Bethany hangs up the phone, smirks, and whispers to Shayla: “It’s done. Everyone’s coming to Wayne’s party… including the one person who can burn it all down.”
Midnight. A brand-new, unknown number pings both Amber’s and Anthony’s phones at the exact same second.
INT. DALTON LIVING ROOM – LATE NIGHT
The lamp is low. ANTHONY and AMBER are tangled on the couch, half-laughing, half-arguing like always.
ANTHONY (grinning, poking) Be honest, baby… when Shayilicon sees Wayne with Tamara at that party, she gon’ burn up. You know she still got that soft spot.
AMBER (arching a brow, smirking) Soft spot? Boy please. The only person burning up in this city is YOU every time Iman posts a gym selfie with Shayla. Don’t play crazy now.
The smile dies on Anthony’s face. The air flips.
ANTHONY (cold) So that’s how we doin’ it?
AMBER (light laugh, but it’s sharp) You opened the door, boo. I just walked through.
Anthony stands up fast, grabs his keys from the table.
ANTHONY Aight. Bet. I’m out.
AMBER (confused, sitting up) Anthony—wait, it was a joke!
The front door slams before she finishes the sentence.
CUT TO:
INT. BETHANY’S KITCHEN – SAME NIGHT
BETHANY pours two glasses of wine like she’s pouring medicine. SHAYLA sits across from her, eyes tired but calculating.
SHAYLA He bought me a whole house, Beth. A whole damn house I didn’t even ask for. Then gets mad when Iman carries in one box. Delicia still texting him at 3 a.m. talking about “co-parenting schedules.” I’m exhausted.
BETHANY (sipping slow, eyes gleaming) Exhaustion is just strategy in the wrong hands, babe.
SHAYLA Meaning?
BETHANY (leans in) You got three problems: Anthony, Amber, and Iman. I got three headaches: Larry, Brooke running to Sharra every five minutes, and Sharra thinking she’s the new mama bear. (smirks) What if we fix both our boards… with one chess move?
SHAYLA (eyebrow raised) Keep talking.
BETHANY Wayne’s birthday party. Everybody gon’ be there. Exes, baby mamas, new girlfriends, side eyes, the whole circus. We don’t fight in the chaos. We direct it.
SHAYLA (leaning closer) How?
BETHANY First, I get Sharra to bring Brooke to the party—makes Larry sweat, reminds him what running looks like. Second, you make sure Iman shows up looking like new money and old loyalty. Anthony sees that, he panics, starts over-correcting. Amber sees him panic, she gets insecure. Third… we let Tamara do what Tamaras do—be sweet, innocent, and accidentally perfect. Wayne falls harder. Amber watches her “ex” upgrade in real time. By the end of the night, Anthony begging you to take the house keys back, Amber begging him to act right, Larry begging me to stop playing God, and Brooke begging Sharra to bring her home.
SHAYLA (slow smile spreading) You are literally the devil in Louboutins.
BETHANY And you about to be my favorite disciple. One party. Six puppets. Two queens pulling every string.
They clink glasses.
SHAYLA (soft, dangerous) And when the dust settles?
BETHANY You’ll be sitting in that big empty house… deciding which one of them gets to keep you. And I’ll be sitting in mine… with everybody exactly where I want them.
A beat. The kind of silence that comes right before war.
SHAYLA (whispers) Wayne’s party is in twelve days.
BETHANY Then we got twelve days to make sure nobody leaves the same.
She slides her phone across the table. A group chat already titled “Operation Crown Control.”
BETHANY Invite sent. Sharra just accepted. Your move, Queen Shay.
Shayla taps “Join” without blinking.
CLOSE ON: Two wine glasses touching again— but this time it sounds like the starting gun of a very quiet, very expensive war.
Twelve days. One party. Six lives about to get rearranged… whether they asked for it or not.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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