For Paige, everything seemed to be happening so fast. Just this morning, she was being called a thief and kicked out of her house. And now, she was going to be performing on a show tonight.
She pinched herself to be sure she wasn't dreaming, and Jessica, who was staring at her, smiled, "Come on, let's go change your wardrobe.""Thank you very much, Sir," Paige said, wiping the joyous tears which had formed in her eyes."Don't worry about that. Just get ready to perform." Zach said.As Paige walked out, Zach stared at her, recalling his old days. His story seemed similar to hers as he had also been given a chance by someone he never expected.While they went shopping, Jessica asked Paige, "Are you related to Mr. Zach? I mean, he did say you're someone who belonged to him."Paige didn't know Jessica's relationship with Zach, so she didn't want to speak too much. She only said, "He's just helping me.""Come on, Mr. Zach doesn't help people just like that. I mean, everyone knows who he is. He doesn't even like people in his space, neither does he let them get close to him.And yet, he called for you to be taken shopping. Tell me the truth. I've had a crush on him for years, and I don't know how to get close to him. Please, you have to help me, Paige." Jessica revealed her feelings to Paige.Paige stared at her in surprise. "I do not have the kind of relationship where I can recommend or try to pair you with Mr. Zach. He might get upset and kick me out of his house."Jessica sighed, "And here I thought he had a soft spot in his heart. Alright, come on, let's get you your clothes."After shopping, Jessica brought Paige back, and she got dressed in one of the outfits."Zach also called a stylist, who came and fixed her hair and wore her makeup.Afterward, she got into Zach's car, and this time, he drove her to the venue of the show.Before they came out of the car, he said, "Look at the time. It's just a few minutes past eight and look at the date. Today is the day your career begins. I want you to start from the bottom and rise to the top so that you can value whatever you achieve in this life."Paige nodded, "Okay, sir.""Good, and also know that you'll face a lot of obstacles on your path. But if you're determined and focused, you will be successful. And as you pass the audition tonight, I will search for a good agency for you and make sure you get a manager when the time is right. Do you understand?""I understand." She replied."Alright now, you can enter through the backstage. Once they see your face, they'll lead you in. I've already spoken to the right people.""Thank you very much, sir," Paige said once again. "I promise I won't fail you.""I prefer actions to words. You can go now." Paige stepped out of the car and took deep breaths as she made her way to the backstage. Just as Zach had said, the moment she arrived, a man approached her."Come with me, I'll take you to the dressing room," he said.She followed him into a room, where she saw different girls busy with their makeup.He said to her, "Your dress has been arranged. You'll all be wearing the same type of dress but in different colors. Blend in with the girls and agree on what to do. When it's time and you hear the Spark Girls being called, come out, okay?"Paige nodded and took a seat. As she sat down, she overheard the girls murmuring. She turned around and finally spotted her sister, Candy. Candy couldn't believe her eyes."Paige, what are you doing here? Who brought this thief here? Who let her into this room?" Candy exclaimed, wanting to drag Paige out.One of the girls interjected, "Be careful with her. Didn't you see who brought her in? Haven't you noticed that our dresses are now five?""What? But we were originally meant to be four," Candy replied, shocked.Another girl rolled her eyes and said, "Beats my imagination. I don't know where she crawled out from."Candy stared at Paige, her body heaving with anger. She couldn't understand how Paige, who had been kicked out of the house in the morning, ended up there. She had struggled hard in the audition that brought her among these girls, even stealing Paige's song. She had put in her best effort. How could Paige now be here with her?"No, I cannot let her outshine me," Candy said to herself.Seeing that all the other girls were busy, Paige decided to go into the toilet and rehearse. Since everything had happened quickly, she wanted to make sure she didn't disappoint Zach. She believed he would be watching from his car. So she stayed in the toilet, rehearsing her lines.Meanwhile, Candy looked around and saw that the other girls were engrossed in their tasks. The dresses they were given were short, sleeveless gowns with cross lines at the back.Paige's dress was black, while Candy's was white. She noticed Paige's name attached to the gown and walked closer tocandy took a razor, and cut a small part of it. Then she returned to her seat and pretended as though nothing had happened.When it was thirty minutes to the performance time, the man who had brought Paige in knocked on the door and said, "Come on, girls, get ready. It's almost time."One of the girls knocked on the door, and Paige quickly emerged. She had already done her makeup and hair, so all she needed to do was change her clothes. She took off the jeans and top she was wearing, revealing a bra top, and underwear. She swiftly put on the black jeans without noticing that the rope at the back of the gown was almost loose.Afterward, they were called, and they all went out. Each of them grabbed a microphone from the backstage staff who were assigned to them. In no time, they were all standing in front of a crowd. Paige's heart began to beat fast. This was her first time standing in front of such a large audience. She had sung many times before, but it was always in the comfort of her home, either with her mom back then or in front of her mirror. There were so many people cheering for them. They all stood together, each wearing a different color. One girl wore white, another blue, another green, Candy wore red, and Paige wore black.According to the arrangement, they would each sing a different verse, with all of them taking one song.They were to sing until the last verse. They would then start from the beginning. This way, they would be able to determine the top two among them.Paige had no doubt that she would be among the best, especially since Zach had told her she had an amazing voice. She was placed at the end, and they were going to sing one after the other. She could even hear some people in the crowd asking, "When did the Spark Girls become five? I thought they were four. What happened? What happened?" As she waited for the event to begin, she spotted Zach in the crowd, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. She hadn't expected him to show up. His arms were folded, and he seemed to be hiding, but his gaze was fixed on her. Her heart started racing, as she didn't want to disappoint him no matter what.The first girl began singing, and Candy stood close by. The crowd fell silent, captivated by the melodious voice. After she finished her verse, the next person took their turn.Eventually, it was Paige's time to sing. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Candy placed her hand on Paige's back and pulled the already-cut rope.The gown came loose, and Paige's heart skipped a beat as it almost slipped off her body.Shocked, Paige immediately let go of the microphone which rolled on the ground, and clutched her gown, holding it tightly to her body. A part of her bra top was exposed, causing the entire crowd to gasp.She started hearing murmurs and comments like, "What's happening?""It's a wardrobe malfunction!" "Come on, sing!""She's a loser."She stood there, staring at the crowd, feeling frozen and hoping that the ground would swallow her up.She had no idea what to do. The girl at the beginning began to sing to fill the time, as they had a limited timeframe.Meanwhile, Paige's gaze remained fixed on Mr. Zachary as tears began to stream down her face.Paige stared at the people in the audience, observing the different expressions on their faces. Some felt pity for her, some laughed at her, while others booed and gestured with their thumbs down. As tears streamed down her face, the other girls continued to sing, and no one waited for her. After Candy; the fourth person, finished singing, the first girl resumed. Paige's microphone had already been rolled away from where she stood. Unable to bear the shame any longer, she turned around and ran away from the stage. Candy smiled, feeling victorious, and said inwardly, "Now let me see how you will be among the top two."Paige did not stop running until she reached outside. Fearing that people might notice her and start pointing fingers at her, she searched for a quiet and hidden spot, finding solace leaning on a pillar. She covered her face with her hands and continued to cry, recalling how she had assured Mr. Zachary that she would not fail him. She felt even more disappointed in her
Isabella wore a long face as she watched her friends and boyfriend dance to the loud music. Today, she had graduated from the London Imperial College as the valedictorian. Her parents were not even present to listen to her public address.The excuse her mother gave was that her father's business was crumbling and so they couldn't fly from Panama. "You are twenty-one, put on your big girl shoes and make us proud" her mother had said. She wished they realized how much their presence meant to her.She had given way to tears during her valedictory address when she noticed that her friends all had families who came to celebrate with them. She had felt so alone. "Come on Isa", her boyfriend said as he dragged her to the dance floor. "Don't tell me you are still sulking because your parents couldn't make it to your graduation. You need to get over it. It's time to party."Isabella smiled and blended in with her friends at the club. "Let me at least do it for steve," she told herself. After da
Isabella ran into Mato Hospital with her luggage. She quickly inquired about her father's ward and went inside. She had already promised herself en route to the hospital that, she was going to be strong for her family and won't cry in front of them.However, when she saw her father lying lifelessly on the hospital bed and her mother, sitting dejectedly by his side with a tear-streaked face, she couldn't bear it. Her once graceful parents now looked like peasants. She ran out of the room and wept bitterly.After crying for a while, Isabella went back into the hospital room. Her mum, who had not noticed her earlier on, finally saw her and hugged her sorrowfully. "It's okay mum," Isabella comforted. "Everything is going to be okay."She sat by her father's bedside and said; "don't worry dad, I graduated with summa cum laude, the highest honors in my college. I was also the best basketball player so I was quite popular. A lot of hospitals and companies are already waiting to employ me, so
When Isabella went out of the hospital, she saw a bench on the other side of the road, opposite the hospital. She sat on the bench sadly while feeling sorry for herself. Her life had changed in a matter of days. She didn't even get to say goodbye to steve and she probably never will. Isabella did not realize when tears began dropping from her eyes.An elderly lady who was passing by, saw Isabella crying and came to sit beside her on the bench. "Why are you crying my dear?" When Isabella looked at her, she realized she had been crying in a public place and quickly wiped her eyes. "Thank you very much for your concern" she replied, "but please don't worry about me.""It's fine my dear, the woman said. Go ahead and share your grievances with me, I'm sure you will feel a lot better." "No, I won't feel better" Isabella said. "I am very sad, I feel this tightness in my chest which I cannot explain and from here on, my life is only going to change for the worse. I feel like the weight of th
Isabella signed the contract which had been duplicated into two copies by Angelo. She handed one copy over to her father's lawyer and gave the other copy back to Angelo.After signing the contract Angelo told Isabella, "it is done. All that is left now is for us to sign the marriage papers and all your father's properties, everything he has lost, will be returned back to him."Isabella went into the marriage court with Angelo and they both signed the marriage papers. "This is it" Angelo said after signing the documents. "We are now officially man and wife"Angelo took out his phone and made a phone call after which he told Isabella that her father had gotten back everything he lost. Isabella found it difficult to believe that everything had been returned to her family so quickly."Let's go home" Angelo told Isabella. However, she said, "I need to confirm the information you just gave me right now and I need to go back to the hospital to check on my father and get my luggage.""That wi
Angelo Flores sat in his office waiting for a phone call. He played with his phone and swung it back and forth as he had a mischievous smile on his face. His phone finally rang and he immediately answered the call, asking, "yes, what is the update?"the person on the other end of the phone said, "well, she broke the window and jumped out of the house and she said you should go to hell."Angelo laughed and said, "oh really? is that so? well, I will send her there first." Isabella didn't disappoint him at all, he thought to himself."Nothing short of what I would expect from a spoilt princess," he said happily. He neatened his suit, got up from his chair and left his office.Isabella stopped a cab and asked the driver to take her to Mato Hospital. She felt her time would be better spent by her father's side. On her way to the hospital, she once more thought about steve and wondered if he had gotten over his anger. She decided to call him but, after bringing out his number on her phone,
Isabella came out of the room feeling very self conscious. The heels were so high that walking was more or less a chore. When Angelo saw her, he smiled and said "perfect. You look so beautiful my lovely wife."Isabella ignored the mockery in his voice as she just wanted to get this night over with. As she waited for Angelo to pay the make up artist, she fidgeted with her phone anxiously. When the lady had gone, Angelo snatched the phone from Isabella's hands while saying, "you won't be needing this tonight princess".He took the phone into her room and threw it on the bed before escorting her out. Acting like a gentleman, he opened the door of the car for Isabella and let her into the passenger seat, while he took hold of the wheels and drove off.On their way to the club, Isabella kept looking at him, wondering what exactly he wanted to do to her. Was he planning to have sex with her at the club? She cringed at the thought and hoped that it wasn't anything of that nature.When they f
Isabella struggled to control her anger which was slowly rising. Angelo had described her as a whore in her presence. As if that was not bad enough, he was pimping her out on a silver platter to this wanton stranger.Isabella was so angry that her eyes stung from the tears she tried to inhibit. She made a promise to herself that she would pay Angelo back, even if it was the last thing she did.The man whom Angelo had offered Isabella to, could not believe his ears. He expressed his appreciation by thanking Angelo and showering him with praises. The more he stared at Isabella's fair skin and beautiful face, the more he was enthralled. "I'm going to enjoy you so much baby," he said as he walked much closer to her and grabbed her butt cheeks.Isabella smashed one of the bottles she was holding on the man's head, drawing blood immediately. As Angelo stood up to interfere, she threw the other bottle at him. He instinctively protected his face with his arm. The bottle shattered on his arm a