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 excitedlyZach laughed. "Well, I love that. Get ready because you'll be performing tonight."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 i
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
Tisha Stewart opened her eyes and realized that she was on a bed. She looked around her and noticed that she was in a hotel room. She got up from the bed but almost fell due to lightheadedness.She sat back down on the bed and tried to recall how she ended up in a hotel room. She looked at her body, she was wearing an extremely short and revealing, red skin-tight gown.She gasped in surprise before getting up from the bed and going to stand before the mirror. The heels she had on were so high that missing a step would surely see her falling on the ground, the makeup on her face was very thick and her hair was styled weirdly, her look was nothing short of a whore. As she stared at her reflection, the events of the day finally came back to her and she recalled how she ended up in the room.She suddenly became afraid and looked around her for a weapon. The only thing she could find was the lamp beside the bed. She inspected it and realized that it could perfectly pass for a weapon.Just
Earlier That DayTisha's hand shivered on her way home. She had just finished her three months internship program yesterday and was already planning to return home when her dad called her to say that his health condition had deteriorated and he needed to see her.Her father was the only family she had left since her mum died when she was little. She wasn't close with her dad's extended family since they never liked her mum.She had studied business management in college at the request of her father who wanted her to take over the reins of his company when she was ready. She had even done her internship in a much bigger company because she wanted to get enough experience to enable her to take her dad's company to greater heights.Although his company was into manufacturing, importation, and exportation of goods, it wasn't at the top. It was just average but Tisha was willing to make it one of the best which was the reason why she put so much effort into learning during her internship p
Spencer looked at his watch and decided that it was time to leave. They weren't able to come to an agreement during the meeting because the terms that were offered were not favorable to his father's company.Just then, a few waiters came into the room and served dinner with some bottles of wine. They were about four men in total with three being from the other company. Spencer had come alone because he was personally in charge of closing this deal and the meeting was held in a high-end resort.Spencer didn't eat much in the morning and was so busy that he skipped his lunch. He was already feeling hungry so when the food was brought to him, he decided to eat. He had not eaten more than half of the food on his plate and had drunk only a glass of wine when Spencer began to feel hot inside. His libido suddenly became high and he wondered why. Contrary to Jack, he was someone who barely had sex because he buried most of his time into his work since he was the one his dad choose to take ov
After Tisha lost consciousness in her father's house and woke up in Mr. Kingston's hotel room, she feared for her innocence. Her virginity was something she wanted to keep until she got married.However, when Spencer pulled her into his room and kissed her, she immediately understood what was happening. With his status, she was aware that Spencer would never pull a random woman into his room and try to have sex with her.He had definitely mistaken her for someone else. Although she had a crush on him, she was scared. Everyone knew he had a fiancee and she had always thought he was a decent man. She never pegged him for a man who picked up prostitutes.She had wanted to tell him about her predicament but after realizing that he was someone who could cheat on his fiancee, she couldn't bring herself to say anything. If he knew that she wasn't the one he was waiting for, he would surely kick her out Of his room.The men of that sleazebag were desperately looking for her and if Spencer wer
Spencer opened his eyes and stretched his body. After a few minutes of disorientation, he recalled the steamy night he had spent with an escort. She was quite sweet as he was sure he had never enjoyed sex so much. Perhaps it was the effects of the drugs. He was certainly going to deal with those men who had set him up. If their company did not close down before the end of the day, then he wasn't Spencer Grant.He saw Tisha's gown on his bed and her shoes on the floor and assumed that she was in the bathroom. He stared at her shoes again and chuckled, "how do they even walk in these?"He recalled how uncomfortable the shoes had made her last night and laughed even more. She had served him well so he was going to give her a good tip. He began to look around for his phone, forgetting that he had tossed it last night.He kept looking around for it and lifted the sheets which Tisha had carefully covered. She had hoped that Spencer would not notice it before leaving because she felt they w
When Tisha walked out of Spencer's hotel room, her heart was beating fast and she felt very much afraid. Although she looked different from how she did last night, there was still a possibility that Kingston's men would be outside and might recognize her.She took the elevator and exited the hotel. The sun had not risen yet and there were very few people outside but there was no sign of Kingston or his men. Tisha breathed a sigh of relief and began walking to where she could take a bus.She didn't know if her dad was actually dead and she had nothing on her. All her belongings were back in her father's house and she couldn't try to get them.She now understood why all the staff in her father's house had been changed. If she wasn't too naive, she would have known that something was amiss and would have quickly called the police.With someone like Kingston backing Lizzy and her mother, even the police would have been bought. Her father had willed all his properties to her, that was what