59

I sat on the edge of my bed, still in my clothes from earlier, my head resting in my hands. My knuckles throbbed faintly under the bandage Daniela wrapped around them.

I stared down at the email.

Dad forwarded it to me just an hour ago with no explanation, but he didn't need one. The subject line said enough. "We're going to have a chat when I get home."

I clicked on it with shaky hands, already knowing what I'd see before I even opened the attachment.

The footage Elijah threatened to send to my dad too.

Motherfucker.

But at least he didn't mention the part where, and I quote, "...how his daughter assaulted me!"

I mean come on, it wasn't even that bad.

But if I knew he had such a high pain tolerance, I wouldn't have hit him so hard.

I sighed and leaned back against the headboard of my bed, my gaze fixed on the ceiling, and my laptop resting in my lap.

"Fuckkk." I muttered under my breath.

Clearly, someone--that being Adeline, because she's the only one here with me-- heard my cuss and decided to knock on my door. I stayed quiet, hinting at her I didn't want anyone to talk to right now. But she didn't care and anyways opened my door.

As fast as lightening, I close my laptop.

Before I could yell at her to get out, she made herself comfortable in my room, leaning against the doorframe. "You're in deep shit." She grinned. "Corbin forwarded me the email. So that's the footage, huh?"

"I never expected a good girl like you to get arrested." Her voice was low. "When will the mugshots be released?"

"Haha, very funny." I flashed a sarcastic, annoyed smile. "Have you ever considered being a comedian?"

She raised her hands in the air, surrendering. She now stepped into my room, closing the door behind her with her foot. "What's with the hostility, doll? I come in peace."

"I think we have different understandings of the word peace."

Then her emotions shifted and she lowered her arms that it's folded over her chest. She stared at me, her eyes suspiciously softening in a more understanding gaze. "Tell me what happened."

I raised an eyebrow. "What on earth makes you think that I will ever tell you what happened?"

"Okay, that's fair." She took a deep breath in and out. "But I'm offering you a way out of this mess. I can help you."

I studied her for a moment as she just stands in the middle of my room. "What do you want, Adeline? We both know you're not doing this out of the goodness of your heart."

She nodded. "I'm not doing it for free."

There it is.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Of course not. There's always a catch with you."

Adeline's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Smart girl."

She took a step forward, leaning against the foot of my bed, her posture casual, but her eyes never leaving mine. "Here's the deal: you don't want to tell your daddy the truth, whatever the truth might be. And obviously, Daniela was involved... Somehow, she was, right?"

My jaw clenched. I saw no reason to lie anymore. At this point, I'd do anything to protect myself, Iris and Daniela.

I mumble. "Mhm."

"Good, we're getting somewhere." She smiled at my co-operation. "And also, you don't want daddy to go have a talk with her. Because if he finds out that she had anything to do with it, he'll get her fired. She was responsible for you and your friend, and looked what happened."

"The board already let Daniela off the hook." I told.

"The board versus the NYPD chief." Adeline tilted her head mockingly to the side. "Who do you think will win?"

Fuck.

And so, the person who I hated the most, got me to open up with a bit of her sweet talk and persuading. She now knows why that footage shows me and Iris being forced into a cop car. She now even knows why we were at the bar in the first place-- because I was mad at Daniela and at myself for losing.

Then we sat here on my bed, discussing who leaked the footage, but still can't explain how he got to it.

"And this Elijah guy got a beating of his lifetime?" She asked, nodding to my hand wrapped in bandage.

My eyes followed her gaze down and I nodded. "Something like that." I wiggled my fingers around.

"Your father raised you well."

I scoffed before looking up at her. "Your turn, speak. How do you help me get out of trouble?"

"Don't worry about that." She said. "It doesn't matter how I do it. It just has to be done."

"How do I know you're not fucking with me?" Again.

"Doll, if I wanted to set you up, don't you think I'd be fucking you earlier?" I paused at her words, furrowing my eyebrows as she just smirks. That was until she sighed and added, "I'm on your side for once, believe it or not."

I hesitated. "Fine, what's the catch?"

She hummed, pretending to think about what I owe her. Knowing her, she planned that before the footage even came out. She's just doing this to tease me, edge me, because she knows how impatient I can get.

"Cameron told me that he made a move. That you rejected him." She traced her finger along the patterns on my duvet. "So, you're going to give him a second chance."

I sighed the moment his name slid past her lips. "I'm not going to do that. I already spoke to him, he understands. We both agreed on staying friends."

Adeline didn't listen and completely ignored what I was saying. "I'm inviting him for dinner tomorrow. Your dad's fine with that, and you'll make sure to talk to him. You'll give him a chance."

"I'd rather let the entire world know that I've been arrested for being immature and getting absolutely stoned." I scoff, my eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not doing it."

She got off my bed, but turned to face me.

"Oh, doll, you misunderstand. This isn't a request." Her tone shifted into a lower one.

"I thought we were done with this story, Adeline!" I exclaimed, my voice loud. "You won, remember?"

"Well, technically, I didn't." She folded her arms over her chest again. "I told you from the beginning you'll go on that date with Cameron. You still haven't. But, you did break Daniela's heart... so I guess... two birds..." She began smirking, "...with one stone?"

I jumped up from my bed, my laptop falling off me. "This is crossing the line, Adeline!" Tears filled my eyes. "You can't just control my life! You don't get to march in my home, and take it!"

Adeline's smirk grew. "Oh, but I can, doll. And I am. Unless, of course, you're willing to face the consequences." She gestured lazily toward my fallen laptop. "You wouldn't want daddy dearest finding out about more than just that little footage, now, would you?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, my chest heaving as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. "You're disgusting," I spat. "Cameron doesn't even want this. He's fine with being friends--he gets it."

"Oh, I'm sure he's just thrilled to be shoved into the friend zone by you. But you see, I'm not doing this for Cameron. I'm doing this for me." She took a step closer. "Because it's fun, doll. Watching you squirm, seeing you struggle to balance everything while keeping your precious secrets intact."

"I'm not hurting Daniela." I spoke slowly, mumbling the words through my gritted teeth. "I'm not hurting her ever again."

She stepped closer, and was now right in front of me. I had to tilt my head back to look at her. She helped me by cupping my jaw between her thumb and other finger, forcing my head up to look a her. Her dark eyes flickered back and forth between my teary ones. And I knew she had me right where she wanted me to be.

My eyes widen as she leaned forward and tilted my head to the side so that she had access to my ear.

Her body pressed against mine, her breaths bouncing off my skin. "Oh, doll... you never hurt her." She whispered lowly against me, causing me to shiver. Her voice was almost seductive. "You tortured her."

And with that, the first tear rolled down my cheek.

Her hand slipped off my chin and she stepped back to get the full look of me. Her eyes travelled up and down my body. From my head to toes. Her smirk growing the lower her gaze dropped.

Adeline walked to the door. "Make sure you're at that dinner tomorrow. Seven o'clock sharp." She winked over her shoulder to me.

Once she was at the doorframe, she spun around like she forgot to tell me something. "Oh, and doll? Wear something cute. Cameron deserves a little effort, don't you think?"

The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence.

My fists were clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms, the sharp sting grounding me as I tried to keep from breaking down. Not only was my knuckles bruised, but now my palm on my right hand too.

She had me trapped, again.

How can she win every single time?

I need to tell Daniela, before Adeline gets to her.

An hour has gone by, and I've still been in my room. A few minutes ago I stopped pacing around because my legs felt as if it could give in any second. So now, I sat on the edge of my bed, my head hanging, staring down at my hands. My chest still ached from crying, but luckily my tears dried up and my face wasn't as red and puffy.

I've been talking with Iris on the phone, updating her about Adeline's new plan to get me with Cameron. And Iris' advice wasn't the best she's ever given me before. She told me to do the exact same thing I did to Elijah.

That wouldn't go so well. My good hand is wrapped in a bandage, so it wouldn't do much damage, and it'll hurt even more for me.

Plus, she's a police officer.

She can use anything against me, like she is now.

A knock on my door jolted me out of my thoughts. I straightened up, quickly wiping at my face to make sure I didn't look like a total wreck.

Fingers crossed it isn't Adeline, if not... I'll never be able to cross my fingers again.

"Come in." I called out.

The door opened, and my dad stepped inside. My heart skipped a beat, knowing what's about to come. Although he looked calm. Too calm. A faint smile tugged at his lips, which immediately set off alarms in my head.

"You know," he started, closing the door behind him, "you could have told me."

I froze, my heart plummeting into my stomach. He knows. He knows.

"I know, I--i'm sorry, I--" I stammered, the words tumbling out of me before I could think. My hands fumbled against the duvet.

But he cut me off, holding up a hand. "Victoria, it's okay."

Wait, what?

He let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "Adeline told me everything. About the Spanish short film assignment? Filming it in Greece? I have to admit, I wish you'd let me in on the whole process-- could've given you some pointers!" He chuckled, clearly amused by something. "But you and Iris' acting was on fire! I swear, I truly believed that you were drunk."

I blinked at him.

"She said it was a last-minute project for the Olympiads. Sounds intense, especially with the location shooting." He smiled again, pride laced in his voice. "You're really dedicated, sweetheart. It's good to see."

"But hell, you almost gave me a heart attack." He placed his hand over his chest. "I really thought you got arrested, that your professor had to bail you two out."

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. My brain was still catching up to the fact that Adeline, out of all people, had covered for me.

She... covered for me.

"Uh, yeah," I managed to mumble after a moment. "It was... a lot. Sorry for not telling you sooner."

"And she mentioned you got home with an injury?" He scanned my body.

I shook my head, still in disbelief before bringing my hand up. "Yeah... I uh... the university's punching bags are very, very hard." I chose my words wisely, talking slow to think before speaking. "Had to get my workout in." I chuckle nervously.

"Maybe do something more suitable for you then, yeah?" Dad walked towards me and kissed my head. "Yoga maybe."

A genuine giggle escaped my lips. "Okay, dad. If you say so."

He squeezed my shoulder before walking to the door. "Take it easy, sweetheart."

"Yeah, I will."

Once the door shut again, I let go of a loud breath. My hand finding my stomach.

Holy shit.

She covered for me.

And somehow, that scared me even more than if she hadn't.