Page 86 of Cast to be Mine

The guy was obsessed with himself.

Chantilly perched on the arm of his chair, her legs crossed and back straight.

“What do you want?” she asked. “I have Jack’s contract, so if you plan on trying to make changes, I will call our attorney.”

I rolled my eyes. “Relax. It’s not about that.”

“Jack?”

“Huh,” he muttered without looking up.

“I’m correcting the record about who you were really kissing,” I said.

Jack wasn’t paying attention. It wasn’t his call, anyway.

I looked at Chantilly.

“So,” she said, drawing out the word. “You want to end our little arrangement.”

“I think it’s time,” I said. “The buzz has been great. Everyone’s talking about the movie. But if we let this go on much longer, we’re going to miss the window.”

“What window?” She examined her nails, feigning disinterest.

“The window where people actually care about the truth.” I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, steepling my hands. “Right now, everyone’s invested in this story. They want to know what really happened. If we wait another week, another two weeks, they’ll have moved on to the next scandal. The reveal won’t land the same way.”

Chantilly’s eyes narrowed slightly. I could see her processing, calculating the angles. I had to admit, she had way more experience manipulating an audience.

“And there’s another issue,” I continued. “The longer we wait, the more this becomes Jack’s legacy. Not the movie, not his performance. Everyone is going to be focused on the affair. That’s what people will remember.”

Jack glanced up from his phone for half a second. “Huh?”

“Nothing, babe,” Chantilly said, patting his shoulder. “Go back to your videos.”

He did, immediately.

“I don’t know,” she said, turning back to me. “My engagement is still through the roof. I’ve gained another thirty thousand followers since we landed in Hawaii. People are invested.”

“They pity you.”

“I’m the scorned woman.”

“And Grace is the homewrecker. I want it done.”

“It’s internet gold,” she said.

“They’re invested in drama,” I countered. “Give them resolution and they’ll be even more invested. The reveal is the payoff. That’s where you get the real numbers.”

She chewed her lip, considering.

“Think about it,” I pressed. “Right now, people think your husband cheated on you. They feel sorry for you, sure, but they also think you’re a victim. A pushover who didn’t know what was happening under her own nose.”

Chantilly’s expression hardened. I’d hit a nerve.

“But if you’re the one who breaks the story? If you reveal that it was you all along, that you were in on it from the start?” I spread my hands. “Suddenly you’re not the victim. You’re the mastermind. The woman who played everyone.”

I could see the shift in her eyes. The calculation turning to interest.

“I’m putting together a response video,” I continued. “Behind-the-scenes footage from the day we shot that scene. It’ll show you in the wig, the whole setup. We’ll make it clear that the photos were of you kissing your own husband. People will love that Jack only kisses you. Loyalty and all that shit.”