Page 16 of Dan.

It’s the perfect opportunity to change the subject, even if this subject is one I dread nearly as much. “Uh, yeah, actually, Andries invited him.”

“You must be so excited to see him again. Did you have any idea he was coming?”

“No, it was sort of a last-minute addition.” I cringe thinking about Johan and Dan’s first meeting. “It’s complicated…”

“I’m sure it is, but what a wonderful opportunity! You know your mother and I always thought he was the best match for you. If the two of you manage to rekindle something that would just be the icing on the cake after getting your brother to dump his prostitute girlfriend.”

The urge to tell him to shut up is strong, but instead, I just make an excuse to end the call. Dad seems reluctant to do so, but after a few excuses, I’m finally able to say my goodbyes and hang up. This is really, really bad, and even though he was only briefly mentioned, I’m getting this feeling that Karl has his hand in this somehow.

I stand, pacing restlessly around the room while I consider my options. First and foremost, I have to talk to Roxanne before anything else. If she’s somehow already spoken to my brother, then this all becomes much easier for me. Still awkward beyond belief, but I’ll be able to honestly tell Dad that Andries already knew before I could get to him. Something tells me she’s going to hesitate, though, considering how terribly Andries has acted in the past concerning Roxanne’s career. A cabaret isn’t an escort service, but if her cabaret employees are acting as escorts anyway, well… What's the difference? I try to call Roxanne, but it only rings once before going to voicemail, an indication that she’s on the line with someone else and not willing to switch over to me. Stripping the robe off, I go and take my shower, making it quicker than I had anticipated. Such a big part of me wants to just pretend I never saw the video and let it play out naturally between Roxie and Andries, but I know that just isn’t possible. I need to face my fears head on, but I don’t think I’m going to run to tell Andries straight away like Dad wants. If I can convince Roxie to do the right thing, then maybe—just maybe—this will all be okay in the end.

I towel dry my hair and braid it loosely behind my back. No time to do my normal routine, not with this video going more viral with every passing minute. In a hurry, I pull on a yoga outfit––dark olive bike shorts and matching sports bra crop top––slide my feet into a pair of sandals, and start my hunt for Roxanne.

I hear voices by the pool, but when I walk out onto the terrace it’s just Lili and Robin, lounging away their evening after the long Blue Grotto tour today. It strikes me as funny, if only for a second, that these two might be the only totally happy couple in the entire villa.

“Lili, have you seen Roxanne?” I ask as I approach them. Lili tilts her head down but doesn’t rise from her lounge chair.

“She was here earlier but her phone kept ringing and ringing so she went to the garden to return a few of the calls, I think. It sounded urgent.”

My stomach drops. There’s only one subject all these people could be calling her about. “Okay thanks, Lili.”

She raises herself to her elbows, eyebrows furrowed. “You look a little freaked out. Is anything wrong?”

“No, no,” I try to assure her, even if it is a lie. “I just need to talk to her about my brother, that's all.”

“Alright…” Lili lays back once more, but she doesn’t look convinced. “Come get me if you guys need anything.”

“We will. Thanks.”

The garden isn’t far, and in the waning light of day, it would almost seem magical if it wasn’t for my future sister-in-law pacing the area, her phone held to her ear and an angry flush to her delicate face. I can’t quite make out what she’s saying as I approach, but her voice is pitched low and her words are acidic. Roxanne is talking not just with her mouth, but with her hands, even though the person on the other line can’t see her. It sounds like she’s rebuking someone, which makes me think she must be talking to the dancer. That means she really must have just found out, probably around the same time I did.

I come into the garden slowly, giving her ample time to see me so she knows I’m not trying to invade her privacy. Her eyes flick over to me, and although she looks mildly annoyed at seeing me, she ends the call quickly enough.

The total antithesis to the sweet woman from the boat this afternoon, Roxanne crosses her arms, putting her weight on one hip and narrowing her eyes as she looks at me. I’m transported back to when she and I were fighting, and how defensive I had forced her to be. She’s defensive like that now, and a big part of me hates it.

“I suppose you already know what happened, right?” she snarks.

“My Dad just told me,” I tell her honestly, not wanting to lie and break her trust.

She barks out a sarcastic laugh. “Ha. Looks like your dad was faster since I just got the news minutes ago.”

I don’t tell her about how Karl shared the video with Dad, knowing that will just be rubbing salt in the wound. “He has a lot of employees, so a lot of people are looking out for the company’s best interest.”

Roxanne resumes pacing, waving her hand dismissively while she looks down at her phone again. “Whatever. Anyway, you don’t have to worry about it. This will be fixed very soon and your brother won’t even have time to find out.”

“You aren’t going to tell him?” Alarm bells start to go off in my head. This is the worst sort of damage control for her to do. “What if Andries already knows? Has he texted you since we left this morning?”

She pauses, uncertainty flashing across her features before she banishes it, the haughty expression returning. “No, but I didn’t expect him to text me during his guys’ outing anyway. He doesn’t know, or else he definitely would have called me. And we’re going to try to keep it that way.”

“Roxie,” I plead, coming towards her even though the vibe she’s putting out is pure ice. “Maybe he’s getting drunk with Dan and Johan and venting about what a liar his fiancée is. Did you ever think about it that way?”

I know I’ve worded it wrong when she whips around, fire in her eyes. “I didn’t lie!” she spits out like an angry cat. “He never knew the cabaret was mine because he never asked about it. If he had, I’d have told him the truth, but he didn’t. That’s it.”

I roll my eyes. “How convenient he never asked.” Sparks of fury are in the air between Roxanne and me, and I realize with a start that this is going so terribly. I didn’t want any friction like this at all, but she had just come at me so hot that I responded in kind instinctually. I inhale deeply, letting out a long exhale, which takes some of my annoyance with it. “Look, I’m not trying to fight with you. I’m worried about you, Roxie. I can call him if you want and try to see if he knows already.”

She doesn’t calm down like I have but smiles strangely. It almost feels patronizing. “I will call him Elise. Don’t worry.”

We stare at one another for a long moment. I’m confused by her all over the place behavior, but I feel like she’s just waiting for me to leave. Shifting from foot to foot, I don’t back down. This conversation isn’t over yet. Roxanne keeps checking her phone, and I wonder whether she’s still getting bombarded with messages about the video, or if she’s anxiously waiting for Andries to confront her.

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