bChapter /bb297 /b

“What?” Zachary’s palms were slick with sweat as he gripped the steering wheel,

Before Seth could respond, the car ahead of them opened its door. Carman stepped out and wandered to the side of the road, letting the wind hit her face.

Only then did the dangerous tension in Seth’s demeanor begin to fade.

He replied, his voice t and emotionless, “It’s fine now.”

If Carman had stayed in that car for just a few more seconds, he would’ve rammed right into it.

The next morning, just as Noreen arrived at the office, Sophia bounced over, practically bursting with excitement.

“Noreen, did you see the gossip news today?”

“When would I have time for that?” Noreen flicked Sophia on the forehead. “Are you getting too boldtely? cking off right in front of your boss, gossiping onpany time?”

Sophia rubbed her forehead, grinning. “But this scandal is just too wild! You have to see it for yourself. I swear, once you do, you’ll want to ditch work and join the crowd.”

Noreen was curious despite herself and nced at Sophia’s phone.

A momentter, she muttered, “…Okay, that’s pretty wild.”

But even that felt like an understatement. She corrected herself: “No, seriously, it’s insane.”

Downright mind–blowing.

She actually knew the person at the center of the scandal–Lillian, Bianca’s cousin.

Her ex–boyfriend, Dennis Ward, had leaked intimate videos they’d filmed together while dating.

That alone would have been shocking enough, but there was more. The videos had been Lillian’s idea.

And the things they did on camera… well, let’s just say they were anything but vani.

Whips, wax, handcuffs…

In one clip, Lillian was on all fours, barking like a dog and calling herself Dennis’s pet, his little ve, begging for his affection.

The footage was jaw–droppingly explicit.

Dennis imed he’d leaked the videos as revenge. He said that during their rtionship, he’d spent over a million dors on Lillian, but when his business tanked, not only did she refuse to help, she dumped him without a second thought.

He couldn’t swallow his pride, so he decided to expose her “sins.”

“If you ask me, she had iting,i” /iSophia said with obvious relish. She’d never liked Lillian and was happy to see her get a taste of her own medicine.

20:05

She’d always said what goes aroundes around–sooner orter.

Whether it was Ruby Wilder or Lillian, they’d both brought this on themselves. fn5b5d Discover more novels at find?novel/fn5b5d

Sophia leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “The videos are everywhere now. And you know how fast this kind of juicy gossip spreads. Even the janitor cleaning the parking lot downstairs knows about it.”

She clicked her tongue in mock sympathy. “I don’t know how Lillian’s ever going to show her face again. Honestly, if I were her, I’d throw myself in the river and be done with it.”

Meanwhile, Lillian herself was having a meltdown at home.

“I can’t take this anymore! I’m going to kill myself! I’ll jump into the river! Don’t try to stop me!” Her mother was beside herself, unable to calm her down as Lillian rushed toward the door.

Just then, reinforcements arrived.

“What kind of nonsense is this?” Yvonne barked as soon as she walked in.

Lillian froze at the sound of her aunt’s voice. She’d always been a little afraid of Yvonne. Now, scolded and ashamed, she crumpled onto the couch, sobbing uncontrobly.

Bianca handed her a tissue. “How could you be so stupid? Filming those kinds of videos with your ex?b” /b

Lillian’s face burned with shame. “I–I thought it was just for fun… How was I supposed to know he’d use them against me?”

“Foolish!” Yvonne snapped, her frustration clear. “Well, that’s it. You can forget about marrying into a rich family now. You made your own bed, now lie in it! And if you jeopardize Bianca and Seth’s engagement because of this, you’ll answer to me!”

“I really do know I was wrong…”

Lillian was drowning in regret, but at this point, it was far toote for that.