Page 66 of Reeling in Love

“Nora! Wow! Um, okay. I’m in a meeting. Can it wait?”

“No.”

I hear a muffled sound as if she’s speaking to someone else. Then a clear voice. “You seem agitated.” I can tell she’s walking. Perhaps walking out of the room she’s in. “Yeah, okay. I’m in my cabin now. Tell me.”

“Do you know TruthSeekerBob?”

“The influencer? Not closely. If you want me to ask him to take down the stuff he’s posting, I can’t. I don’t know him that well.”

So she knows. Well, obviously she does.

“Let me get to the point. Did you buy the recording from Kevin and give it to TruthSeekerBob? Are you his source?”

There’s a momentary pause. “Me? No! I love a piece of gossip, but I don’t get involved in it. And who’s Kevin?”

“My sister’s boyfriend.”

“Ah, I remember Daphne telling me that your sister and mother live somewhere close by and that her boyfriend had moved in with her. But no, I’m not involved in any of this shit you’ve dragged yourself and Gabriel into.” Her voice is in a forced, calm state. Polite but showing that she doesn’t like it. “If that is all, I’ll return to my meeting now.”

She hangs up before I can say anything.

Given her reaction, I doubt she did it. If not her, then who? Could it be Daphne? Yeah, she seems more likely. She was sure we were pretending to get Gabs off the marriage hook. She knows Kevin. And she knew I was going home. And she’s active on social media and had probably noticed TruthSeekerBob and me sparring online. That’s it! This has Daphne written all over it.

I immediately dial her number, my anger rising by the minute.

“Hey, Nora. How’re you doing? I hope you’re not letting this social media thing affect your Paris trip.”

The nerve of this woman.

“Actually, Daphne. It is affecting the trip. And let me tell you, that information is wrong. And you know what? I know who’s behind it.”

I wish she would own up to it herself. At least I want to give her a chance to do that, for old times’ sake.

“Really? I mean I’m glad that the news is incorrect. But who’s behind it? And why would anyone do such a thing?”

Wow! Just wow!

“You tell me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you did it. Through Kevin.”

“Kevin? Carla’s boyfriend? Did he do this?”

“Because of you. You paid him for the recording, didn’t you?”

“So that means it’s true. You both are faking it. Ah, I knew it.”

“Don’t change the topic, Daphne.”

“There’s nothing to change. I didn’t do it. I already knew it was fake. If anything had to happen between you two, it would’ve happened a long time ago. It was only a matter of time.”

“So you won’t own up to it?”

“You’re crossing your limits this time, Nora. You think you’re playing the detective here? But then you need to think like one, not act rashly. You think I would do this to my own son? What nonsense. His image is important, more so now that you are out of the equation and he’s free to marry Sophia. I’ve always been nice to you because you’re Gabriel’s friend, but this is too much. How dare you accuse me of such a thing?”

She hangs up.

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