Total pages in book: 196
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
But still, the things she says and does are way too grown. There had to be someone handling her behind the scenes. “No one put me up to anything. I asked where you were off to. This doesn’t have anything to do with Ryder’s press conference, does it?”
Just the mere mention of it made my blood boil. How could he do this? I never thought that he’d have the nerve to expose everything like that because it would make him look stupid and weak as well. He didn’t come across as a choir boy in the details, so I thought that I was safe there, but he’d told them everything.
About the drugs, about the lies, even about the things he’d said and done when he thought Elena had betrayed him. But why did he have to tell everyone that I’d lied about her killing his child? Why couldn’t he come up with something else or keep that much hidden? Now, people were calling me a monster.
Was it just a few short weeks ago when people were rooting for me, for us? Now the whole world knew about all the lies, about the fact that I’d carried out a one-sided war with her, playing both sides of the field. That most of the things they’d attributed to being done by her had, in fact, been me.
Now they know that she never once retaliated or engaged. He told them everything: the betrayal of her closest friend, who I’d bribed, the drugging, everything. As if reading my thoughts, the voice echoed around the room again.”I hope you weren’t thinking of going to find him; what you should be most worried about right now are the cops coming after you. You do know it’s a federal offense to tamper with someone’s medication, don’t you?”
“Who says I did that? That’s just wild speculation.”“The doctor, he’s here with me. He told me all about it, among other things.”“What other things?” No, he couldn’t have, “where is he? What do you mean he told you everything?”
“Oh, you know, about the way you drugged your ex, the things you did to get him to keep his mouth closed.”“He would never have told you anything; he’d end up in jail and lose his license; why would he talk?” She had to be lying.
“Why are you so stressed? Are you afraid of the world learning just how despicable you are? You know, I thought about helping you; everyone deserves a second chance, right. But after hearing everything he had to say, I’m going to bury you.”
“No, you can’t, my life will be over.” She didn’t answer, and I crumbled to the floor in front of the door. Why was this happening? Why? How could everything fall apart all at once? And why was I trapped here with nowhere to go? For the first time since the beginning, I wished that Mary was here. She’d know what to do; she always knew what to do. But Mary was gone, and my father was sitting in a jail cell for the crime.
I had no doubt that this MengeLiNi person had something to do with that. I thought for sure there was a way back from this; there had to be, but not if she had the doctor. He knows too much. And if he spills the beans about what I really did to Elena Gianni, not only the world but Ryder would hate me.
*Ryder*
I couldn’t tell her everything because she wasn’t to know anything about the trafficking situation. I’d forgotten how well she knew me, how easily she could read my moods. I have to say, though, that Lyon’s kid keeps surprising me. I’m almost, not quite, but almost afraid of her mind.
It gives me chills to think that someone that age could come up with the things she does. And here I was, thinking I was hot shit because I broke into the music business at a relatively young age. This kid was going for world domination.
I was just as nervous as Elena at the prospect of a rushed concert, but not for the same reasons. Mary and Scott were out of the picture and I have no idea where Matt is, but there was no telling where the others that were involved are hiding.
I’m sure this idea was to draw them out, among other things, but I’m more nervous than I thought I would be. I’m all for catching them, whoever they are, but the fact that she’ll be part of it is giving me pause.
This morning, when I realized that she’d left the house wearing the ring, I knew I had to do something. As overjoyed as I was that she hadn’t taken it off, I knew it would start off a firestorm. In the past, I’d have had to wait on my PR team to give me the go-ahead along with talking points, but Sanders himself had answered the call, and when I told him, all he’d said was tell the truth.