CHAPTER 8 — PUBLIC ENEMY
1155 Words
By the time I got to Jessica’s apartment, my eyes were swollen, my head pounding, and my chest felt like something had been sitting on it all evening. I didn’t knock. I just pushed the door open. “Jess—” She was already there, halfway across the room like she’d been waiting behind the door. The moment she saw my face, her expression dropped.
“Oh my God… what happened?”
That was it. That was all it took. Everything I had been holding in since last night—the pressure, the fear, Daniel, the engagement, the lies—it all broke at once.
“I messed everything up,” I choked. Jessica didn’t ask questions, she just pulled me into a hug. And I cried. Not the quiet, controlled tears I had mastered over the years. Not the polite kind that fit into family expectations. This was ugly and loud.
“I didn’t even get to tell him,” I said against her shoulder. “He found out online. Jess, he found out like everyone else.”
She tightened her arms around me. “Hey… hey… it’s okay…it's okay. Just breathe.”
“It’s not okay,” I said, pulling back. “Nothing about this is okay.”
She guided me to the couch. “Start from the beginning.”
And I did. I told her everything. The meeting. The deal. The marriage condition. My parents. Diana. The pressure. Ethan. Liam. Daniel.
When I finished my tirade, the room went quiet. Jessica stared at me for a very long moment, processing all the information. “Okay,” she said finally, exhaling. “So let me get this straight—you got forced into a billion-dollar arranged marriage overnight… to a man you barely know… and your ex found out through the media?”
“Yes.”
“And your parents think this is normal?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re just… expected to go along with it?”
I let out a hollow laugh. “Apparently.”
Jessica leaned back, dragging a hand over her face. “Wow. Just… wow.”
It went quiet again. Then she leaned forward again, her voice softer now. “Hey… look at me. You didn’t mess everything up,” she said firmly. “You were put in an impossible situation.”
“It doesn’t feel that way,” I whispered.
“That’s because you’re the one carrying the consequences.”
My throat tightened again. “I hurt him, Jess,” I said quietly. “He thinks I chose this. He thinks I wanted this.”
Jessica hesitated. “Did you… explain?” I shook my head. “I tried. But—” I swallowed. “I couldn’t say it. Not out loud. Not like that.” She sighed. “Yeah… that tracks. Your family doesn’t exactly do ‘honest conversations.’” A weak smile tugged at my lips. I sighed heavily.
Then Jessica’s phone buzzed. Once. Twice. Then mine followed. And then again. And again. We both froze. “That’s… a lot of notifications,” Jessica muttered. My stomach dropped. I've had enough of the news. “Don’t,” I said quickly. “Please don’t check it.”
It was too late. Jessica was already reaching for her phone. Her expression changed almost immediately.
“Jess?” My voice came out thin. She didn’t answer. “Jessica.” She looked up slowly. “Mel…”
The way she said my name made my chest tightened. “What?” She turned the phone toward me. “Just… watch.”
It was a live video. Serena Vaughn, my biggest opponent. Of course it was her. Perfect lighting. Perfect angle. Perfect smile. She looked like she had been waiting for this moment.
“Hi, my loves,” she said sweetly. “I wasn’t going to say anything… but honestly, I’m tired of fake people pretending to be something they’re not.”
My stomach twisted. I couldn't sit in one place. Jessica sat beside me, silent.
Serena tilted her head slightly, her expression shifting into something almost sympathetic. “You ever see someone climb their way into a life they don’t belong in?” she continued. “Like… overnight? No history. Just vibes and ambition.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
She laughed softly. “I mean… we all know how the entertainment industry works. Some people act. Some people perform. And some people… attach themselves to power.”
Jessica muttered under her breath, “Oh, she’s bold.”
Serena leaned closer to the camera. “Let’s not pretend this engagement is about love,” she said. “Please. We’re not children.”
The comments were flooding in so fast I could barely read them.
Is she talking about Melissa??
WAIT WHAT—
Gold digger vibes fr
I KNEW IT
My heart started pounding.
“She built her image off Hartwood Global,” Serena continued smoothly. “And now that the company’s sinking… suddenly she’s marrying into Kingsley Holdings?” She let out a soft, knowing laugh. “How convenient.”
Jessica cursed. “This is bad.” I was too stunned to speak.
Serena sighed dramatically. “Anyway… I just think it’s funny how billionaires hide their dirtiest secrets behind wedding rings.” She smiled. Then the live ended.
The silence after was heavy and suffocating.
Jessica slowly lowered the phone. “Mel…” But I wasn’t listening anymore. My own phone was exploding. Messages. Mentions. Notifications. Headlines.
I opened one. Then another. Then another.
“Gold-Digger Bride?”
“Melissa Hartwood’s Strategic Marriage Raises Questions”
“From Failing Company to Billionaire Wife Overnight”
My vision blurred. “No…” I whispered.
Jessica grabbed my phone gently. “Okay. That’s enough.”
But it was too late. The media already painted me as an opportunist leech. I let out a shaky breath. “This isn’t just gossip.”
“No,” Jessica said quietly. “It’s targeted.” I looked at her. She was already analyzing the situation. “This was timed,” she continued. “Right after the engagement announcement. She knew exactly what she was doing.”
“Why?” I asked.
Jessica’s jaw tightened. “Because someone wants you discredited before you even step into that family.”
A chill ran down my spine. My phone buzzed again in her hand. She glanced at the screen. Then hesitated.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s… from an unknown number.”
My stomach dropped.
“Read it.”
Jessica unlocked the phone slowly. Her eyes scanned the message. Then she went still. “Jess.”
She looked up at me. And for the first time since I arrived—
She looked afraid. “What does it say?” She swallowed.
Then read it out loud.
“Welcome to the Kingsley family, Melissa.”
A pause.
“Let’s see how long you survive it.”
- Writer
