“Would you like a drink?” I asked, not really sure what I was supposed to say or do.
“Scotch on the rocks,” he replied automatically. “With two cherries, if you can.
I quickly made the drink, then handed it to him and sat beside Brenda, who gripped my arm with a disgusted look on her face.
“Well, let’s get down to business,” Weasel said. “Your man already explained what you want me to do, but I’m guessing you want to hear how it’s going to go down.”
I didn’t even bother to correct his assumption that David was my husband.
“This camera you’re talking about is old school,” he said. “Since it came with the building, the control panel is usually buried in the basement or something, and you’re gonna have to ask the landlord for access to the footage. I’m guessing that’s not an option, so we’ll have to work around that. It’s a closed network, which means no outsider can go snooping around to spy on you. Once activated, even the landlord himself cannot view the footage without your access code. That means you alone can view the footage at your leisure, although the hard drive is erased after every six months.”
“How is it able to reach six months without filling up?” I asked.
“Motion sensors,” he replied. “It only starts recording when it detects movement. That prevents it from filling up the hard drive with unnecessary footage that you’re never going to use. Anyway, as long as you have your access code, I should be able to break into the system through a back door and retrieve the footage.”
“I’m guessing this isn’t your first time doing something like this,” Brenda said distastefully.
“My lawyer instructs me not to answer that question,” he said with a half–smirk. “Well, you ladies give me a few minutes and I should be able to crack it. Where’s the access code?”
I handed him the piece of paper it was written on, and he went to work. As soon as he started tapping away at the keyboard, it was as if he became lost in the zone. He didn’t even look up at us again, not even when we stood up and walked out of the room.
10
+25 BONUS
Chapter Twe’ve
“He gives me the creeps,” Brenda said as we sat at the kitchen island.
‘As long as he can get us the footage, that’s all I need,” I sad.
“What are you going to do with it once you get It?” she asked.
“I’m guessing an anonymous source will submit the footage to NBC or Fox News,” I replied. “The last time I viewed the footage, it was timestamped. Which would prove that Marcus has been cheating on me long before I filed for divorce.”
“Oh, little miss deviant,” Brenda chuckled. “It’s so underhanded, so evil and twisted. I love it.”
“I’m only playing his game,” I replied. “He started it by having Emily do that interview and making up lies about me. At least I’m just using the truth, and letting everyone know what a sick, twisted man he is.”
“I love it,” she said, clapping her hands together. “But I still think we should release the sextape if we find it. That will be more scandalous.”
“That’s also a felony,” I replied. “I don’t want to make things worse for myself.”
“Fine,” she said. “But I still think that will be way more fun.”
I rolled my eyes as I glanced over at Weasel, who was still hanched over his computer and barely moving except for his fingers. I was starting to feel a little bit lighter, now that I was actually doing something. I knew this wasn’t going to fix my reputation, but it was a start. At least now everyone would know the truth, and they would be free to decide whether they wanted to believe the side of the wealthy billionaire who had turned his back on his wife, or the woman who had been betrayed by her husband and her best friend.
“What does your lawyer think about this?” Brenda asked, pulling me out of my reverie.
“Well, I haven’t exactly told her about this,” I said.
“Are you crazy?” she snapped. “Your lawyer should be the first person you call in anything regarding Marcus. Why would you go through with this without letting her know?”
“Well, David knows, so I assumed that’s fine,” I replied.
“David isn’t your fucking lawyer, Liv,” she said. “You can’t jugs blindly listen to him and not consult your lawyer. Call her right now and tell her about this.”
She handed me my phone, but I refused to take it I knew what Ciara would say, and I knew I wouldn’t like it. She was definitely going to stop me from doing it, and I didn’t want to have her destroying my plans right now. For once, I wasn’t just sitting down and taking whatever Marcus threw at me. I was actively doing something about my situation, and it was time for me to even the score.
“Brenda…”
“Either you
call her or I will,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. “Trust me, it’s better if she knows about it. Besides, regardless of what she says, you can still do whatever you want. She works for you, after all, not the other way round”
Sighing, I took the phone from Brenda and dialled Ciara’s number. And sure enough, as soon as I explained what was going on, she started to yell at me.
“Are you crazy?” she snapped. “Please tell me this is a joke or something.”
“Clara, he’s ruined my life,” I explained. “I can’t even go out to the store without being harassed by people who think I cheated on my husband. Do you have any idea how humiliating that is?”
Chapter Twelve
+25 BONUS
“Yes, I do,” she replied. “But that didn’t make me want to Break the law in order to get even.‘
“David said it’s fine,” I added. “He knows all about it.”
“Really?” she asked incredulously. “David knew about this ridiculous plan and he told you to go ahead with it?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Listen to me,” she said. “Whatever you’re doing right now, stop it immediately. Call of that Weasel fellow and stop this insanity at once. I’m coming over to your place right now.”
I was about to ask her why she seemed so panicked all of a sudden, when Weasel waved me over. The look on his face was concerning, and I immediately knew that something was wrong
“Ciara, I’ll call you back,” I said, hanging up and rushing over to his side. “What is it?”
“It’s a dead–end,” he said. “The footage has been scrubbed recently. Someone beat us to it.”
I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole as I stared at the laptop screen. There was a live feed of my former apartment tucked in the corner, and Emily was sitting on the couch by the window and reading a book. She looked so peaceful, like she didn’t have a care in the world. And the sight made my blood boil. Beside her, the chart showed that there were no new entries apart from the one we were watching right now.
“Fuck!” I groaned, turning away from the laptop as a hot, uncontrollable wave of despair and shame washed over me. The one idea I had to get even with Marcus, and he’d beaten me to it. What was I going to do now?”
