When Jessica returned to Pearl Hotel after Michael rejected the food she had bought for him and Robert, she heard laughter as she pulled out her room card from her bag. The laughter sounded almost like that of a hyena, causing Jessica to look around in confusion. Just as she was about to flee, a young woman wearing a printed black and white dress with black espadrilles emerged from her hiding spot, head lowered.
'I'm starving,' the young woman's pleasant voice rang out.
Jessica looked up and took a deep breath as she recognised the face before her. 'Sharon, how could you scare the hell out of me? I nearly peed in my pants.'
Sharon chuckled. 'You nearly did, but you managed to hold it in.'
Rolling her eyes at Sharon's remark, Jessica set the bags down and started to open the door.
'You bought so much food,' Sharon observed, seeing the several bags containing delicious meals.
'I bought them for Michael, but as usual, he turned me down,' Jessica replied coldly, picking up the bags and heading inside. Sharon offered to help with some of the bags, and together they entered the room.
'Jess, how much longer are you going to torment yourself? I've already told you to forget about him. Why do you keep hurting yourself over and over again, unless you intend to live the rest of your life in misery? Is that what you want?' Sharon questioned, her voice filled with concern.
Jessica's fist tightened around one of the bags she was carrying. She took a deep breath before turning to face Sharon. 'I won't give up on Michael. I love him... I love him so much that I can't help but dwell on him. I love him so much that I foolishly keep holding on... I love him so much that I left Sharton Hotel for Pearl Hotel just to be close to him, even though he threw me out... I left Abuja and abandoned everything in my schedule just to be near him,' tears welled up in her eyes. 'I won't give up now.'
Sharon remained silent, unsure of how to console her friend. After a moment, she spoke in a low voice, 'If possible, I hope you won't hurt yourself for him.'
Jessica wanted to respond, but she found herself swallowing the words she had intended to say. She placed the bags on a table. 'I will never forgive Chioma for snatching Michael away from me,' Jessica uttered coldly.
'What about Nathan? Have you ever considered him?' Sharon enquired.
'I love Michael. He's the man of my dreams,' Jessica replied, heading towards the bathroom to remove her makeup.
'Is he worthy of you?' Sharon asked, following Jessica into the bathroom. 'Yes, he may be every woman's dream, but do you really need to ruin your life for someone who despises you?'
'I don't care!' Jessica exclaimed.
'You don't care about the humiliation you endure from him?' Sharon glanced at Jessica's sleek black Dior mini dress and matching pumps, then looked up at her face adorned with makeup. She knew that Jessica had dressed up for Michael, but unfortunately, he seemed not to notice her efforts. 'Jess, you put yourself together for him, but it only ends up making you feel worthless. You wear luxury brands to impress him, but he sees you as ordinary. You buy him food, but he treats it like poison. You wear the finest perfume, but to him, you stink. You are undeniably beautiful, yet he views you as the ugliest woman in the world...'
'That's enough! Stop it!' Jessica wiped away her tears. 'Sometimes I wonder if you truly are the daughter of the President. You act so disrespectfully.'
Sharon continued speaking, trying to reason with Jessica, but her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. 'You've known him since childhood, yet he sees you as a stranger,' Sharon paused, looking at her own reflection in the large mirror. 'The first time Michael met Chioma, he fell in love with her. It didn't matter that she was wearing inexpensive clothes; Michael saw her as if she were dressed in heavenly designer garments. He is willing to give up his entire fortune for her. She may not have money in her wallet, but Michael loves her. He can shower Chioma with gifts, but he can't do the same for you. Chioma may not be able to afford the cheapest item in the mall, but she can walk alongside Michael because he loves her deeply.' Sharon turned her attention back to Jessica, whose face was still streaked with tears. 'Perhaps you believe that with money, you have the right to love Michael, but your dream is nothing more than an unattainable fantasy. From the moment Michael fell in love with Chioma, he is determined to protect her. Stop mistreating yourself... my brother loves you unconditionally. Embrace him instead, and create your own female lead role with him, instead of trying to insert yourself into Michael and Chioma's romance drama series. Their fans would obviously hate you for this.'
'Chioma doesn't have any fans who are stupid enough to support her wrongdoing,' Jessica's expression grew cold and bitter. 'How dare that woman take my man from me? I won't forgive her. I am a fighter, Sharon. I will ensure she suffers to the point of destruction.'
Sharon couldn't discern if Jessica was joking or not due to her icy tone. 'Enough,' Sharon said in a low voice, trying to quell the escalating tension.
Jessica wiped away her tears and turned to face herself in the mirror, a self-mocking glint in her eyes. 'I won't let Chioma steal the spotlight from me any longer,' she declared. Reaching for her makeup remover, she squeezed some onto a cotton pad and said, 'Audrey isn't pleased with me for not attending her birthday.'
'And it's entirely your fault. You abandoned her birthday to pursue a man,' Sharon scolded. 'Even Nathan isn't happy with you.'
Jessica remained silent as she gently removed her makeup, taking care not to irritate her sensitive skin around the eyes.
'It's all right. Maybe one day you'll learn to love my brother,' Sharon paused. 'Chioma was at Audrey's party too. She came with her friend, Chisom. Chisom's elder brother was Audrey's escort. He turned out to be the hero who saved Audrey from falling at the mall. They seemed to be in love.'
Jessica let out a cold laugh. 'Audrey will never settle for a man like that.'
'What about Felix? I saw him dancing with Chioma,' Sharon revealed.
The cotton pad slipped from Jessica's hand, revealing a pair of surprisingly clear eyes.
Quickly realising her mistake, Sharon rushed to explain, 'It was nothing. There's nothing wrong with dancing with someone.' She regretted mentioning Chioma's dance with Felix to Jessica.
'Felix isn't the type to dance with just anyone. If he danced with that witch, he must have fallen into her trap. That girl is a witch. I'll call Michael and warn him about Chioma,' Jessica smiled, reaching for another cotton pad to resume removing her makeup. 'I'm sure Michael will leave Chioma immediately and come back to me.'
Sharon gave her a cold look. 'In your dreams...' With that, she walked out of the bathroom, leaving Jessica alone in the luxurious bathroom.
After Jessica finished removing her makeup, she entered the bedroom.
Sharon sat on the couch, reading a book and snacking on a packet of fruit snacks. Looking up from her book, she glanced at Jessica and remarked, 'You're quite skilled at removing makeup. Maybe you should consider becoming a makeup artist.'
Jessica pouted and reached for her phone. 'Such a job is tiring,' she muttered. Sitting down on the bed, she dialled Michael's number. 'I'm trying my luck, even though I know Michael might not answer.'
'Why are you calling him?' Sharon asked curiously.
Jessica shrugged. 'I'm going to inform him about his beautiful girlfriend who is now flirting with other men,' she replied mockingly.
'Jess, please don't do that,' Sharon pleaded.
'If Michael doesn't answer, then it's her luck. But if he does answer, well, I'm sorry,' Jessica said with a wicked grin. 'But I'm sure Michael will answer because I'm using a different number to call him.'
'Just a few minutes ago, you had tears streaming down your face, and now you suddenly have the courage to fight like in movies,' Sharon remarked.
Jessica shrugged, smiling. 'I used to be weak and fragile, but when triggered, I can't help but become powerful.'
Uncertain if Michael would pick up, Jessica anxiously waited. After four rings, she heard Michael's voice on the other end of the line.
'Hello?' Michael's voice came through, interrupting a high-level executive video conference meeting. He had picked up the call, thinking it was a foreign client he was expecting to meet later that evening. Since everyone in the meeting knew about the Italian client arriving today, they didn't consider the call a distraction to their meeting. However, the frown on Michael's face made them realise that the caller wasn't the expected person but rather someone random.
'Yup,' Jessica replied to Michael over the phone while glancing at Sharon with her lips curled up. She covered the mouthpiece on her phone and asked Sharon, 'Do you have pictures of Felix and Chioma's dance?'
Sharon shook her head. 'No.'
Jessica removed her hand from the mouthpiece and heard Michael's magnetic voice from the other side of the line. 'Who are you to keep me hanging? Do you want me to take drastic measures?'
Jessica felt a twinge of fear and nervousness about what she was about to say. Would Michael believe her if she told him about Chioma flirting with Felix? She decided it was best to set up a trap for Chioma, a situation where she would hang herself, unable to escape. Anyone could dance with anyone, but Felix was different. He was like Michael, never smiling unless he knew or liked you. But Jessica didn't want her report to Michael to end up like in the movies, where she would be shamed for meddling. Setting up a trap seemed perfect for her revenge. In fact, she had hired some gunmen or rather unknown gunmen to teach Chioma a lesson, ensuring no one would suspect her involvement.
Michael waited for a response, growing impatient. 'Why aren't you saying anything? Do you need a speech therapist?'
Jessica bit her bottom lip, taking a deep breath. 'Forget about it... I'm sorry,' she finally said.
'Don't let me find you!' Michael threatened before abruptly hanging up.
Sharon sighed and smiled mockingly as she said, 'It's okay. Maybe for the rest of your life, you should stay behind closed doors since you couldn't even talk to Michael, whom you claim to love.'
Jessica smiled as she put down the phone and turned to Sharon. 'I have a better way to deal with Chioma.'
Raising an eyebrow, Sharon drank her glass of warm milk. 'I hope you won't shed blood...'
'I will paralyze her, but she will do it to herself,' Jessica stated confidently.