Chapter 2
I yanked myself out of their grip and leaned against the wall, barely able to stay standing.
I shot Emmeline a fierce glare and started to say, "Dexter is my brother. We're blood—"
Before I could finish, Emmeline had someone hold up her phone while she stepped forward and slapped me twice across the face.
She was tall, with those long acrylic nails. Those two slaps had my face puffing up.
She jabbed her finger right at my nose and snarled, "You're shameless, aren't you? Still calling my boyfriend your brother? Your parents didn't teach you how to behave, right? Fine. I'll teach you myself."
Emmeline yanked me by the hair, dragging me out of the house. The two guys followed, one helping her, the other holding up a phone to keep the livestream rolling.
She dragged me right into the middle of the neighborhood and shouted at the crowd of women out there. Some were walking their dogs, and others were sitting on benches chatting.
Emmeline shouted, "Hey, everyone, come check this out. This shameless girl hooked up with my boyfriend, mooching money off him and calling him so intimately.
"I caught her in the act, and she's still playing innocent. Remember her face and keep your men away, or she'll sink her claws into them. Shameless people stop at nothing. She'd go after anyone, even if they're old enough to be her grandpa."
My scalp burned with a tearing pain, and when Emmeline finally let go, her hand was tangled with a bunch of my hair.
I'd only moved here recently, so I didn't know anyone in the neighborhood.
By the time she was done yelling, the square was crammed with onlookers.
Some folks recognized Emmeline and started pointing at me. "I know her. She's the one who got blasted online a couple of days ago, right? The girl who was charging 30 dollars a pop to hook up with someone else's boyfriend?"
People who didn't know what was going on went from pity to hatred in seconds. A couple of old ladies started throwing rotten vegetables at me.
With all this drama, Emmeline's popularity shot through the roof.
Her fans were eating it up, and a few demanded the address, saying they wanted to see the show live.
Only a handful of people realized how serious things were getting and tried to tell them to stop before things got out of hand.
But Emmeline's hardcore fans flamed those folks and booted them from the stream.
As things kept getting crazier, I grabbed my phone, pulled up a family photo, and thrust it in front of Emmeline, yelling at the top of my lungs, "Open your eyes and see for yourself. Dexter and I are real siblings."
In that instant, the whole crowd burst into an uproar.
In the photo, the four of us were close. My parents sat up front, and Dexter and I stood behind, all of us beaming.
Worried they still wouldn't believe me, I pulled out my driver's license. My name, Delilah Fleming, was right there. It was clear proof that Dexter and I were family.
The vibe in the livestream started to shift.
Viewers were questioning if Dexter and I were really related. Some said Emmeline was making it all up.
[Wait, they actually look pretty similar. Did we mess this up?]
[I've been wanting to say that, but I was scared of getting roasted by the stans.]
[This is scripted. No doubt about it.]
[Please, the streamer slapped that girl's face red. How is that scripted? She should totally call the cops and get justice.]
Seeing the comments flip on her, Emmeline instantly darkened her face.
Just then, a user named Emily'sFan suddenly dropped a comment.
[Are you all blind? That picture is obviously edited. She's been scheming this whole time.]
Emmeline immediately latched onto that idea.
She flipped into victim mode in a second, grabbed my phone, and slammed it on the ground. My brand-new iPhone was destroyed in an instant.
She scoffed, her face dripping with disdain. "Do you think people are that dumb? You had that fake photo ready to go, didn't you?"
I froze, staring at her in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
Now that my phone was smashed, I couldn't call the cops.
Emmeline crossed her arms. "I've been with my boyfriend for a long time. He never said he had a sister. You knew he was taken, so you faked that photo to have an excuse when I caught you."
She raised an eyebrow, looking smug. "I've seen this way too many times."
Suddenly, everyone had it all figured out. Their stares were sharp enough to cut.
Loads of people pulled out their phones to start livestreaming, desperate for views. The internet was brutal. Every single comment ripped me to shreds.
Seeing the crowd was hyped enough, Emmeline pulled out another phone and flashed a screenshot. It was Dexter's spending record. One transaction caught everyone's eye. 10 thousand dollars, highlighted in red.
"I can't figure out who got that money. Was it you? We're still together, so his money is mine. I'll let it slide since you're still young. But you'd better cough up that 10 thousand dollars, or I'm taking you to court," Emmeline threatened.