"Mommy?"
The next day, Adriana was obsessing over how to defeat this damn hacker.
She was good with computers, it's one thing she mastered, but it was hard to compete with such a genius.
But would find Weston Roman and his employer soon enough and she was confident in it.
How could anyone blame her? She's an expert in finding people.
Adriana looked up from her laptop and smiled.
"Is something wrong?" She asked.
James shook his head and closed the door.
He then walked towards her and lifted his little arms.
Adriana chuckled and lifted him up.
It had been a while since she had him in his lap, while she works.
"What are you doing?" He asked curiously, sitting in her lap and looking at the screen of her laptop.
Adriana ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead.
"Well, I'm looking over at someone else's coding and their patterns. Do you want to help?" She asked.
James nodded his head.
"Okay." She opened her cabinet and picked up his iPad from inside.
She then sent the coding sheets to him and handed him his iPad. "Look it over and tell me what you can learn about the creator when you're done." She told him.
"Mommy, you just exposed, your hiding spot." He commented, noticing Aria's iPad inside as well.
"Are you going to take them?" She asked.
He shook his head in response, and Adriana nodded.
"Alright get to work, baby." She laughed.
James nodded firmly and jumped out of her lap. He then took his seat on the couch while his mother continued with her work.
A few minutes later he lifted his head and asked, "Mommy, will this person be my new teacher?"
"Are you trying to replace your mommy?" She arched an eyebrow.
"Well, they're better than you so I thought so…"
"..."
STAB X1
"Is it okay if I keep it and learn from it after I finish?"
STAB X2
"Mommy, in a battle against this person you will lose. Is that why you want to check their patterns and look for weaknesses?"
STAB X3
"Okay, okay…. just look it over and tell me what you find." She shook her head and patted the place where she could feel her heart beating.
Her son can be too honest sometimes.
"Mommy?"
Adriana snapped her head to the door and smiled.
"What's up?" She asked.
"I finished all my homework. Can I use my sketching pad?" She asked, making an adorable set of puppy eyes.
Adriana sighed and nodded her head.
Aria grinned and took a seat next to her brother, taking out the color pencils, crayons, and the sketching pad she had hidden behind her.
Adriana raised an eyebrow. So she expected her to say yes, huh?
She then watched them high five.
Adriana: "..."
They definitely planned this!
Hearing a knock from the door, Adriana looked towards it.
"Come in."
Noticing it was Ralf who came in, Adriana shook her head.
"Did you finish your homework too?" She asked.
Ralf chuckled.
"In fact, I did."
He walked towards her and placed the old phone that Melissa had brought for her. It was charged and working perfectly.
"Thank you, is there anything else?" She asked.
"Yes, it's time," Ralf told her.
Adriana nodded and stood up.
"There's an emergency and I have to take a flight back to New York. I'll be back by the time you wait up, so don't worry." She told them and bid them goodbye before walking out of her study room along with Ralf.
…..
New York:
Olivia walked into Briana's room, and she sighed.
Briana pouted when she saw her.
Closing the door behind her, Olivia sat on her bed and pulled her into a hug. "Did this really happen? Are you sure it's not someone trying to just get money from you?" She asked in a worried tone.
Being the only person Briana can trust, she had to tell Olivia. She also needed emotional support at this moment.
Sniffing, she shook her head. "I tried, I used up all my resources just to find who this person is. They are definitely serious Liv. I don't know what to do."
Briana pulled out her comforter and showed her all the pictures.
Oliva's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth in shock.
Yes, quite a brilliant actress she is.
"Best friends."
Please!
More like the person Briana has been manipulating since they were in middle school. The person Briana trusts the most because of all the fear she implanted in a small girl's brain. The body-shaming, the snarky comments, and all the judgment Olivia suffered from Briana since young had traumatized her in a way.
Things escalated as they grew older, Briana needed to have something Olivia could hold on to while staying by her side.
Olivia's younger brother was the perfect way to keep her.
Despite her reluctance to do what Briana would order her to do, she didn't have a choice. Every time she tried to speak up, all she got was cornered and taunted.
When Olivia went looking for Adriana, she wanted an escape. She didn't expect she would have to continue acting as Briana's little 'bestie' but it was far better.
After all, Briana deserves what's coming to her.
Anyway, right now she had to do her part and emotionally guide Briana somewhere else.
She was nervous because it was the first time she got into some proper action. This was her role in all of this, and she needed to play it perfectly.
"This-"
Briana covered her face with her palms and took a deep breath in.
"Yes, it's exactly like you see it. I called her a while ago, pretending to be my father's assistant. And guess what? She asked me when her boyfriend is coming back from his business trip!" Briana burst out laughing, but it was all to hide her pain.
"My father, my mother's husband, is this woman's boyfriend! Father of her 3 children!" She shouted.
Olivia shook her head. "Oh my god, what are you going to do? Will you confront him?" She furrowed her eyebrows, pretending to still try to process things.
Olivia went through all the images and her eyes would widen every time.
"This whole time."
"I know right." Briana fell on her bed again and closed her eyes.
"I won't confront him yet. I have a plan." She told her.
"What is it?" Olivia asked.
"Why should I tell you?" Briana arched an eyebrow.
"Don't, knowing how smart you are, I rather watch and get surprised. After all, you won't let your scum of a father have his happy ending, right?" Olivia responded.
Briana smiled. "Of course not!"
She had not told Olivia about her mother, and she planned to keep it that way.
And about her father—
Briana couldn't allow that. Not a man who had been raising a different family in secret. The anger she had for her father at this moment had already beaten the one for her mother's.
Once she got rid of her father, she and her mother could play the victim card, and then everything would be solved.
Instead of criticism and judgment, she would receive pity from everyone else. It was the best escape tunnel out of this mess.
Of course, even if she didn't tell Olivia her plan, Adriana had also expected her to make these decisions. And even if she didn't Adriana had a backup plan for that as well.
Olivia sighed, looking at Briana's sad expression.
She walked towards Briana's vanity and opened her drawer where she found an album.
Pointing at all the pictures of Briana and her mother when she was younger, she said, "Think of your mom. She doesn't deserve what her father is doing. Avenge her and yourself. Scum is scum and they deserve to be treated as such."
'How am going to convince her?' Olivia had asked Briana.
'Make her hate her father more than her mother. I suggest you curse his name. At that moment, she will be too emotional to think too much about it. You do not know how easy it is to manipulate people at their weakest points.' Adriana had replied.
'Briana loves treating others how they appear in front of her. If you're weak and stupid, she will treat you that way, and so use something to trigger that.' Adriana further explained.
After wrapping her head around Adriana's explanation, she decided on the perfect phrase to use, "Scum are scum, and deserve to be treated as such." Now, Olivia could only wait and see if it worked.
To further elevate Briana's anger, she brought up the album.
Briana snorted.
"Her?"
She sat up and shook her head.
"Do you think she even cares?"
"Even if she doesn't, your father married her, already having started a different family. This is practically deceiving her family as well! All the benefits your father gained from their marriage would make her angry. Therefore, when she finds out about these things will get crazy."
Briana narrowed her eyes at the album.
'Olivia is an idiot, but she's not wrong.' She thought.
Looking back at Olivia who was wiping her tears away, she scoffed.
"What are you crying for?"
"I'm sorry, it's just... I can't imagine how hurt your mother will be."
Briana's lips twitched.
'Typical, Olivia.'
"You should go. We have a banquet to attend soon. And if a word of this breaks out, it's your fault. Understand?"
Nodding at her warning, Olivia gave her one last hug and left.
Walking out of the mansion, she wiped her tears away and laughed.
"Oh, dear…" She mumbled to herself, walking towards her car.
She pulled her short hair together and tied it up.
After entering her car, she called Adriana and reported her success.
Having been by Briana's side for so long, and helped Adriana analyze all the decisions she made when put in certain situations, she could tell when Briana was determined to do something.
A proud smile made its way onto her lips.
And a good refreshing feeling lightened her chest.
It felt so good to play the player. She had been nothing but a puppet for years, having some control in her hands was thrilling.
It was satisfying to watch Briana make a fool of herself. All of that confidence in her little puppets would soon be the end of her.
The moment Briana used fear on her puppets, she had lost them all.
After all, who wouldn't trade fear for assurance and safety?
Adriana had offered them that exactly.
Knowing their nature, Adriana knew their guilt for the things Briana had made them do, and how much anger they buried in their hearts.
Olivia had to admit, this was an excellent way to have everyone turn against Briana.
Planting fear and submission into the roots would make the tree weaker to bigger forces.
And so, one by one, Adriana had placed them in her chessboard.
Pawns bring strategic plays into the game, and it so happens Adriana had it all figured out.
And just like that, Briana walked out of her room and knocked on her mother's door.
As she stepped foot inside, she might as well had walked right into the fall of the Brooklyns.
The family name she took pride in.
The business she would take over in the future.
The happy, humble, and blessed family the public knew.
And along with it, two of Briana's supporters.
Just like everyone else, she too had a foundation, one which helped keep her life together.
And Adriana planned to destroy it.
-------
Olivia had organized everything perfectly. The party would start soon, and they would fill the banquet hall with guests in high society.
Today was a big day, and she had an important role to play.
Caroline's ex-husband and his family, and then Briana's family all entered.
Having them together was like mixing water and oil. It would be a mess, especially with Briana aware of her mother's secrets involving him.
There's a reason Caroline had paused her process of putting her ex-husband in jail. They needed to wait for this specific day.
Originally, this wasn't planned to go this way, but since they discovered another dirty secret from Briana's mother, they just had to use it.
Especially since it was juicer than the one they had discovered before.
They wanted a scandal! A complete scandal!
And today was the perfect night.
Olivia, being 'close' friends with Briana, had invited her as a special guest for this banquet.
Anyway, in the middle of the festivity, Briana received a call.
She mustered all her courage to answer and walked to the garden.
"Yes?"
"I've decided, I will send you an address. I will meet you there in 30 minutes. Bring the money you offered and I will give you the original copies of everything." With that said, Adriana hung up.
Briana swallowed and bid her parents goodbye, telling them she wasn't feeling well.
After that, the first thing she did was open her closet where she had the money prepared. She didn't enjoy dancing to this person's song, but she had no choice. It was this or watch her whole family fall into ruins.
Besides, once she saw who this person is, she would make them pay for all of this.
The recording she had found proved how her father already knew about her mother and wanted to throw her away for what she did.
And so she would throw him under the bus instead!
It was only fair.
But, Adriana wouldn't allow that. Not only was her plan to contradict all of Briana's expectations but she needs Mr.Brooklyn for a bit longer.
Finishing her packing, Briana changed out of her gown into a sweater and some pants.
She then drove her own car towards the address, which thankfully was 15 minutes away. It was just a construction site that had been paused.
It was already 9 pm in New York and 3 am in Paris.
Adriana sacrificed her sleep for this amazing moment. It was the start of the end.
Briana would experience what hopelessness and helplessness mean.
....
Adriana and Ralf were alone under the bridge where the construction was paused.
"She's 5 minutes away," Ralf told her.
"Okay, release the first obstacle." Adriana took a seat in one chair and closed her eyes.
She would obviously not meet Briana, if she did the rest of her plan would be ruined.
It was not yet the right time for Briana to know who's behind her misery.
First was Olivia's call.
Her mother had fainted.
The second, her father.
The third, Noah.
Asking what was happening with the Milton project, and why the people who she's in charged of suddenly spammed their website with reports.
The fourth, last but not least, traffic.
All of her struggles, all the stress.
All the frustration as time runs faster and faster.
And all the lost hope when she reached the designated place and found herself alone.
But it was too late.
And so it was over.