Vivian’s POVAfter what I overheard between Lori and Ken, I didn’t know how I felt about working there.But then again, I still have nowhere else to go, and my phone was still switched off, so I don’t even have an idea if Belinda was back in town or not.Reluctantly, I showered and went to the coffee shop. Fortunately, I saw Leo instead, which was a relief to me because I really was not in the mood to see her. From what I heard, not that Lori really had a hand in it, but the fact that she suspected something was going on, and maybe figured out Ken’s intentions and yet, urged me to keep going out with him just did not sit well with me.“Good morning, Leo,” I greeted, making him spun around. I guess he was so lost in thought that he did not even realize that I had entered the shop.“Vivian, you came,” Leo sounded extremely relieved. I noticed that there was also a weary look on his face. He seemed forlorn, and as a result, had aged way more than he was in the hours that I didn’t see hi
Georgia’s POVBonnie and Nancy fawned over Georgia as though she was a lost cat. They ensured that Georgia had more than enough to eat, then shower and take a rest.“We will come back when you have had enough rest,” Nancy had said before she and Bonnie exited the room, allowing Georgia to rest and get over the shock of what happened to her.As soon as they left, Georgia grabbed her phone and scrolled through social media; it was all clear.“Thank goodness!” Georgia said, deeply relieved as she placed her hand on her chest to steady her beating heart.The hotel hadn’t released any news about Georgia, and that was enough to make Georgia relieved and happy, but she wouldn’t let sleeping dogs lie now, would she? They humiliated her and treated her like a nobody simply because she owed them for a few hours.Just a few hours!Well, she had escaped that scandal in one piece, but she would ensure that they paid for the inconvenience they caused her. She still had Nancy and Bonnie to feed her
Vivian’s POVEver since I found that threat note in my room, my fear had increased to a hundred degrees.Without a doubt, I knew that it definitely had to be the picture they were referring to.“We are coming for you too…”The words just kept ringing in my head. What even scared me more was the fact that they entered into the room I locked up to drop the note. I was sure that the person that owned the key to the room beside me was Leo. Staying in the room just became too uncomfortable for me, and I wanted nothing more than to stay away, so I spent most of the day waiting tables, even though we had nothing more than five customers that day.“You need to rest, because of your condition,” Lori said to me, but I ignored her. Since I resumed work that morning, I haven’t looked at Lori; I have been avoiding her eyes, because I just couldn’t shake off the feeling of the conversation I overheard with Ken. The room wasn’t the only place that scared me; even the coffee shop, because of what Le
Vivian’s POVThere was a moment of silence, and in my frozen shock, I thought that perhaps they had deciphered that there was a third party in the shop listening to them. I couldn’t move.The shock of their conversation had me gripped and rooted to my spot, so much so that I could not move my legs. Even though I wanted to move, the fear of being heard had me glued to my position. The silence was deafening.Then Lori broke the ice by speaking first. “He threatened her?” She asked, sounding unbelievably shocked.It dawned on me that it was the shock of what Leo had told Lori that made keep quiet.“She refused to tell me the content of the note. She said she didn’t remember, but I knew she was lying; there is no way anyone would get a threat note and forget its content,” Leo said.I used my hands to cover my mouth to prevent me from shouting. What kind of employers were they? What kind of job did I land myself? There were a whole lot of things that were going on here that I didn’t know
Vivian’s POV“Damn! Damn! Damn!” I cursed in agony.I tried the lock again, but it didn’t budge.“Of course it wouldn’t be, you dumb head!” I said to myself. It was obvious that the door was locked; they had closed for the night. “How am I supposed to get out now?” I asked myself regrettably.If I had known, I would have left the shop before they finished their argument, but I was too invested in their conversation, and too scared to even move a foot that I just stayed there. Now, I was locked in. “This isn’t good, Vivian,” I scolded myself.This was the second time I was listening in on very vital and scary and suspicious conversations, and they always seemed to happen after work hours. I was scared to my bones, but I was also curious. I wanted to know what was going on, especially now that I had been plunged into murder threats. I turned and looked around; the coffee shop did not seem like a place I could lay my head. Even if I placed the tables together, it would still not be c
Vivian’s POVMy hands flew to my mouth in shock, and I guess Leo and Lori were also shocked, but they were quiet for some minutes.I could not see them from where I hid, but I could hear them clearly. Heck, I could even decipher their emotions from the sound of their voice.A break in?!Leo was the first to recover from his shock. He cleared his throat and asked, “Excuse me?” “I just said there was a break in last night, and I am here to speak to you about it,” the detective said.I held my mouth tightly, unable to breathe for fear of being found. Things just continued to get messier and messier! First, I was locked in, and now this? But thinking about it, it was actually by divine mercy that they had locked me in the coffee shop, because if they hadn’t, I would have been attacked, and probably murdered.“Vivian, we know what you did. You have something of ours with you, but we are coming for you…soon.”The words on the threat note flashed through my mind, and I shivered in fear. I w
Georgia’s POVThe news about Georgia being assaulted broke out really fast, and Georgia was surprised at the attention it was getting online. More than that, she had gotten sympathy from Nancy and Bonnie who had insisted that she remained with them until she felt better. Thankfully too, Georgia had been able to uphold her manipulative hold on Syrus.They sat in Syrus’s car as they drove to the place of her interview. Georgia smiled inwardly; she was finally getting what she wanted, and the money that would come with it was beyond what Georgia ever imagined. True to their words, they had tripled the initial payment.By the end of this interview, she would be a few dollars richer!Georgia caught Syrus staring at his phone. She almost wanted to feel insecure and neglected, but then she recalled that Vivian was still nowhere to be found or seen.Georgia shifted in her position and cleared her throat; she wanted to talk to Syrus desperately.“What is so interesting about your phone?” Geor
Syrus’s POVSyrus was speechless. He blinked and swallowed, confused. Georgia said he just had to be there and say a few words, so why was he being attacked?“Can you answer the question, Syrus Vale?” The interviewer pushed. “Did you cheat on your ex-wife with Georgia or not? The evidence is here for all to see.”Syrus was too stunned to even answer her. First of all, he did not see this coming at all. Secondly, he never knew that there was a proof of his infidelity. He had no idea that anyone knew.“What are you talking about? Where is your proof?” Syrus asked, after he was able to get out of his shock.“One of the hotel staff where you and Georgia lodged to commit adultery saw you two, and took pictures of you with the date on it, and according to record, it was before your divorce,” the interviewer said. It was obvious that she had come highly prepared and ready.Syrus began to panic. This was an interview by a popular blog, and if it ever got out, he would be ruined, especially wh
Georgia’s POVGeorgia stayed hidden in that spot and watched everything play out. She had planned everything with Adrian, but she needed to be sure that nothing was going to go wrong. Georgia watched Bonnie give Adrian a side look, and she raised her nose up.“All of you from wealthy homes are always looking down on people at first look,” Georgia said to herself in disdain.She was familiar with that kind of look all too well, because when she was trying to make her way to the top, she faced a lot of criticism from wealthy and influential people. Georgia also knew that if she wasn’t where she was now, Bonnie would not give her a first look at all.“Well, all that is about to change,” Georgia said as she paid attention to the pair. She arranged it in such a way that made her hear everything they were talking about.“I am waiting on someone, and you are in her seat,” Bonnie said in her rich, proud, and sophisticated voice that made Georgia want to drag off all the wealth and influence
Georgia’s POVIn private now, Georgia held her hand to her chest and released the breath that she had been holding.“That was freaking close!” Georgia said in shock.While she sat there and watched the banter among Syrus, Nancy and Bonnie, Georgia had been praying that Bonnie wouldn’t be pressured into telling the truth, thereby mentioning her name.She was really smart enough to have told Bonnie to wire it over to her, because she knew without a doubt that Syrus definitely tried to trace that money. “I have to think of something,” Georgia said to herself in thought.She received the mail of her officially approved contract with the TV show, which meant that the money would soon be paid to get. It also meant that she would soon begin her tour. All things seemed to be working well for Georgia. Now, her only problem was Bonnie. Georgia had a deep feeling that if Syrus applied just the right pressure, she would slip. She knew Bonnie and the soil she was made from. Bonnie was too soft at
Vivian’s POV“Twenty thousand dollars?!” For a moment, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me, but from the look on Manny’s face, I knew he was not joking. Why would he? Who would joke about something as important as this?Manny took a seat, dejected. He looked like he was dressed for work, but I couldn’t ask him.“Dad’s medical bills certainly shouldn’t have cost that much,” I said with certainty. Not like I had any valid proof, but I just couldn’t believe it at all. “You weren’t here, Vivian, so you have no idea what it was like,” Manny said.There was still the underlying tone of anger and resentment which I just recently figured out, and it really broke my heart. Well, I guess everyone in my family now officially hates me.“I know that, but…” I tried to talk, but Manny interrupted me.“What about that Jane girl?” Manny asked out of the blue. I blinked several times, because for a moment, I could not understand Manny’s question, and he noticed my confusion.“The girl you m
Vivian’s POV“What does that even mean?!” I asked, angrier now.“What doesn’t it mean? Vivian?” Manny responded, equally upset, even though we were both equally trying to keep our voices down so that we would not wake dad up.“He does not want to see you, or speak to you! I wouldn’t even have let you in if he was awake!” Manny spewed.His words hit me like a punch in my guts, making me stagger backwards. So this was what life had become for me. My dad who accepted me when I returned after the divorce no longer accepted me.“This is not fair!” I said as hot, bitter tears began to fall from my eyes. “This is not fair at all.”It was as though my words aroused the anger that Manny had been trying so hard to keep at bay.“It is not fair? Vivian, do you have any idea the pain you have caused us?!” Manny bellowed. “First of all, you ran off with a man that none of us approved of!” Manny said.“I know that. I know that,” I was crying now, in deep regret.“That alone, caused dad to have his f
Vivian’s POVAfter Belinda left for work, I began to contemplate whether or not I should go. I wouldn’t have gone if Ted hadn’t been taken away, which should have given me enough confidence, but now, I just felt horrible going, because all this problem was because of me.I hadn’t spoken to Manny since the last call when he told me to run to safety. Maybe he must have been trying to reach me, but my phone was switched off.“You don’t have all the time in the world to contemplate, Vivian,” I told myself, because if I don’t go now, I might not catch Manny at home before he goes to work.So I got dressed and left the apartment, taking the key with me.On my way there, my heart began to pound heavily, and I wondered why I was feeling this way about visiting my family. I used to be very comfortable around them, and even though we have had our rough patches, we were still a family.Standing in front of the door now, I inhaled and exhaled.“You have got this, Vivian,” I encouraged myself befo
Vivian’s POVI have been reminiscing on the things that Belinda revealed to me, and I could barely make sense of it.I watched Belinda getting dressed for work as I stayed lazily in bed, my mind trying to understand everything.“Vivian!” Belinda practically yelled my name, making me snap out of my reverie. “Jeez, you were lost for a moment,” Belinda said.“No, I have been here,” I lied, and Belinda knew I was lying. I really do not understand why I lie to her when she could read me like a book. “I have been talking for about ten minutes, and you completely zoned out, so stop lying to me,” Belinda said.“Okay, what were you saying?” I asked, somehow sensing that she was yapping about silly things.After talking at length yesterday, I had pleaded with Belinda to spend the night with me. It was my first night in the apartment, and I did not want to sleep alone. Trauma from that small town still haunted me greatly; which was even why I switched off my phone. Thinking about it now, I had
Syrus’s POV“Mum, do you have an idea what Bonnie did? Did she tell you? Are you also in on this?” Syrus asked his mother, fuming.He had gotten a worrisome call from the family’s finance officer who expressed his deep concerns about how huge amounts of money was being withdrawn from the family account. First, it was Bonnie, then Syrus, and now Syrus was requesting for another amount of money.Syrus would be really upset if his mother was in on this.“You can at least start by talking first, Syrus,” Nancy demanded authoritatively.Georgia just sat there watching the family drama, and hoping to God that Bonnie would not be forced into mentioning her name, otherwise she would be doomed. This was the only family that she pitched her tent for now.“Bonnie had five thousand dollars wired out of the account, and I demand to know what she used the money for!” Syrus bellowed.“So you refused to answer mum’s question, but you want to force me into answering yours, right?” Bonnie stated stubbor
Georgia’s POVGeorgia was upset and disappointed at Bonnie for making her waste her time going all the way to that property only to discover that there was no one there.In as much as she would like to, she could not show off her anger and disappointment towards Bonnie. If she didn’t need both mother and daughter to reach her goal, she wouldn’t bother with a dumb head like Bonnie.“Sometimes, being born with a silver spoon just makes them really stupid and silly,” Georgia said to herself, referring to Bonnie. Georgia was not particularly a fan of these rich kids, because half of them were not remotely as smart as she was, and that was because they had everything practically handed over to them in a platter of gold.Georgia arrived at Syrus home, and for the first time, she really hoped that Syrus would not be at home. She did not want to see him, at least not now, and she was still very upset that after that interview, he never bothered to reach her. Instead, he had gone to be the kni
Georgia’s POVGeorgia arrived at home in a lighter mood, because a few minutes after she left Brenda’s apartment, she got a call from Brenda.“Have you changed your mind?” Georgia teased. She already knew the answer, but Georgia just enjoyed toying with her victims.“No, I haven’t,” Brenda responded, and from the sound of her voice on the phone, Georgia could tell that she was still shaken.Very good, just the way Georgia liked it!“I wanted to inform you that the interview video has been deleted completely, and it would never be out in the public,” Brenda said.“How am I certain that this isn’t a lie just so that I would not expose you?” Georgia asked.She was not a fool. In fact, she was way smarter than a bunch of people, and she knew how these things worked, because she had been in the game long enough, which was why she did not even talk about her other blackmail request yet.“Because you have just been crowned our star of the season,” Brenda announced.Georgia could not believe