POV: Sienna
The video hit the internet at 11 PM.
By midnight, it was trending on Twitter.
By 1 AM, gossip sites had picked it up: Sterling Family Scandal: Dominic Sterling Caught with Nephew's Teenage Ex-Girlfriend.
By 2 AM, my phone was exploding.
I woke up to 47 missed calls. 183 text messages. My Instagram flooded with comments, most of them vicious.
Gold digger
Homewrecker
Desperate scholarship trash
She planned this to trap a billionaire
Maya called at 2:30 AM. Have you seen it?
Seen what?
Check Twitter. Now.
I opened the app and my stomach dropped.
The video from last night was everywhere. Me and Dominic emerging from that coat room, my lipstick smudged, his tie crooked. Someone had zoomed in on our faces—his hand still in my hair, the way we looked at each other.
The comments were brutal.
She's 18 and he's 35. That's disgusting
Tyler Sterling's ex? She's making her way through the whole family
Dominic Sterling is a predator
That girl is a gold-digging slut
I couldn't breathe.
Sienna? Maya's voice was urgent. Are you okay?
They're calling me a gold digger. A slut. They're saying I planned this.
Ignore them. They're just
My phone buzzed. Another call. Tyler.
I answered without thinking. What?
You ruined my life! His voice was slurred, drunk or high or both. My parents are furious. My grandmother won't stop calling. Everyone's talking about how my uncle stole my girlfriend!
I wasn't your girlfriend anymore.
You humiliated me! In front of everyone! And now this video— He was crying. Actually crying. Do you know what you've done?
What I've done? Anger exploded in my chest. You kissed Madison at my birthday party! You humiliated me first!
That was just a game! This is, you fucked my uncle!
I kissed him. Once. And it's none of your business.
My family is going to destroy you, Sienna. My grandmother already called her lawyers. They're going to make sure you never work in finance, never get into a good grad school, never—
I hung up.
My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone.
Another call. Unknown number. I answered.
Miss Cross? A woman's voice, crisp and cold. This is Victoria Sterling, Tyler's grandmother. I think we need to have a conversation.
My blood turned to ice. Victoria Sterling was Manhattan royalty, old money, social power, absolutely ruthless.
About what?
About the unfortunate situation you've created with my grandson's uncle. I'd like to offer you a solution.
I don't need a solution.
I think you do. You're a smart girl, Sienna. Surely you understand that this scandal will follow you forever. No respectable firm will hire you. No good school will accept you. Your parents, hardworking people, I understand, will be so disappointed.
Tears burned my eyes. What do you want?
I want you to stay away from Dominic. Publicly state that the kiss was a drunken mistake. That he rejected you. In return, I'll make sure your reputation is restored. I'll even arrange for a generous scholarship fund for your college expenses.
You want me to lie.
I want you to be smart. You're eighteen, from Brooklyn, with nothing but potential. Dominic is thirty-five, a billionaire, and frankly, far too old for you. This relationship—if that's what you're calling it, will destroy you both. Take the money. Save your future.
And if I say no?
Her voice turned to ice. Then I'll make sure you have no future to save. I have lawyers, connections, and decades of experience destroying girls like you. Don't test me, dear.
She hung up.
I sat there in my dark bedroom, my whole world crumbling.
My phone buzzed. Dominic.
DS: I saw the video. Are you okay?
Me: Your family just threatened me.
DS: Victoria?
Me: She offered me money to say you rejected me. To stay away from you.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
DS: Don't make any decisions tonight. We'll figure this out tomorrow.
Me: How? They're going to destroy me.
DS: Not if I destroy them first. Trust me.
Me: Why should I?
DS: Because I told you I'd teach you how to be powerful. Lesson one starts now: never let them see you break. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we fight back.
I wanted to believe him. But as I scrolled through the comments, the threats, the vicious attacks, I wondered if I'd made the biggest mistake of my life.
Choosing Dominic Sterling had started a war.
And I was completely unprepared for battle.