Page 60 of The Red Zone
Her eyes perked up and she nodded, leading us over to the portion of the back of the stage that was still hidden by the thick, maroon curtain. She pulled back a corner just enough so we could catch a glimpse of the attendees who were starting to settle into the event hall.
“Look at all these people.” Aera took in a breath. I peered over to my left and caught her smiling to herself as we scanned the crowd. A proud smile pulled at my lips as I surveyed people shuffling into their seats and snapping photos for Socialgram.
Miami might not have been a fashion capital by any means, but the city got enough celebrity traffic that made pulling off events like this worthwhile.
“Wait! Is that Gordon Sandoval? I’ve been dying to meet him!” she exclaimed.
My heart sank as I glanced over and the short gray-haired man came into view.
No. No. No.
This could not be happening.
Gordon Sandoval was single-handedly responsible for the downfall of my modeling career. He spread lies about me so people wouldn’t pry further about the accusations I’d publicly made about him during a press run a few years back.
You see, our good friend Gordon had a habit of exploiting young models by outright stealing a percentage of their paychecks—and assumedly using that money to fund some of his scummy addictions. For the most part, he covered his tracks well. Then there was the part where most girls who were just starting out in their careers weren’t stupid enough to call him out on his bullshit, so he got away with significantly more than he should have.
I knew how much I was supposed to get paid, and I could only assume it was comparable to other girls on the same level as me. There was no debating that people were greedy, but the thousands—hundreds of thousands—of dollars he’d stolen over the years, on top of hisveryhealthy salary, couldn’t have possibly been used for the greater good.
Yet, when I pressed the media to look into it, I was the one who was made to look like an idiot for calling out a powerful man.Mycareer was the one that ended overnight.Mybusiness was the one that failed becauseIgot blacklisted from the industry.
A breath was stuck in my throat.
I needed to get out of here.
Now.
Before Aera noticed the blood rushing from my face, I quickly excused myself and sprinted past the dressing area where everyone was getting ready. The baby blue ruffles on my dress flowed through the air as I picked up my pace searching for a quiet spot away from the swarms of people.
Wasn’t there a closet around here somewhere? I could’ve sworn I saw a janitor’s closet.
Where is it? Where is it?
A small sigh of relief came when I spotted the white door, followed by another when the handle turned easily and the door opened without a hitch.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I wasn’t exactly sly about slipping inside. I didn’t care if anyone noticed, as long as I could get a moment alone to catch my breath and gather my thoughts, I’d be just fine. Right?
A sudden wave of dizziness began to cloud my vision as I flipped on the light and locked the door behind me before dropping to my knees with my head in my hands. My heart pounded forcefully as it resounded in my ears, drowning out the incessant clatter that lay behind the small door.
Of all the places this man could have showed up to unnerve me why—why— did it have to be here, at a charity event, for Christ’s sake.
Evil. The man was pure evil.
Thump thump. Thump thump.
My pulse boomed in my ears. I tried expelling a breath, but just as quickly another seemed to get caught in my lungs.
Fine. I was completely fine.
Inhale.
Nothing was wrong.
Inhale.
Not a single thing.
