THE BLOODY PRICE I PAID FOR LUXURY

TheSecretThatCouldKillUs

Chapter 4

THE SECRET THAT COULD KILL US

They say every woman has a line she swears she’ll never cross.

Mine was Sonia.

She was my best friend. My roommate.

Even when I hated her a little, I never imagined doing that.

But jealousy has a way of erasing morals. Especially when it smells opportunity.

And he was an opportunity wrapped in a six-figure suit.

His name was Andre Kingsley . CEO of one of our biggest corporate partners. Old money. Everyone respected him in the boardroom. Everyone whispered about him at parties.

And recently?

He only had eyes for Sonia

It started slow — a compliment after a presentation, a glass of wine later. Then came a bouquet at the office, a bouquet bigger than any bouquet Solomon had ever gifted me ,Then dinner. Then another.

Sonia giggled when she talked about him. She had just said yes to being his girlfriend one night he proposed with an expensive Rolex wristwatch and five Birkin bags.

I smiled.

But inside?

I was screaming.

Because everything — every client, every win, every man was choosing her over me.

Until one night, when he invited her to spend the night at his mansion, she asked me to come with her. For support. For safety.

I agreed.

That night, while Sonia slept in his room, trusting me just a wall away, I waited until the house was quiet.

Then I walked into the living room, dressed in nothing but lace panties and a net top that clung to my skin like a magnet, I made my move

He didn’t resist.

And just like that, I crossed a line I could never uncross.

I slept with the man Sonia was falling for.

And she had no idea. Not yet.

………

I didn’t mean to get pregnant, it was never part of the plan. I was careful not to take the contraceptive pill around Sonia but she was always with me. I didn’t want questions, I didn’t want her noticing anything at all so I didn’t take it. I told myself I’ld catch up but then I totally forgot to take it when I was alone and by the time I remembered, it was already too late. Two weeks later, I missed my period, I went for a pregnancy test and it came out positive. I was pregnant for Andre Kingsley, my best friend’s newly found love! I panicked. Tried aborting the baby, but all my efforts seemed futile. I made calls, visited different clinics, took herbs someone on t****k swore would work but nothing happened. My unborn baby seemed stubborn. The little thing didn’t want to leave despite all the pills I took to abort it.

This wasn’t about a baby.

This was about everything I’d broken out of jealousy

And now, my secret was growing , quietly, inside me.

Waiting to ruin everything.

Telling Andre Kingsley about the pregnancy was supposed to scare him. Maybe shake some guilt out of him. Maybe even bring him closer.

Instead, he laughed.

Cold. Dismissive. Brutal.

“Don’t pin that on me,” he said, standing in his penthouse like I was some stranger off the street. “You’re a w***e. You slept with your best friend’s man the first night you met him. Who’ld say you’re not f*****g half of L.A.?”

I stood there in silence, heart in my throat.

“You knew what this was,” he added. “Don’t come here playing victim.”

His words cut deeper than I expected.

But it wasn’t just the rejection.

It was the fear. The panic.

Because if he told Sonia the truth before I could control the story, I’d lose everything — my relationship with Solomon, my apartment, my job, my reputation. Her.

So I did what I do best.

I flipped the script.

Later that night, I walked into the apartment looking shaken. Voice trembling just enough.

“Sonia…” I whispered. “I need to tell you something.”

She turned from the mirror, alarmed. “What happened?”

I swallowed. Perfect pause.

“Kingsley… made a move on me.”

Her face froze. “What?”

“I didn’t want to tell you, but… he said you were forcing yourself on him. That he never wanted this. That you were just another social climber.”

Sonia’s jaw tightened. Her hands dropped to her sides.

I kept going, feeding the fire.

“He tried to kiss me. Said you didn’t know how to satisfy a man like him. I pushed him off and left. I swear.”

Silence.

Then she shook her head slowly. “Wow.”

I pretended to cry. “I didn’t want to hurt you. But I couldn’t stay quiet.”

She hugged me.

And I knew right then I had won again.

By morning, she was done with him.

She sent a single text:

“Lose my number. I don’t deal with liars.”

She blocked him.

Deleted their photos.

And just like that, Kingsley was gone from her life.

Now all I had to do was erase the rest of the risk.

Sonia couldn’t know the truth. Not ever.

Which meant she had to go.

Out of my life.

Out of the company.

Out of the way.

So I started planning.