Bruno clenched his fist and stepped toward her.
"I'm telling you, there are copies of this video already with them, so don't try anything funny," she replied, a bit scared by his move.
"Why are you doing this?" Bruno asked, deeply disturbed and frustrated by the situation.
Make love to her. He's a damn virgin! He wanted it to be Beauty. But her threats are really strong... A man's virginity isn't that special. The award ceremony is happening now, and Beauty will be...
Beyoncé interrupted his thoughts with a reply to his question.
"You have a recording of me made by that fatty, begging you for sex. Hello... this is payback for that fat whore. Now... take your shirt off and fuck me, or else, with just a press of my finger, she'll be trending all over social media platforms and on the event's big screen ." She smiled and concluded. "I would love to be fucked by Bruno Hathaway."
"So you'll delete the copies after this?" Bruno asked.
"I give you my word. Time's ticking, Bruno... she'll be up there in 10... 9... 8..."
Bruno pulled off his shirt and unzipped his pants.
"How lovely..." Beyoncé giggled and bit her lower lip.
"You won't let her know about this, right?" Bruno asked.
Beyoncé shrugged. "Of course. I mean... it depends on how you satisfy me." She scratched her hair.
"Bitch," Bruno muttered under his breath.
"I heard that. Come on now, Bruno. You're a man. She's not here to see all the pretense. You want me..." Beyoncé said as she walked toward him, seductively stripping off every single piece of clothing.
---
Presently
"The password!" Bruno's voice thundered.
Beyoncé's lips parted as she gasped for air, her eyes rolling back slightly as darkness closed in.
"Okay... okay..." she wheezed, terror gripping her entire body. "1-4-7-9... Bruno, please!"
For a moment, it seemed like he hadn't heard her. His grip was still firm, his jaw clenched in pure rage.
"iCloud?"
"Beyoncé's... (gasping)... Beyoncé's secret... (gasping)... that's the password." Her face was pink, and her eyes bulged.
"And the other sources?" Bruno asked coldly.
"That's... all... I swear," she stammered.
"You said you have it in other places!" His voice grew more dangerous.
Beyoncé's heart pounded frantically in her chest. She tried to beg, to scream, but no sound came out.
"I was... blabbering... I swear... it's only on my phone... and Stephen's..."
Just as she thought she might pass out, Bruno released her neck. She gasped loudly, sucking in air as she clutched her throat, coughing violently.
The phone dropped onto her chest, but she didn't dare move. She was too scared, too terrified to do anything.
Bruno stood there, breathing heavily, staring down at her with disgust.
"I should've done this from the start," he said, his voice low and venomous. "I despise laying my hands on a woman. But you... you're the exception."
Beyoncé whimpered, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"If you try anything else..." Bruno leaned down, his face inches from hers, his voice so cold it sent shivers down her body. "...I swear, you'll regret it. I'll make sure you pay, Beyoncé. Take that as Hathaway's word. I'm out of this hell."
Without another word, he got up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him with a deafening crash.
Beyoncé lay there, silently crying with a frown on her face, her hand still on her neck. She had almost passed out.
That fool almost killed her! He still had her video, and he had Beauty's deleted from her device and iCloud. They didn't even have sex before she interrupted!
All her plans were in vain. She knew Bruno would get Stephen to get rid of the video too.
---
BEAUTY'S HOME
Beauty lay on her bed, curled up and silent, her swollen eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
Nia sat beside her, watching over her with a worried expression. The room was dimly lit.
"You're going to make yourself sick if you keep crying like that," Nia said softly.
Suddenly, Beauty's phone buzzed beside her. Nia reached over and glanced at the screen.
"It's Jessi," Nia said softly, looking over at Beauty.
Beauty sighed, her chest rising and falling heavily. "You answer it... Tell her Bruno is involved with Beyoncé. I saw it with my own eyes."
She broke into loud sobs again.
Nia hesitated. "Beauty... maybe you should talk to Bruno and hear him out."
"I've heard them all out... their reasons are never a healing, just salt on my wound," Beauty sobbed.
Nia didn't understand what she meant by that.
All of them? she wondered. Is she talking about the men she's dated?
Nia sighed softly. The phone rang again, and she picked it up, swiping to answer the call.
"Hello, Jessi," Nia said quietly.
"Who is this? What's going on? Why are you answering Beauty's phone? Where is she? Is she okay?" Jessi's voice was filled with panic and concern.
Nia glanced over at Beauty, who still lay unmoving. "She's... she's here with me, but she can't talk right now. She's really upset. This is Nia, her former classmate."
"What happened? I need to talk to her. Is she alright?" Jessi pressed.
Nia bit her lip, her voice barely above a whisper. "Bruno... he cheated on her with Beyoncé. It's really heartbreaking... she saw them herself."
Jessi's eyes widened in surprise. "What?! Bruno... cheated? That's impossible. Beyoncé... isn't that the bully? No, please, I don't believe this! Are you serious right now?"
Jessi's voice snapped with a mix of disbelief and anger.
Nia nodded. "Yes... it's true. She's devastated, Jessi."
Jessi was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is she home? Are you with her? Or is she still at the party?"
"Yes. I'm with her. She's at her place. I'll stay with her tonight, make sure she's okay. Don't worry," Nia reassured her, her voice soft but firm.
But Jessi was already rushing out of her room, grabbing her necessary items. "I'll be right there!" she replied and hung up.
"Bruno, that fool! What kind of manipulation is this? After finding out who Beyoncé was, he went ahead and did this... What if... there was a reason? What possible reason could justify sleeping with Beyoncé? Men, of course. They'll always have an excuse!"
She paused, rubbing her forehead. She took her phone and dialed Bruno's line, but it wasn't available and went to voicemail.
"Oh, you better not be playing with me!"