Chapter 42 Poor girl Laura
Veronica's POV:
That fucking bastard. I was going to kill him.
Before I could stop myself, or I could even think about consequences or alternatives or anything beyond the rage burning in my veins, I hurled my phone across the living room.
It hit the wall with a sickening crack, the screen shattering before it clattered to the floor in pieces.
Silence.
Then reality crashed back in...
"Shit," I whispered, staring at the destroyed phone. "Shit, shit, shit."
That was the last phone I had.
I sank onto the couch, dropping my head into my hands, crushing my own stupidity.
Theo moved immediately. He sat down beside me, close... his hand found my back, rubbing slow, soothing circles.
"Let it all out," he said softly. "It's okay. Just let it out." He was again trying that Eastern philosophy approach on me.
But I didn't want to be calm. I wanted to rage. I wanted to scream. I wanted to find Chase Pemberton and make him feel even a fraction of the pain he'd inflicted on me.
I looked up, my vision blurry with unshed tears, and found Max across the room who looked serious... like he wanted to smash something.
Beside him, Macy was perched on the armrest of a chair, watching the entire scene unfold like she was watching a movie. She'd somehow become a part of this conflict already...
"We should get to Laura Bellamy," I said. "That poor girl... she's somehow gotten trapped in Chase's scheme. She doesn't know what she's walking into."
Macy took a casual sip from the soda can in her hand, completely unbothered by the tension in the room. "She was always a poor thing, you know," she said. "Despite being rich and beautiful... and I mean, seriously stunning... she always ended up in the wrong places at the wrong time. Wrong people too. So many would take advantage of her naivety."
I gasped, spinning to face Macy fully. "Wait. So do you know who Laura is? You know her?"
"Of course," Macy said with a shrug. "We studied in the same high school. Different social circles, obviously, but everyone knew Laura Bellamy. Hard not to when your dad owns half of Silicon Valley."
My mind started racing, pieces clicking into place with sudden, crystalline clarity.
That was it. That was the answer.
If we could somehow get into Laura's head, make her understand that Chase was using her—that this engagement was just another move in his twisted game—she would call off this freak show, wouldn't she?
And perhaps, if we were really lucky, she might even expose Chase to everyone.
My father would see the reality. The media would turn on Chase instead of me. Everything could flip.
It was a long shot. Maybe even desperate. But it was something.
"Macy," I said, standing up quickly, hope flickering in my chest like a candle flame. "Can you call Laura? As an old friend?"
Macy raised an eyebrow, considering. "I mean, I can try. We weren't super close, but we were friendly enough. She might answer."
"Please," I said, and I hated how desperate I sounded. "Just try. Tell her Chase isn't who she thinks he is."
"Alright. But don't get your hopes up too high, okay? Laura's sweet, but she's also incredibly naive. Once she gets an idea in her head, especially about love..." She trailed off, shaking her head.
She pulled out her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and hit dial.
Then a soft, melodious voice answered. "Hello?"
"Laura! Hey, it's Macy. Macy Chen? From Westbrook High?"
"Oh my God, Macy!" Laura's voice brightened immediately. "It's been forever! How are you?"
"I'm good, I'm good," Macy said. "Listen, I know this is kind of out of the blue, but I saw your engagement announcement. Congratulations."
"Thank you so much!" Laura gushed. "I'm just... I'm so happy, Macy. I never thought I'd find someone like Chase."
Macy caught my eye, and I saw the flicker of concern in her expression. "Yeah, about that... Laura, I need to talk to you about Chase. He's not—"
"Not what?" Laura's voice had shifted, becoming slightly guarded.
"He's not a good guy," Macy said gently. "I know that's hard to hear, but you need to know the truth about him. He's manipulative, and he's using you to get back at his ex-girlfriend. This engagement isn't real, Laura. It's revenge."
Silence on the other end.
Then Laura laughed... a soft, slightly sad sound. "I know you're trying to help, Macy, but you don't know Chase the way I do. You don't see how he is with me when we're alone. How gentle he is. How he looks at me."
"Laura—"
"I found my true love," Laura continued, her voice taking on a dreamy quality that made my stomach sink. "After years of dating the wrong guys, of being used and discarded, I finally found someone who sees me. Who values me? Chase had his heart broken by that awful Veronica Whitmore, and we bonded over our pain. We understand each other."
I flinched at hearing my name spoken with such casual disdain, but I kept quiet, letting Macy handle it.
"That's exactly what he wants you to think," Macy pressed more urgently now. "He's manipulating you, Laura. Using your kindness and your history against you. Veronica isn't the villain here—Chase is. He's orchestrating all of this to blackmail her, and you're caught in the crossfire."
"Stop it." Laura's voice had gone cold. "Just stop, Macy. I don't know why you're doing this—maybe Veronica put you up to it, maybe you're jealous—but I'm happy. I'm finally, genuinely happy. And I won't let you or anyone else poison that for me."
"Laura, please, just listen—"
"No, you're hurting me," Laura said, and now she seemed to be sobbing. "You're trying to ruin the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I won't stand for it. Don't call me again."
The line went dead.
Macy slowly lowered her phone, staring at it for a moment before looking up at me. "Well, that went about as well as expected."
I sat back down heavily, all the hope that had flickered to life now extinguished. Of course, it hadn't worked. Of course, Laura was too far gone, too swept up in Chase's lies.
Chase was good at this—at making people believe exactly what he wanted them to believe. He'd probably spent weeks laying the groundwork with Laura. Playing the wounded lover, the misunderstood romantic, the victim of a heartless woman who'd crushed his dreams.
And Laura, sweet and naive and desperate to be loved, had fallen for every word.
"Poor soul," I whispered, and I meant it.
Laura wasn't my enemy. She wasn't the villain in this story. She was just another one of Chase's victims, a pawn in his game, another person whose life he was willing to destroy to get what he wanted.