Page 78 of Beautiful Noise

“Since it happened. It didn’t take long to track the source. It wasn’t like she tried to cover her tracks, and if she did, she damn sure didn’t do a good job.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because shit was already fucked up and I didn’t want to make it worse. I promised you I’d do my best to fix things…”

“And by fixing things, you threatened her?”

“It wasn’t a threat, Ri. She leaked your personal information online. It crossed state lines and she also sold the same information to people who posted it online, all of which is a federal charge. All you have to do is file the report and they’ll prosecute her.”

“Which means she goes to prison?”

“If you want her to, yeah she will. My lawyers will make sure she’s prosecuted to the full extent of the law and she deserves that shit, Ri, after what she did to you.”

“I agree but…”

“You can’t feel sorry for her, baby. She damn sure didn’t care about you when she put you in harm’s way. What if you had still been at that apartment and some crazy muthafucker used the information she put out there?”

The realization settled into her soul for a brief moment before her shoulders deflated. She had a good heart. Regardless of how fucked up this situation was, she was considering the livelihood of the person who turned her life upside down. My life was always exposed in one way or another. There was rarely a moment when someone wasn’t attempting to capture parts of my life on camera.

The invasion of privacy was annoying but had long since become a layer I accepted as a consequence of my success, but even still, with this being Kori, it felt different. It pissed me off. I wanted Chantel to suffer the worst fate possible. If this wasn’t what she wanted, I wouldn’t force her hand. I had already considered she would be torn and came up with an alternative.

“I don’t feel sorry for her but I also can’t say I want her to go to prison. As messed up as things were, they’re good now. I don’t know that they would be if she hadn’t placed me in the spotlight.”

I frowned so damn hard my face hurt from the tension of my jaw muscles locking so tightly. When she noticed the shift in my expression, she quickly clarified, “I’m not saying that I’m good or we’re good because of what she did, only that being exposed and out there made it a lot easier for me to accept things I normally wouldn’t.”

“Like?” I grit.

“Going on stage at SipLicity and accepting the offer to write for Leijah.”

“So you got on stage that night because of her?” I arched my brow and she smiled so damn big, rolling her eyes at the same time.

“No, I said yes because you were begging me but I also said yes because I figured what the hell else did I have to lose. My life was shit…” I glared and she added, “my life outside of you was shit, and I decided for once, just say fuck it and do what felt good to me without fear of what others might think. Even those hateful and cruel people who hate me because I have you.”

“They don’t hate you.” She mirrored my last move and arched her brow, bringing a smile to my face.

“They don’t fuck with you because you have something they want and could never acquire but they fuck with you heavy when it comes to your lyrics.”

“Poems…” she claimed.

“All the same and as for ol’ girl, I considered you wouldn’t want to take things that far and came up with an alternative that might work.”

“This feels like you telling me you know me.”

I leaned in and brushed my lips over hers. “Because I do. You’re mine to know.”

She smiled and I pressed a kiss to her lips before I offered the solution I felt she would agree to. “Financial restitution.”

“Huh?”

“She needs to pay. And if you don’t want to prosecute, which would mean her not going to prison, which is exactly where the fuck she belongs…” I narrowed my eyes and she huffed. “Then she needs to pay for the stress and the disruption in your life she caused.”

“She’s not going to do that.”

“If the alternative is you pressing charges and her going to prison, she damn sure will. If you promise you won’t then I’m sure she’ll give you whatever the fuck you ask for.”

“And what do I need to ask for because it feels like you already have that worked out too.”

It seemed that we knew each other because I knew exactly what she should ask for. Chantel had a few assets. A decent house, two high-end vehicles, but the most appealing of her assets was Elite Cleaners.

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