STITCH

"Oh... my!!!" her jaw dropped in awe.

Marie couldn't help but stare helplessly at the sophisticated mansion that lay elegantly in front of her, own by the renowned model; Berry Montana.

Sitting perfectly on the long driveway was a sprawling Mediterranean-style villa estate, with a red tiled roof and a large fountain in the front courtyard.

"Mama, are we in a dreamland?" Audrey tucked at the neck of her sleeves, eyes fixed on the dreamy meeting venue.

"Umm... seems like"

Instantly welcomed by a chandelier-filled foyer with marble floors and a sweeping staircase the moment they walk in; just as expected.

Every furniture screamed luxury!!!

Right in view was a lush sitting room with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city below.

"Welcome ma'am." A male housekeeper with strong Spanish accent greeted her, smiling courteously.

Marie nodded silently, still dumbfounded.

"Are you Ms. Marie?" his eyes fixed on the tab in his hand.

"Yes please"

"Oh... it appears you are a bit too early" he paused, like he was thinking on what next to say.

"Well, Boss Berry is on a live stream at the moment, you'd have to wait for a short while."

"That's fine"

"Marie gently followed behind him silently as he walked them into the extravagantly furnished living room.

"There," he pointed at one of the golden cushions and briskly walked out of the foyer like he was in a hurry.

From the foyer, Marie could hear the loud echo of Berry's cackling voice sail across the mansion from somewhere in the first floor.

Being a single mum from the west coast of California, Marie who was a professional babysitter hadn't stopped wondering why the renowned model had requested to meet with her; knowing fully that the star wasn't married yet and had no child either, two days ago; her job agent, John had contacted her stating that the star requested to see her without pointing out a specific reason for the request.

"Could this be some kind of publicity stunt, or was there something more sinister at play?" she tried to keep her composure, as her mind raced with multiple questions and possibilities.

"Mama, this payace is so beuyiful" Audrey babbled, wriggling cheerfully in her mother's lap; excitement clearly displayed across her chubby face.

"Of course it is; you can say that again little munchkin," Berry's silky voice announced her elegant entrance.

"Oh... hello ma'am" Marie greeted; startled, she wasn't expecting her just yet.

"Hola hola" Berry extends a handshake at her with a bright smile, revealing her charming dentitions.

Asides being charming, something about her smile made Marie feel uneasy.

"Follow me," Berry ordered as she led the way upstairs into a private living room neatly arranged with lavish velvet couches.

"Get us two glasses of champagne and a glass of fruit juice right away;"

"Yes boss," a female middle-aged housekeeper responded and hurried downstairs.

About a minute later, the middle- aged woman returned with a glass tray containing Berry's order and carefully placed them on the center gold table.

"Now, if you'll excuse us" Berry dismissed the housekeeper.

"Alright, down to business.

"There's a wedding coming up in a few days at the Silver Lawn garden between the influential Field Bail and Kathryn Carlo, are you aware of this?"

"No ma, I am not" Marie replied, honestly.

"Oh my! How can that even be, aren't you on the socials? I mean it's literally trending right now."

"I'm not on the socials"

"Oh, well... I want you to ruin the wedding"

For a moment there, Marie thought she was going to burst into a hilarious laughter but luckily she saved it.

"Sorry?"

"Yea, you heard me just right"

"How?" Marie's confusion was slowly growing into a feeling of disgust.

"So from your profile, you are a single mum and a baby sitter, who would need some extra cash to probably change her status, not so?" Berry's eye glittering with mischief.

"How do you expect me to do this?" this time, Marie's tone was a bit higher than the first.

"Okay... all you have to do is to stir a scene at the wedding just before the exchange of vows by yelling that Field is the Father of your child, and then you run away," throwing her hand up in the air to gesture the task as an easy one.

"And that's it?"

"Absolutely"

"Why would you want to do that?" "Marie couldn't help but stare at her in unbelief, how could someone who looked this innocent and sophisticated have the heart to hatch such devious plans?

"The millionaire happens to be my lover and is getting married to betray me, hence I have to get even," the model lied, rolling her eyes as she gulped in an amount of the champagne.

"Oh... well, I sincerely apologize for your hurt but..."

"There are no buts, I am not begging you to do it; I am paying you heavily," Berry bragged wadding a hefty wrapped envelope in Marie's face.

Now this was raw temptation, Marie had always wanted to give Audrey a better life and this seemed to be just the answer to that prayer.

"So, deal?" her slender soft stretched in front of her towards Marie.

Marie sat frozen, not even a blink.

"This isn't much of a big deal, you know? What's much of a big deal instead is that I have to capacity of ruining your life in split seconds, so it's up to you."

"Is that a threat?"

"Not in any way, it's simply a gentle reminder that I have a few clips of what you'd consider a "tiny little secret" a sly smile spreading across Berry's face.

"What was she talking about?" Marie thought, her mind racing at a million and one scenarios.

"Oh my God!" how did you?" Marie gasped as she remembered something.

"So, deal?"

As Marie slowly walked out of the mansion, cuddling Audrey tightly in her arms; she couldn't help feeling that this was such a huge mistake, this decision had the power to ruin her life and that of her daughter, but the thought of the money that had turned her into a millionaire in split seconds and the fact that Berry had a clip of her secret kept convincing her.

Driving home, she wondered if she'll ever be able to pull through successfully with this. Is she about to become embroiled in a world of danger and deceit? What if she gets caught and arrested during the event.

The day of the wedding was here already, and Marie felt sick to her stomach!!!

She wasn't sure she could go through with the plan, but was sure that she had no other option, deep down she knew she was making such a drastic decision against someone who has supposedly done her no harm.

She had stayed up all night convincing herself on a million and one reasons why she just had to pull through with this.

"Who knew why Berry Montana would go this far to ruin someone else's wedding"; Marie thought to herself as she wheeled into the parking lot.

"You've got this," Marie takes a deep breath and tries to calm her nerves as she stares at her reflection in a mini mirror.

Silver lawn garden was a perfect location to tie the knot, for a moment there; Marie wished it was her wedding day or she was genuinely here for the event, but reverse was the case; she was neither her for any of the wishes.

Safely pulling over in a spot where reversal won't take much of an effort, she unstrapped her seatbelt and reached out for her makeup pouch for a slight makeover.

In few minutes, Marie felt more confident with her brushed up look; she unstrapped Audrey from her baby car seat and stared lovingly into her bright grayish eye; emotions waving through her.

"I'm sorry, I have to make you do this" she said leaving a gentle kiss on Audrey's forehead who giggled in response.

Sending a quick text to Berry to inform her of their arrival at the venue, she slipped out of the car with Audrey in her arms.

The wedding hall in the garden was a grand ballroom, with crystal chandeliers, gilded mirrors, and luxurious red velvet drapes. The lighting was soft and romantic, with candles flickering on the tables. The guests were dressed in their finest, and the air was filled with the sounds of conversation and laughter. The guests were arriving, and the ceremony is about to begin.

"Marie?"

A male voice called from behind.

Turning around, Marie sees a sophisticated looking handsome in his tuxedo; a replicate of the groom's picture Berry sent to her.

"Wait, was this the victim and how did he know her name?" she thought, fighting her facial expression from letting the cat out the bag.

He kept smiling at her, there's a look in his eyes that she can't quite place.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

"I'm here as a guest," Marie says, her voice shaking slightly. "I was invited."

"Really?" Field asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I didn't know you knew the princess."

"I don't," Marie says, and she can feel her heart racing. "I'm just a friend of the family."

"Oh... I see, see you around", he responds and walks away.

"Phew!!! I just hope I haven't gotten us into a mess," she muttered to Audrey who giggled in response to her; obviously ignorant of the situation at hand.

She quietly crept into the hall and sat at the far end, very close to the exit door.

Procession begins and her heart thunders as they make to begin exchanging vows;

"Okay... One. Two, three;" she drew in a very sharp breath.

"Field is the father of my child!!" she abruptly stands up and yells on the top of her voice.

Her heart thundered as she raced out of the hall, headed straight to the parking lot.

"You just did that!" she kept repeating to herself; still in utter disbelief at how everything seemed to have happened.

"Do I deserve an explanation right away?" Kathryn Carlo who was slowly growing red in hurt; her eyes welling up.

"Definitely my princess, I do not know who that woman is; I promise you?"

"How dare you lie to me?" Kathryn slung into a nearby chair; her legs shaking from the announcement she had just heard.

"I swear on anything you want me to swear on, I promise; even if it means taking a paternity test to prove it to you, I'd never do such to you"

"I think he's being honest," Don Carlo chipped in.

"She probably might have been contracted to pull this stunt, this could truly be a set up," Don Carlo continued, uncertain of what he just said; he had always liked Field because of his affluence and his physical appearance and had fought tooth and nail to ensure that he got married to his daughter.

"Exactly what I was going to say" Field added, silently blessing Don for his intervention.

The guests were beginning to mutter angrily under their breath amongst themselves, some looked displeased and were probably going to leave the event in no time, while some sat quietly and kept observing.

Kathryn sat still, wrapping her head around everything that had just happened she loved Field so much notwithstanding that they only dated for a very short while; she couldn't imagine life without field.

"Do you mean you don't trust me?" he took Kathryn's slender hands in his, staring lustfully into her eyes; trying to seduce her with the charm literally every lady fell for.

"Of course, I do; I just..." his charm was working.

"Shhh" I understand, let's get back to where we left off, but I'd have to address the guest's firstly."

"Alright"

"I want to make it clear that what the lady has said is not true," he began, "I am not the father of her child and I have never met her before today." He said, concluding as he ironed out his Tuxedo with his both hands.

The crowd had grown silent now.

He still felt what he felt for Marie the very first day he set his eyes on her; he had never felt so strongly for any other woman in his life, and finding out the fact that they had a baby together even magnified whatever this strange feeling he had for her was.

He was in dire need of the contract he was pursuing in the county's government house and this wedding was going to be a sure gate pass; he couldn't afford to lose this now, at least not now.

***********

After few hours of hiding out in a hotel for fear of being arrested, Marie made plans to escape with Audrey at night, engulfed in a mix of emotions: fear, shame, anger, and regret.

Marie kept feeling that she had made a huge mistake, and there was no room to fix things, all she needed right now was to ensure they both remain out of the reach of this influential families she messed with.

Berry had never felt this nervous in her entire life.

She wished the board meeting could get over and done with already, she kept peeping into her phone for how many minutes were left for the meeting to be over and if she had gotten any text or calls.

The last time she checked, there were no missed calls or text, and it was about 10 minutes more to go for the meeting to be over and now she checked, it was still about 8minutes more to go, but she had a text from Marie reading "Done".

A glint of hope swam through her spine at the sight of the text.

"Finally"; she thought

The meeting was finally over, she dashed off into her office; dialing Marie's number as she walked in... the voice mail kept repeating unable to connect.

"What was wrong" she thought.

She kept pacing up and down the office, finally halting at her desk to catch her breath.

Right now she wished she had been at the wedding to witness the turnout of events herself.

Standing and leaning on her dark wood desk covered with intricate carvings, she boiled with impatience.

She was dressed in a fitted black suit, with a crisp white shirt and a bold red tie. Her shoes were high-heeled and her makeup was flawless. The model looked like she was ready for a photo shoot, but the anger in her eyes was anything but model-like.

Her eyes fixed impatiently on the phone; the clock on the wall kept ticking loudly, seconds felt like hours as she waited for the call that never came. She picked up the phone and dials a number, her hands trembling with rage and impatience.

The caller kept beeping after each ring, she tried another informant's number; no response too.

"What's all this mess?"

The fury in her heart increased rapidly.

"What do I do now?" she thought.

"Right!" she said, clicking her fingers as she picked up one of her phones from the desk.

She books a ride to the venue and is about to head out to the parking lot when the first informant calls her back, a gleam of hope flows through her spine; she concludes its good news and ends the call to cancel the ride, calling back afterwards as she hums maliciously in uncertain joy.

"I'm really sorry ma'am," he said

"Sorry, for what exactly?"

"It's bad news ma"

She sinks into her office chair in utter despair.

"Bad news? It can't be."

"The hired lady acted just as instructed by you but they still managed to put everything back together and concluded with the wedding event".

"How is that even possible?"

"And you guys just sat there watching, why didn't you do anything?"She threw interrogative questions at the informant, her anger fueling up;

"I am really sorry ma, there was absolutely nothing anyone could do about it"

"Don't you even dare"

"Aaaagghh" she groaned, smashing her phone against the wall frame.

Her anger had caught fire and was going to consume her sooner or later.

"Giving up is not an option, Field must be mine" she says; pacing around her office, muttering to herself.

This had never happened to Berry in her life, she was a top model that had men of different races worshipping the earth she walked on but it was something different with field; he made her feel what she had never felt for any other person in the world regardless of the fact that it was just a one night stand.

Field being the millionaire playboy that he is took her as a fling for that night and had no idea that the model had nursed an affection that had gradually grown into a deadly obsession towards him.

She began thinking fast on what next to do; how was she going to achieve ruining Field's marriage and having him all to herself.

Her brain felt like it had stopped working; her head was blank, all she could feel was hurt and rage.

She longed for glasses of whiskey, snatching her car key off her desk she cat walked out the office.

**************

Berry sliced the carrots into neat even pieces; she intended making a bowl of chicken curry soup, this aroused a sense of insomnia in her; during her childhood years; mum would always prepare this for her whenever she was having a bad day and the moment she gulped in a spoon or two she would immediately feel better; it was almost like some kind of ritual or medication, that was when she was still Berry Montana, she didn't know what she had turned into.

She tried to concentrate but her mind was far away from the task at hand, she pondered on how she got to this part of her life where she had become so irritable; this wasn't her, what actually happened?

She had gone from the passionate, alive and purpose driven model she used to be to this.

She remembered the healing get away trip she had embarked on to New York after she broke up with Travis; her previous boyfriend.

She had never felt more alive as she walked through the bustling streets of Manhattan, taking in the towering skyscrapers and the busy people rushing by and around.

The smell of the hot dogs and pretzels, the sounds of the traffic and sirens.... It was such a vibrant place and helped in her healing journey.

Maybe she should just accept defeat and take on such trip again? She thought

Or probably just come up with a better tactic this time.

It felt like the demon in her arose again, stirring up the broth of bitterness within her heart.

She felt the knife slice deep into her freshly pedicure hand, she tossed the knife on the cabinet top with a loud yell and washed her hand, ordering the chef to complete the meal and to call on her home nurse to dress her cut.

The pain in her finger felt like a dark aura to her soul, smoking out another devious idea in her head.

She smiled broadly, forgetting the pain.