Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
My stomach dropped, and I had no clue what was going on, but I knew it was bad.
Ronnie continued on. “Or, if you trust him, maybe it’s good to have someone with you.”
I looked into Tristan’s light blue eyes. He held my gaze steadily. Finally, I spoke. “I trust him,” I told Ronnie. “I’m putting you on speaker.”
Tristan nodded and came over to stand by me. That meant a lot to me.
Ronnie took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but there was a leak. A scene from the movie was leaked online.”
My first thought was to laugh. What did I care about that? Maybe Aiden would. Maybe he didn’t want any plot twists to get out. But then Ronnie kept going.
“It was the sex scene.”
Tristan’s eyes met mine as shock filtered through me. That was bad… really bad, but in another month, people would be seeing that scene anyway after the premiere of the film. It hadn’t been easy filming it, but at least it hadn’t involved any actual nudity. “What’s the studio have to say about this?”
“I haven’t gotten to the worst part,” she said, and her voice sounded awful. Ronnie was one of the strongest people I knew, mentally and physically, and her tone scared the hell out of me. Reaching out, I touched the back of my hand to Tristan’s. He engulfed my hand in his and squeezed.
“I’m so sorry, Sierra, but it was leaked to someone on the dark web, and they doctored it. They… well, do you know what deepfake technology is? They basically put your head on another model’s body so that it looks like you’re naked—and that you’re really having sex.”
It felt like I’d been punched in the gut. I doubled over as my empty stomach heaved. The phone dropped from my hand.
“Hold on,” Tristan said to Ronnie as he pulled me upright and into his embrace. He held me while my entire body shook, and tears streamed down my face. Finally, he kissed my forehead and then let me go just long enough for him to get the phone. “We’re here.”
“I’m so sorry, Sierra. So very, very sorry.”
“Why doesn’t the studio just put out a statement saying that the sex scene from the movie was leaked and that it’s just acting, not the real deal?” Tristan demanded.
Ronnie hesitated. “Aiden told me they haven’t decide on an official statement yet, but it’s likely they’re just going to ignore it and let it blow over.
“What?” I yelped.
Tristan’s face was red with anger. “Doesn’t this look as bad for Aiden Hunt as it does for Sierra?”
“No,” Ronnie said, her voice trembling. “Sierra, the way they edited it, Aiden’s not in it at all. It’s just you a random man I’ve never seen before. A few shots are from the actual filming, but mostly they just stole your face and your voice and created a whole new video—as if it’s a leaked sex tape.”
If Tristan’s strong arms hadn’t held me steady, I would’ve fallen to the ground. “That’s sick,” he said. “Can’t they stop the video from being circulated?”
“No. It’s already out there. There’s no way to put the cat back into the bag.”
“Shit. I’m so sorry, Sierra.” Tristan held me close as he stroked my hair. Tears streamed down my face and onto the front of his coat.
“I am, too.”
“How bad is it?” Tristan asked her.
“It’s bad,” she said in her quietest tone yet. “Really bad, because it looks real. It looks like you’re doing those things.” She hesitated, and we could hear her use a tissue. “I only watched because Aiden heard about it, and I wanted to see how bad it was, and… I’m so sorry. It’s really, really bad.”
“Don’t tell her that,” Tristan growled.
“I had to,” Ronnie said. “Because it’s spreading across the internet like wildfire. Call your agent. If the studio’s not going to do anything, maybe your agent can help you come up with a plan.” She paused. “Again… I’m really, really sorry.”
I could barely walk after that. Every few steps I fell to my knees in the snow until Tristan picked me up and carried me.
It was like two steps beyond the worst nightmare I’d ever had. Thousands of people, maybe more, were watching me have sex right now. Or at least the thought it was me. But if it was my face and my voice, what did it matter if the body wasn’t mine? Everyone who watched it would think it was. “Put me down,” I told Tristan.
“We’re almost back, sweetheart.”
I squirmed until he reluctantly set me on my feet.
Then I bent over and threw up.
He held my hair, smoothing it away from my face. When there was nothing left to come out, he gave me a handful of snow, and I wiped my mouth off. Then he picked me right back up and carried me back to the cabin.