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Most of the reception I get is positive. Some of it is lewd or crass. A lot of it is people making suggestions that I should improve my form orleave it to the experts, honey. I chalk it up to people being a little jealous or maybe just bored. The trolls are inevitable.

But then there are some seriously malicious attacks. And today, there have been a few repeat offenders.

Millie Gilbert is another fitness vlogger and my virtual nemesis. She’d started her channel a few years before I had, but I hadn’t heard of her until she began commenting on my videos, claiming that I’d stolen her routines and passed them off as my own. Despite my videos being posted before hers.

There was no truth in the matter, so I ignored her comments, allowing them to be drowned out by the more positive ones.

I’d ended up having to block her completely after her repeated attempts to brand me as a cheat and a thief.

It hurts because I’ve worked hard on my business, and I’m really proud of where I’ve got to today. But the video I was tagged in over one hundred times today was from her account, so I knew I’d be discussed at some point.

What I didn’t expect was to see Travis, my ex, sittingalongside Millie with a somber expression on his face.

Travis is a self-proclaimed finance bro. However, I would like to point out that he’s not six-foot-five, nor does he have blue eyes or dark hair. He is, however, a total douche. We dated for six months, and once he saw the success of my channel and the potential earnings, he was convinced he could become an influencer discussing finance and how to invest in stocks and crypto. His videos lacked thought and intelligence, and he rambled about how men were just better than women at investing.

I tried to give him pointers to improve and reach his target audience, as in men like him. But he said if I could do it, it really wasn’t that hard, and I shouldstay in my lane.

So I did. I kicked him out, stayed in my lane, and since dumping his ass, gained an additional 100,000 followers. I generally don’t like the energy that gloating puts out into the world, but revenge really is a dish best served cold.

His repeated attempts to get back into my life certainly helped my ego, but it got rather annoying with his incessant whining about how I was intimidating to him.

I’m not intimidating at all.Hewas intimidated, and that’s not something I can control. So again, I just blocked him and moved on. But after watching the eight-minute-and-twenty-three-second video, my stomach’s been rolling. Bile is bubbling away, threatening to roll up my throat at any moment. I am furious and stressed, and I can do nothing about it. I have no one to turn to. No one is here to support me. My parents are dead, and Danny is god knows where.

Millie had essentially recruited Travis to confirm her story. That I’d taken her ideas and profited off them. His bitterness at our break up and his subsequent lack of success is glaringly obvious to me, but to my followers? This could break my business.

So no, I’m not fine. But what am I supposed to say to the man sitting on my old mattress in my basement? I could hardly spill my guts to him and have a good old cry, which, ifI’m honest, is desperately needed. I need my mom. I want her to tell me it is all going to be alright.

So I’ll lie, get what I need from him, and get him out of my life.

Chapter Five

Austin

Iwas hasty to say being in this basement would be a breeze. Yes, the bed is comfortable, yes, the food is so good my nonna would be proud, and yes, Olivia hasn’t bothered replacing the cable ties on my wrists. But lying without so much as a book is annoying, to say the least. With nothing but my thoughts, the hours drag, and all I can do is wait for her to descend the stairs again.

I’ve checked in with Luca: everything is running smoothly, and my absence hasn’t been questioned yet. It’s only a matter of time. I can’t speak for long, as although the burner has a freakishly long battery life comparable to a Nokia 3310, I don’t know how long I will be down here.

So, aside from the very quick check-in, I’m left to my own devices.

And when I should be worrying about my business, the employees who work for me, and my own safety from a person who has decidedly acted very out of character, all I can think about is the hurt look on her face when I suggested that perhaps her brother was happy where he was. He didn’t need his sister valiantly riding in to defend or save him. Danny is a man, a man who has made his own decisions and hasn’t made any suggestions to me that he is unhappy with his choices.

And the trouble with my thoughtless comment is that it puts her in a difficult position. She abducted a man for a reason that may not be true. It’s only logical that she wouldbe thinking about her next steps. If I don’t give her Danny, or Danny doesn’t acquiesce, she either lets me go and assumes I’ll come after her, or she kills me. Or tries to kill me. The girl is strong, clearly. But I have at least eighty pounds on her. There’s no way she’s taking me down. Unless, of course, she asks me nicely, like with the chloroform, and then apparently, I’ll just fucking happily do it for her.

The sun has set, and all natural light has left the room, leaving sharp, elongated shadows across the half-renovated basement. I leave the light off, hoping the darkness will help me regain some much-needed sleep I’ve lost over the years. I expect she’ll be down with some more food soon, but after lunch, I can’t be sure.

When I finally hear the faint slide of the dead bolt, I hold my breath in anticipation. But she walks silently down the stairs holding two bowls of what smells like spaghetti bolognese with parmesan cheese on top. My mouth waters and maybe it’s the fact I’ve been alone in this basement all day, but the sight of her fills me with such relief.

“Hey, how are you?”

“Fine.”

Well, at least she’s talking. Kind of. Not sure if mono-syllables count in terms of a conversation.

When she comes closer, I can see how tired she is. The gash on her forehead is angry and molten. Gray shadows rim her eyes. Perhaps the lighting down here has exaggerated her tiredness but my gut says probably not.

She sits on the chair opposite my mattress and begins to eat.

I eat half my bowl before I can’t take the silence any longer.