Chapter 104
Catherine’s POV
Kiera sat on the edge of her massive, elegant bed, looking more like a queen planning a coup than a girl helping a friend escape a love triangle disaster. Her focus was entirely on the recent chaos and the video I had just shown her.
“So, have Julian and Gabriel started working on getting that picture down yet?” she asked, picking up a silver hairbrush from her dressing table.
“I think so,” I replied, settling into a nearby plush chair. “That was Julian’s immediate plan after the phone call—to deal with Collins legally, maybe threaten to sue him to take down the post. They need to fix the PR mess immediately p>
She nodded, tapping the brush against her palm thoughtfully. “Good. Legal threats are the standard, slow response. But who exactly is Collins? I know Sasha is Lucy’s sidekick p>
I took a deep breath, remembering that I hadn’t really mentioned anything about who Collins was. “He’s another psychopath, completely obsessed with me, and unfortunately associated with Sasha. He used to be Julian’s friend until he betrayed him p>
“That dude is a real creep. He’s the reason Julian and Sasha broke up in the first place. Julian found out Sasha was secretly sleeping with Collins while they were supposedly exclusive p>
Kiera’s face curled into an expression of profound disgust. “So why is he after you now p>
“I am not sure. I think I mentioned to you in the past that we dated but not for a long while. He tried to force himself on me, I refused and broke up with him, since then he’s been refusing to get off my back p>
“That’s… pathetic,” she stated flatly. “A jealous, cheating creep trying to blackmail you. Collins and Sasha both need to be seriously dealt with, not just legally threatened. They need to be neutralized permanently, Catherine.” She sighed, setting the brush down with a clatter. “But I don’t know them personally. I can’t think of anything beyond sending my lawyers after them p>
That was the perfect opening. I jumped up from the chair, a fierce surge of excitement and cold, hard calculation rushing through me. I walked quickly across the room and stood right in front of her.
“Wait. You might not know them personally, but I have something that can deal with both of them, and it bypasses the lawyers entirely p>
I pulled my phone, clicked on it and gave it to her. Kiera’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of surprise filled them. “How did you get this p>
“The bastard sent it to me as a one time view. He wanted to let me know what I was missing but I screen recorded it p>
“Wow. This guy is so dumb p>
“Yes,” I confirmed, a slow, deep smirk spreading across my face.
Kiera immediately shot up from the bed. “I have to acknowledge how brilliant you were for screen-recording this. This is absolute genius.” She raised her hand, and I met her palm with a sharp, satisfying high-five.
“You, Catherine Vaughn, are an artist,” she declared. “Show me that masterpiece again, I need to analyze the backdrop p>
Kiera watched the short, grainy clip twice. When it finished, she didn’t just express disgust; she started dissecting the subjects with professional savagery.
“He has the sexual charisma of a wet mop, and she looks like she’s desperately trying to swallow a watermelon whole,” Kiera assessed, tapping the phone lightly against her chin. “This is career poison for Sasha and absolute annihilation for Collins. This proves Collins is a creep, Sasha is a serial cheater, and the entire public photo is nothing but vengeful, desperate slander. We can use this to change the narrative of the photo they uploaded p>
She handed the phone back, her eyes gleaming. “We aren’t going to just post this on a random blog. We are going to leak this to the most high-traffic, respected, and vicious gossip outlet—the kind that specializes in destroying the reputations of the ’elite.’ It has to look like it came from Sasha’s own betrayed social circle, not from you, her obvious enemy p>
Our strategizing began immediately:
“The narrative is key,” Kiera emphasized, pacing the expansive room. “We need to make it clear that Sasha was sleeping with Collins the entire time she was claiming Julian, and that Julian broke up with her specifically because of this video. We destroy her character, which in turn completely validates Julian’s position and invalidates her entire victim narrative p>
I realized the immense power we held. Exactly why I blessed the day I met Kiera.
“First, we set the stage. Julian’s lawyers are going to send Collins a cease and desist order today, demanding the photo come down. That’s the legal threat. The minute Collins receives that, he’ll think Julian is escalating the attack p>
“And that’s when we release the video,” I finished, grinning wickedly.
Kiera nodded, tapping her temple. “We leak it anonymously with a caption that plays the sympathy card for Julian and you, the innocent victims. Something along the lines of: Heartbreak in the Vaughn circle: Just hours after Julian Vaughn’s psycho ex-girlfriend, Sasha, launched a public smear campaign against his new stepsister, Catherine, this raw, explosive video emerged showing the real reason Sasha and Julian broke up p>
“And we add the crucial detail,” I interjected. “That Sasha was constantly cheating with the man now threatening Catherine. It makes Collins look like a tool being used by Sasha for her own twisted revenge p>
Kiera paused, suddenly looking at me with admiration. “You’re learning fast, Catherine. I like it p>
“All thanks to you, Kiera,” I said, my voice dropping, though the smirk remained. “This is about control. I am tired of being accused and attacked. We eliminate their credibility entirely, and then we take away their ability to hurt me. We need a caption that ends their social lives and puts a permanent spotlight on their disgusting behavior p>
We spent the next twenty minutes crafting the perfect, most poisonous leak message, making sure every word confirmed I and Julian ’s innocence.