Tania gripped her phone, her hands trembling as she stared at the screen in shock. The article her entire life and carefully hidden crimes laid bare for the world to see. The words blurred, but the essence was clear: she was exposed, and the fallout would be catastrophic.
“No…this isn’t happening,” she whispered, horror tightening her throat. “This has to be some sort of mistake!”
As she sat on her bedroom floor, her mind raced with questions and blame. Ella. It had to be her. That insufferable sister of hers who had refused to disappear, who had the nerve to come back after everything Tania had done to erase her. Now, Ella was back with a vengeance, tearing apart the life Tania had clawed her way to the top for.
“Ella, is it you?” Tania shrieked, clutching her head and pulling at her hair in frustration. “You’ll pay for this. I swear it, Ella!”
The phone rang, pulling Tania from her rage. Her lawyer, Gia, was calling. She gritted her teeth, reluctantly answering the call.
“What the hell is going on, Tania?” Gia demanded, her tone steely. “Have you seen the news? We have a custody case tomorrow, for heaven’s sake, and this hits the media? Is any of it true, Tania? Money laundering, human trafficking are these accusations real?”
Tania’s voice was shaky, yet she attempted to sound calm. “No, of course not! It’s all lies, Gia. I don’t know who’s behind this, but it’s not true! None of it is!”
Gia sighed, but her frustration was palpable. “Look, whether it’s true or not, this article has done some serious damage. It’ll affect the case tomorrow. You understand that, don’t you? This makes you look…unstable, not to mention dangerous.”
“Gia, I…….”
“Tania, I’ll be honest,” Gia interrupted, exasperated. “If even a fraction of this is real, we’re in for a battle. You’re fighting for custody of Grace, and this news will tilt things in Ethan’s favor. You need to be prepared.”
“I didn’t do any of it,” Tania muttered, desperate to control the situation. “These are all false rumors, Gia.”
“False or not, this news is going to stain your reputation. I’ll see you at court tomorrow,” Gia replied, her voice cold before she hung up.
Tania hurled the phone across the room, her breathing shallow as fury bubbled within her. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She had silenced Ella once, and yet here she was, ripping apart the life Tania had stolen for herself.
Tania’s mind reeled, swinging wildly from laughter to despair, only to plunge back into white-hot rage. How could everything she’d carefully hidden for so many years unravel so quickly? She had been meticulous covering her tracks, silencing threats, controlling everyone around her like pieces on a chessboard. Yet here she was, exposed, vulnerable, her dark secrets splashed across the media for the world to see. It was like a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.
Her hands shook as she pulled up her contacts, her breath hitching as she dialed Fred’s number, desperate for someone anyone who could help her sort out this disaster. The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer. She tried calling again, but it went straight to voicemail. With a frustrated scream, she tossed her phone onto the bed, clutching her head as fresh waves of panic washed over her.
“Why isn’t anyone picking up?!” she muttered, her voice cracking. She paced the length of her bedroom, thoughts spiraling. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the article, the damning accusations, Ella’s phantom presence hovering over her, mocking her from the shadows. “It’s her. I know it’s her,” she whispered to herself, teeth clenched. “Ella, you miserable snake. You think you can just walk back into my life and ruin everything? This is my life. Mine!”
Tania sank onto her bed, burying her face in her hands, teetering between despair and fury. She thought of Grace, her precious daughter her ticket to stability and control in a world she’d ruthlessly manipulated to suit her desires. But now, even that was at risk. The custody hearing was tomorrow, and with this scandal, she knew the judge might look at her differently, might start questioning her fitness as a mother.
“No, I can’t lose Grace,” she whispered. Grace was her only card back into Ethan’s life. She wouldn’t let have Grace. She’d fought too hard and sacrificed too much to let this slip away.
With renewed determination, Tania grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts, landing on Rick. He was her go-to man for fixing problems, an ally who knew just enough about her past to keep her safe without ever getting too close. She pressed the call button, but instead of the usual dial tone, a cold automated message played.
“This number is no longer in service.”
“What?” Tania blinked, pulling the phone from her ear and staring at it as though it had betrayed her. She tried again, only to hear the same message. Her heart sank. Rick, her last hope, had vanished just like Fred, just like every other safety net she had meticulously arranged. It was as if the walls of her empire were collapsing around her, leaving her isolated and defenseless.
For the first time in years, Tania felt small, insignificant. All the power and control she had once held seemed to slip through her fingers like sand, leaving her exposed and vulnerable. In her desperation, she began pacing her room, her mind racing as she struggled to find a way out. She would fix this. She had to fix this.
But the nagging voice in the back of her mind told her that perhaps, this time, there was no easy fix.
Tania’s pulse hammered as she weighed her options, feeling the crushing weight of her own isolation. Fabian was the only one left who might help her, but she knew that was a dead end. After years of keeping him under her thumb, he had finally broken free, disappearing into the shadows where she could no longer control him. She could still feel the sting of his last words, his cold, unwavering gaze as he’d severed their twisted connection. “I’m done, Tania. I won’t play your games anymore.”
She shivered, the memory bringing a chill that seeped into her bones. Fabian wouldn’t answer her calls. Even if he did, he might turn against her in the blink of an eye. And if he was in contact with Ella… Tania’s heart skipped a beat, bile rising as the full implications dawned on her. She had no allies left no one who was loyal, no one she could turn to in this suffocating moment of need.
A wave of laughter bubbled up from her throat, but it was laced with hysteria. She laughed, her shoulders shaking as the absurdity of it all crashed over her. After years of carefully plotting, manipulating, and cutting down anyone who dared stand in her way, she was alone cornered like a wounded animal with no escape. The laughter quickly turned to sobs as her body heaved, and she covered her mouth, sinking to the floor as tears blurred her vision. She had built an empire of lies, and now it was crumbling beneath her.
She wiped her eyes, sniffling as she tried to pull herself together, but the creeping dread refused to leave. Think, Tania, think, she told herself, forcing her mind to strategize, to claw its way out of this pit. But every potential solution vanished as soon as it appeared, like a mirage dissolving in the harsh light of day. Her usual cunning felt blunted, her mind dulled by the terror gnawing at her insides.
The phone buzzed suddenly, jolting her out of her despair. She lunged for it, breath held as she glanced at the screen. It was an unknown number. Hope surged through her; maybe it was someone who could help, some secret ally she hadn’t yet uncovered.
“Hello?” she said, her voice cracking, but she cleared her throat, trying to sound composed.
A pause, then a familiar, mocking voice. “Tania,” the voice drawled. It was Ella.
Tania’s blood froze, her fingers clenching around the phone so tightly she feared it might crack. “Ella,” she spat, venom dripping from her words. “What do you want?”
“I just wanted to check in,” Ella replied smoothly, her tone laced with satisfaction. “It looks like your little house of cards is falling down. Isn’t it poetic? All the lies, all the betrayals… finally catching up to you.”
“Don’t think you’ve won,” Tania hissed, her eyes blazing. “I’ll make you regret this. You won’t get away with..”
“Oh, I think I already have,” Ella interrupted, her voice chillingly calm. “You’ve run out of people to control, Tania. No one’s coming to save you this time.”
Tania could barely breathe, fury and fear twisting inside her as she listened to Ella’s words. She had been outmaneuvered, undone by the one person she had always considered beneath her, someone she had tried so hard to erase.
“Enjoy the view from rock bottom, Tania,” Ella continued. “Because it’s only going to get darker from here.”
The line went dead, leaving Tania in silence, the empty tone echoing in her ears. Her hands shook as she lowered the phone, her skin clammy and cold. This was real, Ella was winning. For the first time in her life, Tania had no power, no control. She was trapped, her options dwindling by the second.
Slowly, she raised her head, her eyes narrowing. She might be out of moves, but she wasn’t defeated yet. There was still tomorrow. The court hearing. She could still sway things in her favor, still paint herself as a victim, a loving mother. If she played her cards right, there was a slim chance she could claw her way out of this mess.
Straightening her spine, Tania drew in a deep breath, summoning what was left of her strength. She would put on her best mask, tell the judge whatever they wanted to hear, make herself look like the perfect mother. And she would find a way to make Ella pay, even if it was the last thing she did.