Chapter 34

MRS. DANIELLA JOHNSON'S POV

The ringing of my phone jolted me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the screen and saw the name of Nadia’s mother. Something about the urgency in her tone when I answered unsettled me.

“Daniella, have you seen the latest update online?” she asked, her voice almost trembling with excitement or fear…I couldn’t tell.

“Update? What update?” I asked, suddenly wary.

“I can’t believe you haven’t seen it. Check your social media right now. It’s about Tammie and Richard. You need to see it,” she said hurriedly. Her words sent a cold chill down my spine.

As I ended the call, I turned towards Tammie, who was sitting quietly across the room, and Richard, who had been standing near the window.

My instincts told me that they might already know what this was about. Richard’s gaze met mine briefly before he quickly looked away, confirming my suspicion.

“What is going on?” I muttered to myself, picking up my phone and opening my social media app.

It didn’t take long to find the video. My heart sank as I watched Tammie, my only daughter, telling Richard that she didn’t love him.

The video had gone viral, shared and commented on by thousands. My chest tightened with a mix of anger and disappointment.

“Tammie!” I snapped, unable to contain my frustration.

“What is it, Mom?” she asked, her tone cautious.

I turned my phone towards her so she could see for herself. Her face fell as she peered at the screen.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, placing her hand over her mouth. Her eyes darted toward Richard, whose stoic expression made it clear he had already seen the video.

“You knew about this, didn’t you?” I asked Richard sharply. He said nothing, simply averting his gaze.

“Mom, I swear I didn’t mean for this to happen!” Tammie cried, her voice trembling. “I don’t even know who recorded it!”

I could feel the anger bubbling within me. “You don’t know who recorded it? Do you know how this makes us look, Tammie? It looks like your father and I are trying to force you into this marriage. Do you realize what this could do to our reputation?”

“Mom, please! I didn’t tell anyone to record it. I didn’t even know someone was there!” Tammie pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

Her excuses only fueled my frustration. I couldn’t believe the mess we were in. “You’ve embarrassed this family, Tammie! After everything we’ve done for you, is this how you repay us?” I moved closer to her, my voice rising with each word.

Tammie's Pov

I had never felt more cornered in my life. The video had caught me off guard, but my mother’s anger made it ten times worse.

She was shouting at me, her words cutting deeper than any insult from a stranger ever could.

“Mom, I didn’t mean to me…” I tried to explain, but she wouldn’t listen.

Her frustration boiled over, and for a moment, I thought she was going to hit me. She raised her hand, and I instinctively turned my face, bracing for the slap. But it never came.

When I opened my eyes, Richard was standing between us, holding my mother’s hand mid-air. “Mrs. Johnson, please,” he said softly but firmly. “There’s no need for this.”

“Richard, stay out of this,” she snapped, but he didn’t let go of her hand.

“Maybe someone else recorded it without her knowledge. Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Richard said, his voice calm and composed.

I was grateful for his intervention, but the guilt and embarrassment were overwhelming. “Mom, I didn’t do this on purpose,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

“Then who did? Who thought it was a good idea to film this and put it online?” she demanded, glaring at me.

“I don’t know!” I cried. “I don’t know who did it!”

Mrs. Daniella Johnson's POV

Richard’s attempt to calm the situation only irritated me further.

“Do you understand the damage this could cause?” I said, turning my attention back to Tammie.

“People will think your father and I are forcing you into this marriage. Do you know what that will do to our name? To the empire we’ve built over the years?”

Tammie was sobbing now, but my anger wouldn’t let me stop. “How could you be so careless, Tammie? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“Mrs. Johnson, please,” Richard said again, his voice steady. “This isn’t her fault. Someone else must have recorded it. Let’s focus on finding out who did it instead of blaming her.”

I wanted to argue, but the sincerity in his tone gave me pause. He truly believed she was innocent, and his unwavering defense of her softened my anger…if only slightly.

TAMMIE'S POV

Richard’s words were a small comfort, but the weight of my mother’s disappointment was crushing. I had never seen her this angry, and I felt like a failure.

“I didn’t plan this,” I said between sobs. “I didn’t even know someone was recording us. I swear, Mom.”

Richard wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a comforting embrace. “It’s okay,” he whispered, patting my back gently. “We’ll figure this out.”

But I wasn’t sure if we could. The damage had already been done.

MRS. DANIELLA JOHNSON'S POV

Seeing Richard console Tammie brought a lump to my throat. As much as I wanted to stay angry, I couldn’t ignore the pain in my daughter’s eyes.

She was crying uncontrollably, and Richard’s support seemed to be the only thing keeping her from breaking down completely.

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” she said again, her voice barely audible.

I sighed, my anger slowly giving way to concern. “Tammie, we need to find out who recorded that video. Until we do, this situation isn’t going to get any better.”

She nodded, still clinging to Richard. I couldn’t tell if she was genuinely sorry or just overwhelmed by the backlash. Either way, we had a long road ahead of us.