Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
His spare room holds a desk, dozens of empty wine bottles, empty bags with designer logos, and a computer. I sit down at his desk and rifle through his mail, which is mostly junk mailers with a couple of overdue bills from credit cards. He appears to be maxed out and a couple months behind.
The computer login pops up. I search around the desk mat and find a sticky note with passwords written down and crossed off. I enter the latest one, “wineGod69!” and the screensaver dissolves to the main desktop. It takes me only a few minutes to confirm what I suspected. Felipe does film everything and likely not with everyone’s consent.
He filmed me secretly, and it wasn’t his first time doing it either.
A text alert pops up on my phone.
I’m here
I shove away from the desk and go open the apartment door. A small, thin woman shifts nervously side to side. It’s Sara, the person who betrayed Slater.
“Chef Brooks?”
I nod and move out of the way.
“Where’s Felipe?” She peers around the entry and then living room, moving around as if she’s been here before.
“Coming soon.” According to his socials, he’s having lunch at Cipriani’s, and they stop serving at two. He should be arriving anytime.
“I don’t really understand why I’m here. Are you and Slater really a thing?”
“Yes. We’re getting married.”
“Oh, she didn’t tell me that.”
“You slept with her boyfriend. What did you expect?”
Sara flushes. “He convinced me that they weren’t in love anymore or I wouldn’t have ever touched him.”
“I don’t care. Come with me.” I walk back into the office and gesture for her to take a seat. “Did you agree to these?”
I wave my hand toward the screen and then move to the opposite side of the desk where I can’t see the monitor screen. Sara moves slowly, as if she knows what she is going to see but doesn’t want to watch.
”I’ll wait for you in the living room.”
Fifteen minutes later, she emerges ashen-faced and shaking. I hand her a glass of diluted grape juice that Felipe uses as pretend red wine. She needs the sugar.
“Why did you connect Slater with Felipe?” I ask.
Sara drains the glass and then shoves it toward me. “Does he have any real stuff here?”
“Some cheap red.”
“I’ll take it.”
I give her a refill, and she takes a large gulp before starting, “I started following Felipe several months ago. He seemed so cool and interesting. I left comments, but he never responded. I noticed he was always commenting on Slater’s TikToks. I managed to bump into Felipe in person, and when I told him I was friends with Slater, he began paying attention to me, replying to me online, meeting up with me. He told me that if he had a few more followers, a few more views, that he’d be able to get some real endorsements, and then he’d be able to take me out instead of always meeting here.”
She pauses for another drink. ”After a while, I realized he was using me to get to Slater. They started going out officially. He gained a lot of followers by being in Slater’s TikToks, but the endorsements didn’t come through like he wanted. I thought if he just had more exposure, he’d get the money he needed and then we could be together. I didn’t mean to hurt Slater. I just wanted to be with Felipe.”
“What will you do about the videos?”
Her chin goes up. “I’m going to report his disgusting ass.”
The door flies open, and Felipe appears in the frame. Sara jumps to her feet and throws the glass at his head. He’s too shocked to duck, and it strikes the middle of his forehead.
“Fucking hell, that hurt. Am I bleeding? I’m bleeding!” he cries, his hands red from the wine.
“It’s wine, you ass. I can’t believe you recorded me. I’m reporting you to the police and pressing charges! Your career is over!” Sara runs out, leaving a stunned Felipe behind.
He stumbles into the apartment. “Get me a towel! I’m bleeding out!”
I step aside and watch him careen against the island. “You never should have targeted Slater. Forget she exists and maybe your career is the only thing you’ll lose.”
With that, I walk out.
Chapter Nineteen
SLATER
When I wake up from my nap, the first thing I notice is that Brooks isn’t here. I grab my phone off the charger, wondering where he went. Normally he would leave a note or text me. It makes me think he’s up to something, but what? That man has a way of keeping me on my toes.
My first thought goes to Felipe, but that can’t be right because we have a plan. At least I think we do. It sounds complicated, and I’m not excited about dragging all of Brooks’s friends into my mess. Kaden, and hell, all of them have careers or their lives in some kind of spotlight, and I don't want to tarnish that in any way. I’ve already brought this on Brooks, and I don’t want that for anyone else. I know how the internet can turn on you. I’ve been living it.