Page 15 of My Ruthless Opponent

Of course, what I am going to do won’t do that but it would at least ruin her day.

And for now, I can live with that.

I hit send and go to bed with a shit-eating grin.

I can’t wait for tomorrow.

Chapter Four

Ihave heard and read that money is not everything. That it can’t buy happiness. But what they don’t tell you is that everything in this world requires money. Nothing is free. Not even kindness sometimes.

From the moment you are born, money is involved. In the form of hospital bills. And the moment you bid goodbye to this world by succumbing to death, money is required for your funeral.

In both instances, you are not the one bearing the expenses. Your loved ones or your family is.

They say money can never buy you peace. But I call bullshit.

In my opinion, people who claim such shit never struggled for it. Because life is a game. And money is our immunity. Without it, you can never survive.

I understood the real value of money when I was left in ashes. I shake my head. I am not going to think about it.

I glance at the wall clock and watch how it never stops. How it keeps going.

I try to draw the strength and motivate myself to keep going.

With a towel wrapped around my middle, I exit the bathroom and enter my bedroom. I stop in front of my closet. I select a black short suit set.

I apply makeup before discarding the towel. I go with the electric orchid lipstick to finish the look.

I quickly pull on the clothes. I chose a white blouse to go with the black shorts so I decide on small hoop earrings and a faux silver necklace.

Shrugging on the black jacket, I get my faux Chanel bag before leaving.

It took a while for me to stop burning up with embarrassment every time I left the house with the fake Chanel bag around. I was not always like this.

I never thought I could ever obsess about looking perfect at my work.

I guess I started using clothes and accessories as armor to hide the reality of my life.

My one-bedroom apartment is a five-minute drive from the paramount studios.

My office is in Hollywood. It is mere 1.7 miles away from my place and yet nobody has ever visited me.

I get along with my team members. They are loyal to me and I know deep down they know I am not all in with them when it comes to friendship.

I had to set boundaries. To protect my family and my past.

I fear that once they know who I really am they would never look at me like they do now. With respect.

This life of secrecy has resulted in loneliness.

But being left alone has its perks. When you want to let your tears out, you don’t have to worry about hiding them.

I do that often times than I would like to admit.

When things get hard and I am tired of acting strong… tired ofacting, I let go and submit to tears. Because after all, loneliness is a choice. Ichoseto be seclusive.

I’ve had my fair share of one-night stands. Like a fool, I thought sex could fill the void inside my chest. That physical intimacy would make me any less lonely. It doesn’t.

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