39. Chapter 39

Jayna gradually woke from a deep, exhausted sleep. The display wall of her cabin shone brightly with an image of the morning sun high above a blanket of fluffy white clouds. What should have been a beautiful, peaceful scene filled her with deep loneliness instead.

She had been so certain that Sid was different, but in the end, he was just like Ward—another entitled, creepy, self-centered topper. Why hadn't she followed her common sense and stayed far away from him?

She turned her slapfone on and was about to call Gabrielle when she was inundated by a barrage of messages. Scowling at the tiny screen, she cast the list to the display wall and scanned through it. There were several from Gabrielle, and she recognized a few other contacts, but most were from complete strangers.

Jayna furrowed her brow. Who were these people, and why were they trying to contact her?

She scanned the list again and felt a sting of disappointment, but it took her a moment to realize why—she had been hoping for a message from Sid.

Jayna scolded herself. She didn't want to hear from him.

Well, maybe she did. But she shouldn't want to hear from him. Falling for Obsidian Hayes had been a mistake, and the sooner she flushed him from her heart, the sooner she could get over him.

Her slapfone buzzed again, and a new message from Gabrielle popped onto the display.

Call me. Now!

Jayna's heart pounded in her chest as concern swirled through her mind.

A still photo of Gabrielle appeared on the display wall as the call connected. Without a greeting, she said, "Kalani? Really?"

Jayna's brow furrowed. "What about Kalani?"

A video feed of Gabrielle replaced her still image, and she appeared as confused as Jayna felt. "Where are you? I thought you said you were flying home."

Jayna realized the entire suite was probably displayed, and it wasn't anything like a typical airline interior. "I am flying home. They upgraded me to this suite. What do you mean, ‘Kalani, really?'"

"What I mean is…" Gabrielle closer eyes and shook her head. "I can't even say it."

Her confusion deepened. "Gabs, please. What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this." Gabrielle's image was replaced by a grainy video. Jayna immediately recognized herself with Kalani outside the Grand Manutai. Text at the bottom of the video claimed it was security footage from the Jubilee Ball.

The two of them were partially obscured by a bush, and with sickening clarity she realized just how scandalous their actions might appear.

"Where did you get this?"

"It's all over the streams. Please tell me it's not what it looks like."

"No!" Jayna said. "We were just talking. You have to believe me."

After a gut-wrenching pause, Gabrielle said, "I believe you," though her tone made it clear she still had questions. "But if you're just talking, why are you in the bushes with your hands all over each other?"

Jayna took a calming breath and then dished everything that had happened at the ball: Sid's obsession with his reputation, Rosalind's bombshell revelation that her matchmaking aggregator was the reason Sid purchased Realms of Neptune, going to Kalani for support, and Emmaline taking responsibility for everything during her surprise appearance at the airport.

Gabrielle stared back from the video wall, slack jawed. After several long seconds, she finally said, "No wonder you pushed him into the fountain."

Before Jayna could explain that Sid had fallen on his own, Gabrielle continued. "You need to make a statement or something. There's an entire corner of the Myst debating whether you're an innocent girl who's been wronged by a wealthy jerk, or a gold-digging climber who badly used an upstanding philanthropist to improve her own position."

Jayna felt a flash of rage. "Is that what he's saying? That I took advantage of him?"

Gabrielle scowled. "No, he hasn't said anything. And that's the problem. Everything is pure speculation, and the story is taking on a life of its own. Which is why you need to say something. Right now."

Jayna knew Gabrielle was right. But she was so confused. "What should I say, Gabs?"

"If it were me, I'd throw him into the void and say everything was his fault."

Jayna shook her head. "I can't do that."

Gabrielle gave her a wry smile. "I didn't think you could. I know you had strong feelings for the man, but you need to figure out where you stand and then make your own statement."

If Jayna were being honest with herself, she still had strong feelings for Sid. And after seeing the security video, she couldn't really blame him for questioning her relationship with Kalani.

A notification popped up in the corner of the display wall. "This is probably the most relevant commentary stream. Watch it and then call me back."

Gabrielle disconnected the call, and Jayna hesitated before pulling up the stream.

To her surprise, the video featured Reggie and Coralie, a pair of virtual commentators Jayna had seen before. It shocked her that there was enough interest in their relationship to dedicate so many AI cycles.

The video started with highlights from the Jubilee Service Say where she and Sid had pulled the chariot with Andrea and her wheelchair. As she watched, she could see the things about Sid that had captured her attention that day: his energy as he sang, his tender, caring interactions with the children, the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't watching.

And those abs…

The people watching and commenting in the Myst saw all these things as well, and the virtual commentators debated the genuineness of the emotion on display.

But Jayna knew, at least for herself, the emotion had been very, very real.

Then Reggie and Coralie discussed their relationship—and breakup—in surprising detail.

Coralie took Sid's perspective, explaining why the breakup had all been Jayna's fault. Reggie, on the other hand, seemed to be taking Jayna's side. As was typical with AI generated content, the longer Jayna watched, the more in-depth the analysis became.

The on-screen commentators focused on the ugly discussion between Jayna and Sid at the Jubilee Ball and analyzed their accusations. Reggie latched onto Jayna's claim that Sid was a creepy stalker. He talked about the tracker in the gemphone and how he'd followed her on the security cameras.

Coralie responded that these were all normal and natural reactions. "The gemphone came with a tracker built in. Obviously, something so valuable and easily lost should be traceable. And, based on the video evidence, he clearly had every right to be suspicious."

Jayna scoffed. Why would Sid have any right to be suspicious?

But then Coralie highlighted the parallels between Jayna and Crystal. "Look, they were both employees of companies purchased by Hayes Corp, and they both cheated on him."

Jayna yelled at the image of Coralie. "I did not cheat on Sid!"

Yet as Coralie replayed the footage of Kalani comforting her, she had to admit that, out of context, the scene appeared rather damning.

Jayna felt sick.

Frustrated, she rewound the stream to the coverage of the Service Day. But the joy she'd felt during the event was gone. That was when she knew her connection to Obsidian had been something special, and now that connection was lost.

Jayna swiped at a tear as it ran down her cheek. She wished she could go back and do the gala all over again. If she had just talked with Sid first, they could have cleared up this whole thing. She had been upset and probably would have accused him in the same way. But he was a patient, understanding person. He would have talked her down. They would have worked it out.

She had made a terrible mistake.

With the clarity of hindsight, she called Gabrielle. "I'm ready to make my statement. Will you help me?"