CHAPTER 14: Clarity.

" Not me, idiot. My fiance."

Emma couldn't get those words out of her mind frame no matter how hard she tried. She was no doubt an idiot. Colton made a total fool of her.

How did she not know he was two timing? It was becoming clear that she was apparently the only one who believed they had something. She remembered all the excuses, apologies and multiple scandals which somehow managed to be a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the events.

There was even one which linked him and Talia together but she was thrown off by his words at the time.

" How could you even think I'd do that to you. Talia? Really? " He had said with a voice that portrayed both hurt and anger for her even thinking so low of him and abruptly hung up.

Emma recalled the events that followed and how he broke all contact with her until she had to sneak to his place at night, spend the entire night alone and meet him in the early hours of the morning, drunk and smelling of cheap perfume.

She could tell he'd been with a woman from the lip stains on his white dress shirt but she didn't want to pick a fight with him while he was still upset with her. She was barely functioning from the silent treatment she'd been placed on and really needed things back on track.

In retrospect, Emma wished she'd held out and seen how the matter would be addressed if it came to it. Something told her the possibility of his reaching out to her was nil and she soon realized how painful the admission of that fact was to her.

She'd been living in denial for the longest time and the sudden acceptance of her reality was something she knew she needed to get used to.

As she trudged down the stairs of Steele Shoes, she wondered how she got caught into this web of events. She didn't even get to confront them about anything.

How could she when her intimacy was sprawled on the screen at the flick of their fingers? There was a lot going on in her head and she was desperately in need of something.

Clarity.

She needed to know when and how those pictures were taken. How and why she was in a man's mansion half naked. And surprisingly but most importantly, how her designs got stolen and made without her knowledge.

Emma refused to accept the idea of Colton betraying her. She had invested way too much in their relationship and she believed the least he could do for her was to preserve her dreams and hopes for a better future.

" Not me, idiot. My fiance."

The words of Talia returned with a vengeance. Disrupting her thoughts once again. Emma felt like a fool. She hated herself for trying to give him excuses. Time and time again!

Talia was clear in her message. Her fiance was behind it all. Colton was behind it. Emma continued muttering the words, over and over again, blocking all other logical or illogical thoughts from coming in.

She was going to Colton, demanding an explanation and that was final.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Talia was in a great mood. Ecstatic even.

" Did you see her face? She looked so trampled upon. I bet she thought she was finally going to break out of my shadows. Ha! I almost feel sorry for her." She said with a smile, taking a seat on one of the chairs.

" Exactly why I told you to let her do the job. Take a look at these designs, they don't compare to the lousy things she presented for your latest collection." Mrs Steele said thoughtfully, removing the nasty picture from the big screen and replacing them with the latest designs.

" Exactly why I love you mama! Assuming I didn't listen and went ahead in throwing a fuss, I wouldn't have these show stoppers on my latest collection. Now, I'll be able to truly compete with the other A-list designers."

" You are the head designer and only daughter of Steele Shoes, darling. It's only befitting that you get the finest of things." Her mother said, Adding to her happiness.

" Thank you mama. You know I'll never go for anything but the best." She said sweetly, flashing her ring.

" Oh dear! Don't show off around me now or I might be tempted to get myself a man too." Mrs Steele joked before adding, " a stable one though."

The entire room was submerged in laughter. It was an inside joke privy to only the mother-daughter pair. No doubt a subtle shade aimed at Emma.

" Tell me ma, how come she isn't still with them? Isn't it a bit too early for her to be out and about? Do you think something is wrong?" Talia asked with a curious countenance.

But of course her mother was steps ahead of her. She had pretty much figured something was wrong when she saw her walk through the doors with blazing eyes.

Originally, the plan was to have her tucked away with the Braxton's while they carried out the final touches to Talia's latest collection and simultaneously follow up the plans to create an avenue of exploiting the Braxton using her.

That was shelved for a later time and the pictures were the bait she'd planned to utilize as a leash on the Braxton's after their union but with the unforeseen interruption, she was forced to show her hands.

Because believe it or not, Emma was a golden card she couldn't afford to let go. Instead of letting her go, she was selfish enough to click on self-destruct.

If she couldn't utilize her, then no one would. Not even herself. And she was going to make sure of that one way or the other.

" Nothing's wrong dear. And if there is, I'll take care of it. I always do. Now get on your merry way out. I've got some work to do." Mrs Steele replied with a smile, dismissing every atom of worry from her daughter.

Talia trusted her mother so it was easy to let it go. She was convinced that so long as her mother was on top of things, nothing could go wrong. At least for her. She fortunately couldn't say the same for anyone on the opposing end.

****

Emma was dropped outside an apartment complex. With seasoned steps, she made way into the building, determined to get to the root cause of everything.

The nostalgic feel of an environment she associated with Colton was bittersweet. Bitter in the sense that she was probably about to get the remnants of her heart ripped out and sweet in the sense that she still held out hope of it being a misunderstanding and turning into a reunion.

Similar situations had happened so much that sometimes, she came around with the belief that there was going to be an explanation and she was mistaken.

You'd probably ask why she went ahead with the visits even when she wasn't upset about the scandals that consistently rose up at the time she believed they were solid.

Because, somewhere along the line, she looked forward to having some scandal come up in order to get to see him. It was usually the only time she got to see the sweet side of him. The side she fell in love with.

Today was different though. She meant business and she was clear on her mission. She walked up the stairs without sparing anyone a glance and soon she was in front of a very familiar door.

It was Colton's apartment. She typed in the code and released a sigh of relief upon seeing the codes were the same. Before her mind could form any other misleading thoughts, she was bombarded with strange voices coming from within the apartment.

This time around, Emma was stilled to a stop. She took a brief scan and saw how haphazardly some clothes were discarded around the living area. It didn't take much to understand what she had unintentionally stumbled into.

Nevertheless, she was undeterred. Maybe it was finally time she saw things for herself and did away with excuses once and for all. She needed to see it. She needed to see the sort of person she'd given the major part of her life to.

Emma neared the door with her hands shaking. The sounds from the master bedroom were even louder. She could make out a female voice which said all kinds of obscure things.

Things that were too innocent for her hearing alongside an accompanying guttural groan and slapping sounds. No doubt belonging to him. To them.

" Oh! Colton...mmphn…yes! Right there! "

Building up the courage, Emma pushed the door open, readying her mind for the image she knew was coming. The confrontation that would change the game.

And sure enough, it was right there. Colton repeatedly slammed into a redhead without a care in the world while she withered into a moaning and quivering mess.