I, Ian

Chapter One

For many of the citizens of the Brentwood and West Hollywood in Los Angeles, to know Ivy Victoria Levine is to hate her with a deep passion.

Why?

Despite her model-worthy looks that can make the likes of Hadid, Bundchen, and Kurlinkova turn green with envy; that didn't excuse her for having a heart of black tar with her hatred of the LGBTQ community. Her social-media influencer status didn't pardon her from making hate comments against men. And her family's wealth definitely didn't give her the excuse of being known as the pariah of the Los Angeles area

Most guys that were unfortunate enough to cross her path ended up with her barbed words. "Men are so egotistical and self-righteous," she would rant on her TikTok and Snapchat videos. "God must've been messed up to create Adam to be Eve's man. I don't care what the Bible says. Life would be better off if women ruled the world."

And as for her blogs on the LGBTQ community? "Doesn't everyone know that a man shouldn't lie with another man as one would lay down with a woman? I might not agree with some of the things, especially on how the man is supposed to be the head of the family, but even I know that all the gays should be killed immediately. If I was running for president, I would make sure that every state and territory in the USA would have conversion therapy treatments with federal funding. This mess that's going on in the world is all because of those gay people!"

Of course, that earned her with a decline in followers since most of them had relatives or friends who were part of the LGBTQ community while most of her sponsors also dropped her completely.

In regards to her family, they weren't too keen on her lifestyle as an influencer or her comments about men or the anti-LGBTQ comments. She and her mother, a well-established and respected civil attorney, often got into heated arguments when Olivia Levine was hired to work with a gay or transgender client and the person was harassed by Ivy and ridiculed on her blog. "Your actions are making a mockery out of me and my firm," Olivia would say to her daughter when a client got scared away by her daughter. "You know that I'm called to make sure that minorities are given a fair shake."

"Mom, I'm only doing what's needed," Ivy would argue. "Besides, it's their fault for not going along with the Bible. 'Anyone who lies down with a man as one does with a woman needs to be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.' It says so."

"You're going too damn far, Ivy," her mother would warn. "One of these days, you're going to cross the wrong person and you'll soon reap what you sow. And all I can tell you is that you better change your ways before it's too late."

Who would've thought that one trip to the coffee shop one day would be the catalyst of this storyline?

***************

"I can't believe Mom had you two talk me into abandoning my usual day of blogging to spend time with you for some coffee," Ivy lamented to her two best friends Asha Montrose (the daughter of a Lexus car salesman in Downey) and Candide Sorrell (daughter of Gerald S., a famous jazz musician and talent scout) as she sat in the backseat of the former's black Lexus sedan as a steady downpour of rain fell outside. "You two know that today's my peak day to share my content."

"Well, Mrs. L. gave Candy and me strict instructions to keep you off the screens for the day and away from the phone," Asha replied as she turned onto State Avenue and into the slightly-congested afternoon traffic. "Besides, she said that you've been going overboard with your anti-man and no-gays-allowed videos and blog posts. Not only that, her firm's been suffering because of you."

"How,"

Candide, who was known to be frank and brutally honest by her friends, gave Ivy a pointed look. "Need we remind you of how you teamed up with the other litigants to scare off clients into either being straight, dropping the lawsuit, or both?" she said in her Scottish accent. "Or how you and what little bit of allies you managed to gather up would pull pranks at the trials before framing them and making them look like bad guys? Or better yet, how you managed to humiliate every single gay guy before vainly seducing any straight or trans guy into doing your bidding?"

"Well, it's all for my benefit and to show everyone that I'm not to be messed with," Ivy rebutted. "I mean, I can go too far, but only for the greater good."

"And what, pray tell, is your version of the greater good?" Asha asked.

"Simple. I'm making sure that every gay person and every man in all spectrums- handsome, ugly, young, old, and everything in between- know their place," Ivy said as she frowned at the burner phone her mother allotted to have instead of her usual phone. "And that is the bottom of the rung. Straight people- women in particular- rule everything."

Asha sighed as she pulled into the parking lot near a coffee shop. "Someday, Ivy, you're going to say the wrong thing to the wrong person and you're going to wish that you've never did," she said, her Southern drawl laced with contempt for her best friend. "The moment that you step on the wrong toes, I can only tell you that I told you so."

"That'll be the day," Ivy scoffed, glaring at the parking lot before turning her attention to the coffee shop Asha parked nearby. "Hey, I thought we were going to our usual Starbucks for coffee like we always do."

Candide's green eyes lit up. "Oh, we forgot to mention it to you yesterday. That place's closed up for renovations," she explained. "Asha wanted to try this amazing coffee shop that her cousin works at. From what she told me, it's also a deli and a bakery with a great menu and even holds a live concert for the weekends."

"Well, I want to go to Starbucks to get my usual Caramel Venti Latte," Ivy complained, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, girl, but it's either Mama Kaneva's Coffee and Treats, or me taking you back to your place where you can stay with your mom to play secretary with her and her workers- no phone or vlogging," Asha remarked. "Your choice.

Ivy groaned, knowing that she didn't want to make coffee for her mom and her co-workers without access to her main phone. "Fine," she grumbled. "But they better have the best coffee there."

"I promise," Asha replied. "And I'm giving you fair warning to be nice to my cousin. Not only is he my cousin and his mom- my aunt- is the owner; he knows you very well and isn't too happy about what you've been saying."

Ivy smirked. "At least he knows about me. Maybe I can seduce him into-"

"Forget it, Ivy," Candide interrupted. "He's not into you since he has a boyfriend."

Ivy's face fell briefly. "Well, it's still a good thing that we're here since I get to show him who's boss. I'll be outside waiting for you." With that, she grabbed her umbrella, unlocked the backseat door, and stepped out into the pouring rain before checking her makeup with her compact mirror.

Asha and Candide watched her friend walk towards the main entrance of Mama Kaneva's. "I wonder if she knows that your cousin Antoine is also a powerful voodoo witch," Candide asked as she grabbed her purse.

Asha snorted. "If she doesn't, she'll know soon enough," she replied. "And if she pisses him off, she'll end up hexed faster than I can sing 'Dixie.' Come on, Candy. We better go."

With that, both young women gathered their umbrellas and purses before joining their blonde friend. And as a low rumble of thunder echoed, no one would be prepared enough for what would happen next when Ivy met Antoine Ra'Keem Deveraux.

Well, folks, you met Ivy Levine and what she stands for! A spitfire of a lady, isn't she? Well, her comments is going to write a check she won't be able to cash...especially when she meets Antoine Deveraux and his mother in the next chapter!

Dedication: ElsaQuinn and JeremyRamdeen. Media: "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish.

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