I WILL MAKE YOU A STAR

Paige sang for Zachary while he stood in awe, mesmerized by her performance. As she sang, she became so immersed that she closed her eyes and continued to pour her heart out.

Zachary walked over to the bed, sat down, and kept his gaze fixed on her. When she finished singing, he exclaimed, "Wow! That was phenomenal."

"Thank you, sir," Paige replied with a smile.

"I'm curious, how did you become such a talented singer? Don't worry, you can share it with me," he added, noticing her hesitation.

Paige sighed and began her story, "Well, my mom was a gifted singer too. When she was young, her dream was to become a pop artist and her voice was perfect.

However, her father, who was a billionaire, wanted her to take over the family business instead since she was his only child. She had to make a difficult choice between her passion and her responsibilities.

Eventually, she took over my grandfather's company: Blanco Industries, but she never gave up singing. She recorded songs for herself but never performed publicly.

After marrying my dad and realizing that the business wasn't her true passion, she put him in charge and pursued singing in her free time. When she had me, she discovered that I also had a sweet voice, and she was thrilled by it.

We used to sing together, and she promised that she would make me a big star someday. She wanted me to live her dream since she never had the chance to do so. However, when I was ten years old, she fell ill and passed away."

Paige's voice trembled with emotion as she continued, "My dad loved me too, or so I thought. But a few weeks after my mom's death, he came home with Beverly, my stepmom. To my shock, he had been cheating on my mom while she was alive, and Beverly's daughter, Candy, turned out to be his child.

When she realized I loved singing, Candy became jealous of me and started singing as well. Her mom pushed her to compete with me, even though she couldn't sing as well as I could.

She always claimed to be better than me. Whenever I received invitations to sing at birthday parties, not for money but for fun, she would make a fuss about it, and I would lose the opportunity.

It became the norm for Candy to always get the best. She set me up so many times, planting my dad's and her mom's belongings among my things to make me appear guilty.

Even when we attended the same high school, she would steal from people around me without my knowledge, and I would be blamed for it. Everyone turned against me, my life became miserable and I lost all my friends. But I always held onto the hope that one day I would become a star and fulfill my dream of becoming a musician."

Paige's voice quivered as she recalled her struggles, "Unfortunately, my dad eventually grew to despise me. When I finished high school, he refused to support my further education, despite it also being my mom's dream for me.

I reminded him of her wishes, and he made a deal with me. He said if I served as a maid during his marriage anniversary, he would enroll me in a music academy to develop my singing skills and boost my career.

I reluctantly agreed, knowing that his wife must have influenced his decision. I endured the humiliation of being called a maid, but I held onto hope. Then, as expected, Candy once again framed me by placing her mom's expensive bracelet worth millions in my pocket. I was falsely accused of theft, and this time my dad kicked me out of the house, warning me never to set foot near it again."

"What? Having experienced something similar, when I learned that you lived with your stepmom, I expected that you must have had some unpleasant experiences. But this is just... what?" Zach couldn't believe his ears.

Paige smiled, "The song...the song my sister was singing earlier on the TV, I wrote it."

"What?"

"Yeah, it is one of the songs I wrote a few years ago. I used to sing it back then, but Candy stole it. I was supposed to go for that audition a week ago, but thanks to her, I ended up not making it. She went, instead with my song, and got a spot to be among the Spark Girls."

"The Spark Girls?" Zach asked.

"Yeah, they've been given the opportunity to showcase their talent. In the end, one or two of them will be picked and made into stars by their agency. That was my dream, but Candy stole it from me." Paige explained.

Zachary smiled, "Wow, that's interesting. And to think that her voice is nothing to write home about. I mean, a lot of people sing like that. It's basic. On the contrary, your voice is unique, I've never heard anyone sing that way."

"Thank you very much, sir," Paige said. "Just hearing you say this alone is amazing. Back then, when I would sing at home, my stepmom would say I was disturbing the peace of the neighborhood, and that my voice was awful, and she would shut me up.

Meanwhile, Candy would always sing, and she would praise her and tell her that she had the best voice in the world."

Zachary scoffed, "I'm going to ask you a question, Paige."

"Go ahead, sir," she replied.

"Do you want to be a star?" Zachary asked.

"Me? Paige thought she hadn't heard him well. "Sir, are you asking me if I want to be a star?"

"Yes," Zachary said. "I can make you a star, Paige. All you need to do is follow my rules."

"What are your rules, sir?" She asked.

"Be obedient, hardworking, and focused. If you agree to these rules, I'll enroll you in the Royal Academy of Music. I will make you a star."

Tears fell from Paige's eyes. She said, "Thank you, thank you very much, sir."

She wanted to go on her knees, but Zachary got up and said, "No, don't do that."

As he stood closer to her. She looked up at him. She was a tall girl, but in front of him, she became short.

With his towering height and commanding presence, Paige couldn't make eye contact with him for long and quickly looked down.

He said, "Those girls you mentioned, I know someone who might have an idea about them. And I also know that their performance is tonight: there's a show where they're supposed to perform."

"That's correct, sir," she replied.

"What do you say? Would you like to perform with them?" He asked.

Paige stared at him in surprise, "Sir, but there are already four in number."

Zachary smiled, "Give me a second."

Taking out his phone, he called someone and said, "There's a girl; someone close to me. I want her to be among the Spark Girls who are performing in tonight's show."

The person on the other end said, "They are already complete, sir."

"I don't care. Either you take one of them out or you add her to the group." Zach said.

"We'll add her to the group, sir," the person replied.

"Good. Her name is Paige, and she has a unique voice. I'll be there as well to grace the occasion."

"You.... You're....co...coming, sir?" the man asked, stammering. He was surprised.

"Of course, I'm coming. When someone who belongs to me will be there, why wouldn't I?"

Paige felt as though everything happening in front of her was a figment of her imagination.

When the call ended, Zach made another call and said, "Jessica, come to my villa right away."

"Your villa?" Jessica worked with the brand that delivered most of the clothes Zach wore.

"I'll be right there, sir," she said.

In the next twenty minutes, Jessica pulled up in front of the villa and hurried inside. It was the first time Zach had personally asked her to come to his Villa.

She met Zach who was sitting across from a flabbergasted Paige.

"Take her shopping and get very good clothes for her, because in the next few weeks, she should be in the spotlight as a pop artist," Zach ordered the moment his eyes fell on Jessica.

"Sure, I'll do that, sir," Jessica replied without hesitation.

Turning to look at Paige, Zach asked, "Are you ready to perform tonight?"

"Tonight? Of course, yes, sir. There are so many songs I've written over the years, and I have them all at my fingertips. I can sing even in my sleep." Paige replied excitedly

Zach laughed. "Well, I love that. Get ready because you'll be performing tonight."