I’M A BRAT AND I’M IN LOVE ???? ?? ?? ???? ?????
(The picture that should have stayed silent??)
Chapter 13
“Rika…..your n@ked pic.tures are all over the internet.”
Hunter’s words cut straight to Rika’s heart. Her bl00d ran cold and she almost dropped the phone.
“What….what did you say?” She asked quietly, her voice shaking as she began to gasp for air.
“I have no idea what happened….it…it was some kind of chain message. I woke up this morning to a weird text on my phone. The caption on it was ‘Happy birthday Rika!’. I was confused because it was weird. When I clicked on the message and opened it…..God, it was filled with several indecent pictures of you. And….it looks like I wasn’t the only one who got the message.”
Rika couldn’t breathe. Bl00d was rushing to her brain faster than it could process. Hunter continued,
“My mom got the message too. And so did my girlfriend Joy. I don’t know what the h.ell is going on Rika. It seems like everyone in the city got the message. Joy told me that some of her friends got it too. Rika….”
Rika dropped the phone and held her hands to her chest, gasping for air. She tried taking large breaths but it wasn’t enough and she soon began to feel suffocated.
“Rika? Rika! Are you there? Please just hold on okay? I’m on my way to your house right now! Rika! Please answer me!” Hunter’s voice yelled desperately from the phone Rika had dropped, but she couldn’t hear him anymore.
She stumbled off her bed, knocking down a stool as she struggled to get out of the room.
She finally reached her room door, yanked it open and began rushing down the steps, almost colliding with her mother who was moving in the opposite direction.
Rika looked up and met her mother’s gaze. It was full of pure hatred.
Mrs Sato rose a hand up and landed it heavily on Rika’s face.
“You useless, ungrateful wretch.” She spat out, her voice teething with rage.
She stretched out her other hand and shoved a phone into Rika’s face. Rika stared feebly at the phone screen. On it we’re several nude and disgraceful pictures of her just as Hunter had said.
She choked on her own tears which she didn’t know had begun to fall from her eyes, and felt her legs begin to give way under her.
“What on Earth are these?!” Her mother screeched.
“Just what in God’s name have you been up to Rika?! For goodness’s sake, you are the heir to Sato Enterprises! How could you drag our family name through the mud this way?! Don’t you care about the reputation of the company at all?! How could you be so selfish?! Who did you take after?! It’s certainly not me because I didn’t raise you to be a whore!” Mrs Sato yelled in anger and Rika’s legs finally gave way, sending her tumbling to the ground.
Mrs Sato ran her hands through her hair frantically.
“Don’t just sit there and act dumb with me! Same something!” She began to yell again in Rika’s face.
Rika felt frail arms grab at hers from behind and begin to lift her up. She turned back weakly. It was Greta.
“Madame Sato I know you’re upset but por favor (please) take it easy! Look at your daughter! She looks like she’s going to pass out!” Greta yelled back at Rika’s mother, and that seemed to get through to her a bit as the fire of rage in her eyes went out for some seconds.
Greta continued trying to lift Rika’s limp body off the ground. Strength suddenly returned to Rika’s limbs, and she pushed Greta off, bolting out of the house, with Greta screaming her name from behind.
She arrived outside of the mansion into their compound, where the driver was washing one of their limousines.
“Miss Sato! Do you need to go anywhere?” He called out and Rika stopped to look at him.
He was staring at her like she was some kind of disgusting animal. Rika quickened her steps and burst out of the gate, into the road. Several people stared at her and whispered as she walked, but she continued walking as fast as she could.
Where was she going? She didn’t know. She just wanted to get away from all these people and their condemning stares.
She had been walking for a few minutes when a blue Sedan pulled up in front of her, bringing her to a halt. Hunter and his girlfriend, Joy, burst out of the car and ran up to her.
“Rika! I was just on my way to your house!” Hunter said, his face beset with worry.
“Are….are you okay?!” He asked, holding her hands tightly. Joy also wore the same expression of concern on her face.
Several people were beginning to stop and stare at them, whispering loudly to themselves. Hunter noticed, then let go of Rika’s hands and walked up to a group of them that were standing the closest.
“Hey! If you have something to say, then come up and say it! Don’t stand there and gossip!” He yelled in anger, and his words seemed to dispell them, as they soon began to trickle away slowly.
Rika had never seen him that angry before. He walked back to her and grabbed her hands.
“It’s going to be okay Rika. We’re here for you.” Joy said quietly, and Rika trembled in anger.
She yanked her hands out of Hunter’s grip and stared at the two of them defiantly.
“What do you both think you’re doing?” She muttered bitterly. “I don’t want your pity, or your sympathy. Just stay the hell away from me.” She said again, her voice laced with pain.
Hunter grabbed her hands again. “No Rika! I don’t pity you! How could I? You’re….one of the strongest people I know! I care about you Rika! And I’m not gonna let you go through this alone!” He answered stubbornly, holding her hands tighter as Joy nodded in support.
Rika’s tears fell, unrestricted. Had she always been surrounded by people who loved her this whole time and she didn’t know? She slouched her shoulders in defeat and Hunter sighed.
“C’mon, get in the car.” He said.
“I’m not going home.” Rika retorted angrily.
“I’m not taking you home. We’ll drive around the city till midnight if you want to.”
Rika sniffed and got in to the back seat of the car, as Hunter got in the driver’s seat and began to drive.
“Take me to the Akabane law firm.” Rika said quietly, and Hunter glanced at her form in the rearview mirror.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
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Levi’s phone buzzed while he was brushing his teeth, and he grabbed it. There was a weird pop up message on the screen that read,
‘Happy birthday Rika!’
Oh, that was right.
Today was her birthday.
He sighed. He would have to remember to get her something later. He gave the pop up message another look and switched off his phone.
Whatever it was, it would have to wait until after he got off from work.
When he arrived at the law firm, he observed that several clusters of people were gathered, staring at their phones and whispering excitedly.
He heard mentions of ‘Rika’ and ‘Sato’ from their whispers, and concluded that they must be talking about her since today was her birthday.
He ignored them and moved on.
As he arrived on his office floor, he noticed more people gathered and whispering in small clusters.
Didn’t they have any work to do?
When he approached his office and met his secretary, Julia, gossiping with another employee, he had had enough.
“Oi, Julia.” He said casually and his secretary stood up to greet him, while the other employee quickly scampered away.
“What the h.ell is going on?” He asked.
Julia looked down nervously. “Uh….um….” She stammered.
“Spit it out.” Levi said.
“Um….this morning, I received some kind of pop up message titled, ‘Happy birthday Rika!’ but when I opened it, it was filled with um…..naked pictures of Rika Sato. Tuens out everyone at work received the message too. I think everyone in the city got it.”
Levi’s eyes widened as he remembered the message he had seen on his phone. He rushed into his office and brought out the said phone. The pop up message was still flashing on the screen.
His finger hovered over the button, but he gave it a second thought, decided not to view the message and switched his phone off.
What the h.eck was going on?
?????
Hunter parked his car in the law firm’s parking lot, and Rika quickly began to get out.
“You sure you don’t want us to come with you?” He called out, as Rika stepped out of the car.
“I’ll be okay,” she said quietly as she began to walk towards the building.
She entered and made her way towards Levi’s office. People were staring at her from left and right, but she ignored them and quickened her steps. She finally arrived at his office and his secretary looked at her in shock, but she took no mind, and burst into his office.
He was seated at his desk, and he looked up at her in surprise.
“Rika…..” He began as he stood up. He stared at her quietly, and she bowed her head in shame.
“Have…..have you seen it?” She asked weakly.
Levi folded his arms. “I saw the message.” He said, amd watched Rika’s shoulders tremble.
“But I didn’t view it.” He added finally.
Rika looked up at him and sighed in relief. “Good. Please…. please don’t look at them. Please. it’s humiliating.”
Levi regarded her in silence for some seconds.
“Are you okay?” He asked quietly.
Rika grit her teeth. “I…I can handle it if the whole world sees those pictures. But….not you.” She said quietly and Levi sighed, running his hands through his hair.
“I’ve seen you n@ked before though.” He added, and Rika cracked a sad smile. “Not like this.” She muttered.
Levi was silent for awhile. “I’m gonna find out who did this Rika.” He said firmly.
“No!” Rika yelled out suddenly, with fear in her voice. Levi’s brows twisted in surprise.
“You….you can’t investigate. Don’t even think about it. Promise me you won’t try to find out Levi.”
“Rika….”
“Promise me!” She yelled again in desperation, and Levi stared long and hard at her, before sighing in defeat.
“Alright I promise.”
Rika bit her lip, her hands trembling, and began to open the door.
“Are you leaving alone?”
“My friends are downstairs. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry too much about me.” She whispered and smiled weakly at him, before exiting the office.
??????
Levi watched Rika leave and sat back on his chair, completely confused.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong, and he didn’t feel good about it one bit.
Yuri burst into his office not long after.
“Levi! Did you hear what happened?”
Levi stared silently at the ground.
Yuri sighed in frustration.
“I heard Rika Sato was here earlier. Some of the employees were talking about her. I had to shut them up and tell them to get back to work.” She said and paused. “Did you look at the pictures?”
Levi kept his eyes on the ground. “No.” He replied curtly.
Yuri ran her hands through her hair. “Good. It’s better if you don’t. God. I can’t imagine what that poor girl is going through. We have to find out who did this.”
Levi grit his teeth.
“That’s the point. She doesn’t want me to find out whose doing this is. I think….that she knows who the person is, but she’s too scared to speak up. She even made me promise not to investigate.” He said angrily.
Yuri folded her arms. “She could be scared, or she could be ashamed. Maybe it’s someone close to her. Anyway, her promise isn’t binding on me. I can investigate it for you.”
“No. She doesn’t want me to know for a reason. If I go behind her back she’ll never forgive me.”
Yuri sighed. “Rika’s a strong girl Levi. She’ll be okay.”
Levi narrowed his eyes, anger blazing in his heart.
??????
Hunter had driven Rika around for hours, till very late in the night. He finally dropped her off at the mansion, and she walked in as quietly as she could, trying to avoid detection, as she made her way to her father’s study.
The lights were on, so he was in.
She quietly opened the door and entered, not bothering to knock.
Her father looked up from his table.
“So? Are you satisfied?” She asked quietly, staring at the floor.
She heard her father sigh, then get up from his chair and walk towards her. She stepped back on instinct and he sighed again.
He rubbed his face with his palms.
“I’m so sorry my love. I was just so angry and pissed that you were showing your beautiful body to scum like Levi Akabane.” He said hoarsely.
Rika didn’t look up at him, a cold expression on her face. “But with what you did, everyone in the city has seen my body. It wasn’t a very smart move.” She muttered again.
Her father rested his head on her shoulders, and she tensed.
“I told you my love. I was angry and i wasn’t thinking straight. But not to worry, those pictures have a virus installed in them, that will wipe them out of everyone’s phones in the next twenty four hours. So, I still did good didn’t I? You’ll forgive me won’t you darling? You know daddy loves you.” He mumbled against her skin.
Rika stood stoically as her father whispered sweet words in her ears, tears falling down her face.
Later in the night, thirty minutes before her birthday was over, she received a call from Levi, asking her to meet him at the convienience store where she had confessed her love to him almost five months back.
She donned some clothes and snuck out, then met him standing inside the store with a cupcake and a lighter in hand.
“What’s this?” She asked, puzzled.
Levi sighed and lit the candle on the cupcake.
“Even though it was a rough day, it is still your birthday.” He said and stretched the lighted candle towards her.
“Happy birthday Rika.” He said and Rika felt tears dripping from her eyes as she accepted it gratefully, and blew out the candle.
Levi watched her calmly as she bit into it.
“It’s delicious.” She muttered, tears streaming down her face.
“Rika,” Levi said seriously and Rika rose her tearstained face to his.
“I don’t know what is going on, or why you won’t tell me, but I promise you, come rain, come sun, when the weather is good and when it’s bad, even if I have to go to the ends of the Earth, I will protect you Rika Sato. I swear on my life.”
Rika couldn’t take it anymore. She collapsed to the ground, crying uncontrollably.
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