Chapter 147

The night was dark and oppressive as I unlocked my front door, the weight of the day’s revelations bearing down on me like a suffocating cloak. I couldn’t wait any longer; I had to call Penny and share the shocking news that had unfolded. As I paced back and forth in my dimly lit living room, I dialed Penny’s number and anxiously waited for her to answer.

“Evie, what’s going on?” Penny’s voice echoed through the phone.

I took a deep breath, my mind a whirlwind of emotions. “Penny, you won’t believe what I’ve uncovered today. It’s about Andy and Stella.”

A sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line told me that I had Penny’s full attention. “Tell me everything,” she demanded eagerly.

I recounted the events of the afternoon, starting with Stella’s suspicious behavior and ending with my startling encounter with her at Andy’s office. “I just have this gut feeling that something is happening between Andy and Stella,” I concluded, my voice trembling with uncertainty.

Penny didn’t hesitate. “We need to find out for sure.”

The idea of spying on someone made my stomach churn, but Penny was right- Timothy’s fiancée was entangled in something scandalous, and we needed the proof.

“Okay. What did you have in mind?” I asked.

Penny cheered. “It’s a more invasive method, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m sure that photographic evidence will be needed.”

“Which may not be too hard,” I cut in, producing the hotel card that Scarlett had given me from my pocket. “A friend of mine gave me a helpful hint on where these two may be hanging out tonight.”

“Really?” Penny gasped. “Where?”

“Room 209 in the Reed Hotel across the street from Nextech. It offers a lovely view of Andy’s office.”

Penny clapped her hands. “That’s perfect! We could set up cameras in the room, and if we spot anything incriminating, we’ll capture it as evidence!”

7 I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sounds like something out of a movie.”

She gave a hearty chuckle on the other end, as if I’d brightened her day with this news alone. “It’s the price we pay for a good story.”

As the evening grew darker, Penny and I found ourselves perched on the window ledge of the hotel room, peering through a telescope and camera aimed at Andy’s office building. The hotel room was dimly lit, and the only source of light came from the distant glow of streetlights below.

“Evie, you okay?” Penny asked, her words hushed despite our isolation.

I tore my gaze away from the window and met her eyes. “I’m just worried about what we might uncover, Penny. What if we’re wrong?”

Penny patted my arm. “We won’t know until we look. And if we’re right, the headlines may be nastier toward Stella than they ever were for you.”

“I don’t want them to be too hard on her,” I said, and Penny looked such as surprised as I felt at my own words. “I mean…she’s pregnant, so it could lead to a lot of stress on the baby.”

Penny shook her head, though she wore a smile. “You’re nicer than me. I would’ve torn her a new one the moment she even looked at me funny.”

“Someone’s very passionate,” I said with a laugh, pulling my knees to my chest. “Although, I do wonder why Timothy is still with her. They don’t seem to mesh well, as different as they are.”

Penny snorted. “They don’t. I’ve seen a seagull and a fish with more chemistry, and one usually winds up dead.”

“That describes Timothy when he’s around her,” I blurted out, and the reality of it settled in all too quickly. The light in his eyes seemed to dim in her presence, as if she was sucking the soul of him.

He’d been looking more troubled and worn out the past several weeks than ever before.

The silence in the hotel room was suffocating, broken only by the distant hum of traffic and the occasional rustle of papers as Penny fiddled with the surveillance equipment. Penny’s eyes bore into me, and after a moment’s hesitation, she spoke up. “If you don’t mind me asking, are you sure you don’t have a thing for him?”

A I scrunched up my nose. “I don’t even like breathing the same air as that guy. He can make all the smartphones he wants, but I would never-”

“Not Andy,” Penny interrupted, leaning closer with a knowing glint in her eye. “Timothy.”

I turned to look at Penny, her eyes locked onto mine, searching for any hint of a confession. My heart raced as I hesitated for a moment before replying, “No, Penny. I don’t have feelings for Timothy. Our time together is in the past, and I’ve moved on.”

Penny didn’t buy my half–hearted denial, and her persistent gaze made me feel uneasy. “Evie, you can’t lie to me. I’ve seen the looks you give him, whether you hate him or not.”

I sighed, realizing that Penny wouldn’t let this go. “Maybe there’s still a small part of me that wonders about what could have been. But it’s not relevant now. Timothy is with Stella, and that’s that.”

Penny’s gaze softened. “Sure, but the last person you want to lie to is yourself. And hey, who knows? Maybe this mess with Stella and Andy will help you see things more clearly.”

Before I could respond, Penny’s sharp intake of breath cut through the air. “Evie, look!”

I turned my attention back to the window, my previous emotions now pushed to the back of my mind. My breath caught in my throat as I saw movement in Andy’s office. There was a figure inside.

Penny’s eyes widened. “Finally! Some action.”

We watched in silence as the figure moved around the room. At first, it was difficult to make out any details in the dimly lit space. I squinted, trying to identify the person, but it wasn’t until the figure stepped closer to the window that I could see who it was.

“It’s Andy,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “He’s alone.”

Penny continued to watch intently. “Wait, Evie, someone else is coming in.”

As we strained to see, the tension in the room grew thicker. My heart pounded as the second figure entered the room. It was Stella. She walked toward Andy, her 875 Need Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Discount (Start Now)

A movements filled with a sense of purpose, and my heart sank.

“What are they doing?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Penny’s eyes widened as she observed the scene unfolding before us. “Evie, they’re getting close.

Too close.”

My stomach churned as I watched Stella approach Andy. Their body language was intimate, and the atmosphere in the room became charged with tension. My jaw tightened as I watched the distance close between them.

In that moment, I felt a wave of emotions crash over me–anger, betrayal, and sadness. How could they do this to Timothy? How could his own brother and fiancé betray him like this?

Penny, however, seemed excited by what she was witnessing as she snapped. pictures in rapid succession. “Evie, this is it! We’ve caught them red–handed! This will be the scandal of the century!”

But I couldn’t share Penny’s enthusiasm. My mind was racing, and I needed to think clearly. Sure, this was amazing news for us and the media storm we planned on creating, but I couldn’t help but wonder how Timothy would fair in all of this?

I may have wanted him to hurt before, but this was news that could hit him harder than expected.

He would shift from the helpless hockey star pursued by an “opportunistic” lawyer to the man cheated on by his soon to be bride. Neither aided his reputation.

“Wait, Penny,” I interrupted, my eyes glued on Andy and Stella as they locked lips. “We can’t just expose them like this.”

Penny paused from taking photos, her eyes squinting. “Huh?”

I backed away from the telescope and turned toward her. “Timothy deserves to know first. And besides, what if we can use this as leverage against Stella? To prevent her from taking the estate in my case?”

Penny reluctantly lowered the camera. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. We need to be more strategic about this.”

I sighed with relief. “Thank you.”

“Of course. And I’ll get these photos developed first thing tomorrow, Evie. You’ll have them soon, along with digital copies.”

I nodded, my mind still reeling from what we had seen. The photos were our ammunition, our evidence, and I knew we had to handle them with care. “Thank you, Penny. This means everything to me.”

Penny leaned in, wiggling her eyebrows. “I’m sure it will mean a lot to Timothy too.”

I rolled my eyes as she turned away to pack her things. I couldn’t shake the feeling. that our actions had set in motion something far more destructive than we had anticipated. Timothy be devastated by the revelation of his fiancée’s betrayal, or would he be grateful for the truth?

The uncertainty of it would eat me alive, but simultaneously couldn’t help but feel a renewed sense of purpose. Timothy deserved to know the truth, but I was far less. prepared to be the one to tell him.

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