"Sweat, Secrets & Scandal"
It was 6:15 a.m., and the city hadn’t quite woken up yet.
The gym was quiet, mostly empty—just the way Shayla liked it. In black leggings, a cropped hoodie, and wireless earbuds in her ears, she was mid-rep on the lat pulldown machine, trying to drown out the noise inside her own head.
Kai.
Anthony.
The court.
Everywhere she turned, her lies were tightening around her like a noose.
But at least in the gym, for an hour every morning, she could pretend she was still in control.
That illusion shattered the moment Piarry strutted in, tossing her Louis Vuitton gym bag on the bench beside Shayla’s.
Piarry — tall, fierce, unapologetically blunt — wasn’t just Shayla’s workout buddy. She was also her reality check. And this morning, she looked like she was carrying a grenade.
“Girl,” Piarry said, not even warming up before launching into it, “I came here to work my glutes, but after what I saw this morning, the only thing that needs stretching is your patience.”
Shayla pulled her earbuds out, wiping sweat from her brow. “What are you talking about?”
Piarry slid into the bench beside her. “You didn’t hear this from me, okay? But you need to sit your cardio-loving ass down because it’s about Anthony. And Rolonda.”
Shayla froze.
She’d suspected something. Ever since she disappeared from Anthony’s life after the DNA fallout, she knew Rolonda was circling him like a vulture. What she didn’t know was how far it had gone.
“They’re together,” Piarry said flatly. “And not just in courtrooms and custody meetings. I’m talking candlelight dinners. I’m talking weekend brunches. Hell, I saw them this morning—together. Walking out of Anthony’s building at 5:45 a.m..”
Shayla blinked.
“No,” she whispered.
“Oh yes,” Piarry nodded. “Same clothes they were wearing last night when they were at that fundraiser for the Legal Aid Society. I was there. I saw them. Laughing like some power couple on a magazine cover. And girl, let me tell you—they weren’t hiding it.”
Shayla’s stomach twisted.
“She’s helping him with the case. Of course they’re close,” she said, trying to rationalize it, to diminish it.
Piarry raised an eyebrow. “Sweetheart, she’s not just close. She’s in. That woman is practically raising Kai already. People on the Upper West Side are calling her 'the future Mrs. Carter.'”
The words sliced through Shayla like ice.
Mrs. Carter.
That title had once belonged to her, at least unofficially. Anthony had loved her enough to wait, to forgive, to build a life despite the shadows. And she had played him like a pawn.
And now?
Now Rolonda was building something new from the ruins.
“You said you saw them come out together?” Shayla asked, voice shaking slightly.
“Girl, she was in his hoodie. You know what that means.”
Shayla stood, pacing in front of the row of dumbbells, her hands balled into fists.
“They think they’ve won,” she muttered.
Piarry followed her with her eyes. “You gonna do something?”
Shayla turned, a smirk slowly forming on her lips. “They think just because they have money, lawyers, and some fake romance, they can take my son away from me? No. I gave that man years of my life. And I’ve made mistakes—big ones—but I won’t be erased.”
“I don’t know, Shay,” Piarry said carefully. “They’re not playing games. They’re building a case on your past. And if they get married before the hearing? That gives Anthony stability. It makes him look like the ‘safe parent.’”
Shayla’s eyes narrowed.
“I need to remind the world who Rolonda really is.”
Piarry tilted her head. “You got dirt on her?”
Shayla chuckled darkly. “Not yet. But I know someone who does. There’s a man named Victor Lang, used to be Rolonda’s client when she worked for a corporate firm in D.C. Something shady went down with a whistleblower lawsuit. He disappeared. She stayed clean. But I’ve always wondered…”
She grabbed her phone, typing rapidly.
Piarry watched her, eyebrows raised.
“Girl, are you calling in favors right now?”
Shayla nodded. “I’ve played victim long enough. Let them plan weddings and custody battles. I’m not just going to fight.”
She looked up, her eyes burning.
“I’m going to destroy them.”
Later That Day: In Anthony’s Apartment
Rolonda came out of the shower, towel wrapped around her, hair damp. Anthony handed her a cup of coffee with a smile.
“You okay?” he asked, noting the tension in her eyes.
She hesitated. “Someone from my past contacted me today. A name I haven’t heard in years. Victor Lang.”
Anthony frowned. “You mean that corporate case from years ago?”
Rolonda nodded. “Yeah. Someone’s digging. Someone who knows where to look.”
Anthony didn’t need to ask who.
He already knew.
To Be Continued…
Would you like the next chapter to reveal the truth about Victor Lang and what he knows about Rolonda? Or would you prefer we dive deeper into Shayla’s counterattack—unleashing the secrets she’s been keeping on everyone?
Comments
Post a Comment