The truth was, Shermaine was still a little pissed. She thought, Iโm a legit badass, and yet my own fiancรฉ doesnโt see it. Instead, he treats me like Iโm some kid. Itโs so damn annoying.
I can totally feel that same energy coming off him, and he canโt sense it from me? Figures. Men really donโt have a sixth sense.
Shermaine knew Joshua telling her not to be a picky eater was him trying to look out for her. And when someone genuinely meant well, she always responded with kindness.
So even though she was still annoyed, she let it slide for Joshuaโs sake. She didnโt pick the carrots out again and just ate them.
Meanwhile, over at Basterel University, Erin was getting chewed out by her professor for losing her coursework. She looked pale and exhaustedโshe hadnโt slept properly last night, haunted all night by nightmares.
She thought, โIf my phone and laptop got hacked, does that mean Shermaine already knows who I am? Did she see the WhatsApp chat history between me and Wendelyn too?โ
After leaving the professorโs office, Erin went straight to someone from the computer science department for help. She sought out Bruno Henderson, a top student known for his tech skills.
โBruno,โ Erin said, โmy phone and laptop got hacked. Can you check them for me?โ
Bruno started with her laptop, trying to recover the deleted files. After a few minutes of fiddling, he managed to get the coursework back.
But the moment he opened the file, a terrifying face popped up on the screen. Bruno nearly flung the laptop across the room.
He clutched his chest. โHoly crap, that scared the hell out of me.โ
Erinโs relief evaporated in an instant.
Bruno rolled up his sleeves. โJust wait a moment.โ He figured whoever did this was basically declaring war.
Erin stared at the strings of code flashing across the screen, her eyes blurring from the overload.
But even after half an hour, Bruno still hadnโt cracked the firewall Shermaine had put in place.
Erin was starting to lose patience. โBruno, howโs it going?โ
Bruno wiped the sweat from his forehead. โZip it. Canโt you see Iโm in the middle of hacking through this firewall?โ
However, after another thirty minutes, Bruno finally gave up and slumped in his chair like a deflated balloon, totally defeated.
โStill nothing?โ Erin asked again.
โNope.โ Brunoโs face was gloomy. โThis hackerโs good. I canโt even get past their damn firewall.โ
That meant hoping to recover her game data was a complete pipe dream.
Erin said, โCan you at least check if my WhatsApp was accessed too?โ
โYeah, sure.โ Bruno nodded.
After running a quick scan, he said, โYeah, looks like your WhatsAppโs been viewed by someone unfamiliar.โ
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That confirmed it. Shermaine definitely knew Wendelyn was the one pulling the strings; Erinโs face went even paler.
Bruno had no idea why Erin had gotten herself into trouble with a hacker, but if he didnโt find out who it was, the hacker could still access any of her devices anytime.
โDonโt worry, Iโve got a contact. Heโs a legend in this field. Iโll ask him for help,โ Bruno remarked.
Erinโs mind was blank. She didnโt answer right away, torn over whether she should tell Wendelyn what had happened.
Just then, Erinโs phone rang. It was her mom, Lyra Murray, calling. โErin, your dad hit someone with the car. Remember the fifty thousand dollars I gave you to hold on to? Transfer fifteen thousand back to me right now,โ Lyra said, panicked.
That money was their familyโs entire savings. Since Lyraโs husband had a gambling problem and spent lots of his time hanging around casinos, she was afraid heโd blow through their savings, so she gave the money to their daughter Erin to keep.
Erin was all the way in Basterelโhe couldnโt get to it even if he wanted to.
But unexpectedly, he went out driving a delivery and ended up hitting someone. Now the victimโs in the hospital getting emergency treatment, shouting about compensation.
Erin thought, โFifteen thousand dollars?โ
If she sent that over, her account would be almost empty. Of the thirty thousand Wendelyn had given her, sheโd already burned through a few grand on that game yesterday.
Sheโd also tipped three thousand to her favorite male streamer and dropped another seven thousand online shopping for clothes and bags. Still, she had to transfer the money. โGot it, Mom. Iโll send it over.โ
โHurry,โ Lyra urged and then hung up.
No matter how reluctant she was, Erin still transferred the fifteen grand.
That left her with about seven thousand. What scared Erin more was the thought that Lyra might call again saying fifteen wasnโt enough. If she had to send more, her account would be drained dry.
Erin knew she couldnโt tell Wendelyn about her phone and computer being hacked. If Wendelyn found out, thereโd be no way for Erin to get more from her.
โBruno, can you keep what I asked you today between us? Please donโt mention it to anyone else,โ Erin begged.
Bruno didnโt think much of it. It was her privacy, after all. โSure. No problem.โ
โThanks. If your badass friend figures out who the hacker is, please let me know right away,โ Erin said.
Night fell, and the city lights blurred like spilled paint. Inside the Sterling Billiards Club on Silverwood Avenue, Danielle could feel the chill rolling off Shermaineโshe was practically radiating killer intent tonight.
Right now, the black ball sat in an impossibly tricky spot. If it went in, Shermaine would take this round too.
Shermaine leaned down, her curves smooth and defined. She locked in on the angle, and with one clean strike, sent the ball in, ending the game right there.
Danielle, holding her cue, started the next round. After sinking two balls, she didnโt get another turn. She sat on the couch. โWho pissed you off?โ
Whoever managed to put Shermaine in such a bad mood had to be something else. Danielle was dying to know who it was.
Shermaine thought, โI canโt exactly say itโs my fiancรฉ, can I? A staged fiancรฉ at that. Thereโs no point telling Danielle.โ
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โNo one.โ Shermaine set down the cue and picked up a glass of chilled whiskey to take a sip. At that moment, her phone buzzed. She glanced at it, then set it aside.
She figured if that so-called tech expert couldnโt even crack her firewall, there was no need to give him the time of day.
Since Shermaine had to report to Brightwater Academy the next morning, she and Danielle played a couple more rounds before she headed back.
Meanwhile, in a private suite at The Belmont Lounge, a fancy, exclusive club, several of Basterelโs top power players were gathered. At the center of it all was Joshua.
They were playing poker, but Joshua wasnโt. To him, this kind of thing was boring. He only showed up out of courtesy to these guys.
Joshua held a cigarette between his fingers, flicked the ash with practiced ease.
Then, a man with slate-blue dyed hair finally spoke up, โJoshua, are you seriously going to marry Shermaine?โ
The man was Roy Shay. Like Joshua, he held serious weight in the city. Most addressed him with the formal title โMr. Shayโ.
Joshua said, โYeah.โ
Roy asked, โSeriously? Whatโs up with your taste? Whatโs wrong with Wendelyn? Sheโs gorgeous, sweet, talentedโway better than Shermaine.โ
Joshua shot him a glance. โStop projecting your type onto my standards.โ
โIโm not,โ Roy muttered, pulling a face. โIโm just saying, Shermaine doesnโt seem like a good person.โ
But then, he felt a chill crawl down his spine at the way Joshua was looking at himโit was downright unsettling.
Roy pulled out his phone and tossed it over. โCheck out this post.โ
Joshua raised his hand and caught the phone mid-air. The screen displayed a trending thread on the Basterel University forum, all about Shermaine. It had already racked up tens of thousands of replies. The comments were brutal, nothing but trashing her.
Joshuaโs eyes turned icy. โDelete this post.โ
Roy let out a groan, clearly disappointed in him. โJoshua, I showed you this so you could see Shermaineโs true colors, not to have you rush to her defense.โ
โSheโs not like that,โ Joshua said.
Roy looked stunned. โOh my goodness. What kind of spell did Shermaine put on you to make you defend her like this? Iโve looked into itโthose photos are real, not edited. I even checked the security footage.
โThat student bumped into her and apologized. But Shermaine still went off on her. Come on, Joshua, a woman that petty isnโt good enough for you.โ
Whenever Shermaine came up, what Joshua heard most was that she wasnโt good enough for him. He didnโt agree. He could ignore what other people said, but not when it came from his own friends.
Henry Jean, sitting nearby, made a quick zip-it gesture toward Roy, thinking, โCanโt you see that grim look on Joshuaโs face?โ Joshua stubbed out his cigarette. โIf anyone dares say that crap to my face again, they better be ready to lose their tongue.โ
Chapter 25