Chapter 41 Was I that predictable?
Veronica's POV:
Trigger Warning: This chapter contains themes of emotional abuse, public shaming, manipulation, and coercion.
While Max chased Macy down the beach, laughing like carefree children, my phone buzzed in my hand.
Theo.
I answered immediately. "Theo—"
I stepped a little away from the noise, my heart already sinking even before I answered.
“Veronica,” Theo said the moment I picked up. His voice was calm, controlled... but I could hear the tension beneath it which was odd for him. “Don’t panic, okay? The situation is… worse than we expected.”
I closed my eyes.
“Media outlets are starting to circulate the story. They’re claiming we stole the idea. Some are already calling us frauds.” He paused for half a second, then added gently, “The news may have reached your father too. But listen to me—we can fix this. We will fix this.”
He said it as if he was reading my mind, anticipating exactly what I'd be thinking.
Was I that predictable? Could everyone see right through me that easily?
I let out a long, shaky sigh, pressing my fingers to my temple. "This is all Chase. Do you understand this?"
"I one hundred percent understand what you're saying," Theo replied. " Chase has the
Connections, motivation, and clearly no moral compass. Now, take a deep breath and relax—"
"I'm breathing well, Theo," I cut him off, even though my chest felt tight, and my hands were trembling. "I just want to do something about Chase. He's too annoying now. He's crossed every line, and he's not going to stop."
As if the universe had been listening, as if I'd summoned him by speaking his name, my phone buzzed with another incoming call.
Chase.
My blood started burning, heat flooding through my veins as I stared at his name on the screen. Every muscle in my body tensed with rage.
"Give me a second, Theo," I said tightly.
I didn't wait for his response. I switched calls, my finger stabbing at the screen harder than necessary.
"What do you want, Chase?" I snapped the moment the call connected.
"Hello to you too, darling." He was enjoying every second of this. "I'm just calling to check in on my favorite failure."
I clenched so hard my teeth ached. "I'm not your... anything."
"Oh, but you are," he continued, completely unbothered by my tone. "You're mine... Veronica! Did you really think you could just run away and build some little startup and prove something to daddy? That's adorable... Truly."
"Go to hell."
"Already been there, sweetheart. It's where I learned all my best tricks." He paused, and I could practically hear his smirk through the phone. "You know, you really should just give up this whole charade. Come back to me now that you've failed so spectacularly. Save yourself whatever dignity you have left."
"Not even in your dreams," I hissed.
He laughed. "Oh, Veronica. Of course, you'll come back to me... darling. Definitely."
"I would rather—"
"Because I'm going to make you beg for me," he interrupted. "And you will. Trust me on that."
The line went dead.
I stood there, phone pressed to my ear, heart pounding violently against my ribs.
Chase wasn't just annoying anymore. He wasn't just a bitter ex trying to save face. He was planning something. Something big and terrorizing.
I knew it in my bones.
And the next day, he proved me right.
I woke to my phone exploding with notifications. Text messages, social media alerts, missed calls—dozens, maybe hundreds. My heart was already racing before I even unlocked the screen.
The first headline made my blood turn to ice.
"Chase Pemberton Announces Engagement to Socialite Laura Bellamy After 'Devastating Heartbreak'"
My hands started shaking.
I clicked on the article, and there it was... Chase's face plastered across every major media outlet, standing next to a gorgeous woman with honey-blonde hair and legs that were long and went on for miles.
Laura Bellamy, daughter of tech industrialist Robert Bellamy. She was smiling at the camera with practiced perfection, a massive diamond glinting on her left hand.
The video clip began playing automatically. Chase stood at a podium, microphones thrust toward him, looking somber and vulnerable in a way I knew was completely fake.
"I'm incredibly grateful to have found true love again," he said. "After the devastating heartbreak I experienced with Veronica Whitmore..." he paused, as if it pained him to even say my name, "—I honestly didn't think I'd be able to open my heart again. But Laura... she showed me what real love looks like. What loyalty and integrity looks like."
The emphasis on that last word was on purpose. A direct hit at me.
"Laura is everything I could ever want in a partner," he continued, reaching over to take her hand. "She's beautiful, accomplished, honest, and she shares my values. I'm the luckiest man alive."
Laura beamed at him, playing her part perfectly. The cameras flashed.
The reporters asked questions about wedding plans and how they met. Chase answered everything with charm and grace, painting himself as the noble victim who'd found his happy ending despite being wronged.
I scrolled down to the comments section, even though I knew I shouldn't. Even though I knew it would destroy me.
"Good for him! Veronica Whitmore is a fraud and a cheat. He dodged a bullet."
"Laura Bellamy is 1000 times more beautiful than Veronica. Upgrade much?"
"I heard VW stole that startup idea from someone else. She's a liar and a thief. Chase deserves better."
"Dupestar Veronica strikes again! First she breaks Chase's heart, now she's trying to scam her way to success. Pathetic."
"Laura > Veronica any day of the week. Look at her! Absolute goddess."
The words blurred together, each one a small cut that bled into the others until I was drowning in them. Fraud. Liar. Thief. Failure. Ugly. Worthless.
Every insecurity I'd ever had, every fear about not being enough, reflected back at me in cruel, anonymous comments from strangers who didn't know me but had already decided I was the villain.
My phone buzzed again.
A text message this time. From my father.
My hands trembled so badly I almost dropped the phone as I opened it. "Win Chase back from Laura, or I'll disown you."
So this was Chase's plan...