Thirty One

Back at the mansion, Julie was scrolling through her phone when she stumbled upon the news. Her heart dropped. The headlines are bold and clear: RAVEN BARRETT’S SECRET AFFAIR WITH HER HUSBAND'S COUSIN.

She rushed to Raven, finding her in the sitting room, drawing in her sketchbook. "Raven," she said breathlessly, holding up her phone, "you need to see this."

Raven's eyes widened as she took the phone from Julie. The blood drained from her face as she saw the photos, Justin leaning in and kissing her neck, but it looked as if they were both kissing.

"No," Raven whispered, her hands trembling. "This isn’t true. I didn’t---"

"I know, and I'm sure Mason won't believe this either," Julie said softly, sitting beside her. "I hate how the media twists things just to get a good story. This is Justin’s doing, I'm sure of it."

"Not just Justin, I know Blair’s involved in this." Raven’s heart pounded in her chest as she picked up her phone to call Mason. The phone rang, but he didn’t answer.