Chapter 26

Jessica's heart sank when she heard Samantha's sobs. She took a deep breath, and knocked again.

"Samantha, it's Jessica. Can we please talk?" She asked.

There was a long silence, but then the door opened a crack. Samantha's face was red and swollen from crying. She looked at Jessica with a mixture of anger and despair.

"What do you want?" she said, her voice hoarse.

"I just want to make sure you're okay. Please, can I come in?" Jessica said.

Jessica looked at Samantha, her brow furrowed with concern.

"What's going on? You can tell me" she said.

Samantha hesitated, then lied, "It's my dad. He's been really sick lately, and I'm just so worried about him". She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.

"I know it sounds silly, but when I was frustrated I just banged on the door without thinking."

"That doesn't sound silly at all. You're allowed to feel overwhelmed. Being worried about your dad is a completely normal reaction" Jessica said.

Samantha looked at Jessica, her eyes still shining with tears.

"But it's not just that, I feel like I'm not doing well in work, and my friends have been acting weird lately. Everything just feels like it's falling apart" she cried.

Jessica nodded, then took a deep breath. "I know it's tough, But I want you to know that you're not alone. Even when it feels like everything's going wrong, you have people who care about you. And that includes me"

Samantha felt a rush of relief as Jessica's words sank in. She knew it was wrong to lie, but she was grateful that she believed her. She nodded, trying to smile.

"Thank you, I really needed to hear that" Samantha said.

As Jessica helped Samantha settle into bed, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. There was something about Samantha's demeanor that made her uneasy. But she put it out of her mind, telling herself that she was being paranoid.

Once Samantha was asleep, Jessica got up to leave the room. As she reached the door, she turned back to look at her . Samantha's face was relaxed in sleep, and yet there was something in her expression that made Jessica pause. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew she couldn't ignore her instincts. She doesn't know if her instincts are right or wrong but what ever the case maybe, she needs to keep a close eye on her.

Jessica walked out of the room, a nagging doubt in the back of her mind. She was about to close the door when she heard a faint sound from within the room. It was almost imperceptible, but something about it made her stop in her tracks. She stood there, listening intently. The sound continued, and she realized it was the sound of someone whispering.

She couldn't make out the words, but she knew one thing for sure. Samantha was not the innocent girl she seemed to be. And Jessica was determined to find out the truth.

As Jessica crept back to her room, she tried to make sense of what she'd just heard. She was certain that Samantha was up to something, but she couldn't be sure what it was. But she knew she had to figure it out, before it was too late.

Samantha sat in her room, a wicked smile on her face. She was thrilled that her lie had worked, and that Jessica trusted her so easily. But she also knew that she couldn't keep up the charade for long. And so, she hatched a plan.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. The phone rang a few times, and then a deep, husky voice answered.

"Hello?" the voice said.

"It's me," Samantha said, her voice trembling. "I need your help."

There was a pause, and then the voice spoke again.

"What do you need?"

Samantha took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

" I know I messed up but please help take care of Jessica. She's only person getting in the way of us making money out Davis and being with you" Samantha pouted as if he could see her.

"I'll do whatever it takes to help you," the man said, his voice low and husky. "But first, I need to know that you're in this with me. I need to know that you're not going to run away when things get tough."

Samantha felt a shiver run down her spine. She didn't know why, but she got the sense that this man wasn't to be trusted. But she pushed that feeling away, determined to focus on her goal.

"I'm in this, I won't back out" she said

The man's voice came over the phone, deep and smooth.

"I'm glad you agreed. It's important that we work together on this. Are you ready to get started?" He asked

"Yes," Samantha said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I'm ready."

"Good. Now, I need to know everything you know about Jessica. The more information you have, the better our plan will be" he said

" I will tell the rest off the plan when we meet. Arrange a meeting for us" the man added and ended the call.

Arrange a meeting? With him? Now? She has to make Davis believe that she came back because of them and now he's asking her to him? What if they get caught? Her head was spinning, and she felt sick to her stomach.

She crawled into bed, feeling exhausted and happy.

As Samantha finally started to drift off to sleep, a smile crept onto her face. She couldn't wait to see the look on Jessica's face when she found out what was coming. In her mind's eye, she saw Davis throwing Jessica out of the house, his face cold and determined. Samantha reveled in the thought of finally being free of her rival.

But as she slept, a feeling of unease crept over her. She tossed and turned, and then she opened her eyes. It was still dark, and she felt wide awake.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something wrong is going to happen about the meeting them.

★★★ UNKNOWN PLACE ★★★

"Sir, we have something you might be interested in," Scar said, his voice low and respectful. He was careful not to meet the man's eyes, knowing that his anger was not to be taken lightly. He had a bad day and today is not the day to display his strength or he will be killed on the spot.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense, what is it?" the man said.

"It's about Jessica, I've learned some things that you might find useful" Scar replied

"Out with it," the man said, his impatience growing.

"Apparently, Samantha has been living with both Jessica and Davis for some time now," Scar said. "And my sources tell me that she's not happy about it. She's jealous of the relationship that Jessica has with Davis, and she's been plotting to get rid of her. She has a plan, and it involves one of Jessica's closest friends." The man's eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward.

"Tell me everything you know," he said, his voice cold and dangerous.

"Well, it seems that Samantha has befriended one of Jessica's closest friends," Scar said.

"She's been trying to turn this friend against Jessica, and it seems to be working. She's convinced this friend to do something terrible to Jessica, something that could change her life forever."

The man considered this information for a moment, his mind raced.

"Tell me more," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm not sure if I should tell you more, sir, I know that you're very interested in this, but I don't want to put you in a position where you could be implicated in any wrongdoing. I'm not sure that I can risk that" Scar said, knowing how much his boss loves Jessica for a long time now.

The man's eyes flashed with anger, and he leaned forward, his face inches from Scar's.

"You know that you don't have a choice, Tell me everything you know, or you'll regret it" he threatened coldly. Scar swallowed hard, and his hands began to shake. He's boss would have let it slide if it was about Davis but since it's it's about Jessica he might end killing Samantha that will expose his face to the world.

" Samantha's plan is to burn down the Hospital, where she will begin to work tomorrow and pin the blame on her" Scar dropped the bomb. The man's face turned cold as an ice.

"She's going to burn down the hospital?" the man said, his voice incredulous. "Are you sure you have this right? That seems like a very extreme measure, even for someone like Samantha."

Scar nodded, his face pale. "I'm certain of it," he said.

"She's been planning this for a long time, and she's determined to see it through. She's convinced her friend to do it, and I don't think she'll stop until it's done."

The man leaned back in his chair, his expression inscrutable.