When Anthony Explodes on Amber for Secretly Plotting with Wayne: ‘Y’all Think I’m Stupid?!’ 😠

 When Anthony Explodes on Amber for Secretly Plotting with Wayne: ‘Y’all Think I’m Stupid?!’ 😠

[INT. AMBER’S LIVING ROOM – EVENING]

Amber is sitting on the couch, laptop open, papers spread out — invoices, business plans, and branding sketches. She looks focused but a little anxious. She’s working fast, trying to finish something before Anthony gets home.

Suddenly the front door opens. Anthony walks in with a tense expression. He’s clearly been holding something in. His eyes scan the table, the laptop, the papers. His face tightens.

ANTHONY:
(low and tense)
So this what we doin’ now?

AMBER:
(startled)
What? What you talkin’ about?

ANTHONY:
(walking closer, jaw clenched)
Don’t play dumb, Amber. I saw the flyer. “Wayne & Amber's Pop-Up Boutique — Grand Opening Soon.”
You gon’ explain that?

AMBER:
(sighs, trying to stay calm)
Anthony… I was gonna tell you. I was just trying to get everything lined up first.

ANTHONY:
(mocking tone)
“Tell me”?
No, what you was gon’ do was keep sneakin’ behind my back until it was too late for me to say anything!
Wayne?! Of all people, you teamin’ up with Wayne?

AMBER:
(firmly)
Yes, Wayne. Because he got the connections, he got the foot traffic, and most importantly — he believed in my idea.

ANTHONY:
(laughs bitterly)
Believed in it? Girl, you sound like you in love with the man.

AMBER:
(defensive)
Oh don’t even go there, Anthony. This is business! Something you ain’t never supported me in without question.

ANTHONY:
(voice rising)
You serious right now?! I BEEN here! I done stayed up late helping you sketch logos, I gave you money when your account was overdrawn, I risked for you! And the moment Wayne steps in with a smooth voice and a little charm, you ready to switch sides?

AMBER:
(standing up)
It’s not sides! It’s strategy! You think I’m plotting against you — like I’m your enemy — when all I’m trying to do is build something for myself. For us even!

ANTHONY:
(pointing to her chest)
Nah. Don’t say “us” when you makin’ moves in secret.
(steps back, hurt building in his voice)
I trusted you, Amber. I defended you when folks said you was just out here for attention. I told everybody, “She different.”
But now... now I’m out here lookin’ stupid.

AMBER:
(softly)
You’re not stupid, Anthony.

ANTHONY:
(cuts her off, voice cracking slightly)
Then why y’all treatin’ me like I am?

(a long pause. Both are breathing heavy. The tension hangs like a thick cloud between them.)

AMBER:
(finally)
Look… I was wrong for not telling you upfront.
But Wayne came to me with a real opportunity. He saw potential, he moved fast, and I didn’t wanna lose it waiting for you to say, “Let me think about it.”

ANTHONY:
(hurt)
You didn’t even give me a chance. That’s what hurts the most. You didn’t trust me enough to say, “Anthony, I wanna do this with Wayne — what do you think?”

AMBER:
(tears forming)
Because every time I bring something new, you second-guess me.
Every time I get excited, you start poking holes in it. I needed someone who just said yes — who said “Let’s go.”

ANTHONY:
(shaking his head)
So now Wayne your “yes man”? What else y’all saying yes to, huh?

AMBER:
(angrily)
Now you sound childish.

ANTHONY:
(snaps)
Nah, I sound like a man who just realized he been getting played in surround sound!

AMBER:
(loudly)
You haven’t been played! If anything, I been holding you down through your mess, your moods, your doubts — and now I do one thing without your approval and I’m a traitor?

ANTHONY:
(sarcastic)
This ain’t just one thing. It’s a whole business! A whole launch with flyers, logos, IG posts — and you think I wouldn’t find out?

AMBER:
(quietly)
I didn’t want to fight.

ANTHONY:
Well congratulations. You got one anyway.

(They both fall silent. The air is hot with emotion. The love is there, but so is the pain.)

ANTHONY:
(voice softer, but stern)
I don’t care about Wayne. I don’t care about his little business empire or his fake support.
What I care about is you... and you makin’ moves like I’m not even in the picture.

AMBER:
(sits down, wiping her eyes)
I’m tired of feeling like I gotta choose between your pride and my future.

ANTHONY:
(sits across from her)
And I’m tired of feelin’ like I’m the last to know what’s going on in the life of the woman I love.

(beat.)

ANTHONY:
(calmer)
I ain’t sayin’ I gotta control everything. But I wanna be included. I wanna be the first call, not the last clue.

AMBER:
(nods slowly)
You right.
And I’m sorry. I should’ve told you.
But I need to be able to grow without feeling like I’m disrespecting you.

ANTHONY:
And I need to feel like I ain’t being replaced by the first dude with a little money and a business pitch.

(They stare at each other. A long silence, not of anger — but realization.)

AMBER:
So what now?

ANTHONY:
That’s on you, Amber.
You gonna be Wayne’s business partner... or my partner in life?

AMBER:
(after a long pause)
Maybe I can be both. But not without trust — on both sides.

ANTHONY:
(softly)
Then let’s rebuild that.
But from now on — no more secrets.
We build together, or we fall apart. Ain’t no in between.

(Amber nods. They both exhale, finally, as if letting go of the storm between them.)

---

[FADE OUT]

End Scene.