It started to drizzle lightly as Jessica returned home. Filled with rage, she stormed into her room and started throwing things on the floor, shattering them into pieces. Tears welled up in her eyes, but they were quickly overshadowed by a surge of fury. The image of Chioma with Michael, the memory of Louisa's stinging slap at the police station—it all clawed at her, a relentless assault on her pride and dignity. 'Why me?' she thought, her voice choked with a sob. 'Why does fate seem to enjoy twisting the knife?' Though it wasn't as painful as Michael leaving her for Chioma, Jessica couldn't help but feel furious.
The room erupted with a deafening crash as another vase shattered. Rebecca flung the door open, her breath catching in her throat at the sight before her. Jessica stood frozen, mid-throw, the remnants of the vase scattered around her feet. Her face was a mask of fury, contorted with a rage that seemed to emanate from deep within. Rebecca rushed to her daughter's side, her heart heavy with a mixture of concern and apprehension.
Rebecca wore a belted Carolina Herrera dress in a rich navy blue, the fabric clinging elegantly to her tall and slim figure. The dress whispered luxury, its clean lines and elegant drape highlighting her statuesque physique. Her perfectly coiffed hair remained immaculate, not a single strand daring to escape its elegant bun. Complementing the outfit perfectly, a pair of nude high-end heels clicked softly against the cool, marble floor, the only sound that dared to break the tense silence. Her features were striking, with high cheekbones and a perfectly sculpted jawline, but her beauty couldn't mask the worry etched in her perfectly mascaraed eyes.
Without a word, she wrapped Jessica in a hug, the embrace a silent plea for Jessica to calm down.
'Honey, don't let that lowly girl upset you. I left the women's convention I was attending in Imo State just to be here with you,' Rebecca comforted her.
'Mum, it feels like destiny is playing with me, giving me hope and then heartlessly snatching it away. Is my life going to be like this forever?' Jessica lamented, her voice thick with despair.
'No, honey. Everything will be fine. You still have Nathan...' Rebecca tried to reassure her.
The reminder of Nathan seemed to further dampen Jessica's spirits. 'I only accepted Nathan to further my plans, not because I want to marry him for real,' Jessica interrupted, her voice flat.
Rebecca fell silent for a moment and then suggested, 'If you want, I can ask your father to blacklist Chioma and her family from Abuja, leaving them with no chance of survival... we can push them to the brink of hopelessness.'
'But Michael will always protect them,' Jessica retorted.
'But you still have plenty of opportunities to win him back. I've already taken care of the landlord of their house to force them out,' Rebecca continued, patting Jessica's shoulder. 'Honey, let me try this first before you release the video. Don't release it just yet... Miranda called to inform me about it and I told her to halt releasing the video…'
'Even if they're blacklisted from Abuja, I'm still not convinced,' Jessica raised her tear-filled eyes. 'She has stolen Michael's heart. Now, I have to settle for Nathan... If I release the video, it will create chaos among those who love her. I'm sure my fans will want to tear Chioma down and hurl insults at her. If I'm going to lose Michael, I won't let Chioma win. Does she think it's easy to steal my man? I'll make her the most shameful and foolish woman in Abuja. I'll hire a professional hacker to create an edited video of Felix and Chioma... I'm certain they can capture footage of them together. I'll be delighted to see the high number of shares and thrilling comments on Facebook. The video will surely receive positive reviews,' she laughed, wiping away her tears. 'Chioma will be hated by everyone.'
'But nothing happened between them. How will you manage to do that?' Rebecca asked.
'There are skilled computer scientists who can do flawless editing. The video will be short, but the editing and background music will resemble those in romantic series, like a teaser for a teenage drama,' Jessica explained.
Rebecca looked at Jessica and cautioned, 'You might find someone quite famous on the internet to do this, but if Michael sees the video, he will know it was you behind it.'
Jessica chuckled. 'Mum, I can imagine how Michael will react when he sees the video.'
Rebecca sighed and spoke gently, 'I want to fight for you, but I don't want you to get too involved.' She was concerned for her daughter.
Jessica shrugged. 'What will Michael do once the video is widely shared? He'll undoubtedly direct his anger towards Chioma, and I'll play the innocent victim.' Tears welled up in her eyes.
'No, he'll definitely compel the video's creator to delete the post,' Rebecca said.
'But how can Michael do that when numerous commercial accounts and websites will help me spread it? Mum, trust me, it will be impossible for Michael to delete them all. The number of shares will reach millions...' Jessica argued.
'Michael is a computer whiz. He'll ensure the video is wiped off the entire web... He has the capability to remove it completely, leaving no trace on any website,' Rebecca explained.
'But what about international sites? Michael might succeed in taking down the ones in Nigeria, but...' Jessica questioned.
'If you truly know Michael, you should know that he's capable of erasing any evidence from its source. So, forget about hiring someone to create the video and forget about posting the video of Chioma slapping you... at least for now. Let me fight this battle for you. I promise to make Michael have no choice but to come to you,' Rebecca reassured Jessica with a comforting smile, embracing her tightly. Tears streamed down Jessica's face, and Rebecca's heart ached for her only child. 'Michael is yours alone,' she said soothingly, stroking Jessica's hair lovingly.