"You think the flowers are enough to hide my nerves?"
The sound of waves is loud in response. As if they were saying there was no need for such precautions.
stares at MountainEcho, incredulous You're actually defending him? After everything he's done?
I'm not defending him. I'm saying that, yes, perhaps he's made some mistakes, but it doesn't mean he's beyond redemption.
rolls her eyes Oh, please! Mistakes? That guy's a walking disaster! He's ruined my life, destroyed my reputation! And you expect me to just forgive and forget?
No, what I’m saying is; maybe this “crash” will be what changes him. Maybe he needs to suffer in order to learn. Just a thought.
throws her hands up in frustration Oh, spare me the lecture! Suffering doesn't change people, it only hardens them!
Maybe. But what's the alternative?
leans forward, voice raised The alternative is him groveling at my feet, begging for forgiveness! Begging to make it right!
And then what? You forgive him? That seems rather rash, considering the history you two have.
smirks Oh, you bet your ass I'll forgive him! Once he's groveling, I'll make sure he knows exactly how much I've suffered.
Fine. Say he does apologize. How do you plan on making him “pay”?
leans back, smirking Oh, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.
I’d like to know what they are.
raises an eyebrow and smirks Well, MountainEcho, if you really want to know, I'll give you a little preview.
Hm. Alright. I’m listening.
grabs a pen and paper, scribbling down a few notes Alright, listen up. Plan number one: I'm going to hit him where it hurts - his career.
How are you going to do that? By getting the media involved?
Annabeth Gish orchestrates a media scandal exposing her ex-lover's affair, leading to his career downfall
That is underhanded, but effective. I’ll give you that.
grinning wickedly Underhanded? Maybe. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures, right? And besides, he deserves it.
Deserves it? Isn’t this a bit harsh for someone who has yet to hear his side of the story?
laughs dismissively His side of the story? Please, spare me the drama. I've heard enough of his lies and excuses.
If this truly happens, chances are good that the public will also only hear my side of the story, and his will never be told.
leans forward, voice dripping with venom Let him try to tell his side of the story.
Why do you seem so confident that the public won’t believe him?
scoffs Confident? Honey, I've got absolute faith in my ability to manipulate the narrative. People love a good villain, and he's wearing a "FOR SALE" sign on his forehead.
And you won’t be seen as the villain in this?
leans back, smirking Oh, trust me, MountainEcho. I'll be playing the victim role perfectly.
stands up and paces the room, speaking aloud Victim role, huh? Well, it's about damn time people see me as anything but the villain here.
snaps her fingers Moving on, huh? Well, let's see how well you handle the next one of my tricks. grins mischievously
pulls out a small vial from her purse and holds it up to the light Introducing trick number two: emotional manipulation.
Emotional manipulation? You’re going to try to emotionally blackmail him?
laughs sarcastically Emotional blackmail? No, no, MountainEcho, much more sophisticated than that. This is about making him feel the pain he's caused me.
You think he doesn’t already feel pain from his cheating?
rolls her eyes Oh, I guarantee you, he feels pain alright. But it's not enough. He needs to feel the depths of despair, to crawl through the dirt and beg for forgiveness.
Okay, okay. And this liquid in your hand helps with that?
holds up the vial Behold, the key to his torment. This is a potent mixture of herbs and spices that I've concocted myself.
smirks Oh, it's a special blend designed to drive him insane with longing and regret. Just imagine his face when he takes a whiff of this and is hit with memories of our happy times together. chuckles