A Web of False Hope

A Web of False Hope


Emmm, how do you intend to help me?" Tracy's voice shook as she replied.

She held the phone tightly to her ear. Her heart beat fast. It was still hard for her to believe. Adrian hated her now. How could he possibly love her back? The thought made her feel small and unsure.

Just then, a thick laugh broke out from the speaker of the phone.

It was Gareth again. His voice came next, smooth and confident. "Are you really ready for this? I mean, why is it taking you so long to decide? It is obvious you like Adrian.

I can give you strategies to win his heart back."

Tracy paused for a second. She took a deep breath. "Of course, I really want to win his heart back," she said quickly.

"How do we meet? I mean, I have to see you in person. I need to confirm that I am really talking to someone real. I want to make sure you are not a scam."

Gareth broke into another fit of laughter. From the sound of their whole conversation, he had already confirmed something.

Tracy would be easy to trick. She was desperate, and desperate people made the best targets.

"Oh, okay. You are right," Gareth replied, still chuckling. "You should surely meet the person you are conversing with. That way, you can be sure of how the whole thing will go."

"Yes, yes," Tracy responded immediately. She muttered under her breath, "So how do I meet you?"

"I will send you an address," Gareth said. "Once you get the address, be ready to meet me."

At that moment, Tracy smiled. She nodded in agreement, even though he could not see her. She thought things would surely be in her favour now. After the call ended, she fell straight onto her bed.

A big smile stayed on her face. She whispered quietly to herself, "Oh goodness, Adrian will finally be mine. I can't really wait."

She closed her eyes and pictured it. Adrian holding her hand again. Adrian smiling at her the way he used to. The thought filled her with warmth and excitement. For the first time in many days, she felt hopeful.

Meanwhile, Gareth sat in his living room on one of the couches. The room was quiet except for the sound of the voice note he had just recorded. A selfish and cynical smile appeared on his face as he played the recording again. He listened to Tracy's shaky voice and desperate words. Everything was going according to plan.

Afterwards, he searched for Halsey's contact and sent the voice note to her. He had done that only to prove to Halsey that he was really looking for a way to help her. He leaned back on the couch and waited.

The message soon reached Halsey. At that moment, her phone was in her hand. She was in her room, lying down on her bed and scrolling endlessly on social apps. She was watching funny memes to pass the time. When the notification came in, she saw it was from Gareth. She quickly sat up.
Halsey clicked on the message. The recorded voice note began to play. She listened carefully. A smile appeared on her face as she heard Tracy's words. The game was getting interesting. Tracy sounded so desperate and obsessed with Adrian. It would be easy to trick her.
Even though they had no plans to actually help her, they would use her for their own convenience. Halsey thought about it. Would Tracy easily fall for their lies? She believed the answer was yes. Girls like Tracy were predictable when love and money were involved.
After the voice note finished, Halsey dialled Gareth's contact. The call rang for some moments before Gareth's voice came out loud and playful. "Hey, I know you want to thank me so bad. But keep it till we meet, okay?"
Halsey laughed softly. "Hmmm, well maybe. Or maybe not yet. I realised that you have been doing a great job, and I am proud of that."
A little silence filled the line. Then Halsey continued. "The lady seems desperate and obsessed with Adrian. That is going to be a big win for our side. She could even be easily manipulated. I have good plans. I need to meet her soon. I will introduce myself to her as Adrian's stepmother. The one that really cares about Adrian and wants the best for him. I bet you, she will easily believe that."
"Hmmmm, this is so good of you, Halsey," Gareth responded. Then a violent fit of laughter followed. Before long, Halsey joined him. Their laughter lasted for some minutes. It was the sound of two people who knew they had power over someone else.
Halsey spoke again when the laughter died down. "But I feel another thing about her. Girls like her do not really love hard for nothing. They love hard because of something. The silly girl is more obsessed with Adrian because of what she is seeing. And that is Adrian's wealth."
"Oh, how did you think of that so fast?" Gareth asked.
A devilish smile appeared on Halsey's face. "I know when I see one. Now you need to finish the work well, so you can be rewarded well. I mean, I will give you the address of a hotel. Tell her to meet me there, so we can talk about everything."
Gareth laughed. "Such a good idea, right? But what happens when she leaves? Guess I would be getting my reward. Baby, you know I will do everything for you. I have really missed you so bad. I am doing this because of you."
At that statement, Halsey bit her lips seductively. Her voice became low and teasing. "Why don't you just wait and see what will happen?"
Gareth smiled on the other end of the line. He knew exactly what Halsey could do. She was smart, bold, and always one step ahead. Together, they made a dangerous team.
Halsey ended the call and stared at her phone for a while. She thought about Tracy. The poor girl had no idea what was coming.