Chapter 1

The Nightmare

Luisa's POV

"You never listen to me" Christina yelled, her voice echoing off the water and her face etched with anger. "You always think you're right."

I stood by the poolside, the dim light staring down at my skin as I stared at my beloved sister's angry face.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" She continued, her tone harsh and unrestrained. "You're one of the most sought-after TV personalities and models in the entertainment industry. Tell me what's stopping you from helping me climb the ranks. I can move up easily with you as my sister."

It seemed my silence tipped her off. A mix of guilt and regret surged through my body, but my decision was final.

"I'm sorry, Christina, but if you want to make it in the entertainment industry, you'll have to work for it yourself; just like I did" I declared, taking a step towards her. "Let's not fight over this."

I tried to reach out to her, but she swatted my hands away and took several steps backward.

"You're lying, Luisa" She spat, her eyes blazing with anger. "I'm pretty sure you slept your way through. No one believes you don't have a backer. Everyone talks about how you mingle with those directors at the peak of the industry."

"That's not true" I protested, feeling a pang of hurt and frustration. "You were there when I had to go without sleep for days to perfect my fluency and steps. Don't pretend like you know nothing about the sacrifices I made for the both of us."

"Ugh... I'm done listening to your excuses. You can go to hell for all I care" Christina scoffed and turned away, she walked towards the pool edge and made to turn again, but something crazy happened - she lost her balance and fell into the pool.

I watched in horror, my body frozen, as I watched my sister struggle to stay afloat. How stupid I was to have forgotten that she couldn't swim.

I ran towards the pool and grabbed her hands. "Hold on, Christina. Don't let go."

"I hate you!!" She cursed, and instantly, her fingers slipped and she fell deeper into the pool.

"Nooooo!!!!" I screamed, my voice cracked with terror. But it was too late; Christina was gone forever.

My eyes snapped open, my chest heaved as I gasped for air. I was drenched in cold sweat, and the bedsheets were wrapped around my legs.

"No, not again" I growled in frustration.

It was that terrible nightmare again. The death of my sister kept hunting me over and over again, every time I closed my eyes to sleep. It worsened to the extent that I had to find comfort in valium to cure my insomnia.

I swung the sheets off my legs, jumped out of bed, and rushed to the switch on the wall. Switching on the light, I let out a deep sigh of relief. Yes, I was claustrophobic. How the lights got turned off, I couldn't explain.

I buried my face in my palm, wondering why that terrible nightmare kept coming back despite the numerous therapy classes I had to attend.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I rushed to grab it from my bedside table and opened the screen.

"Shit!" I cursed, seeing the name of my manager displayed on it.

"Get your butt down here right now" it read.

Glancing at the table clock, I finally realized I was already late for work. I was getting an earful.

Casting my problems aside, I freshened up hastily and chose my work outfit; a pair of blue jeans, a white turtle neck, and black boots. I chose a pair of sunglasses to match and went ahead to put on my makeup.

What baffled me was how my dark circles kept getting detected, even after the makeup.

"Hmm... Get yourself together, girl" I encouraged myself and stepped out of the room.

Soon, I got to the garage where my car was parked and hit the road. I drove at a high speed, almost breaking the traffic rule. Thankfully, I got to my workstation without getting stopped by a cop or a road marshal.

The Spotlight Desk.

That was the exact name inscribed on the towering structure gazing down on me. With a deep sigh, I walked into the building and as usual, acted oblivious to everyone around me.

"She's such a snub" I heard someone say.

Yeah. I won't disagree with her. I was a total snub. I withdrew completely from the social circle when my sister died, and only communicated with people on work-related matters.

I passed through the elevator and arrived in front of my manager's office. I knocked lightly and got the answer right on time. The door creaked open and I walked in. The middle-aged man was sitting behind his desk with his piercing gaze lingering on me.

"Good morning, Mr. Torres" I greeted meekly, keeping my gaze to the ground.

"What's good about the morning, Miss. Fernanda? You're late!" He snapped. "I want those glasses off."

I took them off immediately to avoid another boring hour of his lecture on how arrogant I had become.

"Another nightmare, huh?" He asked with a low voice.

My dark circles ratted me out for the umpteenth time.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Mr. Torres was the one who helped me hide my sister's death from the public. Why? Because the CCTV footage of the incident made it look like I had killed her myself. We both had our careers to protect, so we saw that as the best solution.

"Yes," I muttered, my voice barely audible.

"When last did you attend the therapy class I recommended for you?" He probed.

"Three weeks ago" I replied guiltily. "It wasn't helping, so I stopped."

Mr. Torres sighed. "It's alright. Well, I have a celebrity I wanted you to interview, but I think you'll have to sit this one out. Go home and rest, or you can go visit that fiancé of yours."

My heart leaped for joy the moment I heard those last words. I decided to go see him instead of going straight home.

"I can't believe you proposed to him yourself" Mr. Torres grumbled. "What tips me off the most is you spending your entire savings on that trip to the Maldives you traveled on last month? That money could have gotten you a villa in Lake View."

"Well, it's love, Mr. Torres" I snorted, turning to leave. "You should find love too, and stop pestering those in relationships."

"You!" He yelled, but I had already walked out of his office. Soon, I hit the road.

My next stop was my fiancé's office.