Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel
Queenie had left a good first impression, but the photos showed a different side of her, and it made Brenda panic.
Nigel nodded at her question. “She had dated someone before, but the most they did was hold hands. Other than that, nothing.”
Brenda looked at her son as she was worried that he might have been duped. This was his marriage they were talking about. “Are you sure they’re just friends?”
“I am very sure.” He was certain that nothing had happened between Leslie and Queenie. “Queenie’s a good girl. What’s wrong, Mom?” He was confused by his mother’s behavior.
“You wanna know why I asked all that?” She took her phone out right then and showed him the photos. “Look. Someone sent these to me. And this side of Queenie worries me.”
Nigel took the phone and narrowed his eyes. The woman in the images did look like Queenie, but he knew it wasn’t her. It was Bonnie, the fake Silverstein daughter. “This isn’t Queenie, Mom. It’s Nina, the girl who pretended to be Queenie’s sister.”
Brenda froze. She wore her spectacles and stared at the girl in the images. “You sure it’s not Queenie?”
“Very sure. Someone must have sent you these to ruin my relationship with Queenie. They also want you to think badly of her.”
“But who would do that?” She couldn’t think of anyone who would want to harm their relationship.
“Mom, this isn’t Queenie. Don’t play into their hands. I’ll find out who’s behind this.” He was livid. Someone’s trying to ruin Queenie’s reputation. Bonnie’s jailed, so it’s not her. Someone else is behind this.
Brenda was still doubtful. She had never seen Bonnie before, so she had a hard time believing that a girl who did cosmetic surgery could look exactly like Queenie. “You should look into this. I hope this isn’t Queenie. And I’d like to know who’s behind this.” She wanted the truth. It’d be best if the woman in these images wasn’t Queenie.
Nigel made a mental note of the number that sent these photos to Brenda before going upstairs. Fury welled within him. Who dares to try and ruin our relationship?
How dare they send those images to my mother? They’re trying to ruin my relationship, damn it. Once I find out who they are, they’ll be paying for it. He turned his computer on and texted one of his friends, ‘Find out who’s the one behind this number.’
‘Did you run into something?’ ‘Just find out the owner of this number.’
‘Can do,’ his friend texted. He was a powerful hacker who could find anything as long as they were online.
Lina had forgotten all about what she had sent Brenda. It was just a simple message, and she didn’t care what would happen. If the images managed to ruin the engagement, she thought she would have a chance at Nigel. She was binge-watching some shows online, but then her screen turned black all of a sudden. “What happened?” She was shocked. Did my computer die?
Right then, a message slowly showed up on her screen. ‘Lina Perez, you have gone too far.’
Her heart skipped a beat. What’s going on? Who’s controlling my computer? What are they trying to do?
‘He knows. Nigel knows you sent his mother those images. You’d better have an explanation for that, or your family’s company will know no peace.’
Lina paled, her heart palpitating. She was in shock and had no idea what to do. Does Nigel know about it?! That’s fast. And now he’s controlling my computer to warn me?
Then, a few photos popped up on the screen. They were photos of her from when she fooled around with other guys. Terrified, she held her head. “Who are you? What do you want? Don’t touch my photos! Don’t look at them!”
‘I wonder what’ll happen to you if I send these to your male friends. You know how it is with karma. It always comes back to bite you.’
The hacker was slowly uncovering the dark side of Lina Perez, counting all the sins she had done, and Lina’s face turned red.
“No, don’t do that, please. I’ll apologize to him. I promise!” Lina quickly apologized despite the fact she had no idea if the hacker could hear her.
However, to her surprise, the hacker actually heard her. He texted, ‘You have five minutes. Apologize, or I will ruin you.’ With that, another photo popped up. It was an image of her sleeping with a married man, who was a famous businessman. ‘Does his wife know you slept with her husband?’
“No, please! I’m sorry! Have mercy!” Lina was sitting on her bed, almost kneeling. If these photos went out to the public, she would be ruined.
‘Then, explain yourself to Mrs. Manson. I’ll be waiting.’
The screen returned to normal. With shaky hands, Lina held her phone and called Brenda.
“Hello. Who’s this?” Brenda asked.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Manson. I’m Lina. Lina Perez. I was the one who sent those images. I didn’t mean it. The woman in those images isn’t Queenie. It’s her sister, Bonnie. She was the one who sent those photos to me. She wanted me to slander Queenie. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Brenda heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it’s not Queenie. But I can’t believe this lady would do that. This is pure evil. “Miss Perez, why did you slander my son’s fiancée?” she asked angrily.
“I’m sorry. I just like Nigel too much, so I wanted to ensure I could have a chance at him. S-So, I did what I did. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Please forgive me.” Lina held her phone tightly, and her voice was broken.
Brenda harrumphed, “Next time you do this, I won’t let you off that easily.” She angrily hung up, heaved a sigh, and deleted all the photos Lina sent her.
Lina plopped back onto her bed, looking defeated. And then, her phone rang, but it was an unfamiliar number. “Who is this?”
“You slept with my husband?! I’m gonna kill you, Lina Perez!” a woman hissed.
Lina’s hand trembled, and she shouted at her computer screen, “You lied to me! Who in the world are you?!”
Back at the Manson Residence, Brenda finally felt relieved after she got the clarification she needed. She couldn’t believe this was something done by someone who wanted to date her son. She went upstairs and knocked on Nigel’s door. Right after he opened the door, she apologized, “Sorry, Nigel. I shouldn’t have doubted Queenie. I’ve deleted the photos.”
“Queenie’s a good woman, Mom. Trust me,” Nigel reassured.
“Yeah. This is my fault. I wouldn’t doubt her again. Your father and I will talk to the Silversteins about your marriage tomorrow and decide on the date,” she said.
He wrapped an arm around his mother’s shoulder. “We gotta give them some good dowry.”
“Your father and I have done the preparations. Generous preparations.” She smiled. She knew how much her son liked Queenie.
Nigel didn’t get back at Lina anymore. After all, her reputation was ruined, and getting involved with her would only sully his name. If he were to run into her, he would tell her to piss off.
Meanwhile, at the Silverstein Residence, Jessie had told everyone she was signed on as an actress during dinner, and her family was happy for her. They hoped she could make a name for herself in the industry. When she returned to her room and checked the scandal, she noticed a lot of shorts were promoting the works she used to take part in. They even edited the parts where she was in. And most of the comments praised her.
‘Whoa, that’s my favorite scene. So, she’s the stuntwoman?! I was shaken when I first saw that. I wanna fly like her.’
‘She’s a professional. Works all year long. Nobody can take that.’
‘Doing stunts isn’t easy. Respect.’
‘I could never forget that flying scene. So, she’s the one behind it? She was beautiful.’
Jessie finally felt a little at ease. At least the insults had been dramatically reduced, and the praise delighted her. Stardom must have stepped in. They’re deleting all bad comments and replacing them with good reviews. She heaved a sigh in silence. I have to work hard now. Can’t let Julian down.
In the meantime, Queenie was video-calling her boyfriend. He was resting his cheek on the back of his hand, staring at her. No matter how she looked at him, he was perfect. His face gleamed, and his eyes shone like obsidian under the light. For a moment, she wanted to go to his house and throw herself into his arms.
She was wearing thin pajamas, and she pulled her collar down in an attempt to tease him. However, she earned herself a hiss from him instead. “Wear your clothes properly.”