EMMA.“Let me get something straight, you want me to release my sex tape?” I asked, in disbelief. Kristy nodded like what she said was absolutely normal.“That's insane.”“My plan might be insane, but it works.”I didn't know what to say to that. In a way, Kristy did have a point. If the tape was out, and about, Isabella would have nothing to hold me down. If she wasn't the first to release the tape, she would be furious. I imagined the look of surprise, then anger she would wear. It would be satisfactory.“How sure are we that Stella will want to take the job?” I asked.“I've been monitoring her profile. Ever since she started working at your company, she has changed the way she dresses. For some reason, I think she's trying to emulate you. She admires you.”That was hard to believe. Given everything that had occured in that office, and my life in general, I didn't think anyone would look at me in awe. Heck, I would be lucky to find someone who didn't glare in disgust.“I don't think
EMMA.Stella was stunned, I was frozen in place. Kristy’s jaw was wide open. We all looked at each other, not knowing what to say. I had to give Stella her flowers, she was sleek in her business. No one would have ever guessed she would be in such an occupation. I had expected her to try covering up as soon as she saw us, but she didn't. She just stood there, naked.“Who are they?” One of the nude men asked.“Give us some privacy, please.” Stella replied. All three men walked out of the room.I took a quiet step forward, with Kristy by my side. I turned to see that she was fully flushed.“How do you do it?” she asked.I touched her by the arm. “That's offensive,” I muttered to her.Stella waved my opinion off. “It's fine. I've been into this for four years.” She replied.I remained fixated as she pulled out a towel, and wrapped it over herself. I took a deep breath, finally able to focus.“Let's have a seat,” she offered.I looked around, not wanting to touch anywhere they had had s
ISABELLA.“You have to be fucking kidding me!” I screamed, throwing the wine bottle across the room. I heard footsteps run up the stairs.I picked out my phone again, taking a closer look. The headline was the same. I wiped my eyes repeatedly. It couldn't be true. The tape couldn't be leaked. I hadn't given any blogs the green light.I wiped slowly, reading through the message. As I scrolled further, realization hit me.The blog hadn't just released the tape, they even gave the wrong fucking identity. I read through, seeing that they tagged as the said woman in the tape. That was dirty, but wrong. I tapped on her profile, and opened it to see a ‘Stella McCartney’. They had the wrong woman!“Who the fuck is that?” I asked, out loud. The door to my room opened. I looked up to find two of my maids, standing confused.“Ma'am, are you alright?” One of them asked.“I'm fine. Leave.” I replied, still focused on her page. Her face looked familiar. I could tell we had seen each other once or
EMMA.The seconds seemed to go by slowly as he approached us. I watched him, not sure if I was watching in adoration, or in anger. He knew I didn't want him anywhere close to my sister, but he still approached her.“Zara,” he called out her name, stretching his hands forward.“Zayn,” she called back.Seeing someone use his middle name was news to my ears. “How are you feeling now?”“I’m good. I'll be better soon.” She replied.“It's a pity this happened right before tryouts for the tournament.”“I know right?”“Maybe you'll try again next year. Moreover, you still have two years left in the university.”“Yeah. Please sit,” she offered.He sat on the opposite side of the bed. I felt invisible, none of them acknowledged me. I was grateful for that. After all that had been going on, it was nice to just watch a normal conversation, and pretend Alex was truly my boyfriend. One who got along perfectly with my younger sister.Their conversation flowed from sports, to school, to a lecturer s
ISABELLA.I stood before the door to her home with my phone in hand. It had taken less than an hour for me to find her address. I didn't know if I should knock or not. I clinged onto my handbag, trying to clear my thoughts. After three bottles of wine, my thinking had gone haphazard. I was spoke too slurry for El to understand, and the hefty feeling in my chest was still there. I closed my eyes, trying to muster some confidence.I wouldn't threaten or harm her. All I needed was a plain conversation between us, and she would explain why she took credit for a clip that wasn't hers.I heaved a deep breath again. “No need for drama,” I told myself, knowing fully well I couldn't do it… Maybe I could. I definitely could.I pressed the doorbell, but nothing rung. Rolling my eyes in disdain, I took a step back. Of course she couldn't afford a working doorbell. The sneaky, lying piece of shit was looking to use my husband as a means out of her poverty. I snorted, before tapping gently on the
ISABELLA.I watched, panting as she scurried into the empty chair. My eyes darted around quickly, searching the environment. On one hand, I wanted to end this menace. On another, I wanted to make Stella pay. If I used Stella as a scapegoat, her partner would learn not to toy with me. I watched the bitch’s lip quiver as tears flowed down her eyes.“Oh will you shut up!” I barked at her, still tightening my grip on the knife.I needed another weapon, and a rope. Her mobility was a great risk for me. I considered checking the cupboards, but even in my drunken state, I knew taking my eyes off her was a great risk.“Fuck!” I cursed out loud, banging my palms on the desk.She shivered, and shook in fear. I wiped my eyes with my palm. Sweat had gathered all over my face. I touched my neck, only to find out my temperature was dropping slightly.“It's all your fault!” I started to speak, “you ruined everything! You should have just stayed in your place. One mistress I can deal with, but two…tw
EMMA.I walked out silently, weakened by all Stella had said. I forced my hands into my pocket, trying to push out the thoughts in my head. The fear in Stella's eyes was as clear as day. Nothing I could say would change her mind. She feared for her life, and I couldn't blame her. Isabella was crazy. Coming over to threaten Stella with a gun was the height of it. I sighed deeply, before taking in the air in the atmosphere. I knew it was a matter of hours before Stella went live, and once she did, it would take blogs less than an hour to connect dots and make everything public. I didn't know if I should head to the hospital or my home. I wanted to lay my head, and forget everything, but I equally knew I had to check on my sister. I was all she had. Leaving her alone at the hospital was unwise.I wiped my eyes, trying to stop the tears from pouring. I shouldn't have released that tape. I should've bought more time. Now, it was out, and my only escape had decided to flee for her life. W
EMMA.“I don't understand this,” she said out loud, pushing her weight up. I watched her struggle to sit right.“Please just lay down. You're not strong enough to sit.” I said to her, I didn't want to approach her just yet. She would be contaminated with the sin that I was. “Emma, why?” She asked in a deep sigh. Confusion was bold in her eyes. “Why would you do such a thing? Like, why? I don't get it! It makes no sense!” She shouted.I covered my mouth with my palm, trying to stifle the tears. I didn't want to cry before her.“Emma, this isn't you! You're better than this! I know you are!” I watched her scream the words out, veins bulging from the side of her head.I wanted to tell her that I wasn't better than what I did. I did in fact, fit into the description the press gave. Whatever Stella had said was right.“Emma,” she called my name, in a deeper sigh. Disbelief was all too evident. “Emma,” she called again, “I want to believe this is a lie. I want to believe you were framed.
EMMA.At about five pm, Samuel had texted, telling me I would get picked up by eight. That meant I had three hours to prepare. Kristina and I had already chosen the dress, shoes, and bag I would use so it wasn't that much work left, but I still panicked.I needed to get my hair, and make up right.We eventually started preparing by six pm. A girl needed her time to prepare right?I sat before the mirror as Kristina worked her magic with my hair. Luckily, Zara had some curlers around and we made judicious use of them.“This date will be amazing,” Kristina said, brushing my hair.“I hope so,” I replied, trying to ease the tension I felt in my chest.It had been a while since I went on a first date with anyone. What were the etiquettes? What would we talk about?For someone who had decided to dump the dating pool for a long while, it surely was too early for me to be rehearsing what to say on a first date. What would we even talk about? I couldn't think of one thing we had in common. Su
EMMA.I knew Kristina often worked out to tone her body, and maybe gain some strength, but I was beyond surprised when she lifted the heavy box off the floor, and headed into the living room.I stepped out of the way giving her all needed chance just so she could do what she wanted.She slammed the box on the floor, turning to face me.“It wasn't even that heavy,” she said, breathing heavily. Yeah…“It wasn't that heavy but you lifted it off the floor, and slammed it down like a two hundred and sixty five pounds man. Oh, and the delivery man himself refused to lift it because she thought it was ‘too heavy’”“Come on, you know I work out. I lift weights often. This is a breeze.”“I work out too, but you don't see me lifting things like superwoman.”.She laughed out, wiping her face.“There's absolutely no point in arguing over this. Samuel gave you a gift, and I helped you bring it in. The least you could do is appreciate me.”“Fine,” I agreed, “thank you.”*You're welcome.”“Now let'
EMMAOh well. The day I agreed to go on a date had arrived.I didn't inform Kristy, neither did I tell Zara. Not even my mother was aware.I sat on my bed, pondering on what to wear. I knew I should have told them what happened, but after yesterday's event, we all clocked out.Since then, I just couldn't come up with a way to tell them. Not that they would be annoyed or anything.I knew they would be excited for me. They loved me.Kristina on one hand would be over the moon. She had been waiting for this for a long time.But in my heart, I harbored some thoughts.Was it wise to start something with Samuel?What if it didn't work out? What would happen to his lovely relationship with my family? He knew them before me. I didn't want to get in the way of anything.If I ended up ruining their friendship, I would be pissed at myself forever. I couldn't even tell if I would recover from that.Then again came the question of time. Wasn't it too early to date? Did I want to fall in love jus
EMMA Well, it was safe to say this was the sweetest and most intentional thing any man had ever said to me.I was dumbfounded, and couldn't even come up with any concrete reply. “Emma,” he called my name.“Yes?” I croaked out.He seemed to be genuine. As I stared at him, I will ndered if his words were genuine? They could always be lies.I would be a fool to believe his lies.“Emma, I want to take the appropriate step. Can I take you out on a date tonight?”Tonight? I had nothing to wear. All the clothes I had brought were casuals, and it would be almost impossible to find an outfit that would work in less than six hours.“What's the time?” I asked,He pulled out his phone. “Six thirty three.” He answered.No. Definitely too late.“I don't think I can,” I replied, slowly. I just hoped he didn't get the wrong message. I did want to go on a date with him, but I was beyond unprepared.“Why?” He askedIf I asked for a dress for the date would I come out as entitled?I mean, he had alrea
EMMA.He turned around.“Are you sure about that? I can always come by later.” I closed off my phone, “I'm sure.” I replied.His smile was all too bright for his excitement to be hidden. It somehow made me excited too. He had this boyish glow in his eyes whenever he was excited.I walked up to him.As I approached him, I noticed his eyes following my chest.Little did I realize that I wasn't exactly clad. I had unbuttoned my shirt, and while I had covered up, the buttons were mixed up, giving him access to see my chest. He looked away immediately. What a gentleman. Well-behaved. He maintained eye contact with me, and in his eyes, I could see him battling not to look again.Something about that turned me on.“Please come back,” I said.I said out loud just because. It was good that I did. I wanted to choose someone who wasn't Alex, and I had done that. I verbally, outrightly chose someone who wasn't Alex.I had broken free away from his grasp. I was my own woman.I took a breath, l
EMMA.The first time I had made an attempt at calling Alexander Blackwood after his wife pleaded, he did not answer.I was immensely grateful for that. At least, I could say I tried.I mean, it would go down in record that I dialed his number, right?Yes, it would. I hadn't done anything wrong.I laid in bed, watching the ceiling, engrossed in thoughts.The day had gone all so well. Kristina and Samuel had gotten into a deep conversation about me, and I didn't want to be there while they analyzed my lifestyle.Well, two hours had gone by, and neither of them had come up to me.I looked out the window, only to find the entire family, and some friends in the backyard. They seemed to be having fun discussions, and eating together.Did anyone notice my absence?Did it matter?I was sure they were preoccupied with activities.I laid back.Looking at my screen, I stared at my wallpaper. There was a picture of me in sunglasses, and red lipstick. My smile was broad, and genuine. I was all too
Emma.“Hey, Emma. We need to talk,” Mrs. Blackwood's voice came out as soft and gentle, but it was enough to send a chill down my spine. I sucked in a deep breath and wondered if picking her call was a good idea. I hadn't thought it through before picking her call.“Mrs. Blackwood,” I replied, sounding a little apprehensive. “How may I help you?”I didn't need a mirror to know my face had turned pale. I could easily tell from the weird and worried look plastered on Samuel and Kristina's faces. Kristina mouthed the words, “Are you okay?”I shrugged.Mrs Blackwood let out an audible breath before continuing. “It's about my husband.”My mouth ran dry. I knew bullying Anna wasn't far from him, but talking his wife into speaking with me? I didn't think he'd go that low.“Firstly, my husband didn't send me to call you, if that's what you're thinking,’’ she continued.“Okay,” I whispered into the phone. I could feel my heartbeat pick up pace. If Alex had not coerced her into calling me, the
EMMA.“Well,” Samuel started his speech, still standing really close to me, “I would try to initiate a conversation to see if there's any remote chance we could have anything serious.”“And then?” Kristina urged,I knew what she was searching for, and judging by the kind of person Samuel seemed to be, he would play along, and that would ruin me.“After that, I would try to make a grand gesture for her. That is after she has given me a green light of course,”Did I, by any chance, give him a greenlight?“And what's the definition of a greenlight to you?” Kristina probed,“I don't think it's wise to disturb,” I tried to divert their attention, but Kristina was so focused on what she was trying to achieve.Knowing the kind of person she was, I let her be. If she wanted to prove, she better do it.Moreover she would be gone in three days, and after that, the only source of information she would have would be me. I would definitely make her suffer. It wasn't time yet.I just had to endure
EMMA.I didn't know how to react to that message. Well, it was obvious Samuel wasn't trying to hide his status, but what was he doing in such a small town? He was supposed to be with the top leagues.I had heard of the johnsons. Although I had never met or had any personal encounter with them, I had attended some of their parties. Of course, Alex had been invited to some of their parties, and when I worked as his assistant, I was an immediate invitee.I bit my lips gently. If I was wiser, I should have taken advantage of that opportunity.I should have made some friends, even at the least a few connections with some elites. They would have helped.I took a deep breath.“What is he doing here though? As a sheriff at that,” Kristina finally asked the questions in my heart,“We have no idea. Although some say his father is trying to build a brand here so he's kind of preparing the place for him.”“Hmm…” I took a breath, “so, he's brooding this place.”“Something of that sort,” my mothe