Chapter 104 Chapter one hundred and four
Sydney’s POV
“Bella, what are you doing here?” I yelled out, not too loudly but still emphatically enough that anyone
passing by would be able to hear the disbelief thick in my voice.
l’gasped loudly as Bella’s palm suddenly struck me across the face, the stinging slap catching me completely unawares. I staggered back a step, reflexively raising a hand to cradle my smarting
cheek.
“What the fuck was that for?” I asked hotly, my surprise quickly giving way to a flare of anger.
“Shut up,” she hissed coldly. As usual she leveled an icy glare at me. “I go by Jessica now! I didn’t think I’d need to spell that out for you.”
Bella and I were sisters, but we had never truly gotten along well, not for even a single minute it seemed. I probably should have realized our unplanned reunion would bring me no joy or sense of re- assurance. Instead of feeling safer in the presence of this particular devil I knew, she only increased my troubles. A devil will always be a devil, no matter how familiar.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath through my nostrils. I needed to stay levelheaded about this. This wasn’t the appropriate time or place to pick up an old fight with someone who might actual- ly be able to provide me with an invaluable assistance, given the unfortunate situation Dylan had cal- lously thrown me into.
I saw clearly now how easily Jessica had dealt with and seemed to have Tavon completely wrapped around her little finger. If anyone here could potentially save me from that lecherous beast, it would be my own treacherous sister.
“Jessica,” I said, keeping my tone purposefully calm and even. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s none of your business,” she spat,m.
Her biting words hit me square in the face as usual. I wasn’t even surprised that some things never changed with her.
“You haven’t answered my question yet, what are you doing here? Aren’t you still tangled up in that melodramatic love triangle with your boyfriend and Tom?”
I found myself nervously glancing around the bathroom, contemplating whether I should actually tell her the full truth of my circumstances or not. My eyes raked over every nook and cranny and I searched for any hint of hidden surveillance equipment or listening devices. I didn’t see any obvious cameras or bugs planted, but if there were any here, they must have been exceptionally well–hidden within the walls.
Jessica scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes at my paranoid behavior.
“Don’t worry so much, the sound of the running water will prevent them from hearing our conversa- tion.”
She jabbed a dismissive finger towards the bathroom’s faucet which was still running full blast, giv-
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ing me a thoroughly bored look as if to say ‘do I need to explain everything to you, dumbass?‘
I breathed a small sigh of relief at that reassurance, but I was still cautious about how much I could really trust her motivations. For all I knew, that monster Dylan might have been working together with her all along to put rne through yet another absurd series of demeaning tests and mindgames.
I studied Jessica’s features intently as she stood there impatiently. Her brows were furrowed so deeply that her eyes were almost slanted into a permanent squint. She looked for all the world like she would cheerfully throw me straight out the nearest window and off the grounds of this Italian es-
tate if she was able.
“What?!” She suddenly flared up, startling me. “Why the fuck are you just standing there staring into space? Can you just answer the damn question already? Why are you here in Italy?”
No, I concluded to myself. There was no way Dylan could possibly be conspiring with this bitter, vol- canic woman to deceive me further. I highly doubted the two of them would be able to work togeth- er long enough without one of them outright murdering the other.
“I came here because…” I started to explain, then hesitated. As estranged as we were, it still felt bizarre and somewhat wrong to divulge the full truth about my reasons for being here to Bella of all people. I exhaled slowly and made up my mind, she would need to know it all if she was to be of any real help. “I came here for revenge.”
“Revenge?” Jessica asked, her previous scowl of anger and irritation finally easing into one of naked curiosity and…interest?
“Revenge against who exactly?”
She looked at me askance as I took an unbidden step closer towards her. She immediately retreat- ed a step back in response, clearly ill at ease with me encroaching on her personal space. I couldn’t help but let out a faint chuckle at her wariness.
“Relax, I don’t actually bite, you know.”
Then I leaned in closer until my mouth was a mere inch from her ear, lowering my voice to an con- spiratorial murmur, “This Lucas that you probably know about already…you do know who Lucas is,
right?”
She nodded wordlessly.
“Well, he’s not who you think he is. His real name is actually Dylan, and he killed the real Lucas in or- der to steal his identity and worm his way back into the Esposito family. I came here intending to use Tavon as an unwitting weapon against Dylan, before finally killing that murdering impostor my-
self.”
I didn’t bother adding the critical details that my plan to ‘use‘ Tavon had only come about as a reluc- tant maneuver after Dylan had effectively sold me to the lecherous old man against my will, or that even now I was starting to have serious doubts that killing Dylan was even remotely possible. It was difficult enough getting this unbelievable truth out there.
Jessica’s sculpted brows shot up in what seemed to be grudging interest and amusement as she pulled back, snorting a laugh through her nose.
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“Well isn’t that an interesting little tale? So what is this then, your fake boyfriend Dylan is playing some twisted game of pretend while living in the real Lucas’s skin? Shit, it sounds more like the plot of one of those trashy telenovela dramas than anything actually real!”
I fixed her with a long–suffering look that screamed ‘I’m being utterly serious here.‘ “We were never close enough as sisters to really engage in that sort of joking around or gossip like teenage girls hid- ing out in school bathrooms. This is my reality, as crazy as it might sound to you.”
“Well…” she trailed off with a dismissive shrug of her shoulders, still seemingly unconvinced.
An awkward silence fell between us as Jessica appeared to privately mull over the unexpected reve- lations I had just uncorked in her direction, occasionally letting slip another rude scoff or mocking chuckle under her breath.
“All I ask is that you don’t breathe a single word about my plans or anything I’ve told you here to an- other living soul,” I blurted out insistently. I needed her sworn silence if we were to have any hope of me accomplishing my goal.
Then I turned on my heel and started for the bathroom door. I had to excuse myself from this sud- denly tense situation as quickly as possible. But before I could make good on my exit, Jessica quick- ly sidestepped to block my path, planting herself squarely in front of me.
“Wait just a damned minute,” she said slowly, a borderline predatory smirk tugging at the corners of her lips that immediately had me chastising myself. I never should have revealed so much, I realized with a sinking feeling of dismay. Now what new price or terms was this viper going to try and ex- tract from me? More money, perhaps?
“If you get down on your knees and beg me nicely,” she began in that same unctuous tone, “then maybe I’ll consider helping to make your little revenge fantasy into a reality.” She arched one perfect- ly shaped eyebrow at me in clear challenge. “You obviously could use all the help you can get, am I right?”
I paused, fairly certain I hadn’t heard her correctly. “Wait…you would actually be willing to help me with this?” I sputtered out, more than a little dumbfounded.
She sneered, somehow making the unpleasant expression look decidedly, alluring. “Why not? I’ve been looking for a new source of cheap thrills to stave off the boredom anyway. You once helped me out big–time by digging up a hotshot lawyer for me and handing over that big wad of cash along with that sweet ride. Consider this me finally returning the favor, sis.”
I could have sworn/I saw the faint glimmer of a genuine smile ghosting over her full lips for just a fleeting instant before her familiar mocking smirk was firmly back in place. “So go ahead then, say it, beg me to lend you a hand with your little scheme. I’m listening…”
When I gave Bella my car and credit card. I toyed with the idea for a while but eventually, I chose not to call the police or cancel the card. The card limit was enough for Bella to live on for a while.
Now, I’m glad that I had chosen to retain a bit of kindness when she had come to me and even after she left. I could have hunted her down but I didn’t.
I looked into Bella’s eyes, trying to find a hint of insincerity in them. A sign that this was a trick, a way for her to toy with me and laugh in the end… revenge for marrying Mark but there was nothing
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I chose to believe her, largely because I knew her help would go a long way. Dylan and Tavon were more evil than I had imagined, and Bella’s offer to help me was not one that I should turn down.
“Alright,” I finally said, then I rolled my eyes, “I beg you, Bella. Help me.”
She looked beautiful and her face glowed as her face broke into a triumphant smile and I briefly pic- tured how well we would have gotten along if we didn’t start out on the wrong foot or if Isaac hadn’t messed her up or if our parents hadn’t been horrible parents. There was just a lot that ruined the beautiful friendship that might have sprouted between us.
“Seeing how sincere you are, I agree.”
I rolled my eyes, the corners of my lips tilting up in a small smile, “Thank you, Bella, I always thought…”
“Remember,” she interrupted me firmly, the smile on her lips gone. “I’m Jessica now, you cannot re- fer to me as Bella here. Don’t even make the mistake of revealing our relationship or my real name to anyone, understand?”
I nodded, setting a mental reminder to stick to calling her Jessica.
“I understand, Jessica.” I deliberately stressed on ‘Jessica‘ so she could see that I meant it.
She looked at me and nodded. “Then it’s settled. Find a way to get some of the fraudster’s hair, I’ll do the rest.”
“Dylan’s hair?”
She nonchalantly flicked her wrist in the hair, “Dylan, Lucas, whatever. Get me his hair, more than a strand.”
I nodded, already thinking of how I would get his hair. That would be pretty easy.
“But I’ll
say
this before we get started,” she raised her hand in the air.
“What’s that?” I asked with bated breath. Please, don’t let whatever she was about to say be an in- sane term. I prayed desperately.
“I am not in any way obligated to clean up your mess. If things go wrong, I’ll pin all the blame on you,” she said sternly, passing across that she meant every word.
I shrugged and nodded with a smile, “Sure, of course.”
