Page 95 of The Guru: Shadow
PLAYLIST: YOU BELONG TO ME – CAT PIERCE
She had known it the moment one of the paparazzi or whoever they were had called “Filthy home wrecker” after her. And it was the reason Chris said what he had. She could see the headlines in tomorrow's papers.
Emma Richardson (27) Destroys DeBarra’s Marriage
No one would believe her; she was the villain, and the world would hate her. And yet, here she was, sitting in his car.
“Yes,” he answered with a whisper.
She closed her eyes for a moment. All their past conversations ran past her inner eye. Looking back, she could’ve known. He had always evaded her questions, had always tried to hide his full name and who he truly was.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s just a technicality.”
“A marriage is a technicality?” she scuffed out in disbelief, rolling her eyes, what made his eyes become slits.
And although he looked as if he wanted to punish the eye-rolling, he said dismissively, “it is part of a greater plan.”
“So, I am the meat you throw into the lion’s den for your plan, wonderful.”
“You are not. You are in the lion’s den because you didn’t listen to me.”
Fuck you.
Of course, she wouldn’t meet an honest man. They are all the same: power, secrets, and lies.
“Delilah is–” he started.
And the moment he said it, it clicked. Crazy-ass-stomach-sinking-to-the-floor-click. Accompanied by a cold shudder over her back.
Delilah DeBarra. Right hand and daughter of Richard DeBarra.
Richard DeBarra. Carl said Richard sent him, fuck.
Richard DeBarra, who was the CEO of Gamma, a megalomaniac conglomerate doing business all over the world, from food to tech to investment, while exploiting every last penny out of everyone and everything.
Only no one looked behind the beautiful marketing campaigns celebrating the company’s fake positive impact on nature and humanity with Delilah as the face of it. Like some kind of heroine, saving the world. And people worshipped her as a modern saint.
Of course, people would recognize me. Of course, I would be hunted,she groaned in her mind.
“Are you like, mental to have me post the photo? She’ll come after me, that woman knows no right or wrong.”
“That is exactly what happened.”
“So, you’re saying that some of the paparazzi were there to do – what? Grab me? Kill me?”
“Something like that, I suppose. They were too aggressive. And one of them had a gun.”
“Who would’ve guessed?” she said ironically. “Did you know before?”
“I did not expect her to pull the big guns out so soon, no.”
At least it seemed to be honest. But the realization of what was happening crouched like a lingering shadow in her, eating her slowly. There would be no going back from this.
“What kind of plan are you cooking up with her?”
“A plan I’ve dedicated most of my life to.” His voice was calm and silent, yet somewhere in his tone was longing. A longing that gave her the chills.