CHAPTER 2

The pounding music, flashing lights and rhythmic pulse of the club's energy washed over me as I danced with reckless abandon. It was a perfect escape from the betrayal of who I thought always had my back. I sighed in relief as I was happy that I dodged a bullet. What if I got married to Jerimiah, and he used me just like that?

As the beats reverberated through my body, I could not help but feel a momentary sense of liberation. All my life I had been told what to do, I did not even have the privilege of planning my entire life as my uncle did that for me. I always wanted to be an actress, but Lisa also wanted to be an actress, so my uncle made me step down for her and supported her all the way and her fans knew her as the daughter of the owner of Egreene agency. They thought that she was a rich heiress, not knowing that all her wealth was borrowed. I wanted to have it back, and in that moment of drunkness, I decided to take everything they took from me back, the company, the properties, and I was going to become a famous actress, one that would rival Lisa.

The dimly lit dance floor was where the very drunk me and Alex danced the rest of our worries away for hours. She even started dancing with a handsome stranger while I continued dancing on my own. But eventually, I got tired and dragged my feet to the barside, determined to get another drink to ease my throbbing head.

"Can I get another glass of margarita?" My intoxicated self asked as I winked at the baretender and he just smiled. I sighed in satisfaction after I took a sip, although it did not help much in calming down my throbbing head, it just made me more intoxicated.

I plopped down on one of the stools and I stirred my drink half-heartedly with a straw, a fine stranger ordered a drink and sat down next to me. He was a ginger-haired man and he had a tshirt and jeans on.

"Rough night??" He asked all of a sudden, pulling me out of my sad daze.

"What?" I asked, shocked that he even asked me something.

" I said rough night?" he asked again and I nodded my head in understanding.

I chuckled bitterly hearing his question " You have no idea, I caught my fiance having sex with my cousin not so long ago" I laughed, trying to mask the disappointment I felt.

"Oh wow, that's… intense. I am sorry you had to go through that" he said with a warm, comforting smile, and I smiled along.

"He is an a*shole, that's for sure," my drunken self laughed.

"Did you break up with him?" The stranger asked.

"Not yet, he does not know that I know." I explained, and he nodded in understanding.

"By the way, my name is Mark, you?" he asked after a short pause.

"I am Eliza" I answered with a smile.

"Well, Eliza, let's go dance your worries away. And your fiance, he made a huge mistake". He said while pulling me to the dance floor, and I found myself lost in the pounding music once again. He both danced to the tune of the music and everything stopped for me when the sweet kind mark had the guts to grope my ass, I mean, I should have expected that from a drunk club boy.

Without thinking, I swung my fist and knocked it into his face, which now looked ugly to me, while he reeled back and grunted in pain.

"You bitch!" he shouted in pain with an aggressive voice, making me shocked at how quickly he became aggressive. His behaviour changed instantly from his warm kindness to the basic a*shole of a man. I marvelled at the fact that, in just one day, two men had already disappointed me.

"Stop it!" I shouted when he forcefully took hold of my arm and tried to drag me out. I became scared for my life, he had a violent look on his face and I knew that whatever he wanted to do with me would not be pleasant at all.

"Let go of me you a*shole!" I shouted over the loud music as I tried to set myself free from his firm hold.

"I am going to make you pay" he said as he pressed me against the wall as his mouth zoomed closer to my face while I tried to push him away. Just as he was about to forcefully kiss me, someone's hand swung down on the face of Mark, making him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. I looked up to see who my saviour was, and my delusional mind was hoping for it to be a meet-cute where the hero saved beauty, but I was underwhelmed when I saw that it was just Alex. Nevertheless, I was thankful to Alex. She is really my lucky star.

"How dare you touch my friend," Alex said while stomping on him and just as he was about to fight back, she whipped out her very handy pepper spray and sprayed his face, causing him to scream in pain, then he scurried away, probably to look for water.

"Thanks, Alex," I told her while breathing a sigh of relief.

"Girl, you should really take some self-defence lessons", Alex said as she dragged me back in, while I agreed.

" I really should." I sighed as she grabbed my hand and we went out of the club as we were not in the mood to party anymore.

I have finally woke up the next morning, the world crashed back into focus. The sunlight streamed through the open windows, making me realize the pounding headache that I was having. I closed my eyes in an effort to stop the sunlight from assaulting my brain.

My phone which lay on the night stand suddenly rang, causing the sleeping Alex beside me to wake up with a complaint. She was not a morning person, especially after getting flat drunk the previous night.

"Who the f*ck is that?" She asked.

"It's Jerimiah", I answered. Once, I saw that he was the one calling me. She immediately stood up from the bed and rushed to my side.

"Well pick up", she prompted.

"But I don't want to" I answered, ready to get back to sleep.

"No girl you have to, let's hear what that a* shole wants," she said as she picked his call up for me.

I hesitated for a moment, before answering his fake greetings.

"Liza, sweetheart" he called when he did not hear anyone at the end of the line.

"Yeah I am here" I answered, trying my best to mask the hatred in my tone.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, probably noticing the change in the way I spoke to him.

"Yes, everything is okay, I am just tired" I answered.

"Okay, I just wanted to remind you not to forget the gathering we have with our friends later today" he reminded and I insulted him in my mind, my friends? More like his friends.

I also could not believe the audacity of that man to talk to me so affectionately as if he had not just slept with my cousin the night before.

"Okay sure," I said and I quickly hung up the call, as I did not want to say anything to betray my act.

"He is such a f*cking bastard!" I shouted, making my head pound more, so I just lay back down.

"Are you still going for that stuff?" Alex asked.

"I have to, you heard my answer to him Alex," I said.

"But, when will you break up with him? You know, you should have done that when you caught them in the act", Alex said.

"I know, but I want to make them pay, so I will wait till the day of the wedding and expose their sh*t. I also have a video of them doing their nonsense", I told her with a smug smile.

"That is evil, Liza, I so love the evil you" She laughed and then we both went back to sleep