Chapter 4 - ELENA'S DESPERATE MEASURES
Elena was locked in her room at her parents' house,
The silence was deafening,
She sat on the floor,
Her makeup ruined,
Her hair a mess,
She was no longer the bride,
She was a social pariah,
The news had broken,
The video was everywhere,
"The Bride of Lies,"
The headlines called her,
She felt the walls closing in,
Her father pounded on the door,
"Open this!
Do you have any idea what you've done?"
He shouted,
"We are ruined!
The contracts,
The investors,
They are pulling out!"
Elena didn't answer,
She was busy looking at her own reflection,
She didn't recognize herself,
Was she really that person?
The one who would frame a maid for sport?
Yes,
She admitted,
She had always loved the thrill,
The control,
The ability to move pieces on a board,
But she had underestimated the variables,
She had underestimated Mia,
She had underestimated the world's desire for the truth,
She stood up,
She went to the closet,
She looked at the dresses,
The shoes,
The accessories,
All of it was part of the persona,
The "perfect Elena,"
She took a dress and ripped it,
She threw a pair of heels against the wall,
She wanted to destroy everything,
She heard her mother crying in the hallway,
"Why did she do it?
We gave her everything!"
Elena laughed,
A bitter, jagged sound,
"You gave me everything but a soul,"
She whispered to the room,
She opened her phone,
She looked at the comments,
Thousands of them,
Cruel,
Vicious,
People who didn't know her,
But who knew exactly who she was,
She needed a plan,
She needed to fix this,
Maybe she could say she was drugged,
Maybe she could say it was a misunderstanding,
A misunderstanding of epic proportions,
She needed someone to blame,
Maybe Sarah,
Maybe Mia,
Maybe Alexander,
She started typing a post,
"I am a victim of a deep-fake,
A smear campaign orchestrated by those who envy my success,"
She deleted it,
It wouldn't work,
The video was too clear,
The look on her face was too real,
She needed something else,
She needed money,
She needed leverage,
She walked to her safe,
She had hidden things there,
Secrets,
Documents,
Leverage over people,
She pulled out a folder,
She looked at the names,
If she was going down,
She would take others with her,
She wasn't going to rot alone,
She would make sure the world saw the rot in everyone else,
She looked at a photo of Alexander,
She smiled,
A slow, dangerous smile,
"You think you're so righteous,"
She said to the picture,
"Let's see how you handle the truth about your own family,"
She grabbed her keys,
She needed to go somewhere,
She needed to meet someone,
Someone who could help her turn the tables,
She stepped out of the room,
Her mother stopped her,
"Where are you going?"
"To clean up this mess,"
Elena said,
Her voice steady,
Her eyes cold,
She walked out the door,
The sun was setting,
Casting long shadows over the driveway,
She started the car,
The engine roared to life,
May you like
She was coming for them,
She was coming for everyone.
