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.