“Give me the money and get out,” Helena says.
“He’s not giving you a single fucking penny!” I snap. I glare at Sebastian, and he rolls his lips.
“She’s got footage,” Sebastian replies.
“Ha.” I huff. “She hasn’t got shit.”
“Yes, I have. I’m going to the press. Now get out.” She tries to snatch the bag from him.
“Do not give her that fucking bag!” I yell. “She’s lying.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I have the footage,” I snap. “I’m the one who hacked the system. I wiped all the footage of the two of us months ago, so you can go to Hell, you scheming fucking bitch.”
Sebastian and Helena’s eyes widen.
“You hacked the system?” Sebastian whispers, shocked.
“Of course, I did. I wiped everything with you on it.” I snap, adrenaline is coursing through my body. “There was one image that was encrypted that I couldn’t get, but it had nothing about the club on it. That’s the only picture she’s got.”
Sebastian gasps. “It was you?”
“Call the police,” I demand.
Helena’s face falls.
Sebastian’s eyes are wide as he looks between the two of us.
“Call the fucking police!” I scream at him.
He takes out his phone.
“Did you tell her?” Helena asks him in an eerily calm voice.
He frowns.
“Did you tell her about our night together, Sebastian?” She turns to me. “Do you know?”
Uneasiness falls over me. “What are you talking about?”
“Sebastian called me from Bath a few months ago. Said that he was moving forward with you and he wanted to say goodbye to me properly. Begged me to come see him. He wanted to make love to me one last time…the way I needed it. We never got that last goodbye and it was something he always regretted.”
“I did not,” he scoffs.
“What story did you go with, Seb?” She asks softly. “Did you tell her you were drugged? Or did you go with the fell asleep excuse? We couldn’t decide on the night.”
We never got that last goodbye and it was something he always regretted.”
What….
My heart begins to hammer in my ears.
“You, stupid girl.” She sneers. “You think you have this all sewn up, don’t you? You think you have everything sorted.”
I stare at her, contempt dripping from my every pore.
“Well, guess what, April?” She smiles sweetly. “I have the one thing that you don’t.”
I glare at her.
“I have his baby.” She turns to Sebastian. “I’m fourteen weeks pregnant with your child.”
32
April
Sebastian’s face falls, and he steps back as though hit with a physical blow.
“Oh, please.” I scoff, “Is that the best you’ve got?” I roll my eyes, disgusted. “You’re a fucking insult to my intelligence.”
She smiles. “Am I? Or is it you who’s the stupid one?”
“Do you really think that we’re that gullible to believe anything that comes out of your lying mouth?”
I glance over at Sebastian. He’s staring at her, rendered speechless.
“Give me the money and I’ll disappear; you have my promise,” Helena replies.
The hide of this woman.
I step toward her, fury raging through my blood like never before. “And, I have a promise for you, Helena,” I whisper. “Actually, I have two. One, you will never get another single cent from my husband. And two, you picked the wrong damn woman to mess with. I will not stand for one more single minute of your fucking shit, so get out my face before I put you behind bars.” I lose the last of my patience. “Do you understand me?”
Sebastian’s chest is rising and falling, his fists clenched at his sides.
I turn toward the door. Sebastian is still frozen on the spot.
What the hell is he doing?
“Sebastian!” I bark. His eyes come to me as if snapped out of a trance.
“Yes?” he says.
“Sebastian, don’t be a fool,” Helena replies. “You know what’s going to happen if you don’t leave that bag here.”
Sebastian’s eyes hold mine, and I raise my eyebrow.
Don’t even think about it, fucker.
He storms toward the door, bag in hand, and he marches out into the hall.
We walk down and get into the elevator in silence. The doors close behind us, and I take out my phone to call Bart. He answers on the first ring.
“April.”
“This is your crisis management, Bart?” I huff.
“How—”
“Yes, I stopped it,” I snap. “Bring a plain clothed police officer to Sebastian’s. We’re pressing charges. We need to release a public statement this evening. You need to prepare for it.”
“April.”
“Non-negotiable, Bart. Attack is the best form of defense. This has gone too far. It’s only a matter of time before the story breaks, and you know it. Our statement needs to hit first.”
Sebastian drags his hand through his hair. He looks like he’s about to pass out.
I hang up the phone, and he looks over at me, his eyes searching mine. “April…”
“Don’t,” I whisper angrily. My blood is literally boiling. “How could you be so fucking stupid?”
He opens his mouth to say something but the elevator door opens. The security guards are standing around waiting for their precious Prime Minister.
We both fake a smile as we walk out and get into the back of the waiting car.
Sebastian
“To my place.”
“Yes, sir.” The car pulls out of the hotel, and I reach over and to take April’s hand but she flicks me away. My heart drops.
She’s furious.
Who could blame her?
The phone call.
Oh no, my stomach rolls.
I feel sick.
The car weaves through the heavy London traffic. My mind goes back to that morning in the hotel when I woke with no memory.
I see the silver wine chiller and the two crystal glasses.
I remember the scent of perfume on my sheets. At the time, I was terrified, but then as soon as the security guard said he walked me back to my room, I dismissed my fears. I put it down to two glasses being delivered as standard practice, and the scent on the sheets as a strong washing powder, but now…
Why didn’t I get drug tested?
I thought there was no use wasting time at the hospital when no harm had been done. I thought it was about Bart and his wife—that I had accidently had a drink meant for him.
What if…?
Fuck.
I close my eyes as a dark sense of dread fills me.
This can’t be happening.
April
We walk in the front door to find Bart standing in the foyer. Sebastian brushes past him and walks straight into the kitchen,
“Are you serious?” I ask Bart. “Where are the police?”
“They’ll be here in half an hour, and don’t give me your crap, April. We were only trying to protect you?”