interrogate another? That was more Maya's territory, not Aiden's. Yet Lyza did not care. Rather, she was eager to see what Aiden was really capable of.

“Show me you’re capable of that much~.” 

“Just focus on running in place,” Roxanne ordered, her eyes glued to the screen of her computer. “I want to see how well your physical capabilities have adapted to your smaller size. Just to make sure that, if there’s any issues with your fine motor skills, we’d know.” 

Maya exhaled, her exhaustion apparent as she continued to move her body. While by no means an inactive woman, being shrunk hasn't benefited her physique all that well. She's been still for too long, catered to and pampered by her girlfriend, whereas other betas were pretty much forced to fend for themselves. Such inaction could prove harmful when growing back to a normal size. Contraction of muscles, expansion of bones: there was no end to what could go wrong were she not prepared. 

With that in mind though, it did not mean Maya had to enjoy this labor. On the contrary, it’s the most she’s run in months.  

“If something was up with my motor skills we would have found that out ages ago!” Maya whined. “Can we please take a break?! This is exhausting!” 

“Just a bit longer,” Roxanne half answered. The majority of her attention was elsewhere, and Maya's fatigue was at the backburner of her thoughts. “Just stay focused.”

And they were, the both of them, up until Matthias entered the room; the opening and rough closing of the building's main door signaling his return. He was out much longer than expected. Far longer than a restroom break, Roxanne half expected him to have come back with a cup of coffee and donuts: a brief trip to the store, that's how long he was gone. 

Unfortunately, he had nothing of worth on him, and so Roxanne’s interest waned before it was even fully grabbed. “Certainly took your sweet time, didn't you?” she commented with a smile. “What kept you so long?”

Matthias settled at his station, looking past his colleague before promptly returning to his own work. “Just had to make a few calls. Nothing interesting, you wouldn't care.”

“Is that so?” Roxanne questioned. She looked at Maya, the beta panting with hands on her knees, and gestured for them to sit. “Let's take five for now. Catch your breath, you'll start up again in a bit.”

The little serial killer didn't need further reason to rest. Without being asked for a better place to catch her breath she plopped down on the desktop, her eyes closed and mouth hung wide open. Maya inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth endlessly, practicing techniques to better her pace of breathing. Anything to deal with her exhaustion. 

Roxanne on the other hand still had energy to spare. 

Energy that went right to her partner in crime, the shorter scientist looking as though they just needed someone to talk to.

Or rather, someone to pry into what they were hiding.  

“We're making good progress in our fine tuning of the formulas,” Roxanne explained, expecting that to pull Matthias’ attention towards her. Alas, nothing. “Once we have things settled, we should be able to bring Maya back up to standard height. And the inverse too, shrinking a greater number of those that think they’re immune.”

Again, nothing. For Matthias, it was in one ear and out the other: his attention far from Roxanne and her updates.

Typical…

“There's still… the matter of Aiden though,” The Blonde scientist explained, throwing in a bit of her concerns into the mix. That did seem to perk Matthias’s attention, if only just a smidge. “Despite the strides being made, there's just… no feasible way for me to help him grow. It's concerning… and a little disheartening.”

Matthias looked to Roxanne, an expression of objectivity across his face. “You shouldn't let one bad egg ruin everything.” He said. “The data you've compiled is practically flawless. If Number Six is your largest concern in regard to that, and the one reason why you won’t move forward, then we'll never finish our work.”

“Forget about him.” Matthias essentially insisted. “We have more important things to focus on.”

She had a feeling he’d say that, but still Roxanne felt as though she had to stop herself from speaking out in anger. There’d be plenty of time for that later. For now, she had to keep herself calm, show no signs of aggression. 

“That's rich coming from you,” Roxanne said with a laugh. “Especially considering the fact that I'm doing all the work between us. Anything important we’ve focused on has been possible because of my work, not yours.” 

Martha's brow twitched as the exclusion of his efforts was made clear. “You're the one doing all the work? Excuse me, but since when the hell was that a thing?”

Roxanne shrugged, gesturing to her computer screen, then to the resting Maya, and lastly to herself. “I mean… you tell me~.”

Where anger was expected, Matthias actually… smiled. An act that took Roxanne by surprise, as she would have expected frustration over her statements. Instead, there was something akin to… contempt?

“Right… you've been doing all the work?” Matthias asked, repeating Roxanne's words. “That's what you think? Even after I've provided you the resources needed for your little gadgets; your progress? That's low, even for us. For your information, I've been plenty busy.”

Of course, Roxanne already knew that. Her old friend was none the wiser to the discoveries she’s made, and as such no doubt felt as though they held something over their intellectually superior colleague’s head. A laughable notion now, but there was no harm in letting him think so.

It was humorous. Sad, but funny. 

“And what exactly have you been up to, hmm?” Roxanne asked, goading on her former partner, wishing to watch as they unwittingly dig themselves deeper into their own grave. “I'm sorry, but from what I can tell all the important stuff has been my job. New strains of the virus, updating and upgrading the tech we use. That's all because of me. All you do is mope and try to act smarter than everyone else.”

Matthias snickered, much to Roxanne's annoyance. “Sure, sure, if that's what you want to think.” He turned away from his fellow Scientist, content with just letting them try and figure out his motives. A game he thought he was two steps ahead in. “You've been keeping up with our supposed successor to Minerva's throne. Making sure to keep her and her little pets happy. Playing the role of the willing lackey so wonderfully. I, on the other hand, have been keeping tabs on people of actual importance. The kind that are actually able to do something other than design clothes or drop a few bodies. Who have a mind towards getting results.”

Though his tone was borderline condescending, Matthias was ranting. It was as clear as day. Though he wore a smile as he turned away, it was clear Roxanne had gotten to him. His ego and pride: each his greatest of weaknesses. Why else would he start to reveal anything of significance?

It was either that, or common sense wasn't something Matthias kept in mind. 

“I know you've chosen to place your trust, your life, in these peoples’ hands, as well as mine too, but come on Roxanne. Even you must realize there are much better choices out there.”

As if to prove his point further, the rambling man opened up his laptop; intent on showing Roxanne what his “discoveries” were. 

“Look, I've been thinking…” Opening up the tabs on his desktop, Matthias went about looking through his history, finding what he was so intent on showing now that his mind was in dire need to prove himself right. His own email, as well as sites that Roxanne had already visited. Excluding the pictures of herself, her dull minded colleague was doing all the hard work of discovery for her. 

“With Lyza gone, you have an out,” He explained. “We BOTH do. Forget her and her psychotic little girlfriend. We can find someone better, you and I. Someone more suited to replacing Minerva. In comparison to a fucking clothes designer, it shouldn't even be that hard!” 

Matthias scrolled through his computer screen, opening up his emails to Rosen Accessories. More importantly, even opening up his old chats with former employers. “So long as we have Six we could…” 

He fell quiet as he looked through the messages of his chat logs. “We could…” 

Some were the same” unaltered, being a few weeks old. Others though… were new.

Recently made. Conversations over current events, and anything of importance happening within Lynette Vermont's social circles. Straightforward questions that gained responses granted only through trust. 

Trust Matthias had carefully built with those who had once thought to toss him away… and was now seemingly being used against him. 

“What the hell…” Matthias was at a loss for words. Even as he heard Roxanne get up off her seat, he didn't think to look back. His eyes were glued on to the screen, and the possibility that his computer had been breached. 

But that was an impossibility, as only a handful of people should be able to do so. Matthias was smart enough to have measures in place to keep others from accessing his information. He was smart enough to ensure that.

Unfortunately for him he was far from the smartest person in the room, and when that realization finally dawned on him it was already too late. 

Roxanne was quick in her work, told specifically what to do by Maya once this opportunity came. Not a second was wasted as, before Matthias could turn back around, Roxanne wrapped her right arm around his throat. He struggled, briefly, but his frail body could hardly muster the strength needed to put up a decent fight. To save themselves in a moment that mattered the most. It was pathetic, but oh so incredibly simple to take advantage of. 

With her left hand, Roxanne reached into her back pocket, pulling free a syringe of clear liquid. Without any sort of hesitation, she jammed the needle deeply into Matthias’ neck before releasing her hold. Two actions, both too quick for the shorter, frail scientist to fully comprehend. His mind couldn't wrap itself around what just happened, even as his vision began to blur, and the world around him seemed to… grow away. Extend far beyond his reach. 

He had his suspicions, but the rate in which his fears were being realized were… astonishing. Faster than expected. A testament to the strides Roxanne's made in her research. It wasn't long until Matthias found himself staring upward, the blurring silhouette of Roxanne filling his vision; smiling faintly. 

“I did say that I've been the productive one between the two of us,” she reaffirmed as she knelt down, her size still as towering as before, and growing larger still. “The strides I've made with these new strains are really something. More than enough to turn a snake like you into a rat.” 

Matthias’ mental state cracked, the reality of what was happening settling in. He was shrinking, at the hands of his own partner. Before he knew it his eyes were rolling into the back of his head, the stress and strain of shrinking all too much to bear. At one point or another, he welcomed the pitch black brace of unconsciousness. 

No doubt it would be the last mercy he ever received…

Aiden wasn't exactly certain what it was he was supposed to do, and looking up only to see Lyza's waiting smile, it was clear she had no intention of giving him any sort of hints. She wasn’t even going to explain her reasoning here, and in truth she did not have to. This much was clear, the Designer was testing her little friend. Checking to see how far he was willing to go not just to get the information they wanted, but how far he’d go for the sake of those in his life. 

The ones that mattered anyway. 

Everything rested with Aiden, as well as the cooperation of the poor girl who had spent several hours underneath Lyza’s steaming foot. 

He sighed, knowing fully that his options here were limited. Something told Aiden that the Employee wasn't going to be all too cooperative after that she’s endured. 

Still… there wasn't any shame in trying. 

“You know, it's for your own benefit that you just tell us what we want to know,” the Beta began, walking close enough to his fellow shrinkee just to see how poor of a state she was really in. Her hair was drenched in sweat and her skin was shown to be covered in bruises. Across the Employee's naked body, patches of purple and red were apparent. Signs that several things, bones perhaps, had either broken or were on the verge of breaking. Lyza may have taken care to not crush them, but that did not mean she was gentle in any sort of measure. 

That made this tricky… trust would be nearly impossible to build. If that ever really was possible to begin with. 

“The sooner you say something, the sooner this all ends.” Aiden extended a hand outward, wishing to show he wasn't any sort of threat. And he wasn't. At least not when compared to the god-like woman above who kept on dangling her foot overhead, shadowing both individuals in its shadow. That just served to make things harder to focus on. “Come on. What's the harm in trusting someone like you?”

There was no response. Nothing said as the woman struggled to catch her breath. Her breathing was heavy, ragged, and for a moment Aiden was afraid Lyza had been too rough with this one. Eventually though, the Employee managed to shakily move towards her would-be savior.

Only to swat his hand away the first chance she got. 

“Fuck you, you god damn bug!” 

And like that, Aiden was already thrust into the worst possible scenario. 

Above, Lyza continued to watch intently, the theatrics at her feet causing her to sigh contently. It was like watching a drama. All this did though was earn her a quick flip off from Aiden. 

“Come on, you can act better than that I'm sure.” He tried as well as he could to salvage this. Show that he wasn't here to inflict pain. But anything Aiden might say, he held the feeling that it'd only earn him more insults. “Let's start off small. Okay? My name is Aiden. And yours… is?”

“Fuck. You.” The shrunken woman was stubborn as stubborn can be and seemed intent on just not working along with him. 

Lyza giggled. “Bet that's the strangest name you've heard, huh Aiden?”

Aiden pinched between his brows, trying to keep himself calm. “You're not helping…” 

“Good~.”

Lyza really did know how to be insufferable. She was skilled at that, among other things. 

Looking back at her flexing foot though, Aiden came to the understanding that perhaps said skills might come in handy. The appendage was, for all intents and purposes, a much better interrogator than he ever could be.

All he had to do was ask the right questions. 

Snapping his fingers, Aiden gestured for Lyza to bring her foot closer to the ground. She pursed her lips, curious as to what the beta had planned, and was more than keen on letting him do his thing. She complied without question, wanting to see where this might lead, and immediately the Employee's expression changed from one of anger… to fear.

“So, again, let's start small.” Aiden repeated, his voice low. “My name's Aiden. And yours is?”

Again nothing, but this time not born from a refusal to answer. Rather, it was the inability to do so out of fear. The employee's eyes locked on to the sole of Lyza's foot, the wrinkles and imperfections on otherwise pristine skin. They flexed their toes, as if showcasing the individual power of each and every one. 

The beta woman damn near pissed herself at the simple sight, yet it was far from the answer Aiden wanted. “Alrighty then… Lyza. Do you think you could loosen this little lady’s lips?” 

The Designer's smile shifted, turning from a soft, almost knowing expression, to one of cruel and malicious intent. 

So that was her little friend's angle.

She liked it. 

“Of course~.” Lyza raised her foot up slightly, just enough to fully bury her prey. The shrunken Employee turned to run, quickly picking herself up to do so despite her injuries. But those few moments where she was on the floor was precious time she shouldn't have wasted. Only a few feet in and a shadow quickly overtook her.

Lyza's foot moved past Aiden at a speed which nearly threw him back, and quickly impacted its intended target. She didn't slam her foot down, nor was any pressure applied to kill her victim, but from the few pops she did feel it was clear that a bone here or there had just snapped: Leaving no room to doubt this time.  

The shrunken woman screamed in pain, but was just as suddenly silenced by a painful clench of Lyza's toes. Besides them, Aiden stepped up to start again seeing as he's now shown why he should be listened to. 

“So… got anything you want to tell us?”

The Employee's breathing hastened, both from panic and the unbearable weight on her back. Any inhalation took in equal measures dust from the ground, and foot scent from the appendage pinning her down. Both grim realities of the world of betas.

A world that the shrunken woman was now a part of. Regardless of what their life was before, who they were or what their dreams were, none of it now mattered.

That alone was… soul shattering. The woman began to hyperventilate, the realization setting in as she started to panic.

Unfortunately, again, this was far from what Aiden wanted. With a twirl of his finger, he urged Lyza to increase the pressure. Something the Designer was more than happy to do. 

With beta still underfoot, Lyza dragged them back and forth between her sole and the pavement of the walkway. Their naked body against infinitesimal grains of debris, imperceivable to the regular human eye, but out in display for those of a bug's size to see. She suspected it must have been tortuous, the shards of what's practically pebbles, digging into and tearing away skunk cutting up the body, while also leaving a red streak behind as a reminder. 

For a moment, Lyza saw the same appeal Maya did when killing her prey. 

But she wasn't here to kill. On the contrary, Her and Aiden needed this little employee alive. Well and working if she was going to tell them anything. 

It wasn't until the latter heard muffled shouting did they finally give Lyza the signal to stop. Much to the Designer’s disappointment. 

Just barely able to push back against the gargantuan foot on top of her, and only because they were allowed to do so, the employee gagged and choked on her own words as she tried to speak. “Mira!” The woman shouted, her voice absolutely dripping with desperation. “My name's Mira! There! I'll tell you anything you want, just please, stop!”

As Aiden suspected, a little bit of footwork and almost anyone would crack. He didn't expect anything more. There was hardly anyone who could endure what he had. Live through the torture he's been made to endure. Were he in this now-named Employee's shoes he wouldn't have caved in as fast. 

And one way or another, regardless of who got hurt along the way, Aiden was keen on keeping it like that. 

Kneeling besides the bleeding woman, the surprisingly cruel beta waited for her to tell him what they wanted to know. Above though, Lyza was hardly paying attention to the woman. Instead, her focus was more on Aiden, and the apparent maliciousness he could exercise. She knew he was someone who'd look out for his own safety now, but to go this far just to ensure the results he wanted?

She rather liked it. A lot. 

“We were told to find you,” Mira explained through a barely contained sob as she looked towards Aiden. “There's… there's an event… a gala… or something coming up. I'm not sure what, but a lot of people are coming, important people, and Miss Vermont wanted to bring you in before they arrived. I'm… I was just doing my job okay? I didn't do anything wrong.”

“And those pictures you took of me?” Aiden added. “I know you took some. Did you send any your Boss’s way? Did you tell her we were close by?”

Mira was silent, unsure of how to answer. It was clear that even now she was weighing what to say; the right or wrong answer spelling death for her. Eventually though, she understood there was only one way to respond. “Yes…”

Aiden smiled. He was… relieved. That was precisely what he wanted to hear.

Finally, something which both he and Lyza could use. The lure they needed to catch the latter's bratty little sister. 

They could lead them on this way, set them up for their downfall, and while it wasn't as much as they wished to know, considering they only had one person to interrogate, it was still a whole lot more than expected. This was something they could most definitely work with. 

“See? Was that so hard?” Aiden reached a hand out towards the employee, and they in turn extended theirs to be helped up. Instead, Aiden moved past them, patting Mira on the head before standing straight. “Unfortunately, that doesn't mean we're letting you go. We can't. It'd be a hassle for us, worrying about who'd you go to for help, what you’d say, and really you wouldn't last a day out there in the real world.”

“But I told you what I knew!” Mira shouted, the disbelief of what was happening forcing her to once again hyperventilate. She felt like she might faint at this rate. There was no telling what might happen to her then. “I did what you wanted! I don't deserve to be killed for that!” 

“We're not killing you,” Aiden told the panicking woman, his eerie calm especially unsettling. He was taking to this far more easily than he should have. “That'd be crass of us, after you did us such a huge favor. So, Lyza won't kill you. Or at the very least, she won't go out of her way to do so. Surviving the trip in her shoe though, that's up to you.” 

“I make no promises of being gentle when she's back in my shoe,” the Designer said with a smile. She reached down, plucking the flailing beta between her fingers before moving them back to her heels. Their movements were so erratic that it was actually somewhat difficult to set them in straight. It was admittedly rather annoying, now that Lyza had the task of ensuring she didn’t outright kill them. “If you keep on squirming like that though, I might just forget it’s a beta in my shoe, and not a bug. And we wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

Getting the hint, Mira ceased in her movements, settling only to silently shake in fear. Lyza smiled, pleased with how quickly this little treat of hers had obeyed. Already nice and broken, and she hardly had to do anything to ensure that. It was pleasant. Even more though, the Designer was overjoyed to see how easily Aiden was able to adapt to a crueler method of getting what he wanted. It was unlikely that he would have stooped so low in the past.

In the present though, they did not have the luxury of being kind; if ever that was something Lyza partook in. You have to be mean to survive, at least until you were in the right position which allowed for ignoring coming dangers. 

That future where they didn't have to worry about threats on their lives felt closer now. Much closer than it did the day before, and as Lyza slipped on her footwear, she felt as though there was some added bounce in her step. 

“Things are finally looking up,” Lyza said as she looked down at Aiden. She lowered her hand towards the beta, waiting as he stepped on. “We finally have something we can use to our advantage.”

An event. A gala. And most importantly, a gathering of influential people. 

“Goodness, I can't wait to share this with the others.” Lyza felt excited. Now she was so much closer to tasting the prize that was her sister's downfall. Why, she could already see it, Lynette's diminutive form in between her fingers: waiting terrified for them to just clench shut completely. 

Savory… delightful. 

“I bet even Matthias is going to be surprised.”