Post by Robb (Owner) on Oct 27, 2024 17:43:30 GMT -8
The short journey to Vegas had been torturous if only because she was coming in blind. Charli Rossi was not someone who approached things without preparation, she was used to always being the one with the upper hand and this situation was succinctly not that. Ozzie Savell was an unwelcome storm of chaos, she hadn’t expected to have to contend with any Savell aside from Julian and he, like Nathan, was a palm of her hand kind of play. Admittedly Julian was more cerebral, covert even, but she knew that she could at least have some control in that situation. But not Ozzie, even when she was younger and her Park Avenue perfect family moved in the same circles, he wasn’t one that was discussed - unless it was hushed tones in the corner of the room - the kind of conversations she was ‘too young’ to be a part of. In short, he was a wild card and Charli didn’t like to gamble.
As the car pulled up towards The Division mansion it was everything she expected it to be, grandiose and foreboding. When she had messaged Ozzie saying they needed to talk, her first choice wouldn’t have been to give so much control over to him, but the potential pay off of playing his little games was enough to push down any unease she felt at being here. As she looked out of the car window, part of her had to admit that if things were different, she could see herself here. That had been the original intention, she wanted to study under the kind of people she respected, the ones she had secretly watched on her phone in cotillion bathrooms. Julian’s sisters had been the ones that let her believe she could do this.
Then she actually spoke to him.
The RaRa all for one and one for all vibe he gave off had slapped her with immediate disappointment and in that moment she pivoted and looked to the only other person she actually had some admiration for at Crucible. And yet, here she was, once again leaning into the side of things she was trying to keep separate. Kian had told her all she needed to know to make the decision that this meeting was important. The time for worrying over the unknown was at an end now though, as she stepped out of the car, intentionally dressed down in a pair of sweats and a matching sweatshirt, hair braided over one shoulder and minimal makeup on; she felt like she at least looked like the type of girl who was potentially intimidated by a place like this.
”Okay.” She sighed to herself, shaking off the last few doubts and drawing back a little of her usual swagger and confidence. “Let’s do this…”
Ozzie stood just inside the grand foyer as Charli walked in, his eyes gleaming with that smug, barely-contained amusement she knew too well. He let his gaze drift over her, taking in the casual, almost disheveled look she'd chosen for this meeting. It was a choice he found amusing,
though he didn't let on.
“Charli Rozzi, all dressed down. I’d say that’s a bit out of character.” His voice was smooth, with just the faintest hint of mockery lacing his words. He leaned casually against the wall, folding his arms and letting the silence linger a second too long. “So, you called this little meeting. That’s brave, I’ll give you that.”
He pushed off the wall and sauntered a few steps closer, his gaze never leaving hers, as if he could see right through every wall she put up. “You came all the way here because… what? You’re curious? Or maybe you think there’s something here you can control, bend to your advantage.”
He tilted his head, smirking slightly. “But, I think we both know, Charli… when you play with a Savell, you don’t get the upper hand. So, why don’t you tell me exactly why you’re here?”
Charli watched him, bravado rolling off his shoulders and a smug confidence that fit him like a well tailored suit. She knew that the usual games she played weren’t going to be the right call here, that’s why she’d gone for the dressed down look. As he spoke she was considering her options on how to go about this.
“What? No foreplay? No, how are you? How was your trip?” Her usually soft, purr-like tone was even softer, almost muted but without any of the allure it usually carried. “I know you were raised better than that.”
She dropped her bag at his feet, taking a moment to look down and try to gather her thoughts. Half truths were her second language and so that’s what she decided to go with, just enough of the truth that maybe he would be satiated, but enough held back that she didn’t feel like he truly had all of the power over her.
“I’m here because I don’t play the same ridiculous games on social media you like to play with future failures.” A shrug, perhaps even just half of one even. “You said you know ‘so’ much about me, I want to know what it is. Clearly you showing up when you did wasn’t an accident, nothing any of you ever do is, so if I need to watch my back…? I want you to say so to my face.”
Ozzie’s smirk widened as he watched her; the hint of vulnerability in her voice wasn’t lost on him, and he reveled in it. He leaned down, tapping her bag lightly with his foot as if to say he didn’t miss her small display of surrender. His gaze met hers with that unflinching, cold edge that had been in his family long before him.
“Foreplay?” he chuckled, straightening up and shoving his hands into his pockets with a casual ease that made his presence all the more unnerving. “You’re right; I was raised better, but I wasn’t raised to cater to people’s feelings.” He shrugged, feigning a nonchalance that bordered on dismissive.
“But since you came all the way here for a little chat…” He took a step closer, the air between them heavy. “You’re right… Nothing we do is accidental. So, you can drop the innocent act. I don’t need you to watch your back, Charli. I need you to understand that we—no, I—will have my eyes on you whenever I feel like it.”
He leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. “And as for what I know? Well, it’s enough to make your ‘half-truths’ look like nothing more than child’s play.” His gaze hardened, though his smirk never faltered. “So, let’s get one thing straight… This isn’t about whether you feel safe or not. This is about power. And in this game, you’re either playing with us or you’re against us. So choose, Charli. Which is it gonna be?”
Her back straightened, her top lip curled just a little at his assertions. The idea that he, of all people, thought he could just declare he would be watching her at his will stoked a fire she was trying to keep from burning an inferno through her exterior. She quickly turned that lip curl into a smile, glancing at her bag when we tapped it before rolling her shoulders a little.
“And you think that agreeable bullshit, the whole… if one of us falls we lift them up shit, is actually the way you’re going to be a part of a successful faction?” She took a pause, a breath. She was letting her drive for control slip through, so she pulled it back. Leveling her voice and stepping back, not taking her eyes off of him now as she did. One foot behind the other, her cold gaze locked on his until she reached the wall.
Leaning back to it and folding her arms over her chest, drawing out her movement so they were slow, measured. All the time allowing herself some breathing room, a chance to look him over and read him herself. The cocky confidence came from feeling like he knew enough to keep her on the back foot and truth be told? Maybe he did, but she wasn’t going to just accept it.
“It’s not the way Riley made a mark, or Faith. Christ it’s not even how Julian made his. But all of a sudden he wants everyone to fall in line and be part of some hive mind?” She flicked her gaze over him with her own dismissive little eye roll. “What power does that give you? Surrendering to the needs of the group? Makes you sound pretty powerless actually. Is that what the bravado is for? So your dick can still get hard whilst you play bitch boy running errands for Julian and Olly?”
Her heavy pronunciation on bitch tugged a smirk across her lips.
Ozzie’s smirk widened at her words, leaning into her challenge as if it were a game he’d been itching to play. He let her finish, letting all of the venom from her words hang in the air between the two of them as he savored her defiance. His expression became one of amusement before he replied.
“Bitch boy running errands, huh?” Ozzie echoed her statement in a playful and mocking tone as he stepped closer toward her, closing the distance that Charli had carefully created. “You’ve got some fire, Char, do you mind if I call you Char? Nevermind.” He shrugged. “What you need to realize is that this is not about Riley, Faith or even about Julian. It’s about you and me, right here and right now. And if you think that just because you’ve shot off a few clever one liners to me and everyone else in the Crucible that it puts you above everyone else? Especially those in The Division? Then you’ve not only underestimated us, but you’ve underestimated me.”
Ozzie let his words linger in the air for a moment as his gaze stayed locked onto Charli’s with intensity. “You think you know what power is? It’s not about who’s calling the shots in a faction or who’s playin puppet master. Power is knowing you can break someone whenever you want and choosing not to… For now.” Savell’s twisted smirk soon turned into something darker, with his malicious intent starting to slip through. “As much as you want to act like none of this bothers you? Well, your little outburst tells me everything that I need to know and this is that I have you exactly where I want you.”
Oz took a deliberate step back, his twisted smirk never faltering as he adjusted his stance. “But hey, keep on telling yourself that you’re not just another piece on the board. Because at the end of the day, when push comes to shove?” His smile grew as his eyes glinted with a mixture of charm and malice. “You’ll be exactly where we need you to be. Playing the game… My way.”
With that, he cocked his head, daring her with his gaze. “Now, Charli… Are you done pretending you’ve got control here? Or do we need to go another round for you to understand exactly what you’re up against?”
Her smirk turned into a smile, his darkness, the less than veiled threats and the way he pressed, she understood in that moment. She saw what he knew, what he was showing her he knew and it was the same thing she expected he knew. A Park Avenue princess who wanted to feel special, feel included or even superior. It was everything she had carefully cultivated and allowed to play out, her tweets and secret chats ensuring that was the impression she gave off.
And she could leave it at that, she could shrink back and make little promises that she didn’t mean. She could stamp her feet and demand that she be allowed into the group, the faction she wanted… and she could cross her fingers that Kian would end up there too, or she could let him see just enough.
“Your way?” She closed the step he had closed, circling him with a little sing song tone as she repeated herself. “Your way…” as she made it back around to face him she offered a mocking sad face in place of that smile. “Or else you’re gonna break me? Will it hurt?” A slow blink as that sad face tried to become a smile, when she fought. “Will you make Damn sure it’s agonizingly slow?” She closed the last little spot of distance, tilting her head as she stared at him.
“Do you promise?”
Ozzie’s smirk faded, being replaced by a look of amusement and intrigue as he carefully watched Charli circle around him, while mocking his threats. The way Charli challenged him, the taunting echo of “your way”, held a certain allure to him, in some twisted way. She was daring him, he thought to himself, questioning his ability to do what he’d promised with that tone that edged closer and closer to ridicule.
Oz tilted his head, feigning a look of wounded pride. “So you think that I make empty promises, Char?” Ozzie leaned in just enough so that his breath brushed against her ear, his voice was soft, yet dangerous as he whispered. “Because I don’t. I don’t need to ‘make sure’ of anything being agonizingly slow… I’m not some villain in your fairytale who twists his stache and explains his plan. If I want to break you?” He paused as he flashed a cocky grin. “I won’t be asking if it hurts.”
Savell straightened, watching her carefully, his eyes scanning every shift in her expression. “But I’ll tell you what…” He continued as his tone dropped to one that was almost playful but still had a sharpness to it. “You keep this up, and maybe I’ll give you a front row seat to my way. A way where you end up exactly where I want you, with every choice ‘feeling’ like it’s yours… until it’s too late to realize I was pulling the strings all along.”
His gaze locked onto hers, as his charming facade turned into something darker. “So yes, Char… I promise.”
That change in his gaze continued to stoke the fire that she had tried, and was still trying to stave off. Tilting her head back straight, leaning it up just a little to keep that stare, a flicker of a matched darkness just there. For only a second before she switched her face to one of a mocking pout.
“Sounds dull.” Lifting her right hand she let her index finger draw up his chest until she poked him in it, swallowing down that fire, pushing back her own darkness as far as she could. “You don’t really strike me as the, break a girl mentally, type. It’s not the same is it? Sure you see the hurt in their eyes but…” she let that finger trail and then fall, but she didn’t move. Not even a slight flinch back as she kept her eyes locked on his.
Ozzie's smirk grew sharper, a gleam of satisfaction flickering in his eyes as he absorbed her words, like someone savoring the taste of a well-aged scotch. He didn’t flinch when she poked him; in fact, he leaned into it, amused by her attempt to match his intensity. She thought she was pushing buttons, but to him, it was like watching someone try to tame a wildfire with a fan.
“Dull?” he repeated, his tone laced with amusement, letting her word hang in the air. “It’s only dull if you lack imagination, Charli. But you’re right… there’s a certain artistry to breaking someone, making them realize there’s no escaping the walls closing in.” He paused, letting the silence stretch as his gaze swept over her, lingering just long enough to be unnerving.
He took a small step closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, almost like he was letting her in on a secret. “See, the thing is, the front row can be a lot more uncomfortable than it looks. But hey, if you’re so sure you can handle the heat…” He leaned in, close enough that she could feel his breath, his lips curled into a slow, taunting smile. “Then let’s make sure you get the best view in the house.”
With a casual shrug, he leaned back, breaking the tension just enough to keep her guessing. “But I don’t hand out free passes, Charli. If you want that front seat, you’re going to have to prove you’re worth it. Otherwise, feel free to play with the others who’ll settle for the nosebleeds.” His eyes held hers with an unspoken challenge, as if daring her to meet him on his level, if she even could.
“Prove I’m worth it.” She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, taking the moment to consider his words. They spoke to the part of her that welcomed pain, not just the surface level scream of muscles when pulled, or bones when they break. But the kind of pain that seeps into your very soul, that you carry with you for the decades of your life that follow. Did he see that? She wasn’t sure… but he spoke to it all the same and it piqued her interest. “I really hope your proof requirements don’t involve me taking my clothes off.”
An arch of her brow as she turned on her heel, making a point to turn her back on him as she took a step and a half back towards the wall. She allowed herself to study that wall, to keep her eyes on their shadows that were cast upon it thanks to the opulent overhead lighting.
It could all be bullshit, she knew that. He could actually be just another puppet and one slightly rebellious offshoot of the hive mind Julian had been droning on about, but she doubted it. There was a darkness there that she recognised, a like for like in that monstrous way she refused to submit to. Ozzie didn’t seem to have the same view, his monster on display, his darker desires ever present in that cold, hard gaze that never really lit up when he smiled.
“Because as you so astutely said before. I have a boyfriend and honestly? You’re just not my type.”
Ozzie let out a short, amused laugh, the sound low and mocking. His eyes glinted with something cold and sharp, his expression untouched by her dismissive remark. He didn’t take the bait of her playful insult about his type, nor did he flinch at the mention of her boyfriend. Instead, he shifted his weight forward, letting his presence loom, his gaze steady and unrelenting.
“Not your type? Good. That’s the way I like it. I’m not here to be liked, Charli,” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper, dripping with a calm menace. “But you’re missing the point. This isn’t about attraction, or your boyfriend, or whatever play you think you’re making.” His eyes narrowed, as if piercing through whatever facade she’d tried to present.
“This is about who walks away from this standing taller. It’s about the fact that you’re here, right now, trying so hard to pretend that my words didn’t hit something buried deeper than you care to admit.” He tilted his head, his smirk creeping wider, as if savoring the moment.
“But let’s be clear,” he continued, his tone dropping even lower, almost conspiratorial. “If you think that a little charm or bravado is going to give you any sort of control here, you’re mistaken. Because I don’t care about your type, your little games, or your boyfriend. I care about one thing—making sure that when you look back on this moment, you remember that it was the last time you ever thought you could keep up with a Savell.”
Ozzie took a step back, his gaze still locked on her, daring her to break eye contact. “So go ahead, keep that bravado up, keep convincing yourself this is all on your terms. But remember… I’m not going anywhere. And neither is the control you’re so sure you have.”
“At what point did I even pretend to have some control here?” Her tone turned quizzical, she wasn’t the type to back down or suddenly offer up her servitude and that wasn’t going to change now. But the imagined power struggle intrigued her, it dragged her in all the more. She kept her eyes on him now, her head tilted and brows raised. This wasn’t about control over him, it wasn’t even about the control of the situation any more, it was about her deciding when that came out. When she released the dark, swirling out of utter disgust for everyone and everything that existed in the world. “I can keep up with you, Savell. But that isn’t what this is about, is it? You want me in this faction, you know…”
She paused, catching her tone and setting it back to her default soft tone, the claws of the darkness trying to scratch their way out of her throat as she swallowed them back down. “You know that I’m better on your side than opposing it, that whatever else you think of me, I’m going to do everything and anything to make sure I come out of this academy on top… and that can be useful to you.”
One step closer to him, her eyes still locked on his, not faltering. No bravado on her shoulders, no mocking tone or armor of wit and charm, just her; barely steps from the darkness that pumped fire through her veins. “You want me to earn that seat? To prove I’m worthy of the suffering you’re so hungry to lay down on me you can practically taste blood on the top of your tongue? Then fine.” Her eyes still locked on his, her entire demeanor stripped down to the bones of it all.
“I’m in.”
Ozzie smirked as he watched Charli while she responded. He began to circle her slowly, his eyes dark and unwavering as he read every single nuance in her expression, as if he were peeling back layer after layer that she had so carefully constructed.
“You think control is all about appearances, don’t you?” he asked, his voice smooth but laced with absolute menace. “It’s about projecting a narrative and keeping everyone in line with what you want them to see. You dress down, come here with this look of nonchalance, like none of this matters at all. Like you’re just some spectator in someone else’s theater. But sweetheart…” He leaned in, a cold grin on his face before he responded in a low voice. “Control isn’t about the show… It’s about having the strings in your hands and deciding when to pull them.”
Oz took a step back, crossing his arms as he watched Charli carefully, measuring her reaction. “You’re here because deep down, you know that you don’t have that control here. Not over me, not over The Division. But I’ll give you credit… You’ve convinced the rest of the world you do and maybe that’s worth something.”
Ozzie titled his head, studying her with a mix of challenge and amusement. “But if you’re so determined to prove you are worth my time, Char, then drop the act. Let’s see what’s underneath all those carefully curated walls. I didn’t have you come here for half-truths or theatrics. I came to see if you’re as ruthless and calculated as you want everyone to think… Or if you’re just another pretender hoping to play in the big leagues.”
His gaze peered into hers, waiting, daring her to respond without the mask, to drop the charade. “So what’s it going to be, Charlotte?” He grinned widely, using her real name again. “You in, or are you just here to keep playing dress-up?”
The fire pressed against her skin, burning under the surface as he circled her. She knew what he wanted, to see the part of her that no one saw. The part that was locked so deeply inside of her that she wasn’t even entirely sure she could let it out. Because he was right, she didn’t have control. Not over that piece of her, not over when it came out or how it took action. It was a hot white hatred that vibrated in her bones.
“I’m in.” She repeated the words but this time, she said them plainly and with clear intent. Her eyes locked on his still, that fire that swelled darkening her own eyes. That stare almost disconnected from the person that walked in only moments before. “You want the truth.”
It wasn’t a question, it was an acknowledgement and as she let that wash over her; Charli shrugged. The movement wasn’t dismissive nor was it intended to be. Instead it was a silent statement that she let hang in the air between them, not trying to think ahead or tell him what he wanted. It just was.
“The truth is that I don’t know what happens if I let go.” No more measured pace or considered tone, just truth laid bare. “I don’t care about fame or titles, I don’t care…” she paused, a surrender that was more to herself than it could or would ever be to him. “About anything, other than making people hurt as much as I have. MORE than I have. The rest of it is just there. I can’t prove anything to you because deep down, it doesn’t matter to me if you believe me or not. It just matters to me that I get to take away everything from them. Their hopes, their careers, the light in their eyes. So if that’s enough for you, Savell? Then yeah, I’m in.”
Ozzie’s smirk turned into something deeper, it’s almost as if he was approving of Charli as he listened to her unfiltered truth. Her words sparked a flicker of respect within him, though he wouldn’t dare show it fully, at least, not yet. This? This was the Charli that he had hoped for… One that is unafraid to confront her own darkness, to speak without the fake bravado and careful calculation.
“Good,” he said, nodding as he let her words settle between the two of them. “That’s what I wanted to hear. And don’t worry, I’m not here to tame you or try and ‘break’ you, Charlotte. You want to make people hurt? You want to burn them down to ash?” His eyes glinted with a dark promise. “Then by all means, let loose. Tear through them like they’re nothing. As long as you don’t get in The Division's way, I see no reason to… remove you from the equation.”
Ozzie took a step back and crossed his arms, looking over Charli thoughtfully. “You may think that The Division is some cult or hive mind, but there’s more to it than you understand. It is a vision–a way to upend everything that people cling to in this reality. To rebuild from the chaos. One day, you’ll see it for what it really is. And when that day comes?” He paused, letting the tension build before he continued. “There will be a place for you here. When you’re ready to unleash that part of you without any restraint, The Division will be waiting, ready to let you run rampant and be exactly who you’re meant to be.”
A hint of a smirk tugged at his lips as he shrugged, feigning a casual indifference. “Until then, Southie Syndicate, Legion, Nightfall–doesn’t matter to me. Pick your playground. Cause some destruction, shake things up, make them all question the system that they think they understand. As far as I’m concerned, you’re an outside asset, a wild card who can do what The Division would do without having to wear the name.”
His eyes lingered on hers for a moment, a quiet challenge and a promise was in his gaze. “So go on, Charlotte. Burn the world down if you want, just remember… When you’re ready to stop pretending you’re on the outside? The Division will be right here with a place carved out just for you.”
She nodded, just once. Everything he said made sense and it amounted to them wanting the same thing. She wasn’t ready to let that all out, not yet and she knew that. She played the games she did because she was finding her feet at the same time and as for upending things? That was something she knew possessed a talent in.
“You know, you said something about defending deadbeat dads, when I defended Nathan and you were right. But you know the easiest way to tear someone’s empire down from beneath them, is to do it from inside the walls… so when he’s given in to that side of himself, the side that wishes he was just a few years younger.” Finally she looked away, breaking the stare they had been holding. “When he finally trusts me? Then I’ll be ready.” Stooping down she picked up her bag and slung it back over her shoulder with a small nod.
“Until then I have a boyfriend and a dog waiting for me at home and you…” she smirked slightly as she looked back at him again, putting her confidence back on like an old comfortable sweater. “Probably have some vapid bimbo with daddy issues and a severe lack of self worth to fuck with.” Just beneath the surface as she spoke was that same deep, dark intensity she had let him see. A flicker of a flame behind her gaze as she spoke.
“You have my number. And probably every other form of contact possible. Anything you need, consider it my price of admission.”
Ozzie absorbed all of her words as his smirk turned sharper. “You think I’m all sleaze and show,” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. “But that’s just a charade… A convenient mask to keep people guessing. Julian’s brute force approach has its place, but me? I prefer to get in close, to slip the knife in before they even realize I’m there. Cunning over Chaos, Charlotte. Precision over spectacle.”
He took a step closer, lowering his voice further as there was a coldness over his eyes. “But I digress. You go ahead and tear at the Southie empire from within. Keep up the front but just remember, I am watching. And when you are ready to drop the act and truly release that darkness out to play? The choice is yours, of course, but there is a home for you here in The Division. Just know though… I am watching to see if you are more than just potential.”
With a final approving nod, Ozzie stepped back. “Until then, consider this your invitation. Show me what you’re really capable of when you’re ready.” He turned away, leaving her with the weight of his words and the unspoken challenge they now carried.
As the car pulled up towards The Division mansion it was everything she expected it to be, grandiose and foreboding. When she had messaged Ozzie saying they needed to talk, her first choice wouldn’t have been to give so much control over to him, but the potential pay off of playing his little games was enough to push down any unease she felt at being here. As she looked out of the car window, part of her had to admit that if things were different, she could see herself here. That had been the original intention, she wanted to study under the kind of people she respected, the ones she had secretly watched on her phone in cotillion bathrooms. Julian’s sisters had been the ones that let her believe she could do this.
Then she actually spoke to him.
The RaRa all for one and one for all vibe he gave off had slapped her with immediate disappointment and in that moment she pivoted and looked to the only other person she actually had some admiration for at Crucible. And yet, here she was, once again leaning into the side of things she was trying to keep separate. Kian had told her all she needed to know to make the decision that this meeting was important. The time for worrying over the unknown was at an end now though, as she stepped out of the car, intentionally dressed down in a pair of sweats and a matching sweatshirt, hair braided over one shoulder and minimal makeup on; she felt like she at least looked like the type of girl who was potentially intimidated by a place like this.
”Okay.” She sighed to herself, shaking off the last few doubts and drawing back a little of her usual swagger and confidence. “Let’s do this…”
Ozzie stood just inside the grand foyer as Charli walked in, his eyes gleaming with that smug, barely-contained amusement she knew too well. He let his gaze drift over her, taking in the casual, almost disheveled look she'd chosen for this meeting. It was a choice he found amusing,
though he didn't let on.
“Charli Rozzi, all dressed down. I’d say that’s a bit out of character.” His voice was smooth, with just the faintest hint of mockery lacing his words. He leaned casually against the wall, folding his arms and letting the silence linger a second too long. “So, you called this little meeting. That’s brave, I’ll give you that.”
He pushed off the wall and sauntered a few steps closer, his gaze never leaving hers, as if he could see right through every wall she put up. “You came all the way here because… what? You’re curious? Or maybe you think there’s something here you can control, bend to your advantage.”
He tilted his head, smirking slightly. “But, I think we both know, Charli… when you play with a Savell, you don’t get the upper hand. So, why don’t you tell me exactly why you’re here?”
Charli watched him, bravado rolling off his shoulders and a smug confidence that fit him like a well tailored suit. She knew that the usual games she played weren’t going to be the right call here, that’s why she’d gone for the dressed down look. As he spoke she was considering her options on how to go about this.
“What? No foreplay? No, how are you? How was your trip?” Her usually soft, purr-like tone was even softer, almost muted but without any of the allure it usually carried. “I know you were raised better than that.”
She dropped her bag at his feet, taking a moment to look down and try to gather her thoughts. Half truths were her second language and so that’s what she decided to go with, just enough of the truth that maybe he would be satiated, but enough held back that she didn’t feel like he truly had all of the power over her.
“I’m here because I don’t play the same ridiculous games on social media you like to play with future failures.” A shrug, perhaps even just half of one even. “You said you know ‘so’ much about me, I want to know what it is. Clearly you showing up when you did wasn’t an accident, nothing any of you ever do is, so if I need to watch my back…? I want you to say so to my face.”
Ozzie’s smirk widened as he watched her; the hint of vulnerability in her voice wasn’t lost on him, and he reveled in it. He leaned down, tapping her bag lightly with his foot as if to say he didn’t miss her small display of surrender. His gaze met hers with that unflinching, cold edge that had been in his family long before him.
“Foreplay?” he chuckled, straightening up and shoving his hands into his pockets with a casual ease that made his presence all the more unnerving. “You’re right; I was raised better, but I wasn’t raised to cater to people’s feelings.” He shrugged, feigning a nonchalance that bordered on dismissive.
“But since you came all the way here for a little chat…” He took a step closer, the air between them heavy. “You’re right… Nothing we do is accidental. So, you can drop the innocent act. I don’t need you to watch your back, Charli. I need you to understand that we—no, I—will have my eyes on you whenever I feel like it.”
He leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. “And as for what I know? Well, it’s enough to make your ‘half-truths’ look like nothing more than child’s play.” His gaze hardened, though his smirk never faltered. “So, let’s get one thing straight… This isn’t about whether you feel safe or not. This is about power. And in this game, you’re either playing with us or you’re against us. So choose, Charli. Which is it gonna be?”
Her back straightened, her top lip curled just a little at his assertions. The idea that he, of all people, thought he could just declare he would be watching her at his will stoked a fire she was trying to keep from burning an inferno through her exterior. She quickly turned that lip curl into a smile, glancing at her bag when we tapped it before rolling her shoulders a little.
“And you think that agreeable bullshit, the whole… if one of us falls we lift them up shit, is actually the way you’re going to be a part of a successful faction?” She took a pause, a breath. She was letting her drive for control slip through, so she pulled it back. Leveling her voice and stepping back, not taking her eyes off of him now as she did. One foot behind the other, her cold gaze locked on his until she reached the wall.
Leaning back to it and folding her arms over her chest, drawing out her movement so they were slow, measured. All the time allowing herself some breathing room, a chance to look him over and read him herself. The cocky confidence came from feeling like he knew enough to keep her on the back foot and truth be told? Maybe he did, but she wasn’t going to just accept it.
“It’s not the way Riley made a mark, or Faith. Christ it’s not even how Julian made his. But all of a sudden he wants everyone to fall in line and be part of some hive mind?” She flicked her gaze over him with her own dismissive little eye roll. “What power does that give you? Surrendering to the needs of the group? Makes you sound pretty powerless actually. Is that what the bravado is for? So your dick can still get hard whilst you play bitch boy running errands for Julian and Olly?”
Her heavy pronunciation on bitch tugged a smirk across her lips.
Ozzie’s smirk widened at her words, leaning into her challenge as if it were a game he’d been itching to play. He let her finish, letting all of the venom from her words hang in the air between the two of them as he savored her defiance. His expression became one of amusement before he replied.
“Bitch boy running errands, huh?” Ozzie echoed her statement in a playful and mocking tone as he stepped closer toward her, closing the distance that Charli had carefully created. “You’ve got some fire, Char, do you mind if I call you Char? Nevermind.” He shrugged. “What you need to realize is that this is not about Riley, Faith or even about Julian. It’s about you and me, right here and right now. And if you think that just because you’ve shot off a few clever one liners to me and everyone else in the Crucible that it puts you above everyone else? Especially those in The Division? Then you’ve not only underestimated us, but you’ve underestimated me.”
Ozzie let his words linger in the air for a moment as his gaze stayed locked onto Charli’s with intensity. “You think you know what power is? It’s not about who’s calling the shots in a faction or who’s playin puppet master. Power is knowing you can break someone whenever you want and choosing not to… For now.” Savell’s twisted smirk soon turned into something darker, with his malicious intent starting to slip through. “As much as you want to act like none of this bothers you? Well, your little outburst tells me everything that I need to know and this is that I have you exactly where I want you.”
Oz took a deliberate step back, his twisted smirk never faltering as he adjusted his stance. “But hey, keep on telling yourself that you’re not just another piece on the board. Because at the end of the day, when push comes to shove?” His smile grew as his eyes glinted with a mixture of charm and malice. “You’ll be exactly where we need you to be. Playing the game… My way.”
With that, he cocked his head, daring her with his gaze. “Now, Charli… Are you done pretending you’ve got control here? Or do we need to go another round for you to understand exactly what you’re up against?”
Her smirk turned into a smile, his darkness, the less than veiled threats and the way he pressed, she understood in that moment. She saw what he knew, what he was showing her he knew and it was the same thing she expected he knew. A Park Avenue princess who wanted to feel special, feel included or even superior. It was everything she had carefully cultivated and allowed to play out, her tweets and secret chats ensuring that was the impression she gave off.
And she could leave it at that, she could shrink back and make little promises that she didn’t mean. She could stamp her feet and demand that she be allowed into the group, the faction she wanted… and she could cross her fingers that Kian would end up there too, or she could let him see just enough.
“Your way?” She closed the step he had closed, circling him with a little sing song tone as she repeated herself. “Your way…” as she made it back around to face him she offered a mocking sad face in place of that smile. “Or else you’re gonna break me? Will it hurt?” A slow blink as that sad face tried to become a smile, when she fought. “Will you make Damn sure it’s agonizingly slow?” She closed the last little spot of distance, tilting her head as she stared at him.
“Do you promise?”
Ozzie’s smirk faded, being replaced by a look of amusement and intrigue as he carefully watched Charli circle around him, while mocking his threats. The way Charli challenged him, the taunting echo of “your way”, held a certain allure to him, in some twisted way. She was daring him, he thought to himself, questioning his ability to do what he’d promised with that tone that edged closer and closer to ridicule.
Oz tilted his head, feigning a look of wounded pride. “So you think that I make empty promises, Char?” Ozzie leaned in just enough so that his breath brushed against her ear, his voice was soft, yet dangerous as he whispered. “Because I don’t. I don’t need to ‘make sure’ of anything being agonizingly slow… I’m not some villain in your fairytale who twists his stache and explains his plan. If I want to break you?” He paused as he flashed a cocky grin. “I won’t be asking if it hurts.”
Savell straightened, watching her carefully, his eyes scanning every shift in her expression. “But I’ll tell you what…” He continued as his tone dropped to one that was almost playful but still had a sharpness to it. “You keep this up, and maybe I’ll give you a front row seat to my way. A way where you end up exactly where I want you, with every choice ‘feeling’ like it’s yours… until it’s too late to realize I was pulling the strings all along.”
His gaze locked onto hers, as his charming facade turned into something darker. “So yes, Char… I promise.”
That change in his gaze continued to stoke the fire that she had tried, and was still trying to stave off. Tilting her head back straight, leaning it up just a little to keep that stare, a flicker of a matched darkness just there. For only a second before she switched her face to one of a mocking pout.
“Sounds dull.” Lifting her right hand she let her index finger draw up his chest until she poked him in it, swallowing down that fire, pushing back her own darkness as far as she could. “You don’t really strike me as the, break a girl mentally, type. It’s not the same is it? Sure you see the hurt in their eyes but…” she let that finger trail and then fall, but she didn’t move. Not even a slight flinch back as she kept her eyes locked on his.
“There’s something to be said for really breaking someone. Taking them well beyond their own limits until you’ve surpassed even their own.” And then she broke into a smile, tapping his arm in a faux-friendly way she just knew he would hate. “But this is your game after all, I appreciate the front seat, I’ve never been the kind of girl who accepts less than the best seats in the house.”
“Dull?” he repeated, his tone laced with amusement, letting her word hang in the air. “It’s only dull if you lack imagination, Charli. But you’re right… there’s a certain artistry to breaking someone, making them realize there’s no escaping the walls closing in.” He paused, letting the silence stretch as his gaze swept over her, lingering just long enough to be unnerving.
He took a small step closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, almost like he was letting her in on a secret. “See, the thing is, the front row can be a lot more uncomfortable than it looks. But hey, if you’re so sure you can handle the heat…” He leaned in, close enough that she could feel his breath, his lips curled into a slow, taunting smile. “Then let’s make sure you get the best view in the house.”
With a casual shrug, he leaned back, breaking the tension just enough to keep her guessing. “But I don’t hand out free passes, Charli. If you want that front seat, you’re going to have to prove you’re worth it. Otherwise, feel free to play with the others who’ll settle for the nosebleeds.” His eyes held hers with an unspoken challenge, as if daring her to meet him on his level, if she even could.
“Prove I’m worth it.” She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, taking the moment to consider his words. They spoke to the part of her that welcomed pain, not just the surface level scream of muscles when pulled, or bones when they break. But the kind of pain that seeps into your very soul, that you carry with you for the decades of your life that follow. Did he see that? She wasn’t sure… but he spoke to it all the same and it piqued her interest. “I really hope your proof requirements don’t involve me taking my clothes off.”
An arch of her brow as she turned on her heel, making a point to turn her back on him as she took a step and a half back towards the wall. She allowed herself to study that wall, to keep her eyes on their shadows that were cast upon it thanks to the opulent overhead lighting.
It could all be bullshit, she knew that. He could actually be just another puppet and one slightly rebellious offshoot of the hive mind Julian had been droning on about, but she doubted it. There was a darkness there that she recognised, a like for like in that monstrous way she refused to submit to. Ozzie didn’t seem to have the same view, his monster on display, his darker desires ever present in that cold, hard gaze that never really lit up when he smiled.
“Because as you so astutely said before. I have a boyfriend and honestly? You’re just not my type.”
Ozzie let out a short, amused laugh, the sound low and mocking. His eyes glinted with something cold and sharp, his expression untouched by her dismissive remark. He didn’t take the bait of her playful insult about his type, nor did he flinch at the mention of her boyfriend. Instead, he shifted his weight forward, letting his presence loom, his gaze steady and unrelenting.
“Not your type? Good. That’s the way I like it. I’m not here to be liked, Charli,” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper, dripping with a calm menace. “But you’re missing the point. This isn’t about attraction, or your boyfriend, or whatever play you think you’re making.” His eyes narrowed, as if piercing through whatever facade she’d tried to present.
“This is about who walks away from this standing taller. It’s about the fact that you’re here, right now, trying so hard to pretend that my words didn’t hit something buried deeper than you care to admit.” He tilted his head, his smirk creeping wider, as if savoring the moment.
“But let’s be clear,” he continued, his tone dropping even lower, almost conspiratorial. “If you think that a little charm or bravado is going to give you any sort of control here, you’re mistaken. Because I don’t care about your type, your little games, or your boyfriend. I care about one thing—making sure that when you look back on this moment, you remember that it was the last time you ever thought you could keep up with a Savell.”
Ozzie took a step back, his gaze still locked on her, daring her to break eye contact. “So go ahead, keep that bravado up, keep convincing yourself this is all on your terms. But remember… I’m not going anywhere. And neither is the control you’re so sure you have.”
“At what point did I even pretend to have some control here?” Her tone turned quizzical, she wasn’t the type to back down or suddenly offer up her servitude and that wasn’t going to change now. But the imagined power struggle intrigued her, it dragged her in all the more. She kept her eyes on him now, her head tilted and brows raised. This wasn’t about control over him, it wasn’t even about the control of the situation any more, it was about her deciding when that came out. When she released the dark, swirling out of utter disgust for everyone and everything that existed in the world. “I can keep up with you, Savell. But that isn’t what this is about, is it? You want me in this faction, you know…”
She paused, catching her tone and setting it back to her default soft tone, the claws of the darkness trying to scratch their way out of her throat as she swallowed them back down. “You know that I’m better on your side than opposing it, that whatever else you think of me, I’m going to do everything and anything to make sure I come out of this academy on top… and that can be useful to you.”
One step closer to him, her eyes still locked on his, not faltering. No bravado on her shoulders, no mocking tone or armor of wit and charm, just her; barely steps from the darkness that pumped fire through her veins. “You want me to earn that seat? To prove I’m worthy of the suffering you’re so hungry to lay down on me you can practically taste blood on the top of your tongue? Then fine.” Her eyes still locked on his, her entire demeanor stripped down to the bones of it all.
“I’m in.”
Ozzie smirked as he watched Charli while she responded. He began to circle her slowly, his eyes dark and unwavering as he read every single nuance in her expression, as if he were peeling back layer after layer that she had so carefully constructed.
“You think control is all about appearances, don’t you?” he asked, his voice smooth but laced with absolute menace. “It’s about projecting a narrative and keeping everyone in line with what you want them to see. You dress down, come here with this look of nonchalance, like none of this matters at all. Like you’re just some spectator in someone else’s theater. But sweetheart…” He leaned in, a cold grin on his face before he responded in a low voice. “Control isn’t about the show… It’s about having the strings in your hands and deciding when to pull them.”
Oz took a step back, crossing his arms as he watched Charli carefully, measuring her reaction. “You’re here because deep down, you know that you don’t have that control here. Not over me, not over The Division. But I’ll give you credit… You’ve convinced the rest of the world you do and maybe that’s worth something.”
Ozzie titled his head, studying her with a mix of challenge and amusement. “But if you’re so determined to prove you are worth my time, Char, then drop the act. Let’s see what’s underneath all those carefully curated walls. I didn’t have you come here for half-truths or theatrics. I came to see if you’re as ruthless and calculated as you want everyone to think… Or if you’re just another pretender hoping to play in the big leagues.”
His gaze peered into hers, waiting, daring her to respond without the mask, to drop the charade. “So what’s it going to be, Charlotte?” He grinned widely, using her real name again. “You in, or are you just here to keep playing dress-up?”
The fire pressed against her skin, burning under the surface as he circled her. She knew what he wanted, to see the part of her that no one saw. The part that was locked so deeply inside of her that she wasn’t even entirely sure she could let it out. Because he was right, she didn’t have control. Not over that piece of her, not over when it came out or how it took action. It was a hot white hatred that vibrated in her bones.
“I’m in.” She repeated the words but this time, she said them plainly and with clear intent. Her eyes locked on his still, that fire that swelled darkening her own eyes. That stare almost disconnected from the person that walked in only moments before. “You want the truth.”
It wasn’t a question, it was an acknowledgement and as she let that wash over her; Charli shrugged. The movement wasn’t dismissive nor was it intended to be. Instead it was a silent statement that she let hang in the air between them, not trying to think ahead or tell him what he wanted. It just was.
“The truth is that I don’t know what happens if I let go.” No more measured pace or considered tone, just truth laid bare. “I don’t care about fame or titles, I don’t care…” she paused, a surrender that was more to herself than it could or would ever be to him. “About anything, other than making people hurt as much as I have. MORE than I have. The rest of it is just there. I can’t prove anything to you because deep down, it doesn’t matter to me if you believe me or not. It just matters to me that I get to take away everything from them. Their hopes, their careers, the light in their eyes. So if that’s enough for you, Savell? Then yeah, I’m in.”
Ozzie’s smirk turned into something deeper, it’s almost as if he was approving of Charli as he listened to her unfiltered truth. Her words sparked a flicker of respect within him, though he wouldn’t dare show it fully, at least, not yet. This? This was the Charli that he had hoped for… One that is unafraid to confront her own darkness, to speak without the fake bravado and careful calculation.
“Good,” he said, nodding as he let her words settle between the two of them. “That’s what I wanted to hear. And don’t worry, I’m not here to tame you or try and ‘break’ you, Charlotte. You want to make people hurt? You want to burn them down to ash?” His eyes glinted with a dark promise. “Then by all means, let loose. Tear through them like they’re nothing. As long as you don’t get in The Division's way, I see no reason to… remove you from the equation.”
Ozzie took a step back and crossed his arms, looking over Charli thoughtfully. “You may think that The Division is some cult or hive mind, but there’s more to it than you understand. It is a vision–a way to upend everything that people cling to in this reality. To rebuild from the chaos. One day, you’ll see it for what it really is. And when that day comes?” He paused, letting the tension build before he continued. “There will be a place for you here. When you’re ready to unleash that part of you without any restraint, The Division will be waiting, ready to let you run rampant and be exactly who you’re meant to be.”
A hint of a smirk tugged at his lips as he shrugged, feigning a casual indifference. “Until then, Southie Syndicate, Legion, Nightfall–doesn’t matter to me. Pick your playground. Cause some destruction, shake things up, make them all question the system that they think they understand. As far as I’m concerned, you’re an outside asset, a wild card who can do what The Division would do without having to wear the name.”
His eyes lingered on hers for a moment, a quiet challenge and a promise was in his gaze. “So go on, Charlotte. Burn the world down if you want, just remember… When you’re ready to stop pretending you’re on the outside? The Division will be right here with a place carved out just for you.”
She nodded, just once. Everything he said made sense and it amounted to them wanting the same thing. She wasn’t ready to let that all out, not yet and she knew that. She played the games she did because she was finding her feet at the same time and as for upending things? That was something she knew possessed a talent in.
“You know, you said something about defending deadbeat dads, when I defended Nathan and you were right. But you know the easiest way to tear someone’s empire down from beneath them, is to do it from inside the walls… so when he’s given in to that side of himself, the side that wishes he was just a few years younger.” Finally she looked away, breaking the stare they had been holding. “When he finally trusts me? Then I’ll be ready.” Stooping down she picked up her bag and slung it back over her shoulder with a small nod.
“Until then I have a boyfriend and a dog waiting for me at home and you…” she smirked slightly as she looked back at him again, putting her confidence back on like an old comfortable sweater. “Probably have some vapid bimbo with daddy issues and a severe lack of self worth to fuck with.” Just beneath the surface as she spoke was that same deep, dark intensity she had let him see. A flicker of a flame behind her gaze as she spoke.
“You have my number. And probably every other form of contact possible. Anything you need, consider it my price of admission.”
Ozzie absorbed all of her words as his smirk turned sharper. “You think I’m all sleaze and show,” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. “But that’s just a charade… A convenient mask to keep people guessing. Julian’s brute force approach has its place, but me? I prefer to get in close, to slip the knife in before they even realize I’m there. Cunning over Chaos, Charlotte. Precision over spectacle.”
He took a step closer, lowering his voice further as there was a coldness over his eyes. “But I digress. You go ahead and tear at the Southie empire from within. Keep up the front but just remember, I am watching. And when you are ready to drop the act and truly release that darkness out to play? The choice is yours, of course, but there is a home for you here in The Division. Just know though… I am watching to see if you are more than just potential.”
With a final approving nod, Ozzie stepped back. “Until then, consider this your invitation. Show me what you’re really capable of when you’re ready.” He turned away, leaving her with the weight of his words and the unspoken challenge they now carried.