Chapter 10.

Fernando and Roberto had to take an early flight the next day, but they promised to call me to know how the plan was coming along. That was just it. That was what kept me awake all night. The plan.

I was exceedingly bothered by it. A part of me believed that it wouldn't work on him. A greater part had the conviction that it would work. My mind became clouded with 'what ifs'.

I felt selfish. I was about to change the whole narrative between us, all for my interest. 'What if I ended up getting hurt?'. I thought to myself. I dismissed the thought. There was no reason for me to get hurt and there won't be.

I needed to do one thing, and that was to get his signature on the papers. Nothing else.

I glanced at the digital clock by my bedside. It was 9:00 am. "Gosh, I must have spent a long time thinking".

My phone abruptly started buzzing. Lots of messages and notifications we're coming in fast. I turned it on to see what it was and my mouth fell open.

There it was, on a site. A picture of Damian and I, in our incidental matching outfits. The headline read 'CHEF DIANA REPORTEDLY SEEN WITH A MAN AT WRIGHTWOOD BEACHSIDE'.

"What is this?".

I scrolled down and found another which read.

'THE TRUE PURPOSE OF CHEF DIANA'S VISIT TO WRIGHTWOOD EXPOSED".

A video caught my attention and I played it.

'MULTI-MILLIONAIRE BUSINESS TYCOON, TREVOR THOMPSON REVEALS A SHOCKING TRUTH'.

Trevor sat in a chair, explaining his view on the situation. "Diana was always dear to me. I poured out my heart to her and confessed my undying love to her. She was all I ever wanted.

I had the wealth and the dream of us becoming the perfect power couple together. Little did I know who she was on the inside. The elegant, reserved, and dignified woman you all knew was just a facade for the carefree woman she genuinely is.

I truly have to commend whoever was behind those leaked pictures. On that same day, I decided to pay a visit to her at Wrightwood, and I was shocked beyond words. Not only were they in matching outfits, but they also revealed that they had been having various lovemaking sessions. To the listeners, these two are not even in a relationship. Could it be that Diana abandoned all her duties and fled to Wrightwood just to...".

I couldn't listen any longer. The video had an inconceivable amount of views. I didn't even want to check out the comment section. One thing I was sure of was that I was not okay. I was far from it.

I had one question in mind for him."Did you truly have to go this far?". My phone buzzed and it was a text message. It was from an unregistered number. It read

'SOONER OR LATER, YOU'LL COME TO ME. NO ONE MESSES WITH ME. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING'.

I was a bit shaken. It was undoubtedly Trevor. I didn't know what to do. One thing I wouldn't do was cry. It wasn't going to solve anything. I needed to pull myself together. I believed that this wasn't enough to ruin my reputation, but it was enough to make a dent. The question was, how big of a dent?

While brushing my teeth, I could still hear the notification sounds from my phone. I was disheartened. One thing that cheered me up at that moment was bathing Treasure. She enjoyed swimming around the bathtub.

I couldn't stay home. I needed to go out. To take in that breath of fresh air. I declined calls from everyone. Including my two best friends. I just needed to think. The only place I could think of was that land. The beachside. That view. That rare serenity that I could never get anywhere.

"Well, that's where I'm going". I didn't put in much effort into an outfit. I wore a long white backless bodycon dress. I slipped on a pair of sandals and with Treasure in my arms, I was out of the hotel.

As I drove, I silently prayed for Damian's absence. I wasn't in the mood for another round of bickering or seduction. Then the thought of my Parents came to mind. What a perfect way to laugh at me, to mock me. Even though I was convinced the news would only make a dent, I couldn't help but feel that everything was suddenly going downhill.

I pulled up and walked towards the land. Once again, I

gazed in awe. I put Treasure down and she walked towards the beach. I turned to take a glimpse at Damian's house. His truck wasn't there. I heaved a sigh of relief and sat on a rock by the beach.

I didn't know how long I sat there. Sitting there, nothing else seemed to exist. I was transported into a world of nothingness. I felt a light feeling in my chest as I took deep breaths. All my worries seemed to gradually fade away. The solemn sounds of waves crashing and sweeping tides soothed even the deepest-rooted pains.

I eventually opened my eyes to see Damian and Treasure staring at me. Damian held a mug in his hand and offered it to me. "Are you okay?". He asked as he handed me the mug. I thought it was coffee, but it was tea. I suddenly felt a lump in my throat. That question triggered it. I held it back.

I took a sip of the tea and I loved it. It was soothing. "Yes I am. Why do you ask?". I replied as I cleared my throat.

"You've been staring at the sea for hours. You didn't even notice when I drove in. I tried calling your name several times but it seemed like you were in a trance or something". He paused for a while.

"Treasure was worried". He stated softly.

The tone of his voice was both strange and comforting to me. "I was just lost in thought that's all. I'm sorry".

He didn't say anything. He just looked at me.

"I saw the news". He announced. I almost choked on my tea. I turned to him.

"You...you did?".

"Yes. Are you gonna be okay?".

What was this? Why was he asking me that? He should be more concerned about himself. It was all because of me. The entire world now sees him in an entirely negative light, and all he can ask is if I'm gonna be okay? Well, I guess he did play a role in it. Since he was the one who told Trevor off.

"Why are you doing this? It makes no sense that you should be bothered about me when your reputation has been thrown into the dirt". I stated.

"Yes it doesn't make any sense but I don't care about such things. And it's gonna cost a lot more than that to ruin the reputation I struggled to build here for a long time. I even landed a huge real estate deal today".

He replied as he rubbed Treasure's fur. I was at a loss for words. He looked at me again. "Look, I know how you feel but...

"No! You don't know how I feel....". Now the tears were out. "You don't know what it's like to have Parents who belittle you at the slightest chance they get, just because you decided to follow your dream. Being called a failure, when you know that you're constantly giving it your all and sacrificing your blood, sweat, and tears into your business.

When the rest of the world sees you as extremely successful except for your Mother and Father. To work so hard to build a scandal-free reputation and suddenly have that ruined by a threatening lover. That, Damian, is what no one else could ever understand."

I yelled in tears as I covered my face with my palms.

Damian was both stupefied and amazed at me. He watched me cry. He didn't seem to like it.

"Stop crying, Diana. I'll help you".

I turned in astonishment. "What?".