Shonee’s POV
Explosions.
That was the only word good enough to describe how my mind was handling this revelation.
With explosions.
“Oh fuck!” Michael quickly pried himself away from Avril, wiping her wetness on his pants.
“Shoneee…” Avril clamped her legs shut and hopped onto the floor, pulling down her dress. “Look, it’s not what you thi—”
“Michael?” I blabbered out. “All this time, you were cheating on Vincent with Michael?”
None of them spoke. They were probably too flabbergasted that they didn’t know what to say.
Heck, I, myself didn’t know what to say. Michael was the last person I suspected. He’d told me once during the engagement party planning that Avril didn’t like him at all but I guess that was a lie. Crap! I should have seen through it the moment he showed up at the Tropical Palm Hotel that day. Even though we saw him leave, he probably must’ve come back after we had left, thinking Avril’s lover was Damien. He also must have been the one who saw us at the hotel and took pictures; pictures he gave to Avril after news of Damien and Cheyanne’s affair got leaked.
Now that all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, my resolve strengthened. There was absolutely no way I was going to keep this to myself. Vincent had to know. He deserved to know that his dreaded personal assistant not only blackmailed him but was sleeping with his fiancée the entire time.
Quickly, I pivoted on my heel, attempting to run, but Michael was quick enough to grab my arm immediately after I made it past the door. Avril right behind him.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He pinned me hard against the wall. “You can’t tell anyone about this!”
“Get your filthy hands off me!” I tried wrenching myself free and he only tightened his grasp.
“No!” He yelled. “I’ve known about you and Vincent for the past two months now and I never breathed a single word about it to anyone!”
“That’s because he had to pay you to shut up!” I snapped back. “Remember how you blackmailed us, huh? We should probably do the same to you and your slutty mistress!”
Angry, Micheal clamped a hand around my neck and pressed. I wheezed hard, struggling to breathe. “Mi-mich—" I clawed at his hand.
“Maybe we should get rid of her before the party ends, right Avril? Avril?” When he didn’t receive a response, he turned to the side and I took that opportunity to knee him hard in the jewels.
“Yeow!” Michael instantly let go of my neck to clutch his balls and I didn’t hesitate to punch him hard in the face, making his head collide with the bathroom door then he slumped down, unconscious.
“That’s for trying to get kill me, you freaking asshole!” I spat. My knuckles hurt hell but knocking him out was totally worth it.
Holding my now throbbing hand, I ran out of the hallway, into the corridor and back into the party setting where Avril had just mounted the stage and snatched the microphone from her dad who was just about to address the guests.
Oh God no, she’s not…
Her eyes narrowed at me as if to confirm my exact thoughts.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make," she heaved loudly into the mic, her voice cutting through the chatter of the crowd.
My heart sank as I realized what she was about to do. I couldn't let her ruin everything. Not now. I quickly pushed past people.
“You might not believe me but, Vincent has been having a secret affair with his daughter’s nanny, Shonee Coleman, for the past five months!”
Gasps filled the room as everyone turned to look at me, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief. My face burned with embarrassment. I felt the weight of their judgment everywhere I turned.
But I couldn't let Avril get away with this. Not after what I had just discovered.
"That's not the only secret being kept here!" I blurted out, my eyes locking on Avril's. "Because Avril has also been cheating on Vincent. With his own personal assistant, Michael!"
The crowd erupted into murmurs of disbelief as Avril's expression shifted from triumph to panic. She stumbled backwards, her eyes wide with fear.
"That's a lie!" she cried, her voice shrill with desperation. "Don't listen to her!"
“It’s true!” I continued to yell. “I just caught her in the bathroom kissing Michael. Her lipstick is all smudged because of it!”
The murmurs increased as Avril folded her lips in, attempting to hide the evidence but her dad quickly grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him. “Is this true, Avril?”
When she didn’t respond, rage clouded Richard’s expression and the old man backhanded his daughter. Yelping, she crumbled on the floor, cradling her cheek and sobbing.
“Avril!” Michael out of nowhere, shot up onstage, collecting her into his arms. “How could you!” He snapped at her father. “How could you hit your own daughter in front of everyone!”
“She has brought shame onto the Payne family name!” The elderly man spat. “And I can’t stand the sight of shame. Neither can I stand the sight of you.” Then he pulled out a gun from underneath his tuxedo jacket, pointing the nozzle right at Michael.
The sight of the gun made the crowd go nuts.
“Security! Security!” I heard Vincent yell before climbing upstage. “Richard…” He moved slowly towards the old man. “Think about your life, the reputation you’ve built. You could lose it all if you pull that trigger…so please, put the gun down.”
Richard Payne still held the gun firmly in his grasp.
Security personnel poured into the ballroom in their numbers, surrounding the stage in less than a millisecond. The majority of the guests had rushed out. Only a handful stayed behind to find out what would happen. Some even held up their phones, recording the entire incident.
A pensive look covered Richard Payne’s face. If he pulled the trigger now, he not only ran the risk of killing Michael but hurting his own daughter as well. He would virtually become a murderer. The gravity of the entire situation must’ve appealed to his rationality because he dropped the gun and surrendered.
Security rushed in, secured the gun and escorted Richard, Michael and Avril out of the building.
A lot had happened tonight. What was actually meant to be a celebration of two companies coming together had actually turned into a festival of lies and secrets. Despite it all, I was happy with one thing. Since the merger didn’t happen, Vincent still had full control of Beckham Incorporated and with the revelation of Avril’s affair with Michael, I doubted if the wedding would take place.
Sucking in a breath, I found my friends, James and Jordin, and we all exited the party, hoping to at least get some peaceful sleep.