Rich People Problems-Kwan 2017 (WWT)

A few seconds later, the download was complete, and Astrid tapped on the icon before
she could stop herself. It was a thirty-second video clip, a grainy, night-vision shot, and as
Astrid squinted at the glowing screen in the dark, she could make out the figure of a
naked girl with her back to the camera, straddling a man lying on a bed. The couple was
unmistakably in the midst of sex, and as the woman’s body thrust and swayed, her head
shifted for a moment, and Astrid could clearly recognize that the man on the bed was
Charlie. It was only at that moment that she realized, in absolute horror, that she was the
girl in the video.
Astrid gasped out loud and dropped her phone as if it had burned her hands.
“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!” she whispered to herself before picking up the phone and
attempting to dial Charlie’s number. Her trembling fingers somehow couldn’t swipe to
the correct menu on her phone, and instead made the video play again. Finally, she got to
her contacts screen and hit CW1, his private mobile.
After several rings, Charlie picked up. “Baby, I was just thinking about you.”
“Oh God Charlie—”
“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