16 Manipulation
Third person pov
Nicolas and Harvey sat together in a small hotel room, the weight of the day’s events. pressing down on them. The engagement. party had turned into a chaotic scene, and now, locked in a sense of defeat, they were left with nothing but unanswered
questions. Savvy had been acting strange ever since they confronted Sabrina. They couldn’t shake the feeling, that something wasn‘ t right.
Savvy had followed them to the hotel, pretending concern, but there was something in her eyes that betrayed her. Her usual confidence was gone, replaced by an almost frantic energy. Every time they mentioned Sabrina’s name, Savvy stiffened, her lips twitching nervously. Nicolas exchanged a wary glance with Harvey. They both knew this wasn‘ t the Savvy they had once known.
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“Are you really worried about Sabrina?” Harvey asked, his voice blunt. “Or are you just trying to cover your tracks?”
Savvy’s eyes darted toward the door, and she fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve. “Of course I’m worried,” she replied quickly, though her voice was strained. “I never wanted things to end like this. I was just-”
“Just what?” Nicolas interrupted. “Just what, Savvy? It doesn’t make sense. You were all over her when she was vulnerable, and now, when it’s clear she’s better off without you two, you‘ re acting like you care?”
Savvy opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She stood there, silent, as if caught in a lie too big to admit. Her nervous stammer only made them more suspicious.
“We know you‘ ve been involved in something,” Harvey said, his voice low and serious. “We’ve seen the photos. The
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ones that came in the anonymous
message.
Savvy s face turned pale. She glanced between them, her eyes wide with panic. “What photos?” she asked, her voice a little too high.
Nicolas pulled out his phone and showed her the images–pictures of Savvy meeting with shady figures, whispers of
manipulations and deals that went beyond what they had ever imagined. Her reaction was telling. She froze, her hands trembling as she tried to think of something, anything, to say.
“I–I don’t know what you‘ re talking about,” Savvy stammered, but the lack of conviction in her words was evident.
Nicolas and Harvey exchanged a look. The pieces were finally starting to fall into place. The pictures, the secrecy, Savvy‘ s strange behavior–it all pointed to one thing: Savvy had been manipulating them, using their relationships with Sabrina to
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further her own agenda.
“Don’t lie to us,” Harvey said sharply. “You ve been using Sabrina. You‘ ve been using us. Why?”
Savvy’s eyes flickered with guilt, and for a moment, she looked like she might break down. But then, as quickly as it had appeared, the vulnerability disappeared. She squared her shoulders, trying to regain some semblance of control.
“You wouldn’t understand,” she said coldly. “I did what I had to do. You think
you‘ re better off without me? You don’t think she’s better off with Jayden? She’s a snake. You don’t know her like I do.”
Nicolas’s patience was running thin.
“It’s not about her or Jayden. It’s about us finally seeing the truth. And you‘ ve been a part of the lies she’s had to untangle. If you really cared about us or yourself, you’d speak the truth about what you’ve been doing.”
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Savvy’s gaze darkened, and for a moment, it felt as if the air in the room had thickened. Her bitterness and jealousy were unmistakable now. “You don‘ t know anything,” she said, her voice low, almost threatening. “You think you can just use me and dump me when you‘ re ready to move on? You think you can push me out? You don’t get to decide what‘ s best for her, that snake is better off away from you both.”
Nicolas felt the heaviness of her words, but he knew she was only lashing out because. she had been exposed. She wasn‘ t the friend she claimed to be. She was a woman who had been playing her own game, and Sabrina had finally seen through it.
“We’ll make sure everyone knows the truth,” Harvey said firmly. “You won’t be able to manipulate anyone anymore.
Savvy‘ s face twisted in anger, but she knew there was nothing more she could say. Without another word, she turned on
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her heel and stormed out of the room, leaving Nicolas and Harvey to sift through the mess she had created.
Meanwhile, Sabrina was on the other side. of town, dealing with her own emotions. She had spent the day reflecting on everything that had happened, trying to make sense of the whirlwind of events. As she was cleaning out some of her father‘ s things, she stumbled upon a sealed letter- one she hadn’t seen before. It was tucked away in an old drawer, addressed to her in her father’s handwriting. She carefully opened it, the weight of the envelope heavy in her hands.
As she read his words, a sense of calm washed over her.
“My dear Sabrina,” the letter began. “If you‘ re reading this, it means I’m no longer around to guide you. But I want you to know something that has always been true: you are enough. Don’t let anyone- no one–make you feel like you have to be
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something you‘ re not. Surround yourself with those who truly value you for who you are, not for what they want from you. You deserve happiness, and I hope you find it, no matter where it leads you.”
Sabrina felt a lump form in her throat as she finished the letter. Her father had always been her rock, her protector, and even though he was gone, his words still held power. He had known her better than anyone, and his encouragement to find people who truly cared about her only solidified her resolve.
She looked at the letter one last time before carefully folding it back up and placing it in her drawer. It was time to move forward, to leave the past behind. The lies, the betrayals–none of it mattered anymore. She had Jayden by her side now, and she could feel herself growing stronger with each passing day.
Savvy s manipulations were just another chapter in her story, but they didn’t
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define her. Sabrina was determined to rewrite her future, and this time, she wouldn’t let anyone hold her back.
She walked to the window and looked out at the city below, the sun setting in the distance. It was the beginning of something new, something brighter. And no matter what Savvy, Nicolas, or anyone else tried to do, Sabrina knew she was finally in control of her own life.
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