Chapter 4: Betrayal on Camera

The building was old, the kind where every argument echoed down the hall. I pressed my ear to the door, barely daring to breathe.

Then came Savannah’s furious screams: "Why! Why won’t that witch just die!"

Her voice was raw, desperate. For a second, I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

Her rant went on for a while. I sat outside the door, listening. Eventually, I heard Trent’s voice: "Sav, don’t get so worked up. I have a way to make her hand over all her money."

His tone was smooth, practiced. I could tell he’d been planning this for a while. The hairs on my arms stood up.

His voice was low, so I pressed my ear to the door to catch their conversation. My heart hammered in my chest.

I held my breath, straining to hear every word. My head was pounding.

Savannah quieted down, sounding hesitant: "Really? You’re not lying to me?"

Her voice was small, almost childlike. For a moment, I remembered the little girl she used to be.

I heard footsteps approaching and quickly ran downstairs. Sure enough, as soon as I pressed myself against the wall, their door opened. Trent poked his head out, looked around, then closed the door again.

I waited until I heard the lock click, then crept back up the stairs, careful not to make a sound. My palms were sweaty.

Once I heard the door shut, I returned to their doorstep.

I pressed my ear to the wood, but all I heard was muffled voices. I needed another way in. My mind raced.

"What’s with all the secrecy?" Savannah sounded impatient. Trent shushed her, and I heard the bedroom door close. No way to eavesdrop now. I cursed under my breath, pacing the hallway. Then I remembered something Aunt Brenda had bragged about at Thanksgiving.

I paced anxiously, then remembered the surveillance cameras in Savannah’s apartment. They were installed by Aunt Brenda—Savannah didn’t even know. Aunt Brenda once bragged about it to my mom.

She’d said it was for "security," but really, she just wanted to keep tabs on Savannah. I pulled out my phone and started dialing. My hands shook.

I didn’t hesitate. I called a friend who’s now a well-known hacker, Venmo’d her a thousand bucks, and explained what I needed. Two minutes later, she sent me a link.

My friend, Jess, sent a winking emoji with the link. "Don’t get caught," she texted.

"You can only watch for ten minutes. After that, the link will expire."

I set a timer on my phone. Ten minutes would be enough.

I tapped the link and the live feed from Savannah’s apartment blinked on.

The camera was grainy, but I could see Savannah pacing the living room, her heels clicking on the hardwood. Trent lounged on the couch, tapping away at his phone. The tension was thick.

"Isn’t this a crime, Trent?"

Despite her words, Savannah’s eyes sparkled. She looked more excited than scared, her lips curling into a smile.

Trent clicked his tongue and pulled her back to the bed. "How is this a crime? We’re just delivering someone—they’re the real criminals. I’ve already worked it out with them. We deliver the two of them, and we split the money fifty-fifty."

He spoke with the confidence of someone who’d never been caught. Savannah’s doubts melted away as soon as he mentioned money.

As he talked about money, Savannah started to smile. She thought for a moment, then asked, "Fifty-fifty… How much is that?"

She leaned in, eyes wide, like a kid on Christmas morning.

Trent started counting on his fingers. "Just the assets the media knows about are over a billion. That’s not even counting the hotels and buildings. All together, even half is this much."

He flashed ten fingers, then six. Savannah’s jaw dropped.

"Six hundred million?" Savannah’s eyes widened in disbelief. She clutched his arm, her nails digging in.

"Sixty billion, Sav! Sixty billion! We couldn’t spend that in ten lifetimes. I’m telling you this because I really want a future with you. And once we have the money, that annoying Autumn will be out of your life for good. Isn’t that perfect?"

His voice was honey-sweet, but I could see the greed in his eyes. Savannah was too blinded by dollar signs to notice.

He kept selling the idea, and Savannah stared blankly for a few seconds before suddenly grinning—a twisted smile. "Alright, when are we kidnapping her? That witch should’ve died a long time ago."

She said it with so much venom, I flinched. The timer on my phone buzzed—ten minutes were up.

Right after she said that, the link expired. But I’d learned everything I needed to know.

I closed my laptop, my hands shaking. I never thought Savannah would actually want me dead. It was a new kind of cold.

It was one thing to be jealous, but this was another level. I felt a cold anger settle in my chest.

I sighed. If she was going to be that vicious, I couldn’t be blamed for what came next. Game on.

Some people write their own endings. I was just here to turn the page.