“Are you okay? What is it?”
“Oh God, I don’t even know what to say—”
“Just take your time. I’m right here,” Charlie said, trying to sound calm. He could hear the terror in her voice.
“Michael just sent me a video. It’s of the two of us.”
“What kind of video?”
“He texted it to me. It’s a video of us…having sex.”
Charlie almost jumped out of his chair. “What? Where?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t look too hard. The minute I saw your face, I just freaked out.”
“Send it to me right now!”
“Um, is it safe to text it to you?”
“Fuck if I know. Send it via WhatsApp. I think that’s supposed to be more secure.”
“Okay, hold on.” Astrid found the video clip and forwarded it to Charlie. He went silent for a few interminable minutes, and she knew he had to be scrutinizing it. Finally, his voice came back on, sounding preternaturally calm.
“Michael just sent this to you?”
“Yes. We were in the middle of a texting argument. Over Cassian, of course. Charlie, is it really us?”
“It is.” Charlie sounded grim.
“Where was it taken? How—”
“It’s taken right here in my bedroom in Hong Kong.”
“So it must have been taken within the last year. Because I didn’t start sleeping over at your place until three months after my formal separation with Michael.”
Charlie suddenly groaned. “Fuck, I could still be under surveillance right now! Let me get outta here and call you back.”
Astrid paced her bedroom, waiting for Charlie to call her back. She felt herself suddenly becoming paranoid. Michael used to be a high-level security expert for the Ministry of Defense. Had he somehow managed to plant a hidden camera in this bedroom too? Grabbing her phone, she fled her bedroom and went downstairs into her courtyard sitting room. Maybe being in a tranquil space would calm her down. As she sank into the sleek white sofa, it occurred to her that the whole house could be bugged. She didn’t feel safe here anymore. She slipped on her sandals and walked out of the house. It was midnight, and a few of the nearby outdoor cafés on Emerald Hill Road were still buzzing with people chatting away and having drinks. She began strolling up the street when Charlie called again.
“Charlie! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m downstairs now, talking from my car. Sorry it took so long. I just needed to get my security team on the case. They are doing a full sweep of the flat now.”
“Did you wake Chloe and Delphine?”
“They are both at a sleepover party tonight.”
“Thank God they’re out of the house.”
“What the fuck is Michael trying to pull? Does he realize how illegal this is?” Charlie fumed.
“He’s been in a black mood all weekend, ever since the funeral when my father’s bodyguards tried to stop him from sitting in the family row. He wants his full settlement—$5 billion—or he’s threatening to leak this video. He’s sure I’ll lose custody of Cassian, and he knows that’s the last thing I want.”
“I can’t believe the fucker is trying to use his own son as a bargaining chip!”
“What should we do, Charlie? I think my house is bugged now.”
“I’ll fly my security team down to Singapore tomorrow and they will take care of it. We’ll get to the bottom of this. You should go home. You’ll be fine. Even if your house is bugged, at least we know who’s watching. It’s not some gang of thieves trying to rob you or anything.”