Chapter 7 Bad Plot

Lila's POV

I sat at my drafting table,the pencil in my hand moving but not really drawing,lines blurred, shapes overlapped. I drew but not much.Nothing looked right. My mind wasn't in the studio, it was still with Aria.

I've always believed that lies are like ink. Last night I dropped the biggest stain of all.

I told Aria  what she secretly feared. Maybe Damian is the one who killed your brother. I could hear stumber,her breath quicken.she wanted to deny it but she couldn't. That's the beauty of planting seeds,you don't force them to grow,you just bury them deep and wait.

Sitting in my studio, I replayed the conversation in my head smiling faintly.

The buzzer rang ,cutting through my thoughts. Right . A client.

I smoothed my blazer, forced my  face into a professional mode and opened the door.

A woman stood there, polished and elegant, her perfume sharp  enough to bite the air,she carried a garment bag with a modest smile.

“Good morning” I said warmly, you must be here for the shoots.

“Yes,” she replied, shaking my hand.

“Vanessa”

The name meant nothing to me at first,just another client.

“Come in,” I said, leading her towards the prepared backdrop. Lights glowed softly,cameras stood ready,everything in order.

She looked around nodding  approval.

“Beautiful setup. You run this place alone?”

“yes it keeps me busy” And  keeps my mind off real shit. I thought though my smile never faltered.

She perched on the chair to retouch her makeup while I filled the lens. Then she seemed to look at a notification on her phone,she dropped a spark that left me racing.

“So,have you heard the rumour?, Damian Blackwood got married”

My hands froze. I pretended not to hear well.

“ Married,” I repeated.

“ Yes, no warning,no engagement,just suddenly married. New York is buzzing, some say it was a business arrangement,others think it's a scandal in the making”.

“ But the funniest part?No one knows who the girl is,she's practically invisible”.

Oh ,my invisible Aria is now the topic of the day.

“ Interesting,” I said.

“Very” Vanessa leaned back.

“Whoever she is,she must have done something. Men like Damian don't just wake up and say…, sure let's get married. If you ask me,I feel like it's planned”.

Maybe she was right. Damian, a popular billionaire, can never settle for Aria because of a damn insult. Maybe Aria seduced him.

I tilted my head and asked her “ why call it that?

“ Because it's messy, don't you see it. The kind of thing that never ends clean.

I studied her face carefully this time, feeling her sudden concern.

“ Let's begin,” I said briskly.

The shoot went on. Light flashed. Vanessa posed,the shutter clicked. But the scene was playing in my head.

Why did she seem so concerned about the marriage,like she's connected somehow?

The shoot wrapped cleanly. I packed the lights, coiled cables, and shut down the camera. But Vanessa didn't leave immediately,she sat looking at me with a sly smile.

“You're efficient,” she said.

“I'll try” I replied.

She crossed one leg over another,studying me. Then she lowered her voice.

“ Actually….,there's another reason I came”

I paused, glancing up, “ another reason?”

“ Yes, the video and the picture are important,sure. But…”. Her eyes gleamed.

“ I think you can help me with something bigger”.

“ Go on” I said

She leaned forward as if wanting to beg me.

“ I want Damian Blackwood ruined, slowly,publicly and I can't do it alone.

The words curled around me like smoke.

“Ruined,how?” I kept my expression smooth.

“ Online, Anonymous accounts, rumours. Stories that can't be traced. You're creative,words, images,it's second nature for you, isn't it?, I want you to post,twist nature ,make him bleed”.

“ You seem close to this so called Damian” I asked

“ Yes,we once dated.  But he called off the relationship suddenly” she said

For a moment I smiled , knowing the puzzle had just fallen into place.

“ So that's why you've been so determined. You don't want to tarnish him. You want revenge…

“ If that's the case,you've met the right ally”

Vanessa had no idea who she was inviting to play this game.

“And”  she added,as if that wasn't enough.

“ I want you to help me find out who his mysterious wife is. Her face. If we push hard,it'll come out,and when it does we'll know exactly how to use it”

I let out a slow smile.

“ I see, anonymous shadow on the internet,” I murmured.

“ Exactly” Vanessa said her eyes glittery,

“ Bad plot, isn't it?”

“ Bad Plot indeed”

I let her words hang for a moment before speaking. My smile was slow, deliberate.

“No need to look for her, Vanessa. I already know who she is.”

Her head tilted sharply. “You do?”

“Yes.” I met her gaze, voice steady. “Her name is Aria. And she’s my best friend.”

The color drained from Vanessa’s face. For the first time since she walked in, she looked unsteady, her perfect composure cracking. “I…..I didn’t know,” she stammered, eyes widening. “Lila, if I had known… I would never have….”

I raised a hand, cutting her off before she could finish. My smile never wavered.

“Don’t apologize. You were honest, and I like honesty. Besides…” I leaned forward, my tone dropping lower, silk over steel. “…what you want isn’t so different from what I want.”

Vanessa blinked, her confusion melting into something darker,hope.

“So you’ll help me?” she whispered.

I sat back, folding my arms, the faintest smirk tugging at my lips.

“Help you? No, Vanessa. We’ll help each other.”

Her shoulders eased, and that sly smile returned to her face. But inside, I was already two steps ahead.

She thought she had found an ally. What she didn’t realize was that she had just given me the perfect excuse to play this game on my terms.