Chapter 40: What The Hell Are You Going On About?
938 Words
One thing that bothered Joanna, other than the fact that she had been followed, was that she hadn't – not even for a second – sensed the presence of Susan's men. Somehow, though, Olivia had, and she'd paid the price for it. There was no reason for Olivia to get hurt – thought Joanna – After all, she wasn't the target... Or was she?
Joanna frowned as she thought back to her previous life. Before targeting her directly, Susan and Susan had gone after her friends. That way, when they came for her, there was no one to save her.
Joanna reread the text message from Ben, and then she replied: "Remember not to visit Olivia. If you do, you will be Susan's next target!"
Ben: "Did you visit Susan today?"
Joanna: "I did."
Ben: "That wasn't a good idea. Now she knows that you're on to her."
Joanna: "That's fine. If she knows we're digging for information, she'll start to panic, and we can use that against her. Besides, the person who helped her is related to Mike. So what do you think will happen to her?"
Ben: "She will be terrified."
Joanna: "Exactly! And if the relationship between the man and Mike is discovered, there will no longer be room for Mike and Susan in the Devine family."
Ben: "While Susan is distracted, it will be a lot easier for us to fight Sarah. I am still worried about your safety, though."
Joanna: "Don't worry. Sarah and I have been going at it for years. I can hold my own against her. She isn't the Big Bad Wolf that people make her out to be. And besides, I want to ensure that I am her primary target. If I force Sarah and Susan to focus their attention on me, then I will be able to protect my friends."
Ben: "It sounds like you've thought of everything."
Joanna: "I hope so. I want to bring this matter ahead as quickly as possible."
Ben: "Why? What's the rush."
"I have my reasons," Joanna replied. She wanted to get Sarah and Susan out of the picture as quickly as possible so that she could be with Brian, but she didn't think that was any of Ben's business. "You'll have to trust me."
Ben: "It seems risky to me…"
***
The next morning, when Sarah woke up, she was alarmed to discover that she was still trending on Social Media. Not only that, but she had countless missed calls and text messages waiting for her. She Googled her name and was upset that the video was still live. Her father had promised to get rid of it, but he hadn't come through for her.
Sarah called for her mother, and when she arrived, she said, "Mom, why is the video of me still online?"
"I don't know," Susan replied. "But don't worry about it. Your dad is still working on it, and he won't give up on it."
Sarah began to cry. "He's taking too long," she wailed. "Have you seen what people are saying about me?!?!!?"
"I have," Susan admitted. "And I'm sorry."
Sarah: "The haters deserve to burn in Hell!"
Susan: "I assure you that nothing like this will ever happen again."
Sarah: "But what about today! People are cursing me! I don't even know if it's safe to leave the house. Mom, you've got to help me!"
Susan: "Relax. I will take care of it."
Sarah: "I want you to find the man who posted the video. I want him dead!"
Susan: "Okay. Mommy will kill him for you."
When Sarah heard this, she uttered a sigh of relief. She calmed down and asked her Mother to sit beside her. "Do you have any ideas about who might have posted the video?" she asked.
Susan had been thinking about this very question. "Joanna is my main suspect," she said. "If she did it, it was an act of revenge. And that makes sense. Even if it wasn't her, though, I still have to deal with her. Since Joanna knows that we were behind the attack on Olivia, she is bound to come after us. Thus, I will need to deal with her directly instead of slowly torturing her by hurting the people around her."
Sarah nodded and said, "You should probably talk to Mike and see what he has to say. What do you think?"
"I think it's a great idea," Susan replied. "I will call him now." She pulled out her phone and dialed Mike's number from memory. When he answered, she explained the situation and asked him for his opinion. Mike was angry, though, and not in the mood to be helpful.
The video had been causing Mike problems at work, and he'd been doing damage control all morning. "What the f**k was she even thinking?" he demanded. "She has always been a spoiled brat, but this is too much, even for her!"
"Never mind her rational," Susan argued. "The situation is what it is, and we have to deal with it. Listen to me, Mike. I've thought up a solution that could save your sister and get rid of Joanna. To do it, though, we need to be able to control Julie and Austin."
Mike: "What kind of a solution?"
Susan: "Listen to me..."
Suddenly, Sarah began to scream. Susan frowned and said, "Sorry, Mike, but I've got to go. I will tell you everything then."
Mike: "Okay. We'll talk soon."
Susan turned on her daughter as she set down her phone. "What the hell are you going on about?" she roared.
- Writer
