Julius arrived, his face pale. He apologized for the slap he had given me, then—ridiculously!—he proposed. "Darling, we've been together for seven years. It's time to get married," he said, his voice trembling, not with love, but with panic.
I stared at him coldly. "You're the one who wasted those seven years, Julius," I said, my voice sharp as a knife.
"Who would marry you in your current condition?" he asked, veiled insults in his words.
I smiled cynically. "Oh, what if I decide not to get married? I'm sure your mother loves Veronica, doesn't she? Just marry her."
His face flushed. "No," he said, his voice strained, "I'll ask my mother to apologize and propose to you." Seeing his attitude now, my heart wavered. A glimmer of hope remained.
He left, saying he had to meet producer Andrew—a flimsy excuse to cover his meeting with Veronica or his mother.
Ironically, amidst this storm, my collection of designed clothing won a prestigious award. I was asked to showcase ten of my designs at the biggest fashion show in history, with the freedom to choose models through auditions that I could conduct at my leisure.
News about Julius's mother quickly dropped in ranking, replaced by news about: a mysterious fashion designer seeking ten models for a monumental fashion show. Emails flooded my inbox, famous models begging to be chosen. Even Veronica, with all her arrogance, sent an email pleading and threatening.
My plan began. I sent photos of Julius and Veronica to Julius through a disposable phone.
"Who are you? Why are you sending me these photos?" he asked, panic evident in every word he typed.
"Do you like it? I have many more," I typed, my reply subtle but full of threat.
"What do you want?"
"One million dollars per photo," I replied, without hesitation.
Silence. Then, a message notification appeared: "You're crazy! No way!"
"Then other media outlets will pay more," I threatened. His fear became more apparent as he replied hastily. "Have you shown these photos to anyone else?"
The tension reached its peak. The next chapter had just begun.
I typed again. "No, friend, you're the first."
"Okay, I'll get the money first." Julius replied. A triumphant smile spread across my lips.
"You have 24 hours," I wrote. "I'll contact you if time runs out." I removed the disposable phone's SIM card, leaving it adrift in anxiety.
That night, Julius returned, his face drawn. "Darling, would you move to the Velden family home? My mother asked," he pleaded. I thought he was running out of options.
My eyebrows shot up. "What about this house?" I asked.
"We'll sell it," he replied hesitantly.
"Sell it? This house is mine. I won't sell it, ever," I said firmly.
"Wait, are you struggling?" I asked, feigning concern. He nodded dejectedly. "I'm behind on my work contract," he admitted, his lie unconcealed.
"Then ask your family for help," I replied. "The house deed is at the bank, I don't have the money to redeem it." Feeling he couldn't rely on me, he left in a panic, and I enjoyed his desperation.
An email from Veronica appeared in my inbox. She begged desperately, offering herself as a model. I suspected Julius was struggling to hide the mysterious threat, and they needed money to cover the scandal.
"I can do anything," Veronica wrote, "pick me, and I'm ready to be your servant."
I replied, "Alright, Miss Veronica, it seems you really need this job. But, if I choose you, are you sure there won't be any problems that will cause a scandal?"
"I promise, no scandal. I'm a model who always follows the rules," she replied enthusiastically. Full of confidence.
"Alright, I'll attach the contract." I wrote, without mincing words.
…
24 hours had passed. My heart raced as I contacted Julius again. "Mr. Julius, your time is up. Your decision?" My message was read. I could feel his anxiety.
"I only have $500,000, can that be a down payment?" he replied.
"Sorry, Mr. Julius, our agreement is one million dollars. If not, the photos will be spread." My threat was sharp.
"Okay, shall we meet in person?" This was a trap, I suspected. But I would play his game.
"No face-to-face. Win Hotel, five o'clock. Bring cash, or the photos will be spread." I turned off my phone, removed the SIM card, and threw it away.
At the Win Hotel, Felix and I sat across from Julius, Veronica, and a few of their bodyguards.
"Look at those thugs. You're right, they'll set you up," Felix whispered. My breath hitched.
Veronica seemed agitated. "Calm down, darling. If this plan fails, you'll get your money back soon.”
"Did you get a big contract?" Julius asked, his eyes gleaming, his face beaming.
Veronica tossed her hair, full of confidence. "I'm going to be the model for that famous designer," Veronica replied with a flirtatious wink. A disgusting lie. I held back a laugh. Felix joined in. They looked at us suspiciously, and we pretended to be a happy couple.
Julius's eyes sparkled. "Did you contact him? L2, the mysterious designer?"
Veronica glared, "Since when does Veronica Hoffman contact first. He begged me to be his model." Her lies were getting worse. It made me sick.
"You're amazing, Veronica," Julius praised.
Veronica pouted. "Please, just give me the money. I've signed the contract. If there's a scandal, I'll be fined five times the amount!"
Felix looked at me. "Lady Luck is on your side. The designer appeared and made your plan easier?"
"Quickly, contact them!" Felix urged.
I activated another phone. I contacted Julius. They whispered to each other.
"What did he say?" Veronica pressed. Julius remained silent. Veronica snatched his phone and read the message.
"Because you brought thugs to set me up, the deal has changed. One million dollars here, another million tonight at eight!" My message. Then, I sent them a video of them leaving the hotel room.
Veronica screamed, "How did he know we were going to set him up?”
