Chapter 59 The Calm Before the Chaos
The air in the security office was thick with tension, the kind that warned of trouble before a single word was spoken. Henry strode inside; his expression composed but his mind racing. Inside, his general manager, Daniel, stood with two bodyguards flanking him. The security guards stationed near the monitors shifted uncomfortably. Something was off.
Daniel exhaled, his expression unreadable as he held out a hard drive. "One of my employees brought this to my attention. He was instructed to play it during the birthday celebration."
Henry took the drive, turning it over in his hand. "And did you watch it?" he asked, glancing up.
One of the security guards hesitated before nodding. A faint blush crept up his face.
The guard swallowed hard. "About an eight, sir. Some moaning and nudity, but nothing longer than ten-second clips."
Henry's grip on the drive tightened. His jaw flexed as he pieced together the implications. This wasn't an accident. Someone wanted this to happen—someone looking to cause chaos.
The guard continued, "Sir, this actress, Miss Rae—she has a personal grudge. If this video plays, it'll cause a spectacle."
Henry exhaled sharply, his focus narrowing. His mind spun with worst-case scenarios. The thought of Emilia standing in that crowd, blindsided by whatever this video contained, made his stomach churn. He didn't have time for reckless distractions, but he'd be damned if Emilia became collateral damage in someone else's game.
He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Cut anything that could reflect poorly on Emilia," he ordered firmly.
The guard nodded. "Of course, sir."
Henry turned to Daniel and whispered something into his ear. Daniel's eyes flickered with understanding, and he gave a small nod. "I'll go to Miss Rae myself. I'll confirm that she really wants this video played. If she insists, then fine—but it only plays in that room. Nowhere else."
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Meanwhile, across town, Emilia stretched out on the plush spa bed, warm towels wrapped around her body as soothing aromatherapy oils filled the air. She hadn't felt this relaxed in ages. It was rare to have a day where she could just unwind, and it was even better that Roxanne and Lily had joined her for a full-body treatment.
Lily snorted. "Please, you would make them work overtime with how tense you always are."
Roxanne gasped, placing a hand over her chest in mock offense. "Excuse you, I am a woman of class and depth. How dare you reduce me to such shallowness?"
Lily and Emilia exchanged a knowing look before answering in unison. "Because it's true."
Roxanne burst out laughing. "Okay, okay, maybe it is."
As their laughter subsided, Lily turned to Emilia. "So, are you coming to Sabrina's party tonight?"
Emilia sighed, her fingers tracing the edge of her towel. "I wasn't invited."
Emilia shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips, but her heart weighed heavy. "I would have loved to celebrate my cousin's birthday, but not with Hallie being there. I just... I can't."
Lily's eyes widened as she processed something. "Wait—Sabrina is your cousin?"
Emilia nodded, laughing softly at their stunned expressions. "Yeah, but we don't really see each other much."
Roxanne gaped. "How did I not know this?"
Lily shook her head in disbelief. "Seriously, that's wild."
Emilia gave a small shrug. "Honestly, with how Hallie is always talking shit about me, I just ignore anyone in her circle, and unfortunately, that includes Sabrina. It's just easier that way."
But was it really? As much as she told herself that keeping her distance was for the best, a small part of her hated how much time had slipped away. As kids, she and Sabrina had been inseparable—two little girls whispering secrets under blanket forts, sneaking cookies from the kitchen, dreaming about the future. But their lives had taken such vastly different paths. Sabrina thrived in the glittering world of high society, while Emilia had spent most of her adult life trying to survive in the shadows of it. Reaching out felt impossible. What if Sabrina didn't care anymore? What if she'd already written Emilia off as another ghost of their childhood?
The air shifted slightly, the mood dipping into something more serious. Roxanne and Lily shared a glance, but neither pushed her.
Emilia sighed again, leaning deeper into the spa bed. "It's not even that I hate her. I don't. If anything, I just feel pity for her. But forgiving her? Wrapping my head around that? I don't think I can."
Roxanne reached over, squeezing her hand. "Then don't. No one's asking you to forgive her before you're ready. But don't let her take away something you actually want. If you want to celebrate Sabrina, then come. For her. Not Hallie."
Emilia bit her lip, contemplating. She wanted to believe that bridge wasn't completely burned, that there was still something left of the bond she and Sabrina once shared. But the thought of taking that first step? Terrifying.
The soft chime of the spa room signaled the end of their treatment. As the attendants helped them out of their warm cocoons, Roxanne stretched and grinned. "Alright, ladies, time to get ready for a night of scandal, glamour, and maybe a little chaos."
Lily rolled her eyes. "And by chaos, you mean you trying to flirt with every eligible man in the room?"
Roxanne smirked. "Who said anything about eligible?"
Emilia chuckled, shaking her head as she wrapped herself in a robe. No matter what happened tonight, at least she had them by her side. [This story is exclusively available for free on Wattpad. If you see it anywhere else, it has been stolen.] And maybe, just maybe, she'd find the courage to see if there was still a place for her in Sabrina's world.
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Later that evening, as Emilia stepped into the suite, kicking off her heels with a relieved sigh, her phone buzzed in her hand. She barely had time to register the exhaustion in her muscles before Henry's name flashed across the screen.
She rolled onto the bed, grinning at her screen, the warmth of his words settling in her chest.
She bit her lip, warmth creeping up her neck.