Chapter 95
Kirsten
@Vicsecretsspilled, TikTok
Maybe Maple must have made thousands of dollars over the years. But I bet her greedy bitch mom hasn’t let her have a cent #findMaple
‘Are you an OnlyFans model?’ I ask Ella, trying to hold eye contact.
She blinks, turns her head. ‘YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, OnlyFans; it’s all the same really. Looking pretty so that sad incels can jerk off over you. At least OnlyFans doesn’t pretend to be something different.’
I place my hands on my knees. My motto has always been to post and let post, but I’ve never considered whether that extends to soft porn, an even bigger sin than alcohol in our church.
But more than morality, Ella was such a great dancer, and she had dozens of brand deals.
It feels like such a waste. ‘But you were one of America’s favorite teenagers,’ I remind her. ‘Aren’t you worth more than OnlyFans?’
She scoffs. ‘Worth more? When I was also one of America’s favorite child porn stars? And of course you know about that because your daughter told everyone on YouTube.’
‘It’s not you though, is it?’ I manage to say, although my voice has weakened, like my argument, I’m sensing. ‘I mean, I know it’s your face, but the rest is AI.’
‘You think that makes a difference?’ she throws back, shaking her head.
‘Everyone assumes it’s me so it may as well be.
’ She uncurls from the chaise longue, then walks over to one of the many windows.
She turns her back on me and stares out.
She’s wearing a sleeveless silk top, and I can see that lotus flower tattoo Maple talked about peeking out above the neckline.
‘Then I don’t understand,’ I say. ‘Isn’t OnlyFans a tamer version of the same thing?’
‘I guess. But now I get to show my body and not my face, so no one knows it’s me.’ She says this without turning, but her voice still rings clear. ‘And I take all the money, control everything, and those faceless bastards on the dark web don’t make a dime. Smart, hey?’
Not really that smart at all, I want to say.
But does that make me a hypocrite? I think about my argument with Garrett by the pool two days ago, him accusing me of enabling child abuse and my response.
The twins are the winners, the ones earning money, getting famous.
Isn’t that the same logic that Ella is using on me now? Logic I’m completely rejecting?
‘But what about your life back in Texas?’ I ask instead. ‘Don’t you miss your friends? Your fam—’
‘How did you find me?’ she interrupts. ‘Because everyone knows me as Leah here, and I don’t get out much.’
‘I hired a PI based in Provo,’ I say. ‘He found you for me.’
‘Right. And how long did it take him to get the address?’
‘A couple of weeks.’
I still can’t see her face, but her voice changes.
‘I’ve been gone eighteen months,’ she murmurs.
‘If my family wanted to see me, they’d have tracked me down by now.
You know, all I did was refuse to go to London for an audition Mom somehow swung for me at the Royal Ballet.
An audition I’d never have passed, by the way.
But that caused a huge fight, and now it seems like they’ve disowned me. So do I miss them? What do you think?’
‘But you can’t hide away forever,’ I try. ‘I mean, what’s the point of having all this money if you’ve got no one to share it with?’
She stands still for a while. Until finally, she twists away from the window. Her eyes are a little red but her makeup still looks perfect, as though she knows from experience to use waterproof products.
‘You know, I haven’t figured everything out yet, Mrs. Clark. But I’d love to hear any advice you’ve got. Because from what I’ve seen online, it’s not just me who’s going to be spending the rest of their life alone.’