“It’s about Kenzie. And Beau.” Her voice dropped. “I know what they’re doing to you.”
My pulse kicked. “Who are you?”
“Cassidy Monroe. Beau’s girlfriend.” She laughed bitterly. “Or I was. Until two weeks before filming started.”
“What happened?”
“I auditioned for your job. The co-host position.” Her voice hardened. “They’d said they were drawing up a contract, but then suddenly they decided against me and gave it to you instead. Beau dumped me three days later. Said it wascomplicatednow. That’s when I knew something was wrong.”
I stared at her. “Why would they choose me over you?”
“No offense, but yeah, it doesn’t make sense. I was on a similar show a few years back. My agent assumed they’d created the show for me. But then, all of a sudden, you’re in the picture. An unknown designer from Willet Cove. None of it tracks. Kenzie specifically requested you.”
I knew this already from my meeting with Ethan, but my stomach dropped now with the certainty of it all.
Cassidy continued. “A friend of mine on the inside told me she fought really hard to make the case for you. In a way that made it seem like it was personal. I thought at first maybe you two went way back or something. But then, I figured out what they were really up to.”
I held my breath.
“I installed the camera after Beau dumped me,” Cassidy said. “I had the perfect excuse because I needed to pick up my things from our apartment. I had this feeling he was lying about everything—about why we broke up, about the show, all of it. And I was right.”
She pulled a small flash drive from her bag with shaking hands. “It’s all on here. Footage from my hidden camera. It’s all here. Everything you need.” She held out the flash drive. “Take this. Do whatever you want with it. Burn them to the ground if you have to. But someone has to know the truth.”
I stared at the drive, my hands suddenly shaking.
“What’s on it?”
“Everything,” Cassidy said, glancing around as if to see if anyone was watching. “Proof that this was never about a TV show. It was about destroying you. That’s what they’re trying to do.”
Behind me, I heard Carol calling my name.
I took the drive, shoving it deep into my pocket. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry,” Cassidy said. “I should’ve come forward sooner. But I was scared. Beau’s scary sometimes. He has a temper. In fact, they’re both terrifying when they don’t get what they want.”
“Lila.” Carol’s voice, closer now, practically screeching. “We need you.”
“I have to go,” I said to Cassidy. “But thank you. Really. I knew something was off, but I wasn’t sure why.”
She nodded, already backing toward the parking lot.
I turned toward the house, where Carol stood in the doorway, arms crossed.
“Everything okay?” she asked, eyes narrowed.
“Fine. Just needed some air.” I’d pretend I wasn’t feeling well, in case I needed that excuse for later. “My stomach’s queasy.”
Not even a flicker of sympathy in her cold eyes. “We have more filming to do.”
I followed her back inside, imagining the flash drive like a hot missile inside my pocket. One I would use to defeat my enemies. They thought they had me trapped. Broken. Defeated. But everything had just changed.
With that in mind, I made it through a walk-through of paint samples that felt utterly surreal before I pulled Carol aside.
“I’m not feeling well,” I said. “I need to go home. I think I have the stomach flu.”
She took two steps backward. “But we have more to film.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t.” I was already moving, pulling off the microphone and handing it to a PA. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
