- 12 hours ago
Faked Betrayal - Hot
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Three years after we broke up, I ran into Xander at the luxury hotel where I worked the front desk.
00:04He checked into the presidential suite with a girlfriend.
00:07That night, he called the front desk three times.
00:09First call.
00:10The sheets need changing.
00:11I sent housekeeping.
00:12Two hours later, he called again.
00:14Same request.
00:15I sent housekeeping again.
00:16At 2 a.m., he called a third time.
00:18I cut him off before he could speak.
00:20I'm sorry, sir.
00:21Housekeeping has clocked out for the night.
00:22Then you come up and do it.
00:24I hung up.
00:25That wasn't my job.
00:26My co-worker leaned over, eyes wide.
00:28Was that the presidential suite again?
00:30Three sheet changes in one night?
00:32Dude's got insane stamina.
00:34What did he say when you told him housekeeping was off?
00:36He told me to go up and do it myself.
00:38Does staying in a presidential suite make him special?
00:41What a disrespectful guy.
00:42Does he think this hotel's his own place?
00:44Treating us front desk staff like round-the-clock personal servants?
00:48Her own phone cut her off mid-sentence.
00:50She cleared her throat and picked up.
00:52Right away, she spoke in a respectful tone.
00:54Yes, manager.
00:55Her eyes flew wide as she snapped her gates to me.
00:56You want Tara to go up to the suite now to change the sheets?
01:02Fifteen minutes later, I stood outside the presidential suite.
01:05My stomach twisted with dread as I pressed the doorbell.
01:08Xander opened the door in a bathrobe.
01:10When he saw it was me, he stepped aside to let me in.
01:12The shower was running in the bathroom.
01:14He led me to the bedroom, then dropped onto the sofa, ignoring me.
01:18He lit a cigarette, exhaled slow.
01:20I pulled back the comforter without looking at him.
01:23The stain on the sheet hit me before I was ready for it.
01:25A dull ache twisted in my heart.
01:27He blew out a ring of smoke, voice loose and satisfied.
01:31Sorry for the trouble.
01:32She's sensitive about these things.
01:34She can't sleep on dirty sheets.
01:35Try to be quick.
01:36She's tired.
01:37Five minutes.
01:38I forced myself to stay calm.
01:40I stripped the bed fast, fitted the clean set, tucked the corners.
01:43Once I finished, I gathered up the used sheets, ready to turn and leave.
01:46He moved.
01:47He stepped in close and boxed me against the edge of the bed.
01:49He closed in on me again.
01:50I stumbled and fell back onto the bed.
01:52Next second, his weight came down and pinned me.
01:54The shower was still running.
01:56I clenched my fists and grabbed the bed frame, trying to stand.
01:58Yet I was no match for his strength.
02:00I frowned and pushed his chest.
02:02Your girlfriend will get the wrong idea.
02:04Let me up.
02:05His breath smelled like whiskey.
02:06Three years, and I still don't get it.
02:09Why him, Tara?
02:11Why did you cheat on me with him?
02:14The shower shut off abruptly.
02:15He still didn't budge.
02:17Panicked, I bit down hard on his arm.
02:19His grip loosened.
02:20I shoved him off at once, grabbed the sheets, and fled.
02:23The door clicked shut behind me.
02:24Through it, faint and soft, I heard her voice.
02:27Baby, if you call house-neeping one more time,
02:30I'll be too embarrassed to show my face tomorrow.
02:32I didn't catch his answer.
02:34I walked down the empty hallway and let my heart beat slow on its own.
02:37I'd imagined running into him again, many versions of it.
02:39But I never imagined this.
02:41Three years, and he still hated me this much.
02:44I think I would have preferred never seeing him at all.
02:47I got back to the front desk.
02:49My co-worker leaned into gossip.
02:50Do you know who that guy in the suite is?
02:53I just looked him up online.
02:54He's the heir to the Harjory family.
02:55Can you imagine?
02:56I was too tired to engage.
02:58She kept going anyway.
02:58Snooping on guest information isn't allowed.
03:01I can't help being curious, okay?
03:03I searched randomly online.
03:04And it's all about the Hargrove family's billion-dollar inheritance worth three years ago.
03:08This young Mr. Tunley got super sick at the critical moment.
03:11He had a girlfriend back then.
03:12His first love.
03:13Total gold digger, though.
03:14He was still lying in the ICU, and she hooked up with another guy right after.
03:19She must be kicking herself now,
03:21letting the Mrs. Hargway title slip right through her fingers.
03:23Her voice was a steady hum in my ear.
03:25Oh, and I haven't told you the juiciest part.
03:27Do you know who she cheated with?
03:29I know.
03:30You know that?
03:31Did you read the news, too?
03:32I'm his first love.
03:34The one who cheated on him.
03:36Meeting Xander was the strangest accident of my life.
03:39I'd kicked a creep in the groin for harassing a woman on the street,
03:42then marched him to the police station myself.
03:45Xander followed the whole way, looking entertained.
03:47He was leaning against the police station entrance when I came out.
03:50He asked for my phone number.
03:52We kept running into each other after that.
03:53The day he told me he liked me, I asked him why.
03:56You kicked a guy in the groin and then personally escorted him to the cops?
03:59I was done for.
04:01That was so like him.
04:03Always deflecting with a joke.
04:05We were together a long time.
04:06He bought an apartment near campus.
04:08We lived the ordinary, comfortable life that couples do.
04:11Later, I was on a video call with my grandma.
04:13He overheard her say she'd lost her teeth and struggled to eat.
04:17The very next day, he took my grandma to get a full set of new dentures.
04:20It was nearly $30,000.
04:22He hadn't blinked when he signed.
04:24Don't worry about the cost.
04:26I'll cover it.
04:27What if we break up someday?
04:29Don't ask my grandmother to give the teeth back.
04:31Back then, I knew he was rich.
04:33But I had no idea how wealthy he truly was.
04:36One day, I mumbled to him that my school scholarship was delayed.
04:40Starting that very day, the Hargrove Foundation scholarship process had been streamlined.
04:44I finally learned he was the heir to the Hargrove family.
04:49Then his father died.
04:51The Hargrove family's inheritance battle caused a huge stir back then.
04:55Xander was his father's only legitimate son.
04:57He had several illegitimate children outside wedlock.
05:00At the height of the inheritance feud, Xander collapsed.
05:04Acute kidney failure.
05:06I see you for almost two weeks.
05:08Two rounds of dialysis.
05:09His kidneys didn't recover.
05:11The doctors recommended a transplant.
05:12I went to every one of his half-siblings.
05:15Not one of them agreed.
05:16Of course they didn't.
05:17With Xander out of the picture, they each got a bigger share.
05:20They needed him gone, so they'd never lift a finger to help.
05:23I was lost and adrift back then with no way out.
05:26As if he'd sensed what was coming.
05:28Xander had his lawyer transfer all his assets to me.
05:32He lay in the hospital bed, his pale hand brushing my face gently.
05:35He wiped away my overflowing tears, patiently.
05:40Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me.
05:42I have no regrets.
05:45Yet to everyone's shock, no sooner had I accepted all his gifts than I fell into another man's arms.
05:52I betrayed him and that man was his father's favorite illegitimate son.
05:59Xander's friends cursed me out on sight.
06:01A girl from some nobody family like hers never got any real feelings.
06:04Xander's on his last legs.
06:05She immediately lashed onto the illegitimate son with the best shot at taking over the Hardwork family.
06:09What a schemer.
06:10Damn it, I've truly seen it all.
06:12Xander asked to see me.
06:14When I walked in, he looked worse than before.
06:17They're saying you're with him.
06:18I don't believe it.
06:19I want you to tell me yourself.
06:21It's a misunderstanding.
06:22Right?
06:22I pulled my hand back and looked at him with cold eyes.
06:26Xander, I don't love you anymore.
06:28Once a proud young man, he looked utterly stripped of all his pride then.
06:33Tara, don't leave me.
06:35Just wait a little longer.
06:37I'll get the inheritance for you.
06:38I'll fight tooth and nail.
06:40I watched him fall apart and didn't move.
06:43One of his friends finally stepped in.
06:46Pulled him back, shoved me toward the door.
06:49Get out.
06:49Take your new man and stay gone.
06:51If Zandler doesn't make it, you won't either.
06:54Remember that.
06:55I finished my night shift at 8 in the morning.
06:58I'd barely slept 4 hours after getting home.
06:59Then my co-worker called, telling me to head to the hotel right away.
07:02The guest in the presidential suite was missing valuables.
07:04I got up and went.
07:05In the hotel meeting room, Xander was on the sofa.
07:08His girlfriend leaned half in his arms.
07:09The manager stood aside, forcing a nervous smile.
07:12The girlfriend had found her earrings missing that morning.
07:14$3 million earrings, a birthday gift from Xander.
07:17Only two people had entered their room the night before.
07:19Me and the housekeeper.
07:20The housekeeper had already been questioned, but nothing was found.
07:23The girlfriend pointed at me.
07:24I want to search you.
07:27My eyes went to Xander.
07:28I never strayed from his sight last night.
07:30How could I have stolen the earrings right under his nose?
07:32But he made no attempt to defend me.
07:33Just sat there, legs crossed, watching with cold indifference.
07:36The manager stepped over and whispered to me.
07:38This guest isn't someone we can afford to upset.
07:40I held my bag tighter and kept my chin up.
07:42If you suspect I stole it, call the police.
07:45You have no right to search me privately.
07:47His girlfriend shot to her feet, her tone sharp and aggressive.
07:50Those earrings cost over $3 million.
07:53He just gave them to me for my birthday.
07:54As she spoke, she walked over and grabbed my wrist.
07:57I thought you acted sketchy last night.
07:58The second I stepped out of the bathroom, I saw you bolt off in a hurry.
08:01Why run like that if you've got nothing to hide?
08:03As I tried to break free, a crystal moon ornament slipped out from the hem of my clothes.
08:06It fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
08:08Xander's gaze dropped to it.
08:10Something shifted in his face.
08:11His Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
08:12That's enough.
08:13Stop.
08:14I'll get you something new tomorrow.
08:17Xander sent the manager and his girlfriend out.
08:19The room went quiet.
08:21Just us.
08:21During the struggle, a shard of crystal had caught my shin.
08:23A thin line of blood was already beating up.
08:25I crouched down and started gathering my things.
08:27His shoes stopped a foot in front of me and didn't move.
08:30His voice came from above, cold as always.
08:32Has he never spoiled you with anything decent?
08:33He still got his cut of the family assets back then after all.
08:36And you still keep something your ex gave you?
08:38We're long broken up.
08:39Save your petty jabs.
08:40No wonder you're reduced to working a job like this.
08:41Shame.
08:42If you just kept up your little act a while longer,
08:44you wouldn't have backed the wrong man and ended up with that dead weight.
08:47I couldn't bear to listen any longer and turned to Lee.
08:49But he yanked me back and pinned me against the wall.
08:51He gripped my chin, tilting my face up to force me to meet his gaze.
08:54Dark, stormy emotions swirled deep in his eyes.
08:57He looked at the cut on my shin.
08:59After a long moment, he turned his head away.
09:02Come on.
09:03My car's outside.
09:04There's a first aid kit.
09:07It was a nothing cut.
09:08I got in his car anyway.
09:09I don't know why.
09:09Maybe I craved the rare softness in his voice for a split second.
09:12In the passenger seat, I said,
09:14I didn't take her earrings.
09:15He didn't respond.
09:16He simply opened his briefcase and rummaged through it.
09:18He found a box of band-aids and tossed them to me.
09:20Handle it yourself.
09:22Something else fell out when he closed the case.
09:24A lucky coin.
09:25Small and old and slightly worn.
09:27We found it at a roadside market during our trip.
09:29A vendor swore it would bring good luck.
09:30I'd pressed it into his hand in the hospital and told him it would bring him home.
09:34This thing really did save my life.
09:35He leaned down and put it back in the case without looking at me.
09:38But who could have guessed?
09:39You're the one who prayed for this charm, and you're also the one who betrayed me.
09:42My nails pressed into my palm.
09:44So many things were right there in my throat.
09:46I swallowed every one of them.
09:49The car slowed near my building.
09:50I saw the figure standing at my door before we pulled up.
09:53Cole.
09:54I looked at Xander.
09:55He'd already seen.
09:56His hands tightened on the wheel.
09:57Knuckles white.
09:58He hit the brakes hard, right in front of Cole.
10:00My body jolted forward.
10:01Cole watched us from the sidewalk.
10:03His brow pulled in slightly.
10:04Xander's voice came out flat.
10:06Do you always stay tangled up with all your exes like this?
10:09I ignored his question and unbuckled my seatbelt.
10:11Thanks for driving me back.
10:14He locked the door.
10:15A mocking smile tugged sharper at his lips.
10:18Come to think of it, I never asked.
10:20Didn't he even give you any breakup money?
10:21Or did he think you weren't good enough to be worth it?
10:24Rage flared inside me.
10:25I raised my hand to slap him without thinking.
10:27Cole's face dropped at once.
10:28He crossed the sidewalk fast and knocked on the window.
10:31Xander flexed his jaw.
10:32His eyes dark.
10:33I said, get the fuck out.
10:35I got out.
10:36The window came down.
10:37The coin flew out and landed at my feet.
10:39The car was gone before I could react.
10:41I crouched down and picked it up.
10:42I brushed the dust off with my thumb.
10:44Tell him the truth, Tara.
10:47I don't mind if he comes after me.
10:49You don't have to keep protecting me.
10:51This was always mine to carry.
10:53It's over.
10:54What happened between us is over.
10:57The next evening, my manager texted me a location.
11:00Said there was a staff dinner.
11:02I felt suspicious, but I went anyway.
11:07To my surprise, the private room was full of Xander's friends.
11:10Xander sat at the head of the table.
11:14Tara, right?
11:15Your manager says you lost Xander's three million valuables.
11:18We brought you here to apologize to him on behalf of everyone.
11:21I knew him, the owner of our hotel.
11:23I had no way to leave.
11:25They sat me next to Xander.
11:29I poured myself a shot and drank it before anyone could say another word.
11:34One drink doesn't cover three million.
11:37Tell you what.
11:38One drink, one hundred thousand.
11:41Xander glanced at me, said nothing.
11:43Then, make it three hundred a glass, switch to vodka.
11:47That night, glass after glass of liquor burned down my throat.
11:50It felt as if it would burn a hole straight through my heart.
11:53If you still want her, just say the word.
11:55I'll have someone take her upstairs.
11:58Coal's cast off.
11:59Why would I ever want her?
12:02Fair enough.
12:04Room key's yours anyway if you change your mind.
12:10I don't know how long I was out.
12:11In the dream, I drifted back to the days when we were madly in love.
12:14Back then, he hated seeing me suffer from bad menstrual cramps.
12:17He took me to see a specialist to help ease my pain.
12:19The bitter herbal tonic they prescribed was absolutely awful.
12:22Every time I choked it down with a cringing face,
12:25he'd immediately slip a sweet fruit candy into my mouth.
12:28I'd whine and vow I'd never take it again.
12:30He'd pull me into his lap,
12:34kiss me before I could complain,
12:36mint between us both.
12:49Then the dream shifted.
12:51The bed dipped.
12:52He wasn't gentle anymore.
12:53His kiss grew harsher, more brutal,
12:55like he meant to devour me whole.
12:56Everything felt terrifyingly real.
12:58So real I could barely breathe.
13:00Half asleep, I heard myself say,
13:01Xander, easy.
13:04Next second, I forced my eyes open.
13:07We stared at each other.
13:08Neither of us moved,
13:09likely the alcohol coursing through my veins.
13:12I never betrayed you back then.
13:15Then tell me,
13:17why were you with him?
13:18My lips parted, about to speak.
13:20Suddenly, my phone on the nightstand rang.
13:22We both glanced over at the caller ID.
13:23It was cold.
13:24My head cleared in an instant.
13:26I pushed myself up.
13:27He shoved me back down.
13:29Talk, Tara.
13:30Finish what you were going to say.
13:32His eyes searched mine.
13:33I have nothing left to say.
13:35He laughed.
13:36Something in his eyes went wet.
13:38He calls once and you can't wait to run back?
13:41That's how much you want him?
13:44What does he even have that makes you leave me behind?
13:46God, I was damn crazy to think you ever had a hidden reason!
13:53How can you be so ungrateful?
13:56Julian's giving you a chance.
13:58If I were you,
13:59I'd be so thankful.
14:01If you don't play,
14:03it just means you don't really love him.
14:05Julian's eyes flashed with rage.
14:07He shoved me hard,
14:08spoke through clenched teeth.
14:10Put her in!
14:11Security threw me into the cage.
14:13Python saw me,
14:14treated me like prey.
14:15Its body tense.
14:16It slithered toward me,
14:17tongue flicking.
14:18I tried to dodge,
14:19but the snake wrapped around my leg.
14:21Julian, please!
14:23Let me out!
14:24I'm pregnant!
14:24My scream was piercing,
14:26but the crowd was too loud.
14:28No one could hear me.
14:29Julian frowned slightly,
14:30tried to make out what I was saying,
14:32but Bella hooked her arms around his neck,
14:34whispered in his ear.
14:35Julian, she looks like she's having so much fun.
14:38I want to play too.
14:39Let's go backstage.
14:41Julian's throat bobbed.
14:42Without hesitation,
14:43he scooped Bella up,
14:44carried her toward the back.
14:45I had been bitten multiple times.
14:47The python coiled tighter around my body,
14:49started to squeeze.
14:51I couldn't break free.
14:52I was suffocated.
14:53My face turned purple.
14:54Finally, I let out a blood-curdling scream.
14:56The audience realized something was wrong.
14:59Oh my god, the snake's gone feral!
15:00That woman's bleeding!
15:01Call an ambulance!
15:05Cole's car was at the hotel entrance.
15:07He came to me the second I walked out.
15:08What happened?
15:09Did you drink a lot?
15:11I didn't answer.
15:12He didn't push.
15:13We drove through the dark.
15:14I watched the city move past the window.
15:18Let's go home, Cole.
15:21Let's leave in a few days.
15:22These three years,
15:24he'd been beside me through all of it.
15:25When we were abroad,
15:26he'd told me once
15:27that he'd liked me for years.
15:28A glimpse of me freshman year.
15:30That was all it took.
15:31He never stopped.
15:32But my heart was full of Xander.
15:33Every corner of it.
15:34I'd said no, gently.
15:35He'd stayed anyway as a friend
15:37and never mentioned it again.
15:38Okay.
15:39I'll book the flights tonight.
15:41At home, I went straight to the bathroom.
15:43Turned on the shower.
15:44Undressed.
15:45I caught my reflection in the mirror.
15:47A scar ran across my abdomen.
15:48Ugly.
15:49Permanent.
15:50It was from the kidney donation surgery
15:52all those years ago.
15:54That year,
15:55Xander refused to let me get tested
15:56for a kidney match.
15:58If my survival meant
15:59taking one of my kidneys,
16:01I would rather die.
16:03I begged every one of his siblings for help.
16:06Only Cole agreed to get tested.
16:08Yet his results also came back incompatible.
16:11I secretly went to another hospital
16:13to get screened behind Xander.
16:15Good news.
16:15I was the only match.
16:16Bad news.
16:17I had stage 2 hypertension.
16:18My body was in no condition
16:19to handle a kidney transplant.
16:21The doctor said the risks were severe.
16:23Possible complications
16:23for the rest of my life.
16:25But I didn't care about any of that back then.
16:27I had the surgery done
16:28at another hospital
16:29all behind Xander's back.
16:31I asked Cole to help me stage the whole lie.
16:33No one knew the truth except him.
16:34And after the operation,
16:35I'd need lifelong strict medical monitoring.
16:37To be safe,
16:38Cole got me in with top overseas doctors
16:40and sent me abroad to recover.
16:41Three years of checkups.
16:42Three years of watching numbers.
16:44Three months ago,
16:44my kidney function started dropping.
16:46The doctors recommended another surgery.
16:47High risk, they said.
16:49We walked out of that appointment
16:50and Cole asked...
16:50Is there anything you want to do first?
16:52I stood on that foreign street
16:54and cried out loud.
16:57Cole, I want to see him one more time.
16:59This might be the end.
17:00Then let me see your face one more time.
17:03Mr. Hargrave,
17:04Mr. Cole is here to see you.
17:06Xander hadn't expected Cole
17:07to show up at his office.
17:08He had no love for his father,
17:09even less for the scattered,
17:10illegitimate children
17:11his father had left behind.
17:13Even so,
17:14he agreed to Cole.
17:15Some combination of spite
17:16and something he couldn't name.
17:17He'd expected a fight.
17:19Instead,
17:20Cole set a folder on his desk.
17:21Have you ever asked yourself
17:21why a compatible kidney
17:22showed up so fast?
17:23Did you really think
17:24you were just lucky?
17:27Xander's eye twitched.
17:28He opened the folder.
17:29The second the patient's name
17:30caught his eye,
17:31he froze completely.
17:32All color drained from his face
17:34in an instant.
17:35It was Tara's surgical record.
17:36It was a kidney transplant
17:37dated three years ago,
17:38the very same day
17:39he'd had his own transplant.
17:42Cole watched him go pale
17:43and kept his voice even.
17:44We went to the same high school.
17:46I liked her since freshman year.
17:49I confessed to her
17:50back in college,
17:50but she said she already
17:51had a boyfriend.
17:52I never guessed it was you.
17:54When we met again,
17:55she came to me to ask
17:55if I'd get tested.
17:57That was the first time
17:58she found out who I was,
17:59that I was your half-brother.
18:01That rumor was all a lie.
18:03She got tested behind your back
18:04from the very start.
18:05The two of us only put on an act.
18:07Xander lunged both hands
18:08in Cole's collar.
18:09Why did you let her do it?
18:10Why didn't you just
18:11take her away from all of this?
18:13I tried.
18:14I told her to walk away.
18:16I was selfish enough
18:17to push for it.
18:19But she insisted on
18:20donating her kidney to you.
18:22She said she couldn't bear
18:23to watch you die.
18:24She asked me to help her fool you.
18:26What was I supposed to do?
18:27Every word landed
18:28like it had weight.
18:29The rest came out slowly.
18:30Her surgery is scheduled
18:31for next Monday.
18:32I asked if there was anything
18:33she wanted to do before.
18:35She said she wanted
18:36to come home and see you.
18:39Were you the one
18:40who put her in that hotel?
18:41I was.
18:43I know you've kept
18:43a long-term suite there.
18:45It was the only spot
18:45to make you two run
18:46into each other by accident
18:47without letting things
18:48get too far.
18:49Xander closed his eyes.
18:50His hands shook.
18:51Coffee spilled across his slacks.
18:53The folder crumpled
18:54in his fist.
18:54What had she been thinking
18:55coming back?
18:57And how had I hurt her
18:59over and over again?
19:00It hit him all at once.
19:02Everything he'd said.
19:03Everything he'd done.
19:04Every memory turned sharp,
19:05cutting straight
19:06through his heart.
19:07He folded onto the sofa
19:08and broke down completely.
19:10He finally understood
19:11that kidney he'd gotten
19:12so easily.
19:13It had come with the cruelest,
19:15most devastating price
19:15hidden in the dark.
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