Chapter 1 The Scam
Seth Caurell’s first love had an explicit video leaked online.
Afraid she’d be devastated, he edited the video, replacing her face with mine.
Now, the scandalous clip-with my face on it-spread like wildfire.
Overnight, I became a public disgrace.
Even my clients thought I was filthy and started dropping me one after another.
But still, I begged him not to break up with me.
Seth and his friends laughed and jeered, “Even a dog couldn’t be this loyal.”
Everyone thought I was crazy about Seth, so obsessed that nothing could drive me away.
Then the video landed in his hands, and my phone blew up.
His voice on the other end was cold, furious. “The bet’s over. I lost. Break up with him now-I’m coming back.”
When I got Seth’s call and rushed to the club, a sleazy man blocked me in the hallway.
“Hey, miss, can we be friends? I’m a fan-I’ve seen your… video.”
I dodged him. “Sorry, you’ve got the wrong person.
I hurried off. Ever since the video leaked, this wasn’t the first creep to harass me.
But the man grabbed my arm, shoving a wad of bills at my chest.
“It’s just money. Name your price-how much for a night?”
His hand reached for me, and, furious, I slapped him across the face.
“I told you, I’m not her. Get lost.”
His face twisted in anger, and he slammed me against the wall. He pulled out his phone and played the video.
The sounds were unmistakable, intimate, and obscene, with unclothed bodies on full display.
“Bitch, quit pretending. You really gonna say that’s not you?
“Look at you, acting all pure now. You’re lucky I even want you!”
His voice got louder, drawing a crowd of gawkers from behind closed doors.
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Chapter 1 The Scam
My mind spun. The face in the video was undeniably mine.
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Seth’s first love, Fiora Thalor, was caught in the scandal half a month ago. Afraid she’d do something drastic if the video leaked, Seth used Al to swap her face with mine.
The man kept the video playing, and the onlookers whispered among themselves.
“Is she a prostitute? Didn’t get the price right, so now they’re arguing?”
“You seriously don’t know? Haven’t you seen the video? Damn, Elaine Verren-the goody two-shoes-turns out to be wild behind closed doors.”
The man finally left, satisfied with his performance, while I crouched down in humiliation and sobbed.
Only then did Seth and Fiora come out of the private room.
Fiora put on a show, apologizing, “Elaine, this is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, Seth wouldn’t have swapped your face into the video for me.
“You’re crying like this-are you blaming me?”
I tried to answer, “I’m not-”
But Fiora suddenly clutched her chest, her face going pale, as if haunted by some nightmare.
Seth snapped at me.
“That’s enough! I was the one who decided to use your face. If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me-don’t make things hard for Fiora.
“If you can’t handle it, then just break up with me!”
He led Fiora back into the room, and I hurriedly wiped my tears and followed.
“No, I don’t want to break up.”
Only when I got inside did I realize why Seth had called me here. They were playing strip games, and Fiora had al- ready lost several rounds.
Seth pointed at me carelessly. “Fiora’s got trauma. You take her punishment.”
It felt like a slap in the face. The people in the room erupted in applause.
“Perfect, let’s see if the body matches the video.”
They laughed, leering at me, eyes hungry to watch me undress.
“Fiora’s been Seth’s buddy since they were kids. You wouldn’t refuse to help her out, would you?”
I was mortified. Fiora made a show of protesting, “Come on, don’t make it hard for her. I can handle my own losses!”
But Seth watched me with a twisted smile. “Let her do it. If you can’t handle it, leave.”
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Chapter 1 The Scam
A shudder ran through me. Swallowing my shame, my hands trembling, I started unbuttoning my shirt.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
I took off my jacket, exposing my collarbone and arms. The room burst into raucous laughter.
“Keep going-three more to go! Time for the skirt!”
My hands shook as I gripped the straps of my dress.
Suddenly, Seth’s glass crashed to the floor. His anger was barely contained.
“That’s enough. Don’t embarrass yourself any further.
“See? Look how hard she tries to please me. Isn’t she just like a dog? No matter what, she won’t leave.”
Blinking back tears, I forced a smile and barked at him, just like a dog.
“Now I’m even more like a dog. Will you please not leave me?”
The laughter in the room was so loud it nearly blew the roof off.
I fled, humiliated, and anonymously sent the video to someone.
Not even a minute later, my phone blew up with calls.
The voice on the other end was cold and furious. “The bet’s over. You win. I lost. I’m yours.
“Break up with him right now. I’ll take care of everything and come back-I won’t leave again.”
I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer. “Okay. I’ll wait for you.”
