Chapter 180 SCHEMES

Chapter 180 SCHEMES

ROXY

The moment I saw that viral video, I knew.

Sienna had returned to Washington.

My fingers tightened around my phone as I replayed the clip for what felt like the hundredth time.

Students were screaming. Phones were everywhere.

Some crazy girls had practically lunged at each other while trying to handle the situation.

And through all the chaos, she stayed hidden until she finally came out to make that speech.

She accepted the blame.

She admitted to her wrongdoings.

What got under my skin, however, was when she admitted that she loved Leo.

My stomach twisted.

I stormed out of my bedroom and headed straight into the living room.

Ariel was sitting on the couch, staring at her phone.

Unlike her usual self, she looked miserable.

What's with her?

“Look at this!” I snapped, shoving my phone toward her face.

Ariel glanced at the screen.

“I've already seen it.”

“Then why are you sitting there?” I barked. “Sienna is back in Washington. Do you know what that means?”

Ariel sighed.

“I told you to back off.”

The words struck me like a slap.

My jaw clenched.

“No. I can't let that happen.”

“Roxy—”

“No!” I shouted. “Do you know what losing means?”

The sound echoed through the apartment.

Ariel lowered her phone.

“How much longer are you going to do this to yourself?” she asked.

“As long as it takes.”

I laughed bitterly.

“I never thought she would ever show her ugly face in Leo's life again, but she did. She caught me completely off guard. Argh!”

“Maybe her return speaks for itself. Leo really is crazy about her. I wish you'd just let things go.”

“Leo would never go back to his ex. I know him too well. She's the one throwing herself at him and all that nonsense,” I vented, pouring out every ounce of my frustration.

“Sienna does look desperate out there, Roxy. It's my first time seeing her, and I can honestly say—”

“Stop being sick!” I screamed at her.

I didn't understand.

Was Ariel on my side or siding with that witch?

She pointed at the screen.

“Then why is the entire internet talking about her? Why is she suddenly everywhere? Why is everyone suddenly supporting them?”

“She's doing all of that to get his attention. Can't you see?” I burst out.

Ariel remained silent.

That silence irritated me more than any argument.

I began pacing.

“Leo loves me. He has to.”

Even as the words left my mouth, they sounded weaker than before.

I noticed it myself.

Ariel looked away as though she wasn't interested anymore.

And that hurt.

Because for the first time, she wasn't even trying to convince me.

Instead, she seemed to be taking Sienna's side.

The room fell silent.

I replayed the video again and focused solely on her.

On Sienna.

From the way people were obsessing over her, it was obvious she was winning.

My nails dug into my palm.

“No,” I whispered, pressing my fingers deeper into my skin.

Ariel didn't say another word.

She just sat there, engrossed in her phone, her fingers moving rapidly across the screen.

“No. I'm not losing to her. Not now. Not after everything.”

I continued pacing around the room.

Different thoughts began creeping into my heart.

Thoughts of revenge.

Not peace.

I needed to find a way to get back to Sienna.

I've done it before.

I can do it again.

Good.

I paused the video and walked back toward my room.

“Where are you going?” I heard Ariel ask.

“It's none of your business,” I fired back.

“Soothe yourself,” she retorted.

I pushed the door open and walked inside.

It was still early in the morning.

The day was still young.

Then I thought about calling Leo, but immediately stopped myself.

Calling Leo wouldn't solve anything.

I couldn't go back to his house either.

Gosh!

I hated it whenever people called me desperate.

It really got under my skin.

When I couldn't come up with a good plan, I screamed and buried my face in the pillow.

Two weeks later, I got news that a popular producer wanted to collaborate with Leo on a major upcoming show.

The moment I saw Leo's pictures scattered all over the internet, a heavy lump formed in my throat.

I had intended to leave the house that day, but everything changed the moment I saw the news.

Ariel wasn't home, and with no one to vent to, I was left alone with my fury.

Then tears filled my eyes.

I was happy for Leo.

At least this would be a stepping stone for him to climb back to success.

What hurt me the most was that it had happened after Sienna returned to his life.

Despite all my efforts, and all the people I had approached regarding Leo's situation, none of them were willing to help.

I did everything I could.

I even considered selling off my properties just so I could be the woman who helped Leo rise again.

But nothing worked.

That's why I'm bitter.

Bitter that Sienna suddenly showed up and transformed Leo's life.

Leo would see her as his lucky charm and cling to her forever.

“Argh!”

I burst into tears.

The entire morning slipped away with me sitting alone, staring into empty space.

Then something suddenly struck me.

I quickly remembered that I still had a video of Sienna and Jason on my phone.

The same video I had secretly sent from Jason's phone the last time I visited his house.

Maybe this was exactly what I needed.

The perfect opportunity to destroy the happiness Sienna was building with my man.

My man.

And I'd make sure she lost everything she thought she'd won.

Good.

Quickly, I grabbed my phone and began scrolling through my videos, searching for those old recordings of Sienna with a malicious gleam in my eyes.

I stopped scrolling the moment one of the videos caught my attention.

The moment I pressed play, my breath hitched.

It wasn't one of the videos of Sienna and Jason that I had been looking for.

Instead, it was an intimate video of me and Jason.

The same one I recorded while playing games with him.

Argh!

I kept scrolling.

Up and down.

But I couldn't find the video I was looking for.

What happened to it?

I didn't remember deleting it.

I searched every folder where I might have hidden such videos.

Nothing.

Angrily, I jumped to my feet and continued scrolling through every video saved on my phone.

Still nothing.

Why was this happening now?

How was I supposed to deal with the situation in front of me?

Did this mean Sienna had escaped once again and would continue enjoying life with my man right before my eyes?

That won't happen.

“I'll bring you down, Sienna,” I whispered.

Then I turned and walked back to my room.