As Clarissa flipped through the wedding catalogs in a disinterested fashion, her mind was actually someplace else.
Gina came in as if she had something to report but was interrupted by Clarissa’s phone ringing.
She answered the call and realized it was Jamie.
During the call, Jamie was apologetic over what happened and for her attitude. Hence, she wanted to meet Clarissa to do so in person, to which Clarissa agreed.
After ending the call, Gina asked, “Did Ms. Trudall call and request to see you?”
Clarissa smiled. “How did you know?”
Gina’s expression darkened in response.
Jamie has asked to meet at a hotel. After Clarissa and Gina arrived at the second floor of the hotel and entered a private room, they saw Jamie alone inside.
When she saw Clarissa, she was visibly unsettled but she did have an apologetic look in her eyes.
The moment Clarissa sat down, she apologized, “Ms. Quigley, I’m sorry for what I did last time. I shouldn’t have flared my temper at you. When I calmed down and reflected upon my actions, I realized that I was in the wrong. I’m sorry again and hope that you won’t hold it against me.”
Clarissa shook her head. “It’s already water under the bridge.”
As Clarissa stared at Jamie in a probing manner, Jamie felt unsettled by it.
“Ms. Quigley, what’s wrong? Are you still angry at me?”
Clarissa shook her head again. “No, since we have cleared the air, it’s no longer an issue. Did you invite me here only to apologize?”
Jamie smiled awkwardly as she nodded.
Clarissa could only smile in return. “Alright, I didn’t take it personally. What’s done is done. I still wish you the best and hope you achieve whatever you are looking for.”
“Thank you, Ms. Quigley.”
After that, both of them fell into an awkward silence.
The camaraderie they previously had was no longer there. In the end, the knots in their heart remained and it would take some time before it could be unraveled.
After taking a sip of coffee, Jamie glanced at Gina.
“Erm, Ms. Quigley, is it troublesome that Ms. Tyler follows you everywhere?”
Clarissa looked at Gina who remained expressionless. However, she shot Jamie a piercing glance instead.
Jamie quickly averted her gaze and drank her coffee.
Clarissa’s eyes sparkled. “It’s no trouble, we’re all ladies after all. We can even go to the washroom together. Haha…”
“Haha… that’s true.”
Jamie looked at Gina and suddenly uttered, “Ms. Quigley, I have something personal to tell you and I hope to do so in private.”
Clarissa gave Jamie a thoughtful look before smiling at Gina, “Gina, please leave us a moment. Take a walk nearby and come back in a while. After all, Jamie isn’t a stranger.”
“That’s right, Ms. Tyler, why don’t you browse the shops in the nearby mall of something. I have lots to talk to Ms. Quigley about.”
Gina nodded at Clarissa before standing up to leave.
After that, Jamie fell silent again.
“Jamie, didn’t you have something to tell me?”
“Erm, I… I just got a role as one of Mr. Mackenzie’s female leads.”
“Really? This is a wonderful opportunity. Mr. Mackenzie’s female leads have always been top-tier actresses. With this opportunity, you will be able to join their ranks too. Isn’t that what you want?”
Jamie didn’t look excited at all and squirmed her lips in response.
Clarissa lowered her head to take another sip of coffee and didn’t say another word.
After a while, a male waiter entered the private room.
Inside one of the rooms in the hotel, the man put the drugged Clarissa on a bed.
Jamie was worried. “You should leave now. Leave this to me.”
The man sneered before starting to unbutton his shirt, shocking Jamie.
“What are you doing? What’s the meaning of this? You should leave now.”
The man looked at Jamie in a condescending manner. “Although you’re not as hot as she is, I don’t mind a threesome.”
“You…”
Jamie was shocked. “We agreed on this. Your job was to drug her and I’ll handle the rest. There’s nothing left for you here. I’ll pay you for this so please leave.”
“Leave? Haha… Since I’m already here with such a gorgeous woman, how can you ask me to leave without doing anything? That’s just impossible. Now that you have gotten me involved, it’s not going to be easy to be rid of me. If you don’t leave now, you will regret it later.”
The man’s vicious gaze terrified Jamie.
Just when she hesitated and looked at Clarissa unconscious on the bed, a group of men suddenly entered the room. All of them were smiling lecherously. Frightened by the new development, Jamie fled the room quickly.
After she left the hotel, she still couldn’t calm herself down. Gritting her teeth, her face lost all color when a thought struck her mind. In the end, she chose to leave in a cab.
…
The moment she arrived at her apartment, her phone rang.
“Mr. Jensen, when are we leaving? I’ve already packed.”
“Leaving? You have been rejected.”
“What do you mean rejected? Wasn’t it already agreed? The assistant director called me personally to confirm that I will be the female lead. Mr. Jensen, there must be a mistake.”
“What do you mean by a mistake? After giving it some consideration, they felt that you don’t suit the role. They only made you a verbal promise and the new female lead has signed the contract. Hence, you have been rejected. I must say, Jamie, how did you get this contact? Did you and the assistant director…”
“No, Mr. Jensen, a friend recommended me. This is impossible. Please wait for a moment while I check with her.”
Jamie ended the call and tried calling her friend. But, no one answered.
Jamie’s expression darkened as she quickly shot off a few messages.
“I have recorded our conversations. If you don’t answer, I’ll send them to the police.”
Soon, her phone rang.
Jamie screamed into it, “You promised me that I will be the lead after I have done what you requested. What’s the meaning of this? Also, didn’t we agree that I will be the one to handle it? Why did you send so many men there? Are you trying to kill Ms. Quigley? How can you break your promise so easily? You’re just so evil!”
“Hahaha… I’m surprised it took you so long to realize.”
Jamie’s heart sank in response.
“Shermaine! I will report this to the police.”
“Hahaha…”
Jamie was stunned, “What are you laughing at?”
“When the perpetrator calls the police, who do you think the police will arrest? Jamie, you were the one who invited Clarissa out and paid those men to gang-rape her. Hahaha… You were her best friend yet you did all that. If you feel like calling the police, be my guest.”
“You… it’s obvious that you instructed me to do it, and I have a recording of our conversation.”
“Oh? So what about it? During our chat, what did I say? Oh! I remember now. I only said that if you agree to my request, I will help you secure the female lead role. However, I didn’t mention what my request was. So, this has nothing to do with me. Hahaha… Jamie, as your friend, let me share with you some exciting news. Tomorrow, you must look out for a shocking headline. As to what it is, I’m sure you can definitely guess since you’re her best friend.”
Shermaine ended the call laughing while Jamie collapsed onto the ground trembling. Her face had lost all color as she hugged herself in fear.
For the entire night, Jamie couldn’t sleep a wink. Her mind was flooded with images of Clarissa sprawled on the bed and the group of men smiling salaciously.
As day broke, a groggy Jamie finally fell asleep out of exhaustion.
Suddenly, she was woken up by the sharp ringing of her phone.
She quickly sat up to check it with her trembling hands. When she scrolled through the trending topics, none of it was the shocking news which Shermaine alluded to.
Jamie heaved a sigh of relief but was suddenly seized by an even greater fear.
With the phone in her hand, she stared at it for a long while before giving Clarissa a call.
After a few rings, Clarissa answered.
“Jamie.”
Her tone caused Jamie’s heart to race while she was standing by the window with a cold expression on her face.
There was a moment of silence between both of them before Jamie probed, “Ms. Quigley, about yesterday… were you alright?”
Clarissa’s tone grew colder. “What did you think happened to me?”
“Ms. Quigley, I…”
“Jamie, you were willing to destroy me over a female lead role. It seems that I have overestimated our friendship. Evidently, it is as you have said so yourself. One had to pay a price in order to be successful. And, the price you paid was our friendship.”
“No, no… Ms. Quigley, I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Did you not conspire with Shermaine on purpose? Did you also not deliberately try to ruin me in such a vicious manner? Didn’t you abandon me when I was in danger?”
“I…”
Jamie was lost for words. After a brief moment of silence, she suddenly bawled. Amidst her tears, she sobbed, “Clarissa, do you think I had a choice? You know how much I love Ryler, but he isn’t interested in me at all. Even when he is drunk, all he could talk about was you. In fact, he…”
In fact, when she offered herself to him, he rejected her.
“He only fancies you and you know it. But, you chose to act all innocent. Clarissa, how dare you accuse me of betraying our friendship when you’re the one who did so first.”
Clarissa was speechless when Jamie twisted the facts in her desperation.
At the end of the day, Jamie was held hostage by her own selfishness over both a man and the role of a female lead.
She was no longer the innocent girl Clarissa knew. Her greed had driven her to become what she was today.
Having lost interest in what she had to say, Clarissa coldly remarked, “Jamie, although you sabotaged me under Shermaine’s instructions, you still betrayed me in the end. Therefore, the only thing I can do is to take away what you desire most, which includes your man and your career. That is the price you will pay for betraying me.”
With that, Clarissa ended the call abruptly.
