Chapter 13
Emily ghosted Jake.
It was fun to give him a taste of his own medicine, however short-lived it may be. It annoyed her that he was proactive in contacting her when it came to work, but still had nothing to say about their “rescheduled” wedding date.
During this time, she’d moved on to phase two of her plan: dropping proof of Jake and Stella’s infidelity.
It was light work to get an online influencer to release a video of the two cheaters. It was only sixty seconds but showed Jake and Stella, locked in an intimate embrace, in a hotel’s swimming pool.
The final blow?
A candid kiss which dragged out into a full-on make-out session.
Turned out a hotel worker had been trying to sell this video to Jake directly, but he’d ignored his head of PR, saying that nothing like that existed. Emily never knew he was so stupid to not fact check stuff like this.
Comments:
HardcarryStella says: What on earth is going on at Starz? Are they trying to ruin both these actresses' careers?
EvoNationStan reply to @HardcarryStella: You mean Stella’s career? Emily didn’t do anything wrong. Isn’t Jake her boyfriend? The audacity of him. SMH. I’m surprised nobody caught on.
Stellalover69 reply to @EvoNationStan: Worry about your faves. Didn’t Alfie just announce he’s leaving the band?
EvoNationStan reply to @Stellalover69: Aw, fuck you. At least he didn’t cheat with someone who’s taken.
Alfieswife reply to @Stellalover69: Keep Alfie’s name out your fucking mouth. *insert Will Smith gif*
Emilydiehard500 says: Poor Emily…she’s too kind for this world. Imagine how shocked she must be by all of this being leaked.
Stella4Life says: A homewrecker? God, you are no longer my idol Stella Peterson!
Pinaultfever3000 says: Not surprised. Stella always gave pick-me vibes. She acts worse than that chick in Twilight. Thank you, Emily, for bringing back Old Hollywood drama! You were always such an icon.
Stellasucks says: I made this account to express my opinion. Read my username again.
Hashtags such as #EmilyStellaControversy, #EmilyPinaultComeback, #StellaPetersonCheatingScandal, and #JakeMallionCheatingAllegations trended all over. Most people were apologizing for taking Stella’s side during the gala incident.
Talia had told Emily everything over the phone.
Jake had instructed his PR team to block the wave of supportive media she’d sparked.
He claimed the video had been altered by artificial intelligence, insisted he was simply helping Stella out of the pool when she’d struggled with the act and fell in.
Most jarring of all, he told the press that he and Emily were in a serious relationship with marriage in mind.
She sat in stunned silence after Talia had hung up. Did he really bring up marriage when he’d been dodging it altogether? Imagine if she’d been stupid enough to wait on this man.
Fortunately, Jake’s attempt to intercept her media wave had failed.
And not because of luck.
A publicist Emily knew at Royal Media had called her, breathless. Their lunch had been cut short due to an emergency. Apparently, Nicolas had them calling every major news outlet. He’d overseen that every station was briefed and the narrative about her issue shifted.
“If Emily Pinault’s name disappears from any trending topics,” he’d told one of them himself, “be prepared for your company to shut down.”
She knew they wouldn’t dare offend his company. That part made sense. What didn’t was what he’d done for her. Why had he stepped in so fiercely on her behalf? The last time at the gala he’d sworn he wouldn’t.
Emily hoped no rumors would spread about this. She wasn’t part of his agency, but it didn’t seem like Nicolas cared. And a piece of her knew she shouldn’t either, because the truth was he’d just helped her tremendously.
What shocked her more was the fact that he never brought up what he did.
Emily woke to the smell of breakfast.
In the kitchen, her gaze caught a Post-it note, larger than the ones she’d been used to, with Nicolas’s cursive handwriting. He’d placed it beside her meal on the counter, right where she would see it. A sign that he’d already left for the day.
It had turned into routine.
No matter how busy he was, he still found time to leave behind a few words. There was something about the notes that felt more personal than a text. Holding this one, she felt that strange flutter again.
Early morning meeting at eight so I left first. Your breakfast should still be warm by the time you’re reading this. Eat it all. The housekeepers are also coming by at six to clean.
P.S. I’ll be home late.
Don’t wait up.
— Nicolas
Her face flushed red.
Who told him that she was going to wait for him anyway? As if she didn’t prioritize her beauty sleep.
In the next hour, Emily was at Starz’s building, ready to do something she’d been delaying.
Jake was having lunch in his office with papers scattered before him on the desk.
At the sight of her, he abandoned them and took her into his arms. “Babe, you’ve finally come to see me!
You’ve got to trust me,” he pleaded. “All those things about Stella and me are fake. You know how technology is these days. I’d never cheat on you—”
“I know.”
He jerked back, shocked at her response. “You…know?”
She gave him a perfected smile. “I know you’d never do that to me, Jake.”
He was thrown into a fit of unexpected coughs. His lies were choking him. She wished they’d keep at it. Block his airway. Have him roll over and just di—
“That’s great, Emily.”
She blinked, taken aback by where her mind had gone. These days, her thoughts had gotten considerably darker. To be honest, they alarmed her quite a bit.
Was it the effect of her thirst for revenge?
Jake’s hand came up to rub at her arm.
The desire to twist it off was overwhelming.
“What’s a relationship without trust, babe? Nothing. That’s what it is.”
“Of course,” she managed to get out. “And I trust you more than anyone else.”