Chapter 39: One Last Lie
In a hotel.
Jeremy has invited her family except Tammy to a hotel for three days in preparation for the traditional ceremony. Tayo was already hating the fact that the traditional marriage could take place. She left her room and went to the palor of the penthouse in the hotel. She was about to enter when she thought she heard something.
Tayo leaned against the polished mahogany doorframe, her ear pressed just close enough to catch snippets of Jeremy's conversation. His voice was low, measured, almost careful, but she could still make out the words that made her heart twist in fury.
"…I'll do it during the rites. A proposal the traditional way. She deserves it."
Tayo's nails dug so hard into her palm that half-moons marked her skin. A proposal? In front of everyone? After everything she had done to make sure Tammy would never shine? The thought of her sister being celebrated, of Jeremy going down on one knee while the family cheered, was unbearable. Nothing in this world would stop her from ruining that traditional wedding .
From ruining that proposal. From ruining their whole marriage. She'll have to find a way for Tammy to miscarriage. How in the world did she make the mistake of drugging Tammy on the same day that idiot drugged Jeremy. Truthfully, she knew Jeremy was going to be at the hotel that night. But she planned to be the one to sleep with him. And Tammy with some random guy. But she unknowingly led Tammy to Jeremy's room. She breathed in and out.
She pulled back silently, forcing her breathing to slow, forcing her expression into something serene before anyone could notice. When she finally walked away, her heels clicked softly against the tiled floor, each step sharp with rage.
By the time she entered her room, her chest was heaving. She threw her bag onto the bed and began pacing, her mind racing. If Jeremy proposed, Tammy's victory would be cemented forever—pregnant, adored, and soon to be married into wealth. It was intolerable. It was soo unfair.
Her eyes landed on an old dusty phone inside her drawer. A relic from her reckless university days, filled with forgotten files, old pictures, and chaos. Slowly, deliberately, she pulled it out. Scrolling through the gallery, her lips curled when she found what she needed—grainy, careless photos of Tammy at a party years ago.
A red cup in her hand, mascara smudged from dancing too hard, laughter frozen mid-scream. Innocent moments, but staged just right, they could be twisted into something darker. This was just the type of thing she needed to throw them off balance for now. At least until she's able to figure out a perfect plan to ruin her sister once and for all.
Her fingers shook as she drafted the email. She used a fake address, cloaking herself as "a concerned ex-friend." She attached the photos and typed quickly:
"People deserve to know who the future Mrs. Adebayo really is. She's not who she pretends to be. I just thought you should have the truth."
She hit send before her conscience could whisper a word. The email shot into cyberspace, landing in the inboxes of gossip bloggers always hungry for blood.
Tayo leaned back, heart pounding, lips parted in exhilaration. She imagined the chaos tomorrow, the headlines screaming Tammy's name, the shame splashed across every blog page. She could already see Tammy's perfect little world cracking, the doubt flashing in Jeremy's eyes, the smug whispers at every society gathering.
"Let's see if he still wants to propose after this," Tayo muttered, sinking into her chair, the glow of the phone screen painting her face like a mask.
For one last time, she clung to the only weapon she had left—lies.