OSCAR, COME OVER

I never thought I would feel this jealous but here I was, pacing the floor, unable to shake the images swirling in my head. Armand, with his smug sense of control, always got what he wanted, even Eli. I slammed my fist down on the table, the sound echoing through the empty room. The burn from the vodka wasn't enough, not anymore. I needed to do something, anything, to get my mind off this.

Without thinking, I grabbed my phone again and scrolled through my contacts, landing on Oscar Thomas. He'd always been there when I needed to blow off some steam. Without hesitating, I dialed his number. It rang a few times before he picked up.

"Mark?" Oscar's voice sounded calm, maybe too calm. "What's going on? You sound—"

I cut him off. "Just come over," I barked into the phone, pacing faster now. "I need you here. Now."

There was a pause. "What's wrong? What happened?"