Chapter 4
Melody’s shrieking her lungs out, waving her phone around.
Behind her are four or five trashy influencers, all storming into the living room.
“Today everyone’s gonna see your true colors, you fake bitch! You’re just a homewrecking slut hiding behind the girl bro act!”
With that, she’s pointing her phone at me, livestream going crazy:
[Drama time! Here for the tea!]
[Queen’s got balls confronting this fake bro bitch!]
I stand up, pissed:
“Melody, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with ME?!”
The gets in my face:
“What’s wrong? Getting nervous, fake bitch?!”
The influencers start their bullshit:
Homewrecker’s got the nerve to show up at her man’s house? Shameless much?”
Acting all classy—bet she crawled out of some strip club.”
Melody’s eyes lock onto the jade bracelet on my wrist. She goes wide eyed, then YANKS it off and smashes it on the
Loor
Still denying you’re the side chick! Even if you begged his mom for family heirlooms, it won’t work! Carter’s wife is pota be MET
Watching my bracelet shatter, my blood turns to ice.
That was my grandmother’s dying gift. Half my damn soul
My hand’s abusking as I point at her
“Do you have ANY idea what you just did?”
“Yeah, so what?”
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Me to Millions true the ake
but Her Viral Performance? All My Courtroom Evidence!
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Chapter 4
Melody’s smirking:
“The Hayes daughter–in–law spot is MINE. So what if I smashed it!”
Then I turn to Carter, who’s just standing there:
“She doesn’t know, but you do too?”
Carter explodes:
“Sloane, ENOUGH! I’m so sick of your princess bullshit after all these years! Just a stupid bracelet–why are you
being such a drama queen?”
Melody gets even cockier:
‘See? Carter’s not even on your side! Don’t think you can marry into the Hayes family!”
The blonde influencer sneers:
‘Chat’s wanting us to teach this side bitch a lesson!”
The redhead’s equally nasty:
‘Let’s see what a gold–digger looks like without her mask.”
With that, they start closing in.
back up:
‘What are you doing?”
‘What are we doing?”
Melody SLAPS me across the face:
‘Girls, let’s go! Can’t let the mistress walk all over us!”
The influencers grab my arms while Carter just watches.
Melody pulls out scissors, grabs my hair and starts cutting, showing off to the camera:
Look at the bald homewrecker’s punishment!”
The noise brings Mr. and Mrs. Hayes running downstairs with their paperwork.
“What’s happening? What’s going on?”
Next second, they see me–completely trashed.
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She Slandered Me to Millions. (Cue the Fake Tears Live!) But Her Viral Performance? All My Courtroom Evidence!
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Chapter 4
And on the floor, my grandmother’s broken jade bracelet.
Instantly, their faces go dead white.
Mrs. Hayes spots Melody holding scissors, about to cut more of my hair, and goes ballistic–tackles her to the ground:
“Are you insane?! Who said you could touch a single hair on her head!”
Mr. Hayes rushes over, shoving away the influencers holding my arms, face dark as hell:
“GET THE HELL OUT! NOW! Don’t make me call the cops on your asses!”
The rainbow–haired influencers back off, scared by Mr. Hayes‘ fury, muttering “she’s the boyfriend stealer” but not daring to get closer.
Melody’s on the floor, dress dirty, hair a mess, still throwing a tantrum:
“You’re taking HER side over your own son’s girlfriend?! Sloane’s just a fake bro bitch who won’t leave Carter
alone!”
Carter finally moves like he just woke up, trying to help Melody, but Mrs. Hayes SLAPS him so hard the whole room
hears it.
Mrs. Hayes points at his face:
“You brain–dead moron! If you hadn’t brought this psycho bitch home, we wouldn’t be dealing with this shit!”
I’m rubbing my red arms, staring at the shattered jade bracelet pieces.
That was grandma’s last gift before she died, had my nickname carved inside, been with me fifteen years.
[ take a deep breath, controlling my rage, voice cold as ice:
This isn’t over.”
Carter opens his mouth, probably to say “it’s just a bracelet,” but Mr. Hayes kicks him from behind. His words turn into stuttering:
“Look, I’ll… I’ll buy you a new bracelet and say sorry, alright?”
“With what money?”
I laugh bitterly, pulling out my phone to show transfer records:
“You just hit up my dad for fifty grand last week ‘cause your company’s going under. Your mom was practically crying on the phone yesterday begging him not to call in the debt. So tell me–where the fuck are you gonna get money to pay me back?”
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