The Broken Hearts Story

      It’s the evening. It’s getting dark outside. The house of Terrence and Raquelle. It’s about eight o’clock in the evening. The two servants, Violetta and Christiana, are in the kitchen, cooking dinner and talking about a movie that they watched some time ago. Stirring some mixture in a big bowl and not stopping admiring it, Christiana is sharing her impressions and emotions she got with great pleasure after watching it.       “I'm really admired by that fantastic movie, Violetta!” Christiana confesses with admiration. “What actors, what a story, what shootings… I was even getting goosebumps on my back while watching that one.”       “Oh, yeah, it made my hair stand on end after I watched that movie!” Violetta chuckles ironically, looking for something in the refrigerator. “I was frightened by that.”       “Really?”       “I was!”       “Ah, darling…” Christiana mixes a mixture and transfuses it in a different capacity. “I don't know what about you, but I would like to watch that movie again. I’m actually not a fan of that genre, but that movie deserves to be praised.”       “Oh, no, I am done!” Violetta cuts off sharply. “You can watch it as much as you want, but I will not do it anymore. If I had watched it for longer, I would’ve died from a great fear or a heart attack.”       “This is because you are such a little coward,” Christiana shakes her head with a shy laugh.       “What?” Violetta starts slowly slicing something on a carving board. “No, I'm not a little coward!”       “You are!” Christiana protests.       “I'm just not such a lover of this sort of movie. I actually prefer watching romantic movies or comedies. Something calm… Heart-warming… Relaxing…”       “Well, I personally love watching something that would shake me up much more.”       “Yeah, yeah, I know it.”       “But I can’t say I don’t like calm movies.” Christiana falls into silence for two seconds and starts thinking of something, leaning on the kitchen furniture. “There are moments when I would also like to watch something calm.”       “Maybe, we come together again to watch another movie?” Violetta suggests.       “Why not?”       “But we should choose a moment when we don’t have work.”       “Oh, yeah! We’d take something to eat and spend time watching something interesting.”       “I’m sure Blair would love to join us, as well.”       “Of course, she would like to. We should only suggest.”       “So, did we agree?”       “We did!”       Christiana and Violetta laugh shyly and say nothing for a few seconds, doing their business. And when they keep discussing a movie and some other things with each other, someone suddenly rings the doorbell. Then Christiana moves her eyes to the young, short girl with dark, shoulder-length hair gathered in a ponytail, who is carefully wiping dust off a coffee table in the living room and picking up what she accidentally lets fall down on the floor.       “Blair, open the door, please!” Christiana says loudly.       “I'm busy!” Blair replies loudly. “Could you open the door?”       “Oh, c’mon, open the door!” Violetta exclaims. “Is it so hard for you to come and unlock the door?”       “I’m cleaning the table.”       “You will do it later! Open the door! Christiana and I are busy now!”       Blair sighs heavily, showing her perplexity in this way.       “Alright,” Blair pronounces. “I shall do…”       Blair goes quickly to the hall door and unlocks it. After this, the young girl sees Terrence on the doorstep. It should be noted that he returned home much later than yesterday. However, Raquelle did not notice it. Because she has not come to the servants and asked them if her boyfriend called them.       “Good afternoon, Mr. MacClife!” Blair greets politely.       When Terrence quietly enters the living room, Blair quickly locks the hall door.       “Good afternoon, Blair,” Terrence replies amiably. “What about dinner?”       “Dinner will be served soon. Violetta and Christiana are working on it now.”       “Tell them to serve the table now. I'm terribly hungry and want to eat.”       “Do not worry, I shall hurry them up.”       “How long do I wait?”       “Not long, Mr. MacClife. They almost finished it.       “Alright, I will wait then. Let me know when everything is ready.”       “No problems.”       “Good…” Terrence cracks a slight smile and quickly looks around. “Is Raquelle home? Hasn’t she been back yet?”       “Yes, yes, Raquelle returned home a long time ago,” Blair replies confidently.       “And where’s she?”       “She is sitting in her room.”       “Yeah? So, wonderful…”       “Erm, Mr. MacClife…”       Blair falls into silence for two seconds and folds her hands in front of herself, looking at Terrence with sadness in her eyes.       “Excuse me for meddling not in my business, but I think something is not right with your girlfriend…” Blair says hesitantly.       “Really?” Terrence wonders, frowning slightly. “But what’s wrong with her?”       “I don’t know, Mr. MacClife,” Blair shrugs slightly. “But she was kind of upset when she was back home. And… Tired…”       Well… I think it's not a secret to everybody that she has lately looked tired, But that girl doesn’t want to confess it.”       “I don’t think the problem is about tiredness.”       “Do you want to say something happened to her?”       “Maybe. But she knows it better.”       “Hm…” Terrence strokes his chin, frowning slightly. “Is there something else that she does not want to tell?”       “Raquelle went home very early and went to her room almost at once,” Blair confesses a little hesitantly. “She even ate almost nothing.”       “No?”       “Exactly. But the servants and I asked her what to cook for her. However, your girlfriend refused to eat and asked me not to allow anyone to come to her. And then she went to her room, locked herself there, and hasn’t left it yet.”       “Has not left the room?” Terrence asks thoughtfully. “Do you want to say she has eaten nothing?”       “Alas… We’ve asked her if she wants to eat multiple times, but your girlfriend refuses. She tells us to leave her alone.”       “Wow…” Terrence strongly frowns. “What happened to her? Did that girl get so upset because of that meeting? Was it over in a bad way?”       “Who knows, Mr. MacClife,” Blair shrugs slightly. “But she has not left the room even once.”       “Oh, damn…”       “I think she really needs to put her mind in order and have a rest. It seems like she has really overworked.” Blair fixes the collar on her servant dress slightly. “Violetta and Christiana also think so. And if Raquelle keeps torturing herself like this, it might lead to terrible consequences.”       “Yeah, I think so,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. “But you all know her very well. You know how headstrong she is. If she has something in her mind, you can’t strike it out.”       “Anyway, you should talk to her and make her sure to eat something. She ate so little during breakfast. What if her legs got weak from hunger…”       “You’re right…” Terrence exhales quietly but sharply. “I will better go up and try to ask her. Find out what she has on her mind this time.”       “Everything’s up about dinner?” Blair specifies.       “Yes, yes, may they serve the table.”       “Alright, I got it.”       “Thanks, Blair. Thanks for telling me about Raquelle.” Terrence shakes his head sharply to move a strand of hair off his face. “Let me know when dinner is cooked. If Raquelle doesn’t want to eat again, I will be eating alone.”       “As you wish,” Blair nods.       “Alright, do your business. I will go.”       Terrence turns around, comes to the stairs, and goes up to the second floor. Next, the man goes down the wide halls for some time, where there are multiple doors that lead to some rooms. After doing this, he later comes to the door he needs and sees it is closed but not locked. It makes Terrence a little suspicious, and he thinks of something bad. At first, the brunet listens to what’s happening behind the door. But when MacClife hears no sounds, he quietly knocks at the door. And he instantly hears Raquelle’s quite broken but loud voice:       “Blair, I did tell you not to allow anyone to go to my room! And I said I did not need anything! What’s unclear? Should I explain everything several times?”       “It's not Blair,” Terrence replies quietly. “It's me.”       “Huh, it's you…” Raquelle pronounces indifferently. “Come in if you want… The door is open…”       Terrence opens the door and comes into the room with a slow step. He sees Raquelle, who is sitting on the bed but was lying on the bed and keeping her dead eyes on the ceiling. The girl looks depressed, but her eyes do not have such a strong scare that she had when she met Simon. Now she looks indifferent and calm enough.       “Hi,” Raquelle pronounces quietly, not even moving her eyes at Terrence and looking at her hands.       “Hey,” Terrence greets softly.       Terrence sits on the bed next to Raquelle almost at once, looking at her with sadness in his eyes, and then softly kisses her on the cheek to welcome her. But she does not react to this action and keeps looking into the distance with her dead eyes without emotions.       “Blair told me you were here…” Terrence says quietly.       “Yes, I asked her not to allow anyone to come here,” Raquelle replies quietly.       “And she said you had eaten nothing since you were back home.”       “I am not hungry.”       “Are you alright? Something happened to you?”       “Me?”       “Do you have problems? Does it have to do with your career?”       “Nope…”       “Today’s meeting was bad?”       “No…”       “But what’s wrong, then?”       “Nothing…” Raquelle replies hesitantly, turning her head to a different side. “I just… I… Erm… I have… A bad mood…”       “A bad mood?”       “Yup…”       Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds, but then she nods and says under her breath:       “Yes, I just have a bad mood…”       “But why? Why are you so upset? What bothers you so much?”       “Erm…”       “Tell me. Please.”       “Erm… I…”       Two moments later, Terrence frowns slightly, noticing that Raquelle trying to hide the scar that she got from Simon on her face with her hand and hair. The man believes it's very strange. He quickly understands that the girl, who looks at anything except him, does not definitely say much and guesses something bad is happening to her. That’s why MacClife decides to find out everything that happened or is happening to Raquelle in any way, even if he does not care about it so much.       “Hey, stop putting on an act and hiding your face with a hand,” Terrence says quietly, trying to be gentle. “Look at me when you’re talking to me.”       “Erm…” Raquelle stutters. “Listen, Terrence…”       “Look at me, please. Look at me, I said.”       Two seconds later, Raquelle slowly raises her head up and looks into Terrence’s eyes as if she is guilty of something for him. However, she still keeps hiding her scar with a hand but understands that she would have to tell the man the truth. The truth about them having to live on a volcano.       “Alright,” Terrence pronounces confidently. “Stop showing off now, lying and finding some excuses. And tell me what’s happening to you right now.”       “Erm, what’s happening to me…” Raquelle pronounces with a scare in her eyes.       “I repeat, stop showing off and tell what’s happening right now…” Terrence moves his eyes to Raquelle's hand, which she is hiding her scars on the cheek with. “Hey. Move the hand off your cheek, please.”       Raquelle says nothing and just swallows up nervously.       “I said, move your hand off your hand now,” Terrence literally commands. “You heard what I said?”       “Y-y-yeah…” Raquelle nods. “Heard.”       “Then do what you are told!”       “Nope…” Raquelle refuses, shaking her head slightly. “No… I can’t… I don’t want…”       “What?”       “I can’t…”       Raquelle sighs quietly, still keeping her hand on her cheek and looking at Terrence guiltily.       “If you do not move the hand off your face, I will do it by myself,” Terrence promises confidently. “What are you hiding there?”       “Nothing…” Raquelle pronounces quietly.       “Move your hand off your face now and show me what’s wrong with it.”       “Why do you care about it so much?” Raquelle asks hesitantly.       “Did you hear what I said? Move your hand off your face and explain what’s the fuck happening to you.”       “Erm, it doesn’t have to do with you…”       “Raquelle!” Terrence raises his voice a little. “Do what I told you!”       “You shouldn’t care about it.”       “This is the last time when I tell you to do it. Or I will have to use force.”       “Everything’s fine…” Raquelle finds an excuse hesitantly, not going to show her scars on her face to Terrence. “Don’t pay attention to me…”       “Do not make me enraged, Raquelle,” Terrence starts getting a little mad. “I really hate someone, who shows off and finds excuses.”       “Listen, Terrence…”       “I say for the last time, move your hand off your fucking face now!”       “No!” Raquelle says a little louder. “I will not do it!”       “Alright, you asked for that,” Terrence says confidently. “If you don’t want to move it off, I will do this.”       Terrence makes an attempt to move the hand off Raquelle’s face by force, while she starts resisting.       “No!” Raquelle exclaims. “No, don’t do this!”       “Stop showing off!” Terrence throws a little rudely.       Because Terrence is way stronger than Raquelle in a physical way, the girl does not have to resist for a long time. A few seconds later, the man moves the girl off the brunette’s face and grips it tightly in his hand.       “Let it go…” Raquelle pronounces in a quiet, little shaking voice, covering her face with her hair gathered in a tail with a free hand. “Don’t do…”       Terrence takes Raquelle’s second hand and starts tightly holding both of them, finally getting a chance to look at her face better. And what the brunet man sees the next second gets him shocked. It’s possible to see a couple of big scars on the face of the white and scared girl, who did not even try to cover them with cosmetics.       “Holy shit…” Terrence pronounces surprisingly, looking at Raquelle’s scars with horror in his eyes. “What is this?”       Terrence points at Raquelle’s scars with a little shaking hand and carefully touches them with his fingertips, while the girl silently looks down.       “What is this?” Terrence wonders loudly. “Where did you get this scar? I didn't surely see them this morning!”       “I…” Raquelle pronounces in a little shaking voice. “I can explain it…”       “Damn, did you get in serious trouble?”       “Erm…” Raquelle stutters quietly, inclining her head. “It’s very hard… But…”       “Hey, stop finding excuses and tell me what's happening to you now,” Terrence demands harshly. “These scars couldn't appear for nothing. You didn’t surely scratch your face by yourself.”       “You don’t need to know it,” Raquelle says hesitantly. “I will solve everything…”       “Are you sure?”       “Yup… Don’t worry…”       “I don’t think so!”       “Listen, Terrence…”       “How can I help you if I don’t know what’s happening to you? I can’t read your mind! And I don’t know what you’ve got on your head! What are you thinking of? What do you want? I can’t say anything!”       “Nobody makes you help me,” Raquelle replies quietly. “I did say I would solve everything…”       “Raquelle!”       “Keep doing what you should do… Please… Don't think about it…”       “You know, seeing you’re sitting here white and terribly horrified, I don’t doubt you ran into a serious problem that you would not solve by yourself.”       “Yeah, but…”       “So, Raquelle I advise you to stop pretending to be a heroine and tell me everything. And not to make me torture you.”       “Are you really interested?”       “Since you and I are dating, I must know all your problems and help you solve them.”       Raquelle says nothing and hesitates for a few seconds before she decides to speak in quite a shaking voice:       “Okay… I will tell you… Promise… Just don’t put me under tortures…”       “I’m listening,” Terrence pronounces quietly.       “You see… Erm… I… Erm…”       Raquelle falls into silence for a few seconds and starts looking at her hands folded in front of her, slightly shaking from fear and excitement and not hiding how much she is nervous. Seeing this well, Terrence sits closer to the girl and embraces her around the shoulders, pressing her tightly against himself in the hope that it will help her calm down.       “Okay, but at first, you should calm down a little,” Terrence says in a quiet and calm voice.       “I doubt I could do this…” Raquelle shakes her head, not rejecting Terrence’s embrace, because she really needs to press against someone to be way stronger than her.       “It's okay, sweetie, it's okay.” Terrence softly caresses Raquelle’s head and tenderly kisses her on the top of her head. “Don’t worry, I’m here. Whatever happens, we can get through it. We will solve your problem.”       Raquelle says nothing and silently presses herself closely against Terrence while he runs his hand over her back. And it leads to a good result because a few seconds later, the girl understands that she gets a little better and is able to clearly tell him what happened to her today.       “Good…” Terrence cracks a slight smile. “Okay…”       Two seconds later, Terrence steps back from Raquelle and softly caresses her shoulders.       “Okay, now you can tell everything…” Terrence says quietly. “I’m listening to you.”       Before saying just something, Raquelle sighs deeply and does her best to find the courage to tell what happened.       “He’s back…” Raquelle pronounces in a little shaking voice.       “Who’s back?” Terrence wonders.       “Simon. Simon Ringer is back again.”       “What?” Terrence rounds his eyes. “Simon Ringer is back again?”       “He’s back to ruin our lives,” Raquelle jabs in one breath, looking at Terrence with horror in her eyes. “That man wants to take revenge and interrupt our peace!”       “Revenge?” Terrence shakes his head. “But he was gone for a long time! Ringer hasn’t shown himself after he was revealed.”       “And now he’s back again,” Raquelle replies excitedly. “He didn’t lie in his letters! He promised to return when everybody would forget him, and he did it! Simon swore to bring the case to an end and turn my life to hell.”       “Wait, Raquelle, wait…” Terrence clears his throat quickly. “Are you sure about it? Are you sure that was Simon?”       “Yes, I'm sure about it!” Raquelle replies more confidently. “I am not blind and deaf!”       “Alright, how did it happen?”       “I met him today.”       “Today?”       “Yup. After I visited the agency and had the meeting that I told you about this morning.”       “And where did you see him?”       “I decided to go somewhere in the country. To go… To walk…” Raquelle gives two quiet sobs. “Breath in some air… So… I arrived in one place where nobody was… Left my car and went where my eyes looked. I was walking for a long time… I don’t know how much… I didn’t watch the time.”       Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds and sighs heavily.       “Everything was alright for the time being,” Raquelle keeps telling and wipes tears off her cheek. “I was walking there… I felt very good… But at some moment, the man in black suddenly attacked me from behind.”       “Attacked?” Terrence frowns slightly.       “He strongly pushed me in the back. I almost fell… And then he started to threaten me. I thought he needed money or something like that, but no…”       “That was Simon?”       “Yup, but I didn’t know it first. I didn’t see his face ‘cause he was wearing dark glasses…”       “Oh, fuck…”       “And yeah…” Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds and sniffs quietly. “I just called some memory… At that moment, it seemed to me that I had met him somewhere… But I was too frightened and quickly forgot that the man seemed familiar to me. At least, thanks to the voice… Besides, after saying something, he attacked me again and began giving slaps.”       Thinking about that, Raquelle almost gets tears in her eyes and shakes her head from time to time, while Terrence slowly listens to her and nods.       “I had to protect myself somehow…” Raquelle adds quietly. “There was nobody around… Nobody could stand for me… So, I was doing my best to save myself.”       “Was he the one to give you these scars?” Terrence specifies.       “Yup, he did it… He did it with his nails. At first, it was very hurtful, but later, my pain was over a little. But my whole face burnt from many slaps. And my head hurt because he was painfully pulling me by the hair…”       “Holy shit…” Terrence shakes his head.       “So…” Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds and bites her lip slightly. “At some moment, I accidentally took the dark glasses off him. When he decided to touch my whole body… And I instantly recognized him as… Simon Ringer… And I was horrified… I couldn’t believe my eyes… I thought I went crazy… But that was really him. Simon… Who has changed much… Who got much madder.”       “My gosh…”       “He is back, Terrence, he is back. Simon has shown up to ruin the life of me and my close people. This time, he will bring his case to an end and do something much worse than paying a friend and making someone publish a fake article about me.”       By the end of the story, Raquelle, for whom it was very hard to tell all of that, and who could not stop stuttering, Terrence also gets nervous, understanding that the case may be very serious because they could expect anything from Simon.       “Damn, I can't believe it!” Terrence exclaims. “I can’t believe it…”       Terrence gets up from the bed and starts nervously walking through the whole room from one side to another.       “That stinker still can’t calm down,” Terrence adds. “He can’t understand that his revenge wouldn’t lead to anything good.”       “And I don’t understand why he’s doing this,” Raquelle confesses. “I’ve done nothing bad to him. But he hates me as if I’ve been doing bad tricks to him and not letting him live quietly for my whole life.”       “Hey, how did he actually know where you were? Was he following your tracks? Ringer should’ve known where to go!”       “I don’t know, either,” Raquelle shrugs and moves her eyes down the floor. “He said nothing about it. But he was probably really following my tracks.”       “And didn’t you notice it?”       “Alas.”       “Yeah, but where could he chase you from?”       “From anywhere! Maybe, he was chasing me since I was at the agency.”       “Holy shit…” Terrence swears quietly. “That bastard is going to stand in our way now…”       “By the way… Simon told me he knew the home addresses of you and me. Dropped a hint on the fact that he could come here at any time.”       “What?” Terrence rounds his eyes. “He knows our home addresses?”       “And he also knows where my grandfather and my aunt, and even my friends are living.”       “Seriously?”       “I don’t know… But that’s what he said.”       “Fuck…” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds, getting more and more nervous. “But how could he know all the addresses, numbers, and other things that belong to us, our relatives and friends?”       “I don’t know, Terrence,” Raquelle shakes her head. “He said nothing. He said he’d tell everything somehow later.”       “Are you sure he didn’t bluff?”       “Maybe, he did. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually the truth.”       “And yeah, how could he hurt us? And what do our relatives and friends have to do with it?”       “I don’t know, Terrence, I don’t know,” Raquelle shakes her head and sniffs quietly. “I know nothing…”       Raquelle runs her hands over her face and head, slightly doubling over.       “Why is it him?” Raquelle wonders. “Why does that man want to revenge again? Why does he want to make me go crazy? Why?”       “Damn…” Terrence exhales sharply. “I thought we dealt with him… He would literally be afraid to show up after everyone found out that those articles about you were the absolute lie.”       “Maybe, he was afraid for some time. But now Simon is gonna revenge again. And this time, he will not be stopped by anything.”       Raquelle slowly lies down and moves her wet eyes to the ceiling.       “And who knows what he could do to us…” Raquelle says in a lower voice. “Simon would hardly pay someone for publishing fake articles in magazines again. I guess he’s gonna do something more horrible.”       “Yeah, we could expect anything from that bastard,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. “And still, I believe Ringer could really tell the truth about all of our addresses.”       “You think he really knows where all of us live?”       “Yes… I guess he doesn’t bluff.”       “Oh, gosh…” Raquelle sighs heavily. “I thought our life got better… But no… That man wants to make me suffer again… He wants to put those I know in danger.”       “And what do we do if he really wants to hurt us?” Terrence asks himself, still nervously walking in circles in the room.       “I don't know,” Raquelle replies in a dead voice.       “I think he won’t say anything to the wind. If that man said something, he would even die for doing what he wants.”       “Yeah, but…” Raquelle sharply sits up and bites her lip slightly. “I don't know what to do, Terrence. I'm in despair! But I understand we’ve gotta do something before something horrible happens.”       “We should leave this place!” Terrence replies confidently and sits on the bed next to Raquelle. “Take our stuff and get out as far as possible.”       “No, Terrence, we can’t do this.”       “Well, or at least report him to the police. That’s the open threat.”       “We can’t prove anything. Any charges require proof. But we have nothing.”       “But we must not wait for him to destroy all of us. If we do nothing, that bastard will go to our home someday with a gun and kill all of us to the fuck.”       “Anyway, he would find us anywhere,” Raquelle protests. “Simon told us not to even move off. He’d find us in any place in the world.”       “But we’ve gotta do something!” Terrence exclaims a little louder. “I am not personally going to wait for that sick bastard to kill me someday!”       “You shouldn't care about it. It all happened because of me. If it's so, I should solve it all on my own.”       “No, Raquelle, don’t say that!” Terrence protests confidently. “Don’t even dare to think about it!”       “But that’s the truth, Terrence. If not for me, everything would be fine now. Because of me, the lives of those, who surround me, are in danger.”       “No, Raquelle, you’re guilty of nothing!”       Terrence softly caresses Raquelle’s cheek and moves some strands of hair off her face.       “I’ve gotta solve everything by myself,” Raquelle says in a little shaking voice and sniffs quietly. “Gotta do my best for Simon not to hurt anyone from my close people. If he wants, he should deal only with me.”       “No, sweetie,” Terrence protests and takes Raquelle’s hands. “We will solve this problem together. We will find a way to stop that stinker and start to live a quiet life again.”       “But we can’t do anything now!”       “Why can’t we do? We can do much!”       “But…”       “Don’t you really suggest that we just sit and do nothing?”       “No, but…”       “He isn’t gonna stop, Raquelle. You must understand this. You must understand that a man like Simon would do anything. Besides, he’s very mad. Mad because his plan of slandering you failed. He is mad at you. Not the photograph and his friend, who helped you. You.”       “Yes, Terrence, you're absolutely right…” Raquelle agrees in a dead voice as she shrugs. “But I don’t know what we could do to stay safe.”       “He won’t get into our territory because it is under a good view. Besides, if it happens, I will find a photo of Simon, print it, give it to the security, and tell them not to let that man come to our house. Or call the police immediately.”       “You can deceive any security if you make everything right.”       “He will not do.”       “Okay… Even if we’re kind of safe, at least here… But we can’t stay locked forever and be afraid that man will be chasing us anywhere. We’ve gotta work and do our business.”       “So, we will stay home for some time and then go out somewhere very carefully. I could do it on my own, but someone must accompany you… Bodyguards or me… I dunno…”       “And how long do we have to live like this? Whole life?”       “What can we do? Until that man is caught, all of us must be careful. And we should think of the safety of those we know.”       “Yeah, but…”       “But at first, we must go to the police and report that bastard.”       “Going to the police is dangerous. Simon might find out that we would report him.”       “How?”       “What if he’s got acquaintances there?”       “Oh, yeah,” Terrence chuckles. “Do you think he’s so powerful that everyone knows and fears him?”       “He wouldn’t do all of his tricks on his own.”       “C’mon, Raquelle, don’t dream up.”       “If we had an acquaintance working in the police, we would think of that. But we know nobody. We don’t have friends, who would introduce us to a trustworthy policeman.”       “We’ve gotta better. You and I have very many familiars that are working in different fields.”       “I don’t know, Terrence… I can’t remember anyone…”       “Think, Raquelle. Maybe, there is someone that we could trust?”       “What about you?” Raquelle bites her lip slightly, moving her eyes to Terrence. “Do you have familiar people?”       “I’m trying to remember, too,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. “At least someone…”       “I’m afraid that even if we had an acquaintance from the police, they would say we’d have to have proof. We couldn’t blame someone without a reason.”       “If we wanna save our asses from what that crazy bastard could do, we should try everything. We’ve gotta do our best to ensure the safety of our close people and us.”       “Listen, you’ve got so many familiar people! I wouldn’t believe you if there were not at least one policeman. Or someone that could introduce us to a member of the police staff.”       “I’m trying to remember… I’m trying…”       Terrence thinks for a few seconds, frowning slightly and stroking his chin.       “Listen…” Terrence says thoughtfully and cracks a slight smile. “It seems like I know who could help us!”       “Really?” Raquelle rounds her eyes. “Do you know someone?”       “Yup, I know one man, who is working at the police. At least he was working when I met him the last time.”       “That’s how?”       “I met him thanks to our common friend.”       “Are you friends?”       “Nope. I can’t say we’re friends, but I know him well.”       “Great!” Raquelle exclaims with a slight smile. “That’s what we need!”       “Yeah, but I haven’t talked to him for a very long time. And I can’t even remember his phone number. I don’t know if I actually have it.”       “Check your notebook. Or the list of your contacts on your phone.”       “Yes, yes…” Terrence runs his hand over his face, exhaling slowly. “I will try to do it now… I’m gonna check my phone first… But it’s gonna be hard. There are literally hundreds of contacts.”       “Hundreds?”       “Yes. I always forget to clean it… Delete those contacts that I don’t need…”       “Anyway…” Raquelle pronounces without enthusiasm, deciding to trust Terrence with the hope that he will not leave her and will help her solve this hard situation. “Talk to your friend. Well… If you find his number, of course…”       “Okay,” Terrence nods.       “I’m not sure if it could help us somehow. But… You’re right. We’ve gotta do something.”       “I will try to find it right now.”       “Anyway, I’m ready to meet that man at any time and explain everything to him. Ready to do anything he would…”       Raquelle shortly falls into silence and thinks about something for two seconds.       “What?” Terrence looks at Raquelle questioningly.       “Listen, Terrence, I’ve got an acquaintance from the police, as well,” Raquelle confesses thoughtfully with a slight smile.       “Really?”       “Yup! That’s a man. He’s now supposed to be a little more than thirty. I met him a few years ago and knew he was working at the police. We were introduced to each other by our common friends.”       “Friend?”       “Erm… Not quite…” Raquelle cracks a slight smile. “He was in love with me for a long time and tried to win my attention. He was probably trying to get my love much longer than other men.”       “In love?” Terrence pronounces tensely in a low voice.       “He often made me gifts, invited me to walk, ran every time I called him to get his support and help with something…”       “And you what?” Terrence frowns slightly, getting a little tense but trying not to show it.       “He was a sweet and nice man, but… I considered him just a friend. But his gifts were always very cute, and communicating with him was always a pleasure for me.”       Raquelle thinks about something for two seconds with a much wider smile and shrugs slightly.       “Ah, in short, it’s a very long story,” Raquelle adds shyly. “Which was over when that man realized that he wouldn’t get anything from me and decided to stop trying to win my attention. At least he said we could be just friends because I didn’t love him.”       “So, do you think that man could help us?” Terrence asks.       “At least, I could try to call him and just ask for a piece of advice. Explain the situation and find a solution to the problem.”       “Do you know his number?”       “Yeah, it’s written somewhere in my notebook.”       “So…” Terrence shrugs slightly. “It’s a good way, too! You could try to talk to that man.”       “But I don’t know if he’s working at the police now, ‘cause the last time we met happened many years ago. I was too young. I literally just began to become popular.”       “Trying is good. Try to call that man.”       “Of course, I will call him. I will do this right now. Before it’s too late.”       “Great! I will talk to my acquaintance, and you will contact your friend.”       “Deal! We will do this.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Terrence looks at Raquelle with sadness in his eyes while she thinks of something not very good. And then the man moves closer to her and takes her in his tender hug, which the girl answers with pleasure, putting her arms around the man’s neck, in a curve of which she hides her face.       “It’s gonna be okay,” Terrence says quietly and caresses Raquelle’s head softly. “We will get through it. Together.”       “I hope…” Raquelle replies thoughtfully. “I really hope…”       A few seconds later, Raquelle steps back slowly from Terrence and slightly smiles at him while he answers her back and caresses her cheek tenderly, looking at her as if he lets her know everything is going to be fine, and he will surely help her.       “Thanks for the help,” Raquelle thanks with a slight smile. “And the support.”       “I shall do my best to help you,” Terrence promises confidently.       “I believe you…”       “Someday, this story will be over once and forever. We will do our best to make it real.”       Raquelle puts her hand on one cheek of Terrence with a much wider smile and kisses cutely another, while he smiles shyly at the girl, holding her hand.       “Okay, I will try to find the number of that man,” Raquelle says quietly.       “And I will go to the back of the house and talk to my acquaintance,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. “And I will also ask the servants not to serve the dinner.”       “Don’t you wanna eat?”       “No appetite. Maybe, I do it later, but not now.”       “Okay. Anyway, we can have the food in the refrigerator until tomorrow.”       “Yeah… You’re right…”       A few seconds later, Terrence gets up from the bed and leaves the room a few seconds later with a mobile phone in his hands, which he takes from a pocket of his coat. Raquelle keeps sitting and watches him with sadness in her eyes until he closes the door. After this, the girl exhales sharply and starts looking for the notebook with all the phone numbers of her friends and familiar people.       “Damn, where is that address book?” Raquelle asks quietly, looking through the bedside table with the stuff she has. “I clearly remember the card was in there…”       Some time later, after a close search, Raquelle finally finds a small black leather book that she needs.       “Here's it!” Raquelle exclaims. “I’ve found it!”       Raquelle opens it, sitting on the bed, and starts quickly running her eyes over all the phone numbers written on every single page in careful, beautiful handwriting. And some time later, she opens the book on the page, where she finds the card she needs.       “That’s it!” Raquelle pronounces happily. “The number of that man! I knew I had it!”       Not wasting time, Raquelle takes her mobile phone from a bedside table and starts typing the number of her acquaintance, sometimes glancing at what’s written on the page of the notebook. And a few seconds later, the girl can hear the voice of a man:       “Hello, I’m listening to you.”       “Good afternoon,” Raquelle greets gently. “I am sorry for bothering you at such a late time, but I would like to talk to Hunter Lynwood.”       “Yes, this is me. But excuse me, who are you?”       “I don’t know if you remember me, but my name is Raquelle Cameron.”       “Raquelle Cameron?”       “Yes. We met a few years ago thanks to our common familiar people. Thanks to Meredith and Kyle.”       “Erm…”       “You were in love with me for a long time and trying to win my attention, and I always said I considered you just a good friend of mine.”       “Wait, I’m trying to remember…”       “My gosh, did you already forget me? It’s been not so many years since we met the last time.”       “Wait, wait…”       The man named Hunter thinks about something for a few seconds, trying to understand what Raquelle is talking about.       “My gosh…” Hunter pronounces excitedly. “Raquelle? Raquelle Cameron! Is that really you?”       “Yes, it’s me,” Raquelle smiles shyly.       “Yes, yes, of course, sweetie, I remember you! I remember you very well!”       “It’s been a while!”       “Yeah, I haven’t heard your voice for ages.”       “How are you doing?”       “Well, pretty good! And what about you?”       “Fine.”       “I see your modeling career is getting better. Knowing how often you’re featured on the covers of magazines and in commercials.”       “Yeah, it’s a peck of my career. I’m getting tons of offers for work.”       “Great,” Hunter smiles shyly. “Keep doing the same. You’re doing this well.”       “Thanks, buddy.” Raquelle glances at the window with a slight smile. “What about you? Are you still working at the police?”       “Of course, I am working,” Hunter replies confidently. “I am still a lieutenant.”       “That’s great!”       “By the way, I thought of you some time ago and called the memories of the time we spent together.”       “Really?”       “Yup. I found some photos of us and called the memories of the old times.”       “That was a wonderful time,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “I still remember all the surprises you made for me. And how well you could support me at hard moments.”       “I am still ready to come to help you. I would do anything for you. Just call me, and I will come for you.”       “Yeah, I…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly. “I really need your help right now. Very much.”       “Your voice is shaking…” Hunter notices thoughtfully. “It’s exciting…”       “Because I’m nervous… I’m scared.”       “My gosh, Raquelle, what’s happening to you?”       “Help me, Hunter. Please. I need your help.”       “I’m at your service, beautiful,” Hunter replies confidently. “Ready to do anything for you.”       “I would be grateful to you if you helped me solve one problem.”       “Sure, sweetie! I would do everything I could do.”       “That’s good you’re still working at the police. Because… I need the help that I could get only from a man in blue.”       “That’s how!”       “I mean… First, I wanna just ask for a piece of advice. I wanna find out what you think about it and hear your opinion about what to do in this situation.”       “Okay, I agree to listen to you,” Hunter confidently says.       “I am sorry for bothering you at such a late time, but the case is really very important.” Raquelle tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “If I don’t take measures as soon as possible, something horrible will happen. I can’t let it happen.”       “It’s okay, Raquelle, don’t worry,” Hunter smiles shyly. “For you, I am ready to wake up and come to you even at a late night. Moreover, I’m working for the police. It means I could get a call from someone at any time. Even at night. To give me a command to go to a crime scene.”       “Thanks, Hunter… You’re a real friend.”       “Okay, tell me what happened to you, and what I can do to help you.”       “Sure.”       “Tell me as much as possible. I should know everything to know how to help you solve your problem.”       “You see, buddy…” Raquelle exhales slowly and deeply. “The case is that one man showed up today. His name is Simon… Simon Ringer.”       “Simon Ringer?” Hunter frowns slightly.       “Yes… A few months ago, that man spread false rumors about me.       “False rumors?”       “He paid his friend to make him publish something that showered my good name with mud in his magazine. It almost put an end to my modeling career.”       “Yes, yes, I remember something like that…”       “Besides, I regularly received letters from him, in which he threatened me somehow.”       “That’s how!”       “Because of that man, all my fans got mad at me and believed that I became too arrogant.”       “I remember, I remember. But nobody has found out who had to do with all of that.”       “But I know.”       “You know?”       “That’s Simon, who I just told you about.”       “Is that some kind of hater of you?”       “Oh, honestly, I still don’t know why he did that.”       “What do you mean?”       “I never met that man before. I managed to talk to him just a couple of times, and I never thought such a good at first sight man would do such a terrible thing to me.”       “Wow…”       “I didn’t tell the whole world that Simon had to do with all of that just for pity. I felt sorry for that man. I hoped he would leave me alone. But… Alas! Simon didn’t even think of stopping.”       “Okay, what happened this time? Does that man want to hurt you somehow again?”       “Yeah… The case is…” Raquelle says nothing for two seconds, slightly biting her lip. “Today, I ran into him in the city by chance. He started to threaten me… He claimed that his revenge did not come true.”       “My gosh…” Hunter pronounces thoughtfully.       “Simon promised to destroy me, my family, and all my friends.”       “Your family and friends?”       “Exactly!”       “How awful…”       “All of us are in great danger. Because Simon doesn’t talk to the wind. I already understood it. As I’ve said, he was sending me anonymous letters, in which he promised to leave me alone for a while but then show up again. And that man did keep his promise.” Raquelle sighs heavily. “And now I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to save myself and my close people.”       “So, is he threatening you and your close people?” Hunter frowns slightly.       “Yup…” Raquelle sniffs quietly. “Please, Hunter… Help me. Tell me what to do. How I could solve this problem. How do I not let anything bad happen?”       “Wait, didn’t that man let you know about him for some time before today when he showed up?”       “Exactly! Simon was hiding for some time after people found out that someone slandered me and spread false rumors. But now he is back again and craves revenge. He wants to turn my life to hell.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Hunter sighs tiredly.       “Can you advise something?” Raquelle asks a little hesitantly. “What do I do in this situation?”       “Oh, listen, Raquelle… I don’t even know what to say…”       “Yes, I don’t have any proof of his fault. I understand I can’t report him to the police because my charges would not be proven. But I’ve gotta do something before that man does something terrible.”       “Right, you can’t charge someone without proof.”       “So, what do I do then?”       “Listen, Raquelle, I think we should meet somewhere and talk about this situation.”       “Of course, no problem! I’m ready to meet you at any time!”       “Yeah, but the case is that I’m not in New York now.”       “No?”       “I am currently in Chicago for my personal business.”       “And…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly. “When are you gonna come back?”       “I can’t say. One delicate situation happened to me, and I am not trying to solve it. For that, I even had to take a vacation.”       “I see…” Raquelle pronounces quietly with sadness in her eyes. “So, we can’t meet…”       “We can’t do it now.”       “I got it…”       “You know what, let’s do something: when I am back to New York, I will contact you,” Hunter suggests. “You and I will agree to have a meeting, come together, and talk about the situation.”       “And how long do I wait for your return?”       “I don’t know, Raquelle.”       “Maybe, there is someone, who could help me? Maybe, you can introduce me to some of your colleagues that I could trust.”       “No, I’d better control this case personally.”       “But you are far!”       “Don’t worry, sweetie, I will try to come back as soon as possible and find a solution to your problem.”       “Really?”       “I promise.”       “Okay…” Raquelle pronounces hesitantly and shrugs slightly. “Then… I will be waiting for your return…”       “But if something terrible happens at the nearest time, let me know at once. I would think about what to do in this case. Maybe, I really ask someone from my colleagues to have a talk with you and help you.”       “Okay, Hunter, I will do this,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile.       “I promise I will do my best to help you and your close people.”       “Now you’re literally the only one I could ask for help. Who I could completely trust.”       “It’s gonna be okay, beautiful, don’t worry. That man will do nothing to you and your close people.”       “My boyfriend is now talking to his acquaintance from the police. But I can’t be sure it would help us somehow.”       “Anyway, I can advise that you and your close people are very careful and walk outside as less as possible. Staying home would be much safer.”       “Yeah… You’re right… Being home is safer… Besides, my boyfriend and I are living in a house that’s under a very good view of security. Nobody will get into our territory so easily.”       “Wonderful then! Stay home and wait for my return.”       “Fine… I will do this.”       “If you need to go somewhere, you better ask your boyfriend to accompany you. It would be much better.”       “Sure.”       “And don’t dare to walk where there are no people. If the one, who wishes revenge on you, finds it out, he will probably do anything to you.”       “You’re right.”       “That’s the only thing I can advise now. And you should also ask your family and friends to be careful and go outside and go somewhere alone as less as possible.”       “I will surely warn them. Don’t worry.”       “Fine. And the most important thing is not to be in despair and afraid. I will surely help you and will not leave you alone.”       “Thanks, Hunter,” Raquelle thanks with a shy smile. “You’ve always been very nice to me.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Raquelle throws a quick glance at the window that is half-open.       “Oh, sorry, Raquelle, but I have to say goodbye to you,” Hunter says thoughtfully. “I should do something before it’s too late.”       “Okay, I get it,” Raquelle nods. “I will not bother you with more questions.”       “But anyway, I’m always on the line. Call me at any time.”       “I am really sorry for bothering you. But the case is very important.”       “C'mon, Raquelle! You didn’t bother me at all! Vice versa, I am even happy you called me. I am glad you still remember me.”       “Of course, I remember you,” Raquelle cracks a slight smile. “You are one of those, who have played a very important role in my life.”       “Maybe… Would we go somewhere when I am back and help you solve your problem? I don’t know… At a café… At the cinema… At a park…” Hunter falls into silence for two seconds. “We’d talk and discuss everything that’s happened in a few years that we haven't met each other.”       “Sounds good,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “I would be happy to go somewhere with you if everything was solved.”       “Great! In this case, I will be impatiently waiting for our meeting.”       “Come back soon, please. I really need your help.”       “I will do my best to come back as soon as possible.”       “Good.”       “Okay, I will go. I was very happy to hear your voice.”       “Me too. Thank you so much for agreeing to help me.”       “I’m doing this because this is my job and because you’re the close person that means very much to me.”       “Thanks, friend.”       “Bye, Raquelle.”       “Bye. See you soon.”       Raquelle finishes this talk, blocks the screen of her phone, and puts it on the bedside table. Then the girl lies on the bed with a heavy sigh and starts looking at the ceiling with her sad eyes.       “Am I doing this right?” Raquelle asks herself. “What if it gets much worse ‘cause I decided to ask Hunter for help? What if Simon finds that out? And that’s why someone or I would get in trouble because of that? I don’t want everything to happen!”       Raquelle swallows up nervously.       “Oh, my gosh…” Raquelle thinks. “Why do I have to take it all? Why did Simon decide to get everybody that I know involved in this case? I don’t want anyone to suffer because of me. Yes, me! If something bad happens to someone, everyone’s gonna blame me.”       Raquelle sighs heavily, quietly sniffing.       “I feel that man is gonna give us a hot and do what we will never forget…” Raquelle thinks with sadness in her eyes. “Who knows what that person came up with… The only thing that is clear is, we don’t have to expect something good from him.”       Raquelle shakes her head and runs her hands over her face.       “Now we’re gonna every single day like it's the last one,” Raquelle thinks. “Who knows when and where Simon would love to deal with us. Who’s gonna be the first victim of him? Who could I lose first?”       Raquelle slowly sits up.       “I hope Hunter will help me solve this problem,” Raquelle expresses hope. “I’m counting on him… And I would be madly grateful to him if everything ended well thanks to him. I would do anything he wanted for him. Yes, I can’t answer the feelings that he still definitely has for me. But I would be very happy to be his best friend, who would always be by his side.”       Raquelle sighs quietly with sadness in her eyes, takes one of the pillows, and tightly presses it to herself, deeply falling into thinking about what might happen at the nearest time and how much those, who are dear to her, would suffer. And how much she would have to pay…       

***

      Meanwhile, Terrence goes to the back of the house to call his acquaintance from the police after he talks to the servants and asks them not to serve dinner because he does not have an appetite. The man calls the memories of everything Raquelle told him again and again and starts to make sure that the case is more serious than it was the last time. He completely understands that Ringer could do anything. And he would not be surprised if that man went much further and decided to give another more horrible torture to those, who allegedly hurt him so much.       Terrence is nervously shifting his weight from one foot to another and looking quite tense while trying to find the number he needs on his smartphone.       “Holy shit, where’s that number?” Terrence wonders. “Do I have to look through the whole notebook?”       Terrence shakes his head.       “Oh, where is that?” Terrence thinks. “Where… Ar-r-r… I’ve definitely gotta work on my contacts list and delete everything I don’t need.”       Terrence exhales sharply and keeps closely examining the contacts list on his phone, not paying attention to the cold wind slightly blowing his hair and clothes, and the light, which is turned on in the whole house, lights up the large back of the house very well.       “Oh, fucking Ringer…” Terrence thinks with evil in his eyes. “If only he stood in my way… I would tell him everything… Everything I think of him… I do also have something to tell the bastard, who must be in prison for what he’d done… Who shouldn't have stayed free.”       Terrence swallows up nervously, holding his smartphone in his hands.       “Oh, why did Raquelle refuse to sue him?” Terrence wonders. “Why did she drop the case? I was really disappointed when she said it! She could do that not for money, but for herself. For justice, for honor, and for dignity…”       Terrence exhales sharply.       “Okay…” Terrence thinks. “Maybe, a little later, I would persuade her to sue him again and demand some damage. That girl felt sorry for him and left him unpunished, and he is using it. He’s gonna revenge on her. But I can’t understand why. I’m sure the story of the shame caused by his lie isn’t the only reason for that. But it's hard to say what made him so mad.”       A few seconds later, when he almost lost hope of getting what he wants, Terrence gets to find the number that he needs on his mobile phone.       “Hey, here's it!” Terrence exclaims. “The number I need! Yes, yes… It seems like that’s his number… I clearly remember the last numbers of that man’s number were the same.”       Terrence cracks a slight smile.       “So…” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully. “I will try to call it…”       Not wasting time, Terrence starts typing the number that he needs, patiently waits for the answer for a few seconds, and then gets it.       “Hello,” a masculine, harsh voice pronounces.       “Good afternoon,” Terrence greets quietly. “Excuse me for bothering you, but can I talk to James Whitley?”       “This is me! But who am I talking to?”       “It's Terrence MacClife. Do you remember me?”       “Terrence MacClife? Erm…”       The man named James thinks for a few seconds.       “Oh, damn, Terrence…” James recognizes his acquaintance. “It's… It's…”       “Yes, it's me,” Terrence pronounces with a slight smile. “Your old man, Terry.”       “Oh, Terrence…” James pronounces in a less harsh voice. “Listen, man, sorry… I didn't recognize you at once! I was really surprised that someone called me in the evening…”       “But I barely recalled your number,” Terrence confesses. “But it's amazing that I found it on my phone.”       “That’s how?”       “Yeah, it's been a while since we talked the last time.”       “Yeah…” James laughs amicably. “Hey, how are you doing there?”       “Well, more or less…” Terrence says quietly.       “What brought you to me? We haven’t met for so many years, but you suddenly called the memories of me.”       “You see…” Terrence bites his lip slightly. “I called you for the reason… The case is that I would like to ask you for help.”       “Help?” James wonders. “Me?”       “Yes… You’re one of the few people, who could help me. At least, try to help me.”       “Listen, your voice is kind of depressed…” James notices thoughtfully, frowning slightly. “Something serious happened to you?”       “Yes, James, the case is very serious,” Terrence confirms a little excitedly. “And we really need your help.”       “We?”       “Oh, sorry, I’m a little nervous…” Terrence clears his throat quickly. “My girlfriend and I need your help.”       “Girlfriend?” James wonders truly.       “Yes.”       “Oh… Well, okay. I’m listening to you closely.”       “I will try not to waste time and to say everything with two words.” Terrence exhales sharply, putting a free hand on his hip. “In short, today, my girlfriend met a person named Simon Ringer. A few months ago, he ruined her life but disappeared for some time after everyone found out his words were slander. My girlfriend and I thought that person wouldn’t bother us and would not come into our lives again. But that’s not the truth. That man showed up again and is gonna ruin her life again.”       “That’s how!” James exclaims.       “Yeah…” Terrence runs a free hand through his hair. “Simon began to threaten my girlfriend, all our friends, and our relatives. He knows everything about us, could easily visit us to drink tea, and planned to do something horrible.”       “Horrible?”       “Yes. That scoundrel even dared to attack my girlfriend with fists, strongly scratched her face, gave her many slaps, and pulled her by the hair.”       “What a beast…”       “And that man claimed that he would not let us live a peaceful life and banned us from going to the police and leaving the city because he would find us in any place in the world anyway. Yes, I don't know how he would do it… But trust me, I know that man very well and wouldn’t be surprised if he really did something like that.” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds and shrugs slightly. “So, here’s the story…”       “Wow, what a case…” James shakes his head. “Why is that man doing that to you?”       “Who the hell knows what he’s got in his mind! He got a grudge against the poor girl and gets her as exhausted as possible! Even if she’s done nothing to him!”       “Listen, Terrence…” James thinks of something for two seconds. “Simon Ringer… I do know him! I remember that he was the one people talked very much about!”       “What do you mean?” Terrence frowns slightly. “Nobody knows he was the one to have to do with the false rumors.”       “Well, I don’t know what he did. But I know he is a mean man, who has ruined the lives of many people.”       “Ruined the lives of many people?” Terrence wonders. “But how? What do you mean?”       “As I understand, you don’t know?”       “Nope. What should I know?”       “I could tell you everything in order if we met somewhere and talked.”       “So, do you want to say my girlfriend is not the only victim of him?”       “Not the only one. Many people have suffered because of that man. Well… If we are talking about the same person, of course.”       “Oh, shit…”       “Hey, MacClife…” James falls into silence for two seconds. “I didn’t get something… Are you really dating someone?”       “Yeah, I’m dating,” Terrence shrugs slightly. “Didn't you know it?”       “No, I didn't know.” When did you start?”       “I’ve been dating her for a few months.”       “That’s how…” James falls into silence and thinks about something for two seconds. “Hey, is your girlfriend's name Raquelle?”       “Yes, her name is Raquelle,” Terrence nods confidently with a slight smile. “Raquelle Cameron.”       “Raquelle Cameron? That’s the model, who was slandered by someone and ashamed of everyone?”       “Yes, genius, that's really Raquelle!” Terrence chuckles kindly. “And the one that did it was Simon Ringer. The one to decide to ruin her life for the second time.”       “Wow… I still remember that girl disappeared somewhere after those false articles were published. But some time later, she was spotted in London.”       “That’s right, my friend! That’s right!”       “What kind of news! Listen, I’m really sorry, I didn't know it.”       “Come on? You didn’t know about the love affair of Terrence MacClife himself?”       “Nope…” James falls into silence for two seconds. “I mean, I knew about it and even heard that a long time ago… But since I rarely check newspapers and the Internet, I don’t know much about that. I don’t even remember when I took a newspaper the last time.”       “Sorry,” Terrence pronounces. “You could know much interesting.”       “Yeah… What news…” James falls into silence for two seconds. “Hey, buddy, you found a very good partner! You definitely have excellent taste, ‘cause you chose a real beauty.”       “I always choose only the best,” Terrence says confidently with his head proudly raised. “The name of Terrence MacClife is associated only with the most beautiful and the best things.”       “I do know you are a bragger!” James laughs shyly. “Don’t tell me more, please.”       “Listen, James, I'll explain everything to you somehow later,” Terrence promises confidently. “But not now… Now Raquelle and I really need your help… Are you still working in the police?”       “Yes, I am.”       “Help us, please. We’ve gotta do something before something bad happens. Simon may start making his plan come true at any time.”       “Okay… I shall do everything I can. But at first, I need to know more about the situation that happened to you.”       “By the way, she's also trying to call her friend from the police.”       “Do I know him?”       “Maybe. She said he was working at the police, as well.”       “What’s his name?”       “I don’t know it. We were just trying to remember if we had familiar people from the police. And she called the memories of her friend, and I thought of you.”       “Find out the name of that man. Maybe, we will work on this case together. It would be much easier.”       “I will surely do. But can you advise us something? What do we do right now?”       “What could I advise you? Just to be very careful! Don’t walk where there is nobody. Don’t let that girl walk alone, because that man may do something terrible to her. And you shouldn't walk in the city too much.”       “We know it without you.”       “Anyway, I am ready to help you.”       “Really?”       “Yes. You and I have known each other for ages and get on well. So… I can’t refuse to help you do what you want.”       “Thanks a lot, James.”       “Listen, man…” James thinks about something for two seconds. “What about a meeting in a café? We would sit and discuss your situation quietly.”       “Okay, I agree,” Terrence nods confidently.       “Could you meet me in twenty minutes? Well, or something like that! There is a small one near the police station where I’m working. I usually go there to have lunch during a break.”       “Yes, yes, I know what you mean. I know where that café is. And I will go at the nearest time.”       “Great! Then I will be waiting for you there. Okay?”       “Deal, I will come there right now!”       “Don’t hurry. I will wait as long as I have to. My time at work is almost over for today, and I was gonna go home.”       “I will try to come as soon as possible.”       “Okay, see ya at the café.”       “See ya.”       Terrence finishes the call and tightly squeezes his smartphone in his hands, thinking about something for a few seconds and frowning strongly. And then he exhales sharply and, wasting no time, goes to his car parked in the special place in a quick step. The man quickly gets in the driver’s seat, starts a motor, and leaves the territory of his house, going to the meeting with James, with whom he should talk about the situation that is happening at the moment.       

***

      Meanwhile, Raquelle gets sick of sitting in her room and decides to go into the living room. After going downstairs and looking around quickly, the girl, frowning slightly, glances at one of the windows and sees Terrence going away somewhere in an unknown direction in his automobile. Because he said nothing to her about leaving, she wonders where he could go in the evening time. But a few seconds later, she sees Blair, who is cleaning up in the living room, and decides to come to her and ask her whether she knows where her boyfriend went.       “Blair!” Raquelle exclaims. “Blair!”       Blair distracts herself from her business and moves her eyes to Raquelle, who just came to her.       “Blair, tell me, please, don’t you know where Terrence just left?” Raquelle asks.       “I don’t know where he went,” Blair shrugs slightly. “But I saw Mr. MacClife go to the back of the house to talk to someone.”       “That’s how?”       “He was talking to someone on the phone for some time. But before he did, he had come to me and asked me to tell Christiana and Violetta not to serve dinner. Mr. MacClife refused to eat and said he wasn’t hungry.”       “Yes, yes, I know,” Raquelle nods. “He told me that.”       “Anyway, after that call, he left the house, got into the car, and went somewhere.”       “Alright, I got it,” Raquelle flashes a slight smile. “Thank you so much, Blair.”       “You’re welcome…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Blair folds her hands in front of her and looks at Raquelle a little hesitantly.       “Erm, excuse my curiosity, but are you alright?” Blair asks. “Nothing happened to you?”       “No, nothing happened,” Raquelle shakes her head, not thinking it would be good to let the servants know about her business, which turned out to be very serious. “It's alright.”       “Are you sure? Do you have problems?”       “No, Blair,” Raquelle smiles a little falsely. “No problems.”       “You just…” Blair bites her lip slightly. “You were very upset when you were back home.”       “It's alright, I just got a little tired.” Raquelle glances at her hands. “By the way, I’m sorry for being rude to you. And… Tell Christiana and Violetta not to be mad at me, too.”       “Don’t worry, Raquelle, it's alright,” Blair smiles slightly. “We understand it and don’t get mad at you.”       “I really didn’t want to hurt any one of you.”       “You did not do it. It's fine. Really.”       “So, if you are not, I'm very glad,” Raquelle smiles shyly.       “No hurts. Don’t worry.”       “Thanks… Thanks a lot…”       Blair says nothing for two seconds and just nods slightly.       “Hey, maybe, you want to eat something?” Blair suggests shyly. “Or you would feel dizzy.”       “Yeah…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully and glances aside for a second. “I think… I will eat… Yeah… Tell Christiana and Violetta to serve dinner for me. Since Terrence left, I will be eating alone.”       “Alright, as you wish,” Blair nods confidently. “I will ask them to serve the dinner for you.”       “How long do they have to cook?”       “Not very long, it's almost done.”       “Alright. Tell me when dinner is cooked.”       “As you wish.”       “Thanks.”       “Erm…” Blair bites her lip slightly, tightly squeezing the rag for dust. “I will tell Violetta and Christiana what you want. Excuse me…”       Blair turns around and quickly goes to the kitchen, while Raquelle watches her. When the young servant hides, the girl wants to sit in the living room and wait for dinner. But when she comes to the sofa, she suddenly hears a doorbell. The girl shakes slightly from a little scare and rounds her eyes, understanding that her heart starts beating faster from thinking that Simon came to visit her and has already begun to make his plan come true.       “My God, what brought someone here at such a late time?” Raquelle asks herself. “I hope Simon didn't decide to make me a terrible surprise. Or send his pals to do something to me…”       Two seconds later, Raquelle sees Blair running to the door with a wish to open it. But the girl stops the servant, slightly raising a hand:       “No, Blair, I will open the door! You can go. Do your business.”       “Erm, alright, as you wish…” Blair obeys at once. “With your permission.”       Slightly including her head, Blair quickly goes to the kitchen she did not reach before. And Raquelle exhales sharply and goes to open the door, crossing her fingers behind her back. But when the girl unlocks the one, she does not see Simon on the doorstep. She sees her best friends, Anna and Natalia, who shyly smile at the girl.       “Hi!” Anna and Natalia pronounce happily.       “Girls?” Raquelle sets her surprised gaze on her friends. “Hey… What a surprise!”       “Aren't you busy?” Natalia asks.       “Me? No… No, I’m not busy.” Raquelle steps back from the doorstep. “Come in…”       Anna and Natalia cross the line by one, and Raquelle closes the door after them.       “Oh, my gosh, Anna…” Raquelle smiles slightly. “It's been a while!”       “Aw, Raquelle!” Anna exclaims happily. “I missed you so much!”       Anna smiling widely literally attacks Raquelle with a strong hug, which the girl accepts with pleasure.       “Me too, sweetie,” Raquelle pronounces softly and steps back from Anna.       “Finally, we’ve met!” Anna replies confidently.       “Hey…” Raquelle takes Anna’s hands. “Where have you been? I tried to call you on your mobile number, but you never answered my phone calls.”       “Sorry, friend…” Anna apologizes shyly. “I was a little busy…”       “Tell me why?”       “Sure! I will tell you everything. I promise.”       “Were you so busy that you couldn’t spend at least two minutes with your best friends?”       “Sadly…”       “My gosh… I was thinking of you and wanted to find time to visit you. But you came to me by yourself!”       “We were just walking by,” Anna confesses with a slight smile. “And then Natalia suggested that we visit you at your home.”       “Yeah, you wouldn’t have found time to visit us,” Natalia adds confidently. “Because you’re our kind of busy lady.”       “I am…” Raquelle agrees with a slight smile. “Anyway, I’m madly glad you came to me. And I even wanted to call you and invite you to my home.”       “We always come when you need it,” Natalia replies with her head proudly raised.       Raquelle laughs shyly and takes Natalia in her amicable hug.       “My gosh, Raquelle, you can’t even imagine how happy I am to finally see you,” Anna confesses with a wide smile.       “And how happy I am to see you!” Raquelle exclaims cheerfully, being very happy she got a chance to spend a good time with her friends, who came here at a very good time.       “Listen, we’ve gotta fix it somehow and spend time together much more often. You and I have lately spoken literally one time per year.”       “That’s right… We’ve gotta fix it somehow.”       “Wow, friend…” Anna looks at Raquelle from head to foot with a slight smile. “You still keep yourself in good shape. Still slim and beautiful.”       “Come on…” Raquelle smiles shyly.       “It's the truth, Raquelle. You look just gorgeous.”       “You always look gorgeous,” Natalia adds with a slight smile. “With makeup and without.”       “Gosh, girls, don’t get me confused…” Raquelle gets blushed and closes her face with both hands.       “Yes, our cutie, that’s the truth!” Anna replies confidently.       “Thanks, sweeties…”       Two seconds later, Raquelle closely looks at Anna from head to foot and notices some changes about her.       “Listen, Anna…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully. “Your hair… Did you decide to dye your hair?”       “Yup, I decided to freshen up my color,” Anna shrugs with a slight smile. “Make it brighter… My hair got too dull. And I used a chance to cut off split ends.”       “I cut off a couple of centimeters, as well,” Natalia says. “First, I had a wish to get a short cut hair, but then I realized I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to my long hair. Moreover, I’m already used to the hours-long procedures of taking care of it.”       “I get it,” Raquelle laughs shyly. “Moreover, I wouldn’t cut off such gorgeous hair like yours. And even if I didn’t sign a couple of contracts, according to which I am not able to cut my hair, I wouldn’t make it short.”       “And I sometimes don’t mind experimenting with my hair,” Anna confesses with a slight smile. “But I’ve been loyal to red shoulder-length hair for the past few years.”       “I think a red color is a shade that perfectly fits you.”       “Agree. When I dyed my hair for the first time after the advice of one girl, I fell in love. And I don’t wanna change my hair color.”       “I would’ve also advised you to dye your hair red if that girl hadn’t done that before.”       “By the way, you haven’t said what you think of my hair color,” Anna notices and turns around himself with her head proudly raised, showing Raquelle her hair. “Like it?”       “Very much,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile. “You look incredible!”       “Thanks, I love it, too,” Anna says with a shy smile. “The color is just incredible. And I don’t regret spending so much time at the hair salon.”       “Very beautiful. Red hair is what perfectly fits you.”       “You’re absolutely right…”       Two seconds after sharing a shy smile with Anna, Raquelle understands that she better invite her friends to the living room and talk to them there.       “Oh, gosh, why are you standing here?” Raquelle closes her mouth with a hand. “Come to the living room, girls!”       Raquelle makes a gesture to invite her friends to come into the house, and the funny and cheerful Natalia and Anna do this with pleasure. Then all three girls go into the living room and sit on the sofa, and Seymour and Rochester put their clutches with the stuff they need on the coffee table. At some moment, Raquelle pays attention to her friends' short dresses covered with sparkles, which they are wearing now: Anna’s one is soft lilac, and Natalia’s one is green. The blonde’s dress has long sleeves and a closed top, and the red-haired girl’s one has just one short sleeve.       “Listen, girls, why are you wearing such beautiful dresses?” Raquelle asks with interest. “Did you go somewhere? Or are you gonna do?”       “Well, we just went to a dance club…” Natalia confesses with a slight smile. “Drunk a little bit of mojito and danced along with cool music… And we also picked up a couple of handsome guys, who didn’t mind flirting and dancing with us and even bought drinks for us…”       “Really?”       “That was so great!” Anna exclaims with a wide smile. “I'm so sorry that you didn’t come with us. You would’ve loved it.”       “We will have time to go! I promise we’ll surely go there all together. But…” Raquelle thinks for two seconds. “But I'm actually in a relationship… I don’t think it would be good to do that. To go to clubs…”       “C’mon, friend!” Anna protests, waving a hand. “Nothing would happen if you just went somewhere to have fun, danced, and probably met new people.”       “Exactly!” Natalia exclaims. “Life keeps going on after the beginning of a love affair. You don’t have to think of changing everything and sitting at home all day long. And I think Terrence wouldn’t hold you at home and would let you go to have some fun with your friends.”       “Maybe…” Raquelle shrugs with a shy smile. “But still, I think my time when I was able to go to clubs and dance clubs is over. And honestly, I don’t really wanna go there…”       “That’s bad!” Natalia replies cheerfully. “It’s always very interesting there! Cool music, amazing drinks… And so many handsome young guys… Eyes run fast from one side to another!”       “And actually, similar places are very good for meeting single guys and having a wonderful pastime,” Anna adds confidently.       “Well… Of course, you can't listen open mouthed… You’ve gotta choose those you could hang out with… But today, we were lucky, and Seymour and I picked up very good guys.”       After hearing words about handsome men, Anna unconsciously smiles and looks at her friends kind of mysteriously.       “Oh, by the way, Raquelle!” Anna exclaims. “I met one very sweet guy at that club where Natalia and I went.”       “Really?” Raquelle smiles slightly.       “Yup, I ran into him when I was leaving the restroom. He ran into me and apologized… Then we talked a little… And we shared our numbers… Agreed to meet again someday.”       “Oh…” Natalia rolls her eyes. “Here we go again…”       “Aw, girls…” Anna sighs dreamily with a slight smile. “You can’t even imagine how handsome he is… Tall, slim… And he’s got a stunning smile! Hollywood smile! And I literally fell in love with his eyes at first sight!”       “M-m-m…” Raquelle smiles slyly, looking at Anna, who does not hide her wide smile. “That’s how…”       “That’s the truth, friend! When I just looked into them, I literally felt dizzy.”       “My gosh, Anna, just don't tell us that you really got a crush on him,” Raquelle says happily.       “Crush?” Natalia laughs shyly. “Oh, Cameron, it's too easy to say!”       “Huh?”       “Anna has been only talking about him since she came back to me after she ‘went to powder her nose for a couple of minutes.’ Twenty or thirty minutes were over, not two minutes. That’s when our red-haired beauty came back to me. But I didn’t hope she'd be pleased to show up.”       “If you hadn’t been with me, I would’ve gone on a date with him,” Anna says confidently. “He did suggest, but I said I came with my friend and couldn’t leave her.”       “Wow…” Raquelle nods with a mysterious smile.       “And when we left the club and decided to visit you, Seymour couldn’t stop talking about him and admiring him,” Natalia confesses. “To be clear, his charming eyes. And his Hollywood smile.”       “What could I do if he really had such stunning eyes and such an awesome smile?” Anna throws her hands up with an innocent smile. “Today, I felt what I had never felt before.”       “My gosh, friend, did you really like him so much?” Raquelle asks amicably with a slight smile.       “Yes, I have sympathy for him! And I would be terribly glad if he invited me somewhere.”       “You think he would do?”       “I wish he did… I gave him my phone number, and he wrote me his number in case we would love to meet someday.”       “Yeah, are you gonna tell him about your feelings and start to date him after you literally have the first date?” Natalia laughs shyly.       “No, Natalia, c’mon!” Anna rounds her eyes. “You know that I don’t kiss on a first date. And I wouldn’t do it on a second or third one… First, I wanna get to know him better, and then I will decide something. Just because I’m in love with his smile and eyes doesn’t mean anything.”       “You’re doing this right!” Raquelle approves. “Remember that you should always have your head on your shoulders. Listen, listen, but don’t do it open-mouthed.”       “I don’t do. That guy and I didn’t talk too much. I managed to find out only the fact that he was alone at that club but had planned to come with his friend, who couldn’t join him.”       “Anyway, don’t let him go too far if he invites you on a date.” Raquelle smiles mysteriously. “And don’t call him first. Let that guy call himself. If he liked you, too, he will surely contact you.”       “Yes, yes, I also think so,” Natalia replies confidently. “Don’t show that you’re interested in him.”       “Be shy and sweet.”       “And don’t let him kiss you on the first date.”       “Yes! Make him wait for a while and realize that it’s not so easy to get our friend.”       “Yup! He should know he’d get something only after a few dates.”       “Oh, girls…” Anna laughs shyly. “What I would do without you…”       “Listen, listen, Seymour!” Raquelle exclaims. “If you make everything right, that man is gonna think only of you.”       “Yeah, but if he’s bad, don’t dare to keep meeting him,” Natalia adds confidently. “Delete his number from your phone and throw the paper with it into a trash can. And forget him. You got it?”       Anna says nothing and just smiles mysteriously, rolling her eyes and starting to dream of the man she met today.       “Aw, friends…” Anna pronounces softly. “You can’t imagine how good I feel now.”       Singing a song under her breath, Anna puts her arms around the necks of Raquelle and Natalia sitting on two sides of her and embracing them.       “I still can’t forget his eyes and smile…” Anna confesses. “It was impossible to stay indifferent and not to fall in love…”       “My gosh, you’re telling that for the hundredth time…” Natalia sighs tiredly. “Talk about something yet! Or did you memorize only his gorgeous eyes and Hollywood smile?”       “Why? I noticed that he was dressed very stylishly. I personally liked it. And he had quite luxurious hair.”       “Oh, sorry, Raquelle…” Natalia shakes her head, moving her eyes to Raquelle. “She won’t fall into silence… First, she dinged into my ears and now is gonna torture you.”       “C’mon, Rochester…” Raquelle laughs shyly. “The girl fell in love. But you don’t wanna listen to her.”       “I don’t want? We were only talking about that guy!”       “You know, friend, I think I should’ve left you at the club and gone to have fun with that guy,” Anna replies confidently. “Moreover, he didn’t mind accompanying me. And he got upset when I said I was with my friend. Who could’ve spent time with those handsome guys that paid attention to her.”       “Yeah, I should’ve done…” Natalia crosses her arms over her chest. “You would’ve charmed that guy, and I would’ve spent a wonderful time with one of the guys, who paid for our cocktails.”       “When you fall in love with someone absolutely, truly, I’m gonna watch you. Watch you talking about the dignities of your guy for hours. And telling us everything about your dates.”       “Exactly, Natalia!” Raquelle exclaims. “You haven’t been totally in love yet.”       “Remember how Raquelle dinged into our ears about everything for MacClife! She could be talking about that man for hours! At first, she was talking about how much she hated him, and then she was talking about how much she loved him.”       “Yeah…” Natalia exhales sharply. “First, one girl couldn’t stop telling about her handsome guy, and now the second girl is doing the same.”       “Don’t pay attention to her, Anna,” Raquelle smiles shyly and caresses Anna’s hand softly. “I completely understand you.”       “At least someone cares about what I feel,” Anna replies confidently.       “I’m now thinking of myself after I confessed my feelings,” Raquelle confesses with a slight smile. “When I was living the best time of my life… When I was ready to put my important business aside for dates with Terrence and spend hours with him. It wasn’t hard for me to get ready to meet him and walk with him until late night… I was ready for anything just to see him as frequently as possible…”       “The same is happening to me…” Anna glances at her hands. “Yes, I haven’t fallen in love yet… But something tells me that if I keep communicating with that man, he’s gonna give me many unforgettable emotions. Which are talked much about in books…”       “I wish it happened. But don't let that man play with you and use you for his goals. I don't want you to suffer and feel betrayed. If you doubt something, don’t continue to meet him.”       “Don't worry, Raquelle, I won’t let anyone play with me,” Anna promises with a slight smile. “You know I’m educated too well to hang on a man’s neck, whom I barely know.”       “That’s right,”       “But I don’t really mind just speaking amicably and having a good pastime.”       “My gosh, that guy hasn’t even called you, but you’ve literally planned your life for years ahead,” Natalia sighs tiredly.       “I believe he would call,” Anna smiles shyly. “I believe he’s interested in me. I believe he’d love to talk to me.”       “We'll see, my friend, we will,” Natalia caresses Anna’s head softly. “You're such a naive, little girl…”       “I ain’t naive!”       “We do worry about you,” Raquelle says softly. “We don’t want an evil man to play with our little girl and leave her when he gets sick of her.”       “Anyway, I’ve got wonderful friends that would help me get through anything and quickly come to myself after ending failed relationships.”       “It goes without saying, my darling!” Natalia exclaims. “How could we stay aside when something’s happening to our friend?”       “Aw, my sweet girls… What I would do without ya…”       Anna embraces Natalia and Raquelle at the same time around the shoulders and presses them close to her. Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, which the blonde breaks, folding her hands in front of her:       “By the way, Raquelle, how are you doing? Why do we always talk about ourselves? Tell us something about you!”       “I’m fine,” Raquelle shrugs with a slight smile. “More or less.”       “You don't say too much about yourself. And your face is kind of sad.”       “Why is it sad?”       “I dunno… Something kinda…”       Then Natalia notices the scars on Raquelle’s face, which she covered with cosmetics, but which are still clearly visible.       “My gosh, Raquelle…” Natalia asks with horror in her eyes, looking at Raquelle’s face. “What’s wrong with your face?”       “Erm, my face?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.       “Jesus Christ, Raquelle…” Anna gets horrified, also seeing the scars on Raquelle's face and starting to look at them. “Where did you get these scars?”       “What happened, friend?” Natalia asks excitedly. “How did you get them?”       “Ah, girls, better don’t ask me…” Raquelle sighs quietly with sadness in her eyes.       “What’s wrong, friend?” Anna wonders and takes Raquelle’s hands. “Tell us! Do you have some serious problems?”       “Oh, Anna…” Raquelle moves her sad eyes down. “It seems like my old problems are gonna be chasing me until the end of my life. Until I get old and die.”       “What are you talking about?” Anna wonders.       “I know everything can’t be fine. But what’s happening to me… It's… It's insanity…”       “My gosh, Raquelle…” Natalia pronounces with horror in her eyes. “These scars… I hope… It's not…”       “Whether Terrence did it?” Raquelle specifies without emotions.       “It was him? Yes?”       “No, no, Natalia, you’re wrong,” Raquelle replies quietly. “It’s not Terrence’s work.”       “No? But whose?”       “It’s Simon Ringer's one.”       “Simon Ringer?” Natalia and Anna ask at the same time.       “That’s the one, who slandered you?” Anna specifies.       “Him…” Raquelle nods. “That’s him…”       “But he did promise to leave you alone!”       “For a while. Today, he showed up again.”       “Oh, my gosh…”       “Ah, girls…” Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds and sighs heavily. “It seems like Simon is my headache for life. And he’s determined to do what he wants.”       “It was really him?” Natalia wonders. “Simon did this to your face?”       “He did, friend…”       “But how?” Anna wonders. “He didn’t even reveal himself after the case of slander when everyone found out that his words were a lie!”       “Yeah, it’s true. But today he showed up and swore he wouldn’t let me live a quiet life…”       “Is he gonna hurt you again?”       “Yeah, and I’m afraid it's gonna be worse this time.”       “My gosh… Raquelle…”       “I’m dead, girls…” Raquelle shakes her head. “That man will get what he wants and destroy me… He will do his best to erase me from this world…”       “Okay, okay, Cameron, I don’t understand you enough,” Natalia says quietly, embraces Raquelle around the shoulders, and presses her closer to herself. “First, calm down a little, and then tell us everything.”       “Yes, Raquelle, breathe deeper,” Anna says softly and takes Raquelle’s hands. “It's okay… It's okay… We’re here… We’re with you…”       “Okay, now tell everything. How did you meet Simon? Where? When? What did he say? What does he want this time? Tell us everything!”       “C’mon friend.” Anna caresses Raquelle’s hand softly, looking at her friend with pity in her eyes. “Speak. We’re listening to you.”       Before starting to speak, Raquelle exhales deeply and shakes her head with almost wet eyes.       “The case is that today…” Raquelle says with fear in her eyes. “Today, I met Simon Ringer… I went to the country to walk in silence a little… And… When I had a walk in one quiet place, that man caught me and chose a moment to attack me from behind.”       “He attacked you?” Anna opens her eyes widely.       “Yup… Simon attacked me and pushed me in the back. And then he started to threaten me. I didn’t know that was him ‘cause that man wore glasses. And Simon has changed much since I saw him the last time.”       “Oh, my God…” Natalia shakes her head.       “You can’t even imagine how frightened I was… I was alone… Alone, in a quiet desert place, getting attacked by that man…”       “Wait, but how did he know you were there?”       “I dunno… He was probably following my tracks. From the agency where I was to meet a famous designer.”       “I wouldn’t be surprised…” Anna pronounces thoughtfully.       “He would’ve probably thought of going much further than just waving his hands, scratching my face with nails, dragging me by the hair, or giving me strong hits in the face. But I didn’t let that happen when I took his glasses off him after he tried to feel me up. And recognized him as the one, because of whom I wanted to die of shame.”       “What?” Natalia opens her eyes full of horror wider. “That sick scoundrel tried to feel you up?”       “Yeah. But thank God, it didn’t happen. Or everything could’ve ended in the way I’m even afraid to think about…”       “But what does he need from you this time?” Anna wonders. “What did he need the last time? Why did he actually bother you and is trying to ruin your life again?”       “Simon promised to take revenge on me for the shame he had to take when everyone found out that he lied about me.”       “My gosh…” Anna opens her mouth slightly and frowns strongly. “But how is he gonna do it?”       “Would he publish an article about his allegedly hurt honor and dignity?” Natalia grins quietly, crossing her arms over her chest.       “No, Simon made me sure that he wouldn’t do that for the second time,” Raquelle replies without emotions on her face.       “People don’t make the same mistake twice. And I guess he’s understood it. He understood it when people literally dreamed of kicking his ass after everyone found out his words about you were a lie.”       “And it scares me much more. I don’t know what to expect from him. And I don’t know why he keeps revenging me. I did nothing bad to him… I hadn’t known him before I met him.”       “Maybe, Simon is just a crazy fan of yours?” Anna assumes. “It might happen that someone may go insane because of their love for a celebrity.”       “I don't know, Anna,” Raquelle shakes her head. “But I don’t think so. That man is more than forty years or a little bit more… I dunno… I could say he could be like my father!”       “Now that’s the only explanation for everything he’s doing,” Natalia throws her hands up.       “No, girls, it's excluded! He’s hardly my sick fan because Simon hates me as a human and as a model.”       “But there must be a reason why he’s revenging on you!”       “Yeah, but what? I don’t know why he chose me and is taking it out on me.”       “Who knows…” Anna shrugs slightly. “That man definitely has mental issues.”       “You’re right…”       Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds and sighs, shaking her head and closing her mouth with a hand, looks at Anna and Natalia with sadness in her eyes.       “I'm scared, girls,” Raquelle pronounces quietly. “Scared because of what might happen.”       “Really, an obsessed fan…” Natalia replies thoughtfully.       “That person isn't gonna give up on his goals. He will destroy me the way, in which he almost destroyed me once.”       “I wonder, what did Simon plan this time?”       “Whatever Simon plans, it's gonna be much worse than just articles in newspapers…”       “Definitely…”       “Gosh, it's insane… Insane…”       Raquelle doubles over and leans on her laps with her elbows, not even trying to hold down tears coming to her eyes.       “Quiet, quiet, sweetie,” Natalia pronounces softly, cuddles Raquelle tightly, and caresses her head. “Calm down… It's okay…”       “I won’t take it,” Raquelle makes a quiet sob and nuzzles her nose in Natalia’s shoulder. “I won’t take it…”       “It's okay, it's okay… We’re with you… We’re with you…”       “Shame on Simon!” Anna exclaims confidently. “Shame on you, Simon Ringer!”       “Actually, you must take revenge on him for the hurt you felt,” Natalia notices confidently. “For everything you got through because of that sick cad. For making all your fans turn their backs on you.”       “I know, Natalia…” Raquelle pronounces in a little shaking voice and sniffs quietly. “But I don't like to talk about revenge. I’m not a vengeful person… Even if sometimes some things force me to do that.”       “So, what are you gonna do?”       “I don't know, friend.” Raquelle slowly steps back from Natalia and wipes tears off her cheek. “I’m even starting to regret changing my mind about suing him. When Terrence found out about that, he was madly resentful and disappointed in my decision. And I'm starting to understand that he was absolutely right when he said I should’ve gone ‘till the end.”       “I don’t know why you didn’t deal with that scumbag,” Natalia replies confidently. “Not for the money, but for justice. You could give money to a foundation or someone, who is ill.”       “I just felt kind of… Sorry… The man had nothing… How could I demand money from him?”       “Yeah, but he found money to pay his pal without problems.”       “I never thought that man could be the one guilty of everything.”       “You’re silly! He used your mercy and turned everything against you. If you’d been a little harsher, Ringer would’ve been walking in a beautiful prison robe and looking for friends among cellmates.”       “I know, Natalia, I know… I really regret it… But I could’ve won the case. I know wonderful lawyers, who would surely make that stinker pay for what he did. And taken away everything from him.”       “You should’ve kicked that stinker a long time ago!” Anna replies confidently. “And now, as I think, it's not too late. At first, you needed only to get your kind and clean name back, but now you can easily report him due to threats for life and attempts at blackmail.”       “Yeah, I think I will do it…”       “Anyway, don’t act like a mouse and immediately go to the police. May they deal with that cad.”       “I don’t do. Moreover, before you came here, I had talked to someone from the police.”       “Really?” Anna surprises.       “Yeah, do you remember I somehow told you about one man, who was trying to win my attention for the longest time?”       “Ah, right, right!” Natalia jabs. “I remember that man. His name is probably Hunter.”       “Yes, I was talking to Hunter.”       “Oh, that man was madly in love with you. Hunter was ready to do anything to make you pay attention to him. But alas, you didn’t give him a chance to get happy.”       “You know that I’ve always considered him just a friend,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “Even if I always loved his gifts.”       ‘But he probably already got through his love for you,” Anna assumes.       “Who knows. But I thought he did not. Hunter still hopes I will become a girlfriend of him.”       “But would he help you? What did he actually say about this situation if you called him?”       “Nothing special. But he said he wasn’t in the city and didn’t know when he would be back in New York. And when he was back, he would meet me and discuss this situation with me,” Raquelle replies quietly.       “What are you gonna do all this time? Wait for that man to go crazy at all?”       “I don’t know. But Terrence promised to talk to his acquaintance from the police and ask him for help.”       “Well, just something…”       “But I’m risking much by deciding to ask the police for help,” Raquelle confesses a little hesitantly. “Because Simon is threatening me and all my friends and relatives…”       “You mean, us?” Anna opens her eyes widely.       “Simon said he knew all the numbers and home addresses of those, who surrounded me. He could easily go here and to the home of any one of you.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Anna puts her hand on her heart. “No…”       “I don’t know if that’s the truth, but Terrence doesn’t exclude that he may really have this type of information.”       “If only it wasn’t the truth…” Natalia shakes her head.       “I’m terribly afraid, girls… Worried about you and all my close people…” Raquelle shakes her head. “If that man hurts one of you, I will not forgive myself for that. I won’t take it…”       “Raquelle, darling…” Anna pronounces softly.       “My God, I’m so ashamed of you…” Raquelle guiltily looks at Anna and Natalia and sniffs quietly. “Ashamed because I can't do anything to protect you somehow.”       “Do you think he could dare to hurt us?” Natalia asks hesitantly.       “He could.”       “Anyway, it's not your fault,” Anna says confidently. “You shouldn’t worry about it. Simon is the only one to be guilty of everything.”       “But he’s threatening everybody because of me.”       “Stop, Raquelle. Don't torture yourself and your mind!”       “I cannot stop thinking about it.” Raquelle moves her eyes aside, still crying quietly. “I give people only problems… Only problems…”       “Stop, darling,” Natalia protests confidently, puts her hand on Raquelle's shoulder, and softly caresses it. “Nobody blames you for anything. And anyone won’t do.”       “We do know you got into this trouble against your wish,” Anna adds softly.       “I don’t wanna be alone…” Raquelle shakes her head and sniffs quietly. “I don’t want all my close people to turn their backs on me.”       “Nobody will turn their back on you.”       “Remember, whatever happens, Anna and I will never leave you,” Natalia promises confidently. “We will always be by your side and do our best to help you.”       “And we won’t believe Simon.”       “Nothing and nobody can separate us and make us have a fight!”       “I know, girls…” Raquelle smiles through tears.       “You’re not alone. Terrence will also surely help you. Besides, you can also call your grandfather or aunt and ask for a piece of wise advice. You have so many people, who you can trust… There are so many people that wouldn’t believe that stinker.”       “I don't actually understand how you can say such things and think we’d leave you,” Anna adds confidently. “I would understand it if you really were alone in this world. But you’re surrounded by so many people, who are ready to help you. Everybody loves you very much… And you, silly, dare to doubt… And you believe we’d leave you alone.”       “I know…” Raquelle says quietly with tears in her eyes. “And I’m truly grateful to you for that. Thank you for not leaving me. Especially at such a hard time.”       “You're our friend, Raquelle. Best friend. Friends always help each other. No matter what.”       “You’ve helped us so many times,” Natalia adds. “And we won’t leave it unnoticed.”       “Promise?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.       Anna and Natalia say nothing and take Raquelle in a strong hug at the same time with a wide smile, while she answers it with pleasure. And when the girls step away from her a few seconds later, the brunette looks at her friends with thankfulness in her eyes.       “Thank you, my sweeties,” Raquelle thanks truly. “I’m very lucky to have such wonderful friends.”       “Don’t worry, cutie,” Anna puts on an encouraging smile. “We can get through it! You somehow got through much harder things.”       “Exactly!” Natalia exclaims, “If you’ve gotten through so much, you’ll deal with Simon.”       “I wish…” Raquelle smiles slightly. “| wish…”       Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, after which Natalia and Anna realize that they should go home.       “Oops, seems like it’s time to go home,” Natalia says thoughtfully, checking the time on the watch she is wearing on her left hand. “Sorry, Raquelle, but I have to go… Dad is gonna be worried if I stay somewhere longer. So, I shall go home…”       “Okay, I won’t hold you,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile.       “I will visit you tomorrow,” Natalia grabs her clutch from the table. “We will talk and find a way to distract ourselves from the situation with Simon. For example, watch a movie…”       “Okay…”       Raquelle stands up from the sofa and wants to bring Natalia to the hall door, while Anna looks around and fixes her hair.       “You know, I will better go home, too,” Anna says hesitantly and also takes her clutch from the table. “My parents are gonna be unhappy… And read me another lecture about how I should behave. I wouldn’t better make them much madder…”       “Sorry to see you leave,” Raquelle replies thoughtfully with sadness in her eyes.       “Don't get hurt, ‘cause we're gonna leave you so soon and won’t stay with you for dinner,” Anna gets up quietly from the sofa. “We actually wanted to come here for two minutes. To find out how you were doing. And remind you of us, so to say…”       “It's okay, girls, I’m not mad,” Raquelle says with a slight smile. “I can’t hold you by force. If you need to go home, go then.”       “I shall also visit you tomorrow or after tomorrow and talk to you about everything.”       With these words, Anna goes to the hall door along with Natalia and Raquelle.       “I’m gonna be impatiently waiting,” Raquelle smiles slightly.       “Bye, Raquelle!” Natalia says goodbye, hugs Raquelle amicably and shares a kiss on the cheek. “Hold on! Don’t get upset!”       “I will try…”       When Natalia steps back from Raquelle, Anna takes the brunette in her hug and shares the same kiss with her.       “Bye, Raquelle,” Anna pronounces with a slight smile. “It's gonna be okay.”       “Thanks, girls…” Raquelle smiles shyly. “Thanks a lot for visiting me. I got much better after talking to you.”       “That’s good!” Natalia exclaims cheerfully.       “See you soon…”       “Bye, bye,” Anna waves her hand shyly.       “We love you, friend,” Natalia adds amicably.       “I love you, too,” Raquelle smiles widely. “Take care of yourself.”       A few seconds later, Anna and Natalia leave the house of Raquelle and Terrence. The girl closes the door after them and sighs quietly, understanding that she stayed alone again. Although she got much better after this talk, the girl knows that it's just a temporary relief. And she realizes that her life is going to be like hell from this moment on and will not get better in the nearest time. At least, while Simon is walking free, Raquelle can forget about peace.       “I can’t be so sure that the girls wouldn’t really turn their backs on me,” Raquelle thinks with sadness in her eyes. “I don’t exclude that Simon may say something that would make them break their promise and look at me like I’m an enemy of them. That man can talk into… I realized it a long time ago…”       A little later, Raquelle slowly comes to the window in the living room and watches everything she sees in it with sadness in her eyes.       “Our life is surely going to be a nightmare,” Raquelle whispers. “At least, while Simon is walking free. We won’t surely forget everything he’s gonna do to us…”       Raquelle sighs heavily.       “Oh, my gosh…” Raquelle pronounces quietly. “Did I have a chance to avoid all of this? Could I have prevented it somehow? Maybe, I shouldn't have talked to that man? Maybe, I should have said nothing to him? What if everything had been otherwise, if I had just passed by Simon?”       Raquelle sighs much harder than before, stands in front of the window, and watches everything that’s happening outside for some time. But later, she breathes in a good smell spreading from the kitchen and making her smile slightly and feel her stomach starts to grumble, letting her know that she got hungry.       “It seems like dinner is cooked…” Raquelle assumes thoughtfully and breathes in the nice smell of the baked fish, which is spreading throughout the whole house. “My gosh… What a nice smell from the kitchen… Baked fish… M-m-m… I even got an appetite…”       Raquelle stands in front of the window and looks at something for two more seconds, and then she slowly goes to the dining room to sit at the table and eat dinner that smells so good, not stopping thinking of what might happen in the future, and what consequences she will have to run into after her offender starts making his plan come true.       

***

      Meanwhile, Simon is going somewhere down a dark alley. His long hair is gathered into a small tail, and his eyes are hidden under dark glasses that he wears even in the gloomy weather. Moreover, the man tries to choose places to walk where there are no people. Places where nobody would start to remind him of how he slandered the model named Raquelle Cameron for nothing, who did nothing bad to him and was always a girl with a perfect reputation.       Slowly walking down the dark alley with his hands puts in the pockets of the coat, Simon frowns slightly and reflects on something too hard. Thinks about how to take revenge on Raquelle. About how to make his dream come true, which, as he believes, is going to become real very soon.       “That girl does not know what she is going to take or what she got into,” Simon thinks, sneering quietly. “I will make her get through everything she took the last time. Or something much worse. I swear! I, Simon Gordon Ringer, will take revenge on her for everything that happened because of her. For the fact that people shamelessly insult and humiliate the one to hurt her so much. Even if they do not know that it was me.”       Simon quietly growls, feeling everything literally bowls inside him from anger. From the hatred for the girl, whom he hates with all his heart and considers the reason for all of his failures.       “Ah, poor Raquelle…” Simon smirks evilly. “I'm so sorry about you… So many problems have rained thick upon such an innocent girl like you… Because of Uncle Simon… Because he did his best to make your reputation a little worse. And he will do the same again. Do his best to torture you a little bit more and make you beg for mercy.”       Simon raises his head proudly.       “Yes, the last time, I did not manage to do that,” Simon thinks. “But this time, everything will happen as I want. My plan of revenge is genius, and I know what to do very well. You will be suffering two times stronger and undoubtedly stay alone. I shall do my best to drive you crazy. You, bitch, to beg me for mercy…”       While Simon thinks about it, he slightly clenches his hands into fists and strongly frowns, feeling tense in every single muscle of his body.       “And I already know how I am going to torture you,” Simon thinks with a sly smile. “I will be using your greatest weakness… What means so much to you… If you lose the dearest thing you have, you will not handle it. And who knows, maybe, someday, I will decide to spread more rumors about you and do my best for people to believe them and make sure that you are a bitch.”       Simon smiles much wider.       “Your life will become a real hell,” Simon promises. “I will not let you live a quiet life and do my best for you to see me in your nightmares. I hate you, nasty gal… I hate! I cannot wait to deal with you and deprive you of everything. Everything you have. And I shall do it. I planned everything very well. And this time, I will not screw it. I am sure about my plan at one hundred percent.”       Simon gets so busy thinking of revenge on Raquelle that he does not notice that he comes to the crummy house that reminds him of an old hostel where homeless, poor, and outsider people may live.       “Oh, it seems like I've come!” Simon exclaims, quickly looking at the whole building of the hostel. “I should only get up and find Richard’s room. I can’t really wait to tell him how I met Raquelle and scared her enough.”       Simon smirks evilly and enters this hostel confidently enough, taking off his dark glasses on the way. He walks down the small and rotten halls for some time, looking around with disgust and strongly wincing because of a bad smell he feels in some places. The man goes upstairs to the last floor of this hostel and later comes to quite an old gray rotten door, on which a table with the number "324" is hanging. After making sure this is the room that he needs, Simon starts knocking at the door quietly. A few seconds later, the door opens, and Richard shows up on the doorstep, whose hair is a little disheveled, and his face looks kind of sleepy.       “Oh, Simon!” Richard exclaims with a wide smile. “Good afternoon!”       “Same to you, Richard,” Simon greets with a slight smile. “Didn’t I bother you?”       “Erm… No, no… You did not do it, of course…”       “Were you sleeping? You look kind of sleepy!”       “I was going to go to bed. I want to sleep so badly.”       “Oh, I’m sorry then… It seems like I came at the wrong time.”       “Come on, Simon! You came at the right time!” Richard steps back from the doorstep and invites Simon to enter his room by making a gesture. “Come in. Don’t be shy.”       “Thanks,” Simon pronounces quietly.       After hesitating a little, Simon slowly enters Richard’s room and starts wincing strongly because of disgust for the atmosphere he is in.       Because Richard has no money for good housing, he has to live in this condition that the young guy does not like, either. However, the young guy hopes that he will be lucky someday and be able to move to a place that is much better than the one he cannot take.       “Yeah, what a terrible place…” Simon winces strongly. “I would never live in a place like this one… I would prefer to live on the streets alongside homeless people near the trash.”       “Agree, but at least, I have the roof over my head.” Richard shrugs and glances aside for a second. “Just something… Better than nothing. At least, I don’t have to pay for housing. Those, who have no cent, live in this place.”       “Sorry for you, boy. And I’m surprised that you have the will to live here.”       “What could I do if I wasn’t lucky to be born into a rich family.”       “I get it…”       Simon looks around the whole small room of Richard again, in which there is an iron and harsh bed, a crummy writing table, and a small old closet for clothes and personal stuff.       “You come in, please,” Richard says amicably. “Do not be shy.”       After hesitating a little, Simon goes farther but does not stop wincing strongly.       “Sit down, please,” Richard invites gently, pointing at his bed. “You can sit on the bed.”       “Thanks, but I will rather take a chair,” Simon refuses quietly.       “Maybe, you want to drink water?”       “No, no, thanks, I don’t want it,” Simon replies quietly.       “I’ve got problems with food, but I will try to find something in the refrigerator.”       “No, Richard, I am here not to empty your refrigerator.”       “But why?”       “Actually, I came to you only for five minutes.” Simon takes one of the two crummy chairs and sits on it. “I want to tell you something interesting. I want to tell you how much fun I had today.”       “Really?” Richard smiles slightly.       “I’m sure you’re going to love what I want to tell you.”       “M-m-m… I already want to listen to you.”       “C’mon, sit down! I will tell you everything now.”       Richard puts another similar chair much closer to Simon and sits down on it.       “Speak out, Simon!” Richard says confidently. “I’m closely listening.”       “Ah, how much you can’t wait to know…” Simon smiles slyly.       “Don’t waste time! Tell me everything! What happened to you if you’re so funny and cheerfully?”       “The thing that happened, Richy, is, I finally met Raquelle today.”       “You met Raquelle?” Richard wonders truly.       “Yes, boy! I finally met her face-to-face. For the first time after I talked to that girl at the photoshoot.”       “Come on!” Richard strikes his hands together with a slight smile.       “Yes, yes! It's the truth.”       “But how did you find her?”       “Super easy!” Simon exclaims cheerfully. “I was following her tracks since she went to the modeling agency.”       “What was she doing there?”       “I don’t know. Probably, she got another offer for a shooting. And she didn’t reject it. You know that the girl accepts any kind of job she is offered.”       “Yeah…” Richard smirks quietly. “As if she wants to be shown everywhere.”       “She was there for a long enough time. And then she proudly passed by the people with cameras that did not literally let her go, got into her car, and went to another place.”       “Shootings?”       “No, on the country. She wanted to walk.” Simon smiles slyly. “To my happiness, where there was nobody.”       “Wow…” Richard smiles mysteriously.       “I am lucky because that girl has never surrounded herself with many bodyguards, who would not let anyone come to that fucking princess. She always goes everywhere all alone.”       “She is not afraid…”       “I’m surprised, too! Other celebrities put six-foot-tall guys from all sides, but that girl walks into the city as if nothing happened. She is not afraid an obsessed fan may harass her.”       “Either she is really so brave, or she’s just a stupid, naive idiot.”       “Who knows…”       “Alright…” Richard pronounces quietly. “As I understand, did you come to that place after her?”       “Yes,” Simon pronounces quietly. “I was following her right in my car. And she didn’t even notice it!”       “So, were you something like a tail for her?”       “No, of course, sometimes I hid myself and did not chase her openly. But I tried not to lose her. That girl was driving at a high speed, and I was worried I could let her go. But I might not have gotten a chance to catch her at a place like that.”       “Alright, what happened later?”       “And next…”       Simon clears his throat quickly and continues to tell about his meeting with Raquelle with enthusiasm:       “In short, Raquelle arrived at a clearing, left her car not far from it, and just began to walk everywhere. She was going further and further. She left her car too far behind.”       “Wow…”       “She was walking for a long enough time… For half of an hour, to be clear.”       “And were you following her?”       “Yes, I was following her tracks and hiding well, so she didn't notice me.”       “And when did you decide to show you?”       “A half hour later. Because I thought she’d walk there for two more hours. So, I decided to show up.” Simon smiles slyly. “Moreover, I got a very good chance that she would not expect to see me if I came to her. I crept to her when she was standing with her back to me and looking at the water in the lake. And then I pushed her in the back.”       “Why didn’t you drown her?” Richard smiles slyly.       “No, why do I drown her now? First, I want to mock her enough. And then I could push her in water and drown her until she stops resisting, and her body goes down.”       “Sorry… You had such a wonderful chance to deal with her, and nobody would suspect anything. Nobody would find her body.”       “Don’t worry, buddy, I shall do that. But a little later. And believe me, nobody will know what is going to happen to her. And everybody will not care about it by that time. Because I shall do my best for her close people to turn their backs on her.”       “Alright… What happened after you pushed her?”       “She managed to stand on her feet. And she was shaking in front of me, just like a bunny shaking in front of a wolf. Yes, she was acting like a heroine and pretending that it wasn’t true, but that girl was frightened by my appearance. Scared by the fact that nobody could help her because we were alone there.”       Simon smirks quietly while Richard closely listens to him with a sly smile.       “Honestly, it gave me very much fun,” Simon confesses with a slight smile. “Raquelle was trying to hide that she was afraid of me, but I did feel that gal was afraid of Uncle Simon very much. And now that cutie is afraid much more because she knows I shall do my best for her life to become a real hell.”       “Likely…” Richard pronounces thoughtfully and leans back in the chair with his elbow and on the chin with a flat of his hand. “It’s clear that she did not forget what you did to her, somehow.”       “Oh, kid, trust me, she will never forget that,” Simon says confidently. “As well as she will not forget what is going to happen at the nearest time. What I am going to do to her. I mean what I am going to do to her, her family, and maybe her friends.”       “Is she going to be broken at all, am I right?” Richard smirks quietly.       “Exactly!” Simon smiles slyly and happily rubs his hands. “I shall destroy that gal. She will pay much for everything she has done to me.”       “Of course, boss,” Richard nods confidently.       “By the way…” Simon falls into silence for two seconds and, frowning slightly, moves his eyes to Richard. “Did you do what I asked you about?”       “Of course, I did everything,” Richard nods confidently with a sly smile. “Don’t worry.”       “Great! I knew I could count on you.”       “You can count on me for everything.”       “Wonderful…”       Simon says nothing for two seconds and thinks about something, stroking his chin.       “Are you going to take revenge only on that gal?” Richard asks. “Or terrify her family, too?”       “First, I will be threatening and scaring only Raquelle,” Simon replies confidently. “And maybe, Terrence, too.”       “Terrence MacClife?”       “Yes. I am going to torture that idiot, as well… I want to revenge on him for daring to fire me. Daring to deprive me of a chance to earn great money that would be enough for me to live well.”       “Is that the actor, who is remembered by girls only thanks to snotty youth movies?”       “So true!”       “The hysterical guy, mental issues of who people literally tell stories about?”       “Exactly!” Simon clears his throat quickly. “But no matter what a hysterical asshole he is, I must confess that he has the talent of an actor. That guy is quite talented and could have a brilliant acting career. Get starring roles and earn a lot of money. But alas, Terrence did not manage to get rid of the mark of a pretty-pretty guy named Mason from ‘America Love Affair’”       “But how did he fall in love with that girl if you said they couldn’t stand each other?”       “Right, I was a witness to their fights, which were the reason why they couldn’t work on the photoshoot. But despite the hate, MacClife fell in love and could think of nothing but the stunning Ms. Cameron. Since he met her, that guy was literally dreaming of her and couldn’t stop saying she was the most fabulous girl he had ever known.”       “Yeah… He definitely liked her wonderful face and gorgeous body very much.”       “Exactly – face and body! Do you think Terrence began to date her for real love? No, Richard, he is dating Cameron just because of his passion for her. The physical attraction that connects both of them. They started to date just because of that. In the opposite case, these lovebirds would’ve become enemies, not lovers. Knowing what kind of relationship they had from the beginning.”       “So, don’t they love each other?”       “No, maybe they have some feelings. But they are not what two people, who truly love, are supposed to have.”       “So, do you want to say MacClife is going to leave that girl when his passion is gone?”       “Believe me, it will happen! You can’t have a long-time relationship only thanks to attraction.”       “Yeah?”       “I personally never heard Terrence admiring Raquelle’s soul, her character, her inside world… He always admired her body only. MacClife always repeated that it was freaking sexy… It made his fantasy much wilder. He wanted to take her clothes off her and fuck her as hard as possible.”       “He told you that?”       “Yes, I always heard that from him.”       “That’s how…”       “You know, Richard, I have a feeling that Terrence needs Raquelle only for satisfying his needs,” Simon smiles slyly. “And as far as I understand, she is doing that quite well because they have been in a relationship for more than six months. I believe she is keeping him by her side so far.”       “So, do you think Terrence needs Raquelle just because of sex, which she gives him? Is he dating her because she may be very good at it?”       “Exactly!”       “What about her? Does she also admire only the body that he showed every time he got a chance to do it?”       “I believe she also considers him a sexual object and isn’t going to look into his soul. Cameron does not even think of truly falling in love with him. And I don’t exclude that she needs a relationship with him for PR and popularity. Just like he does. MacClife and she know how much fans love their couple. So, these lovebirds make them happy.”       “That’s how…”       “As it usually happens, relationships that people start because of sexual attraction would lead to a breakup early or late. Because people date and get married not to have wonderful sex every single day and go on dates. And celebrities wouldn’t live with those they decided to date for PR forever. They would split up early or late.”       “Well, you know, Simon, judging the fact that Raquelle and Terrence have always had very much work, I doubt they actually have time for sex and dates,” Richard assumes thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “If only something had actually happened between them in the last few months. They have too much work, judging from the news that I see in newspapers and magazines every single day.”       “And it may be one more reason why their relationship is going to be over soon. If people do not spend enough time together, do give a damn about each other, and get busy with their work or homework, any feelings get colder. Or sometimes lovers might get such strong hate that they would feel disgust from being together.”       “Do you think the same is waiting for both of them?”       “Believe me, Richard, the relationship between Terrence and Raquelle is going to be ended at the nearest time, and they will announce their breakup to everyone.”       “So, I believe, you would like that?”       “Without doubts, kid! Moreover, I am going to make that process faster. I want to help them understand that they could not be together.” Simon smiles slyly. “I would say getting Raquelle and Terrence separated is a part of my plan. Because I want her to stay alone and lose everybody. Including her own boyfriend.”       “What if those two don’t break up, as you want?”       “We will see, buddy… But I have something interesting for that case… If one plan does not work, I have one more plan. It would surely make their relationship ruined to hell.”       “You think?”       “After what I will do, Terrence and Raquelle will not be together and will start dreaming of breaking up. Life in a relationship is going to be a torment for them. And they will tell each other about a breakup at the nearest time.”       “Imagining what kind of hysteria their fans, who stand by their couple like crazy, would have,” Richard smirks quietly.       “It’s okay, little girls will cry a little and take it,” Simon smiles slyly. “And later, they will actually get happy. As well as all men, who dream of that girl. Both of them will become single… So, it means that other people will get a chance.”       “Yeah, definitely…” Richard pronounces thoughtfully.       “I don’t know if a breakup is going to be a hard hit for Terrence, but it would hardly be easy for my dear Raquelle to take it.”       “What if she doesn’t love him? She would surely not care about it!”       “No, boy, she will care. All the women are too emotional. They take a breakup with a man as if people take the death of a close person. So, the same is going to happen to Cameron… Moreover, she is going to get much worse after what I am going to do to her…”       “Do your best for her friends and family to turn their backs on her?”       “Yes, I will surely be terrifying their friends and later will do something to her relatives, whom she does not have so many. I shall give them as many problems as possible and make them think it's Raquelle’s fault.”       “Can you do this?”       “I can.”       “It would be cool to watch all those people turning their backs on her.”       “And when I get what I want, I will finally start getting ready for resolute acts. Nobody will prevent me from making my plan come true by that moment. That gal’s boyfriend is going to think of a breakup, her friends will start believing that she is dangerous to them, and her relatives will not care about her. So, nobody will stop me from dealing with that girl once and forever.”       “Excellent plane, Simon!” Richard nods confidently with a wide smile. “I didn’t doubt you would plan something genius.”       “I know, boy!” Simon raises his head proudly with a slight smile. “I shall become her nightmare. I shall become Raquelle’s nightmare that she will never forget. She will be dreaming of waking up and understanding it's just a dream, but it will not happen. Cameron will never wake up from this hell. It will be infinite.”       “May it happen.”       “Nobody will remain what they are now. Everybody will be changed. Everybody will become different. Not what they are now. I am going to show them what they do not want to notice or did not want to notice before.”       “I don’t doubt!”       “Believe me, this time, everything is going to be crueler than before. I shall do my best for everybody to leave Raquelle alone and start to believe that she is the one to blame for everything.” Simon laughs evilly. “And when nobody is next to her, I will give her the last hit that is going to be the most painful one for her. I shall give it to her when nobody is able to protect her from me. When nobody cares about that gal. That bitch that must pay for everything she has done.”       “She will pay, Simon,” Richard nods confidently. “Don’t doubt.”       “There is something interesting that I am going to tell her when the time comes.” Simon says confidently with a sly smile. “And trust me, it will get her shocked. Well, maybe, it will also put something in the right places.”       “Does someone else know it?”       “Nope, nobody but me knows it. Everybody would be shocked if I told them what nobody has known for a very long time.”       “Would you share this secret of the year with me?” Richard asks with a slight smile.       “Not yet, buddy.”       “I would say nothing. I swear!”       “No, Richy, wait for a while. When the time comes, you will know everything. Everything…”       “Does it have to do with Raquelle?”       “Maybe…” Simon smiles widely, throwing a quick glance aside. “Maybe…”       “You’re intriguing me.”       “Anyway, Raquelle would love to know what I could tell her. It would change everything she knows now.”       “That’s how…”       “It’s alright. She will know everything soon… And she will get shocked… Soon…”       Richard says nothing and just smiles slightly, while Simon thinks of something with his head proudly raised, not doubting that his secret will undoubtedly have a bomb effect and make everybody horrified. This man is definitely, absolutely determined and going to bring the started case to an end, despite nothing. He is ready to step on others to reach his goal. And Ringer will undoubtedly do it. Now nobody is suspecting what he can and wants to do at the nearest time. But one thing is definitely clear: whatever Simon wants to do, this is the end of the quiet life of Raquelle, Terrence, and their close people. At least, they would have to forget about peace, at least for a while…