CHAPTER SEVEN
1185 Words
The morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains of Reyna’s penthouse suite, casting golden streaks across her neatly made bed. She stretched slightly, rubbing her eyes as she let out a soft yawn.
Her phone vibrated furiously beside her on her bed. At first, she ignored it, thinking it was probably a flurry of post-show congratulations. But then the buzzing turned aggressive, several calls came in at once, notifications flooding into her phone.
“It's too early in the morning for this.” With a sigh, she picked up her phone. After unlocking it she began going through it.
There were a multiple number of missed calls, hundreds of notifications, group chats blowing up, mentions tagging her on social media platforms.
There were several headlines flashing with words like ‘scandal,’ ‘leaked,’ and her name was severally tagged with Roman Knight's.
Her pulse spiked, why was her name being joined with his?
She tapped on one of the links and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the video.
“This can't be.” She gasped, taken aback.
It was a video of her and Roman, from five years ago, the night they spent together five years ago.
He was holding her, firmly by the waist as they kissed coming out of the elevator. Reyna touched her lips memories of that night flooding into her mind, her heart ached as she recalled his rejection.
Their faces were very obvious, except they looked younger, like two people in love with eachother. He made her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world that night and the next day she was just the biggest mistake of his life.
The video caption read:
“BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THE YEAR: Roman Knight and Reyna Styles' secret relationship exposed!!
Reyna’s stomach dropped as she read it. People were probably mistaking the video for a recent one.
She hadn’t thought about that night in years, or at least, she tried not to. And now, the past she had done her best to bury had clawed its way into the public eye, wrapped in a blurred memory and twisted by the media.
Downstairs, she heard her sister, Brielle, calling her name, but she couldn't move she just stared.
Her world was falling apart again and it was one man who was always responsible for it; Roman Knight.
******
Across the city, Roman Knight was having a board meeting with his company staff and shareholders. He didn’t enjoy the early morning meetings, but as the heir and future CEO of the biggest company in Milan it was a duty he couldn't ignore.
“We can see that market shares have been improving recently,” he announced, as they all reviewed the projected image.
In the course of the meeting, everyone's phone buzzed, notifications flying all over.
“This is an important board meeting. I would expect that all your phones would be kept away” Roman remarked as everyone began checking their phones.
His phone buzzed furiously in his pockets, he was getting notifications like everyone else.
He brought his phone out of his pockets, to check what the fuss was about.
A video lit up on his screen. A video from five years ago.
The remote he was holding slipped from his hand and fell on the floor with a loud thud.
Everyone turned their attention to him.
“Mr Knight…. is this you?” A man asked facing his phone towards him. The same video was playing on his phone.
‘It meant it was leaked to the media, s**t!’ he thought, moving his finger through his hair.
He couldn’t lie or deny it. He was the one in the video and everyone could see that.
He cleared his throat trying to compose himself. “It’s an old video; it’s nothing.”
They probably didn't believe him, but he didn't care about what they thought.
“Meeting is dismissed, I will tell my secretary to inform you all about the next scheduled meeting.” He declared and one by one they began trooping out of the boardroom, leaving him alone.
The media had found and leaked the video, a video he never knew existed. From the angle it was shot it was obviously CCTV footage from the hotel.
This scandal made him worried, not for his reputation but for Reyna's. He wondered how this was affecting her. He had hurt before, and he had promised to correct his past mistakes. Now he had changed and was no longer the man that broke her heart, now he wanted to protect her.
“Reyna,” he mumbled to himself. His phone buzzed again and he opened it.
It was from Reyna Styles.
‘You released the video, didn't you?’ As he read the message, it got deleted immediately.
Reyna thought it was him?
‘I thought you didn't remember me?’ He sent a message to her. He knew it was a silly thing to do at the moment, but he couldn't help it.
She viewed it, but didn't respond for a while then it showed she was typing.
‘So you leaked the video as revenge for me ignoring you?’
No, she was misunderstanding him, always seeing him as the bad guy. He placed a call to her it was ringing but she didn't pick up. He had to clear up her misconception.
He called her again, and to his utmost delight she answered.
“Reyna," he called her name softly.
“What do you want Mr. Knight?” She sounded so hostile, he didn't need to be told that she hated him.
“I am sorry about the video,” he genuinely apologized.
She laughed loudly, a false laugh. “Why are you acting like you weren't the one who posted it?”
Roman sighed, “Reyna, I would never do something like that, I wasn't the one.”
“I don't believe you, you have always been a lair, like how you lied to the whole school that you didn't sleep with me, made everyone feel like I was a cheap girl who just wanted to be associated with ‘The Roman Knight’ Golden boy of the university. You made sure I could never show my face in school anymore” Her voice was filled with bitterness, anger and pain.
“Then five years later you find out that I am doing good for myself and you just cannot take it, so you post a video of us.”
Reyna tried to control tears that brimmed in her eyes, anger soaring through her.
“Aren't you ashamed of me anymore, Roman? I am someone you want to be associated with now cause I am a celebrity?” She snapped, enraged.
“Rey—” he couldn't say a word. He deserved everything she was throwing at him.
“Well Damn you Roman Knight, cause nothing you do affects me.”
“I will be seeing you in court." And with that she hung up on him.
This new Reyna Styles didn't sound like she made empty threats.
- Writer
