The sun was rising early, casting long shadows across the driveway where Marcus put his overnight bag into his gleaming black automobile. Aria watched him at her kitchen window, her coffee turning cold, as he moved cautiously.
Marcus was going on a work trip.
She kissed him goodbye and nodded like a loving wife. She was happy to be alone for a while. She picked up her secure phone as soon as she couldn't see his car anymore.
"Mr. Blackwood," she told Adrian on the first call, "Marcus departed for his business trip. We have three days."
"Good timing," Adrian replied, as if he had already come up with a plan. "I've been monitoring the funds coming in and out of Stones Enterprises. The Peterson deal is tapping into funds Marcus shouldn't be tapping into."
"Meaning?"
"He's proceeding with your family's resources illegally without consent. We can initiate legal actions while gathering further evidence of his illicit operations."
They continued like that for twenty minutes. Adrian began thinking of ways to sabotage Marcus's business plans as Aria sat at home. It was easy to work together because two intelligent people were attempting to achieve the same thing.
"Mrs. Chen-Stones," Adrian said as he was about to hang up, "take care; people who are in trouble do not always make good decisions."
"I am aware of the risks," Aria told him. "But Marcus isn't the only person planning."
The doorbell rang two hours later, letting Aria know that Bella was there. When Aria opened the door, she saw her so-called best friend holding a very expensive bottle of wine and smiling, the same smile that had once seemed so friendly.
"Surprise!" Bella shouted and hugged Aria tightly. "I got your text and figured you would be upset that Marcus was leaving, so I brought something fun."
She raised the wine—a Bordeaux worth more than the average person's month's earnings. "And lots of girly gossip for me to dish. We both deserve some time just for girls."
They were seated on the living room, where all that was happening was recorded by Aria's cameras. Subtle curtains allowed sunlight to enter from outside, creating an atmosphere that would feel real were it not for Aria's insider knowledge.
"So," Bella continued as she filled large glasses of wine, "I have to discuss my love life with you. You will not believe the men I have been with lately."
Bella kept Aria occupied for an hour regaling her with tales from her love life—expensive dinners with boring business executives, weekend getaways with men who were already married, and either disappointment or hilarity. The more she drank, the more vivid and dramatic her tales were.
"So then," Bella laughed and sipped her drink, her face flushed from drinking and laughing, "he had the temerity to suggest sharing the bill after he ordered the most expensive champagne on the menu. Can you believe him?"
Aria smiled at appropriate moments while considering how alcohol encouraged Bella to talk more. The costly wine was proving very effective.
"How are you?" she asked, pouring their glasses, her fingers shaking slightly. "Do you work all day? Is marriage fun, or is it not?"
"Marcus needs to rest," Aria said tactfully. "Sometimes I feel his businesses receive more attention than me."
"That's a waste," said Bella, her words muddled due to the wine and revealing more than she intended to. "A woman like you shouldn't be ignored."
"I believe all successful men have priorities," Aria replied contemplatively.
"Some men are more skilled at juggling priorities than others," Bella replied, her eyes gleaming with something not at all nice.
Her tales were getting muddled by the fourth glass of wine, and she was stumbling. The expensive drink was doing its work.
"I think I should rest," Aria yawned, stretching a great deal. "The wine is making me drowsy. I can sleep for a little while? You can also sleep on this sofa."
"Alright," Bella replied, sinking deeper into the cushions. "I'll just close my eyes for a little bit."
Aria returned to her room to feign sleep but was actually watching her security video on her cellphone. Bella sat on the sofa, eyes shut and sleeping because she was intoxicated.
Twenty minutes passed before Bella's phone rang. She was drowsy from wine and picked up the receiver without looking at who was calling.
"Hello?" she murmured, her words thick with alcohol and sleep.
"Sweetheart, it's me," Marcus's voice was clear since Bella had activated the speaker. "How is your afternoon with Aria?"
Bella's attitude transformed altogether, her wine-induced lethargy replaced with warmness. "Marcus! I miss you already. The house is very empty without you."
"I miss you too," Marcus whispered, his tone low and husky, making Aria's skin prickle. "Is Aria there?"
"She's sleeping in her room," said Bella, gazing down the hallway. "The poor thing was so tired. All that wine probably didn't help."
"I'm glad. I wanted to hear you speak without us pretending to be just friends."
Bella laughed low and with genuine amusement. "I don't like pretending, Marcus. When are we going to stop pretending?"
"Next week, my dear. Dr. Vex informed me that everything is set for next week. Then, we can come out of hiding."
Aria just stood there like an icicle, realizing they were discussing when she would be murdered as casually as individuals plan a trip.
"I'm really looking forward to it," Bella whispered. "Thinking about you and me, openly together, without disguise and pretending to care about..."
"About Aria." Marcus finished.
"She's very innocent, Marcus. At times, I feel guilty about how effortless all of this was."
Marcus said firmly, "Don't worry about it. She has been spending her dad's money without doing anything useful in return. We are only moving assets around to people who can use them."
"That sounds almost good when you say it that way," Bella said with a hint of dark humor.
"What's ours is real, Bella. My time with Aria was simple. But I think you understand me better than anyone else does."
Bella said with all her heart, "I love you, Marcus. I loved you since the first time I saw you at that fundraising event. Seeing you marry her hurt a lot."
"I love you, too," Marcus replied. "Next week will be upon us soon, and we will be together as much as possible. The deal with Peterson and financing through Chen's holdings will see to that."
"Promise me we'll travel together," said Bella, her voice sorrowful. "Paris, Rome, and everywhere we discussed."
"I swear, my love. Within a month, we can be whoever we choose to be."
The talk ended on a good note, but it made Aria sick. Her recording equipment caught everything—clear proof of their secret plan, their affair, and their plan to kill.
Aria looked out of her bedroom and saw Bella, who was happily lying on the couch in the living room. Everyone would know about Bella and Marcus because she was drunk.
The wine did its function. What Aria couldn't understand was that before she was reborn, it took them three years to murder her but now it wasn't even up to a year and they have planned with the doctor who will kill her already.
As Bella slept once more, Aria began transferring the recorded conversation to secure servers. The proof was potent, unequivocal, and entirely authentic.
Marcus and Bella had just sealed their own fate with a single phone call.