Chapter 10 - The Real Truth

Kiara woke up the next morning and replayed what had happened last night before getting up. She eventually got dressed and made her way into the kitchen where James was making a coffee.

"Hey... How are you feeling?" Kiara asked cautiously. 

"I've seen better days," James sighed.

"Have you spoken to any of the others yet?" 

"Laurie and I went for a walk this morning and he told me everything. He told me that you already know too, about why he's really with Bri... I told him that if he doesn't tell her the truth, then I will."

"So Laurie knows how you feel about Brianna?" Kiara whispered.

James let out a deep breath. "I think he's known for a while..."

Just then, Laurie barged in to the kitchen in a frenzy. "Have you guys seen Bri?"

"No, why?" Kiara asked. 

"She ran off mid conversation and I can't find her."

Kiara knew that if Brianna was upset, Jasmine would be there drying her tears. Kiara went upstairs to the master bedroom and as expected, found Jasmine consoling a crying Brianna.

"I know I fucked up when I cheated on Laurie but I didn't think he would just use me like this," Brianna sobbed. "He said that he was only continuing the relationship with me because he wanted my firm to run the case for Kerr Industries. I feel so stupid! I really thought Laurie was serious about trying to work things out."  

"I can't believe Laurie would do that... What are you going to do?" Jasmine asked softly as she stroked Brianna's hair. "And what are you going to do about James?"

Brianna suddenly looked at Kiara and smiled. "Can you please get me some water?" 

Kiara nodded and as soon as she left the room, Brianna continued to speak. "Look, last night was all an act and you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you Jas."

"Go on..." 

"I only said all that stuff about James because that's the story Laurie and I agreed on in case anyone asks why I invited everyone. We needed a story that was believable, but honestly I'm not into James at all. The truth is, I needed everyone out of your apartment this weekend so that I could get someone to break into Kiara's computer and go through her work files to see if there's anything on Eric we can use to shift the blame off Laurie in the bribery matter. I was doing all of this to help Laurie because I genuinely thought that helping him would fix our relationship... I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but I knew you would try and talk me out of it." 

Jasmine couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You were planning to break into my house?! And tampering with evidence? Bri, that's - "

"Illegal? Yeah, I know... There's no way in hell I'm going to go through with it now after what Laurie just told me though." Brianna buried her face in her hands.

Jasmine inhaled sharply and tried not to freak out despite the fact that her best friend was planning to break into her home to commit a crime which could potentially get her disbarred. She took a deep breath and said, "And what about James? The reason why Jackson bought your act last night is because I think James actually does have feelings for you..."   

"Yeah I don't know what to do about James. He follows me around like a lost puppy and it's starting to get really annoying," Brianna rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I can't stand to be here any longer. I'm getting on the first flight out of here." Brianna stood up and lightly dabbed her eyes. Somehow, her make up was still flawless. 

"I'll come with you, I just need a minute to pack everything," Jasmine offered. 

"No, stay and enjoy the sun! I'll be okay," Brianna insisted. Maybe I'll break into Kiara's laptop myself and try and find some dirt on Laurie, Brianna thought.  

When Kiara came back to the bedroom with a glass of water, Brianna was nowhere to be found. "Where's Brianna?" Kiara asked.

"She left... I guess she just snuck out without saying goodbye to anyone," Jasmine said with a distant look in her eyes. "I offered to go with her but she insisted that we stay." 

After moping around for a while, everyone changed into their bathers and made their way outside. The warmth of the sun lifted everyone's spirits but Kiara noticed that Jasmine was unusually quiet. 

Not wanting to open another can of worms after last night, Kiara decided against asking Jasmine if something was up. Instead, she indulged in the moment and soaked up all of the Vitamin D she could. 

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