SARAYA’S POV:
I drove back to my office, my mind spinning with everything Arlan had said. The stereo was blasting with jam, but all I could hear was his voice echoing in my head.
“He’s not innocent until proven otherwise.”
“I’m doing this for us.”
“We can’t take chances, Saraya.”
I gripped the steering wheel tighter and sighed. “How could Arlan be so sure about Dominic?” I asked myself. “I know it, he is just jealous. He is just being insecure with having Dominic around me when he has got himself a baby mama.”
When I finally pulled into the parking lot, I sat in the car for a moment, staring at the steering wheel. My father’s name lingered in my mind like a threat. The idea of coming clean to him made my stomach churn.
“Would he even hear me out? How do I explain to him that was started as a harmless flirt has come to taunt me?”
I let out a shaky breath, leaning my head back against the seat. “I hated how much power this blackmailer had over me.”
I was staring blankly at my computer screen when my phone buzzed on the desk. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the caller ID. It was my dad.
I hesitated for a moment before picking up. “Hi, Dad,” I said, trying to sound normal.
“Cut the pleasantries, Saraya,” he said, his tone stern. “What are you hiding from me?”
My heart dropped into my stomach, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. “I-I don’t understand. What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Alex snapped. “I received a mail few minutes ago. Someone’s claiming you’re hiding something critical from me. They’re asking for twenty million dollars, or they’ll leak it to the press.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. My hands trembled, and I could hear my own heartbeat thundering in my ears. “What? That-Dad, that doesn’t make any sense. It could be a prank.”
“Prank?” he repeated, his voice cold. “The details in that mail suggest otherwise. Whoever sent it knows something, Saraya. Something you’ve been keeping from me.”
I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stay steady. “What details is contained in the mail? Did they mention anything specific?”
“They didn’t spell it out,” My dad replied. “But the way the mail is written… doesn’t look like a prank to me. The file attached to the mail is a screenshot of a video and I can tell the lady is you with a man.”
My heart sank. “A man?”
“Are you dating Dominic and paparazzi took pictures of the both of you kissing unaware?” He asked.
I almost said yes, but I couldn’t afford to bring Dominic into my mess. What more? I was tired of the continuous hiding.
“Saraya?” He called out, jolting me out of my thoughts.
“Sorry dad but can you forward the mail to me?” I asked.
“I’ll do that right away. You’ll read it, and you’ll tell me what is going on that is making this blackmailer ask me for twenty million dollars.”
I felt like I was sinking into quicksand, but I managed to respond. “Okay. I’ll check it as soon as you send it.”
“I hope for your sake there’s an explanation, Saraya,” he said in a stern tone. “The CEO of the Newman’s empire can not be…”
I could tell he was finding it difficult to complete the sentence. “Can not be what?”
“Never mind, I will send you the mail now.” He said before hanging up.
The line went dead, and I stared at the phone in my hand, my mind spinning. The blackmailer had gone straight to my dad. I didn’t see this coming and wasn’t prepared for it.
A new email notification popped up on my phone. It was from my dad. My chest tightened as I opened it.
The subject line read: “Your Daughter’s Secret.”
I tapped on the email with shaky hands, my breath caught in my throat. The message was brief, but every word felt like a hammer to my chest.
“Mr. Newman,
Your daughter has been hiding something that would tarnish your family’s reputation. Transfer twenty million dollars to the account below, or the truth will go public. You have 48 hours.
Attached is proof of her involvement.”
My fingers hovered over the attachment, I opened it and it was a two seconds snippet enough to tell it was me but Arlan didn’t show. “Little wonder, my dad was guessing.” I could tell blackmailer did that to put me on the edge.
The phone buzzed in my hand again. Another call from my dad.
“Saraya,” his voice came through, colder than before. “So can you start explaining now?”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. “I don’t know, Dad. I swear, this could be someone trying to extort money from you. I haven’t done anything that could-”
“Don’t lie to me,” he interrupted. “Tell Dominic, I want to see him.”
“This has nothing to do with Dominic.”
“Are you saying, Dominic is not the one in the video or you’re trying to protect him?”
“Dad, can we talk about this later when I get home? It’s nothing to worry yourself about.”
There was a pause, and for a moment, I thought I’d lost him. Then he spoke again, quieter this time. “I see you’re not ready to tell me the truth. We have just managed to quench the fraud allegation, Saraya. We cant afford to deal with another scandal, not now that Ian is finally back. He would take every chance at you.”
“I’ll deal with this myself, trust me.” I said, sounding desperate in a bid to get my dad to overlook it.
“I’m going to find out the truth, Saraya. If you won’t tell me, I’ll figure it out myself.”
“Dad, please,” I said, my voice breaking. “Give me some time to sort this out. Don’t do anything drastic.”
“You have six hours to sort this out.” He said coldly. “After that, I’m taking matters into my own hands.”
The line went dead again, leaving me shivering.
I stared at my phone, my chest heaving. The clock was ticking, and I had no idea what to do. Arlan’s voice echoed in my mind: “We can’t keep hiding this.”
Maybe he was right. But coming clean now felt like walking straight into a storm I wasn’t ready to face.
I sat there frozen, thinking about Arlan’s words. My thoughts began to turn into a jumbled mess.
My fingers hovered over my phone, thinking of what to do since my dad gave me a six hours ultimatum, I dialed Arlan.
“Hello,” I said shakily.
He picked up almost immediately like he knew I was going to call. “Saraya, what’s wrong?”
“My father,” I said, my voice trembling. “The blackmailer reached out to him and sent him an email asking for twenty million dollars. He just got off the phone with me, Arlan.” I added. “He is asking questions I don’t have answers to.”
There was a pause on the other end. “I can’t believe the blackmail went to Alex?” He finally said, his voice filled with disbelief. “Do you know the content of the mail?”
I recited the email as best as I could, my voice shaky with every word.
“Was the video sent?” He asked.
“Just a screenshot, enough to show me kissing a man.” I explained.
Arlan cursed under his breath. “This changes everything. Time is against us, w e have to move faster.”
“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair. “He gave me a six hours to explain, or he’s going to dig into it himself. If he finds out on his own-”
“We can’t let that happen,” Arlan interrupted. “We need to come out before then.” He said. “You have to make up your mind.”
The phone buzzed again in my hand. A new email. My heart raced, and I could feel the blood draining from my face.
“Arlan,” I said, my voice trembling as I kept him on the line. “I just got another mail.”
There was a pause on his end before he replied. “I just got one too.” He told me. “Open yours. Let’s see what we’re dealing with now.”
With shaking hands, I tapped on the message.
“Congratulations on stalling for time. You’ve just earned yourself a revised price of fifteen million dollars. You now have five hours to pay up. If you fail, the truth about your little secrets will be all over the press. Good luck.
-Your friendly blackmailer.”
I could barely breathe as I finished reading. “The idiot increased the demand,” I cussed out. “Fifteen million dollars in five hours.”
“I’m looking at the same thing,” Arlan said, his voice dark and low. “Twelve hours, Saraya. That son of a gun is cornering us.”
“Could as well be a bitch.” I added.
“Whoever it is, it’s certain time is not on our side.” Arlan replied.
My head began to spin, and I could feel the walls closing in. “This isn’t going to stop, Arlan,” I said finally. “Even if we pay this person, they’ll just come back for more. It’s obvious now.”
“Glad you agree with me. Since we can’t continue with our search for the blackmailer at the moment, let’s come out clean to Alex.” He replied.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to steady myself. “You’re right. It’s just that it’s not as easy as you think.”
Arlan was silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh. “I know what is going through your mind, Saraya. But it might be the only way to get ahead of this.”
“It is,” I said firmly, surprising even myself with the conviction in my voice. “I’ve had enough. We can’t keep living like this. If my father hears it from us, maybe we have a chance to control the narrative.”
“You’re right,” Arlan said after a pause. “We’ll do it together. But we have to act fast. This needs to happen before the blackmailer has a chance to follow through.”
I nodded. “Then we’ll tell him tonight.”
“Tonight,” Arlan repeated. “No turning back.”
I hung up, knowing fully well I was about to lose my father’s faith in me but I rather lose to my father than lose to a stranger. “Let’s do this, Saraya.” I said to myself.