Chapter 187 Road to Downfall

Chapter 187 Road to Downfall
The knocking started as a gentle tap-tap-tap, then grew more insistent. Naomi groaned from where she lay sprawled on her couch, an empty wine bottle on the coffee table beside two others from the night before. Her head pounded with each knock.

"Go away," she muttered, pressing a pillow over her face.

But the knocking continued, more aggressive now.

"For God's sake," Naomi hissed, stumbling to her feet. The room spun slightly, and she had to grip the arm of the couch to steady herself. She was still wearing the outfit she had worn to the office three mornings ago. After being taken to the legal department, the company had served her a suit to protect Brie. It was about the messages she had been sending to Brie anonymously, as well as the others. A huge case had been built against her. When she saw Brie, she had tried to maintain some level of bravado and claim innocence. The company had handed her over to the police. It took her lawyer three days to secure her bail, and that was after she agreed to the terms of the suit. She didn’t want to spend a day in jail. A few hours in the holding cell had made her realize that it was in her best interests to settle quietly. Right now, she had lost everything. Her car, her savings for five good years. She had nothing.

She yanked open the door, squinting against the hallway light. "What?"

Peyton stood there, perfectly put together in a crisp blazer and designer jeans, her expression a mixture of concern and accusation. She pushed past Naomi without waiting for an invitation.

"Where have you been hiding these past few days, and why do you look a mess?" Peyton demanded, spinning around to face her cousin. "So the rumors are true? You've actually been sacked?"

Naomi closed the door with more force than necessary and immediately regretted it as the sound sent another spike of pain through her temples. "Peyton, please. Stop yelling. I have a headache."

"A headache?" Peyton's voice rose even higher. "You have a headache? Naomi, you've been fired! Do you understand what that means? How did I manage to let you trick me into spreading that video for you? Now, I’m ruined."

"Peyton." Naomi's voice was tired, defeated. "Just... stop."

But Peyton was on a roll now, pacing back and forth in front of the couch, gesticulating wildly. "No, I won't stop! This is serious! What did you do? I can understand I had the video, but you had nothing on you. You couldn’t just get fired because you made a momentary lapse in judgment. At most, you get a warning or are suspended for a few days. You should sue them. Bleed Alex dry. How could he fire you over nothing?" Naomi shut her eyes instead, as she tried to stop the headache, wishing for Peyton to stop her rambling.

Peyton looked at her cousin and then gasped. “Wait, you’re not saying anything. Are the rumors true?”

"I said STOP!" Naomi exploded, surging to her feet. The sudden movement made her dizzy, but adrenaline pushed through the fog of her hangover. "Just shut up! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"

Peyton froze, eyes wide with shock. She'd never seen her cousin lose control like this.

"It's all my fault!" Naomi screamed, her voice cracking. "All of it! Is that what you want to hear? I screwed up! I trusted someone as dumb as you, and you were stupid enough to hand something this sensitive to someone as dumb as Margaret. Now, I’ve lost everything. My car, my life savings, my reputation!"

"Naomi—" Peyton’s face turned pale, shocked at Naomi’s reaction. She suddenly flared angrily.

“How is that my fault? I didn’t tell you to do the things you did. Now, you've got me fired. How do I pay for my car this month?”

Naomi nearly scoffed when another knock at the door interrupted them. This one was different—harder, more aggressive.

Naomi's face went pale. "Don't open it."

Peyton had already strode to the door and opened it against Naomi’s protest. “Greg? What are you doing here?”

Naomi froze at the sound. She watched him enter her apartment. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had lost his usual swagger. His shirt was also wrinkled, and his beard was unshaven from lack of care. Greg frowned slightly as she looked at him and then at her cousin carefully.

“You tried to throw me under the bus. How could you?” Greg said, his voice rough. He looked past Peyton to where Naomi stood frozen by the couch. "After everything, this is how you repay me?”

Peyton looked at Greg, then at her cousin. "Naomi, is there something I’m missing here? Greg…Can someone speak in clear English?"

Naomi ignored her cousin. "What do you want, Greg?" Naomi's voice was cold. She was no longer pretending.

Greg stared at her, his jaw working. "What do I want? What do I—" He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "What do you think I want, Naomi? I lost everything because of you! I have been in the holding cell for days. You tried to make me take the fall for everything, and you don’t even have the decency to tell me you’re sorry."

"And I paid you well for it, didn't I?" Naomi shot back, crossing her arms. "You got exactly what we agreed on."

The words hit Greg like a physical blow. His face twisted into one of shock. "So that's it? That's all it was to you? A transaction?"

"What else would it be?"

"What about all those times we slept together?" His voice broke on the words. "Was that just part of the transaction, too? Was I just—what? A convenient tool for you to use?"

Naomi rolled her eyes, the gesture so casual and dismissive it was almost cruel. "What else was it supposed to be, Greg? Did you think we were in love?"

Peyton's head swiveled between them, her mouth falling open in shock.

Greg's face flushed red, anger and humiliation warring in his expression. "So the rumors are true, then. You used me. All this time, you just used me. You wanted to get rid of Brie, and you used me to do your dirty work. And why? Because you wanted to sleep with your boss instead?"

His words hit her like a slap to her face.

Peyton turned slowly to face her cousin, her voice barely above a whisper. "You what?"

"Get out," Naomi let out the words coldly.

"What?"

"I said get out!" She pointed at the door, her hand trembling. "Both of you. Get out of my apartment. Now."

Greg stared at her for a long moment, something like pity crossing his features. "You know what the saddest part is? I actually cared about you. I thought what we had was real. But you're so obsessed with something you can never have that you can't see what's right in front of you."

He turned and walked out, leaving the door open behind him.

Peyton remained, looking at her cousin with a mixture of disappointment and disbelief. "I can't believe you used me.”

She walked out, banging the door so hard that it rattled on its hinges.

Naomi fell to the couch, exhausted. Just then, her phone beeped. It was a message from Caldwell.