Chapter <b>25 </b>
Harvey hesitated, torn between his concern for Alicia and the unexpected connection he had rekindled with Reba. His eyes darted between Reba’s pleading gaze and the phone, his mind racing. Reba’s grip tightened, her eyes silently begging him to
stay.
“I’m sorry, Becky, I have to go,” he said softly, his voiceced with guilt. “Alicia could be seriously hurt.”
Reba’s heart sank. She knew deep down that Harvey would always be there for Alicia, no matter what. But a part of her couldn’t let go–not now<b>, </b>not when she had just begun to feel something again.
“Harvey, please,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Just a little longer.”
Harvey swallowed hard, overwhelmed by his indecision. Suddenly, his phone vibrated with an iing call from his assistant. “Yes, John?”
Harvey’s face immediately tensed. He released Reba’s grip on his wrist. “Alicia needs me, I really have to go.”
Reba felt a deep ache in her joints. Even though she had known it would end this way, she couldn’t avoid the disappointment in her heart. She stared nkly as Harvey’s back receded and disappeared through the hotel door, her tears beginning to fall one by one.
As she was getting dressed, her phone suddenly rang. She frowned at the unfamiliar number on the screen. Hesitantly, she pressed the green button and held the phone to her ear with curiosity.
“Don’t get the wrong idea, Harvey was just caught up in the moment, haha! He will alwayse back to me; he loves me more deeply than you think. Enjoy your loneliness, bitch! Want me to send you some sex toys? Hahaha!” The call ended. It <i>was </i>Alicia’s voice, and Reba was absolutely sure of it.
Reba gripped her phone tightly. “Damn it, Alicia!” she cursed angrily. She was tempted to tell Harvey about Alicia’s lies, but she had no proof since Alicia had called from a disposable number.
Her disappointment turned into anger. This <i>was </i>no longer about Harvey, but about <i>her </i>unresolved grudge against Alicia. She quickly ordered an online taxi to return to
Manhattan, an hour away.
wanted to do?
+81%
In the car, she was busy thinking about the quickest way to expose Alicia’s misdeeds. She couldn’t waste any more time and let that crazy woman go any further. Initially, she this only because of her loss of the unborn child, but now she also wanted. to do it for Harvey. She didn’t care if Harvey ended up with another woman who loved him, as long as it wasn’t Alicia.
“Ma’am? We’ve arrived at the hotel,” the Uber driver said, waking Reba from her nap in the passenger seat. Reba opened her eyes slowly, her head feeling heavy. After tipping the driver, she stepped out of the car and dragged her feet towards the hotel lobby. She nced at her watch; it was one in the morning.
As she was passing the reception desk, suddenly, “Ms. Harper, Ma’am?”
Reba turned, surprised. “Yes?”
“There’s a package for you,” the receptionist said, quickly approaching Reba and extending a brown envelope. Reba frowned. “For me? From whom?”
The receptionist shook her head uncertainly. “You can refuse the package if you want, she said, trying to stay awake. Reba stared at the envelope for a few seconds, debating whether to ept it, but eventually, she took it. “Thanks.”
Once in her room, she hurriedly opened the brown envelope and was shocked to find a photograph inside. She squinted <i>at </i>the unclear picture.
“Shit! Alicia and who?” she muttered, struggling to identify the man sitting across from her. After scrutinizing the man closely, a realization hit her. <b>She </b>covered her mouth in shock. “Doctor Theo?”
She was stunned, wondering who had sent her the envelope, and found <i>no </i>clues until she finally fell asleep at 3:00 AM.
The next morning, Reba woke up in a foul mood because she had dreamed about
The slick marble staircase, the <i>blood </i>the incident when she lost her unborn child. running down her thigh, the intense pain in her abdomen–<i>it </i>all felt so real in her dream.
If it weren’t for a photoshoot with a magazine that <i>day</i>, she would have curled up in her hotel room all <i>day</i>. However, her desire to be famous and influential was powerful because she wanted everyone <i>to </i>listen when she had all the evidence to bring Alicia
down.
She dragged herself out of bed. The photo shoot was set to start at 9:00 AM, and she had barely enough time to prepare. She sshed cold water on her <b>face</b><b>, </b>hoping it would wash away the remnants of her nightmare.
By 8:30, she was in an Uber heading to the studio. The city was already bustling, but she felt disconnected as if she were moving through a haze. Her phone buzzed in her bag, startling her out of her reverie. It was a message from Arnault Savorie’s staff, Julia. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.
‘Becky, we need you at your best today. You know, this shoot is crucial for your career, right?”
Reba sighed and typed a quick reply, ‘I’ll be there, don’t worry.”
The studio was a hive of activity when she arrived. Assistants hurried about, adjusting lights and setting up props. Julia spotted Reba and rushed over; her expression was a mix of relief and concern.
“Becky, you look… tired. Are you okay?” Julia asked, her voiceced with genuine worry. She hid the fact that she saw Reba return to the hotel with a sad face earlier this
morning.
“I’m fine, just had a rough night,” Reba replied, forcing a smile. “Let’s get this over with.”
Julia nodded, though her eyes lingered on Reba for a moment longer. “Alright, let’s get you to makeup.”
As Reba sat in the makeup chair, she closed her eyes, trying to push <i>away </i>the thoughts of Harvey and Alicia. But it was no use; they kept creeping back. She needed to focus and channel her emotions into the shoot.
“Reba, we’re ready for you,” called the photographer.
Reba took a deep breath and walked onto the set. The lights were blinding, but she weed the distraction. For the next few hours, she threw herself into the shoot, posing and smiling as directed. But underneath it all, a storm was brewing.
During a break, Reba checked her phone and saw eight missed calls from Nichs. She frowned in confusion and then decided to call back.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice.
11:33 Wed, Aug 14 <b>t </b>
<b>“</b>Excuse me? Who are you?” Reba asked, straightening herself warily.
“I’m Emma, a nurse in the emergency unit at Santa Theresa Hospital, are you looking for Nichs Bet?”
Reba’s eyes widened suddenly. “Yeah, where is he?”
“He’s unconscious now, if you don’t mind, could you give us the contact information of
his family or close rtives?”
Reba felt her body go limp.