SARA’s JEALOUSY SPARKS
Anna’s POV
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“You think you’re better than me because you sing instead of dance?”
Her words sliced straight through me like broken glass.
I was sitting on the edge of my tiny mattress, wiping off the last touch of lipstick with a crumpled tissue.
My hands were still shaking.
I kept remembering the way the billionaire gazed at me on stage like I was something he might own.
And how his aide requested I meet him, like I was some commodity to be delivered.
The door slammed shut, making me jump.
Sara stood there, arms crossed, eyes full of wrath.
“Sara,” I muttered, my voice dry and exhausted.
“Please don’t do this tonight. I’m worn out.”
Her crimson lips curled into a cruel grin. “Worn out from what?
Singing your charming little melody as guys gazed at you like you were some innocent prize to unwrap?”
I winced. “I didn’t want that. You know I just did it for Ferdinand. I needed the money.”
“Oh, please,” she yelled, striding across the room in her sneakers.
“Don’t pretend you’re better than me just because you used your voice instead of your body.”
“I’ve never thought that. Never,” I said quickly, heart pounding.
“Liar!” she yelled. “Every time you look at me with those sad little eyes, I feel it. Like you pity me.
Like you’re thinking, ‘Poor Sara, she needs to sell herself to survive.’ Isn’t that what passes through your head?”
Tears flooded my eyes. “No. I think you’re strong. You’re courageous. I’ve always appreciated that about you.”
For a time, her eyes softened under the wavering light. But it passed swiftly.
Her rage snapped back in place like a mask.
“Don’t try to twist things with your pity,” she screamed. “I saw how he looked at you tonight.”
Alexander Oreos. “Do you even know what type of man he is?”
I swallowed hard, terror swelling in my chest. “I don’t care who he is. I simply want him to leave me alone.”
Sara gave out a gloomy laugh. “Leave you alone? Sweetheart, guys like him don’t leave females like you alone. Ever.”
My whole body turned chilly. “What are you saying?”
She moved to the broken mirror, adjusting her hair like we weren’t even talking. “His assistant called me after you ran off. He wants to see you again.”
I froze. “What? Why?”
She smirked at her reflection. “Why do you think so? It’s not your music he’s after. Men like him, they only care about one thing.”
Tears rushed down my cheeks. “Did you tell him where I live?”
“No,” she murmured, turning back to me, her eyes dark and impenetrable. “And I won’t. You’re not ready for someone like him.”
Relief flooded through me. “Thank you, Sara.”
“Don’t thank me,” she responded harshly. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for me.”
I gazed at her. “What do you mean?”
She leaned against the wall, arms folded again. “I’ve been chasing him for years. Before he went to the U.S., I flung myself at him every time I had. He never once looked at me. But tonight? He couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
I shook my head. “That doesn’t mean anything. He doesn’t even know me.”
“That’s why he wants you,” she snapped. “You’re new. Pure. Untouched. Men like that seek what they can’t have.”
I rose up, hugging my coat tight to my breast. “Please, Sara. I don’t want any of this. I simply want to take care of Ferdinand and live quietly. That’s all I want.”
She tilted her head and peered at me for a long minute. Then she laughed low and harshly.
“You’re pathetic, Anna. You assume if you keep quiet and lovely, the world will protect you. But it won’t. Especially not from men like Alexander Oreos.”
My gaze slid toward the bedroom as I heard Ferdinand’s faint cough.
“I don’t care what Alexander wants,” I muttered, wiping my face. “I’m not for sale.”
Behind me, I felt Sara’s glare. Something in her gaze shifted something darker, colder.
The next morning, I went up early to give Ferdinand his medicine. My body hurt from sleeping curled up, and my throat still burned from sobbing.
I heard gentle chatting from the living room.
When I glanced under the curtain, I saw Sara on the phone, speaking quietly but plainly.
“Yes, Mr. Oreos,” she said. “I can bring her to you. But you’ll need to make it worth my while.”
I couldn’t breathe.
I jerked back, gripping my chest as her voice resonated in my ears.
“I’ll handle her. Just tell me when and where.”
A tear slid down my face as I backed away.
Sara was no longer merely jealous.
She was dangerous.