Little Miss Perfect

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Josh Cooper. Josh Cooper. His name flared in my head. Cooper. Mathews. Business rivals. Rivals. Enemies.

I didn't dare think of what he would do once he knew I was under a fake name. If he told his dad, he would surely bribe some information from the school. He would use his sources to find out anything he could use against us. He could destroy our family business.

Why do I even care? I thought to myself. I guessed that a small part of my love for my family still lasted. But most of it non-existsant.

Josh smiled. I couldn't tell if it was an evil smile or a kind smile.

He raised his eyebrows questioningly. He walked closer. Closer. I could feel his breath. I hated the fact that he had the power in the situation. I felt so vulnerable. Weak.

"Why didn't you come with the family?" he asked. I just stared at him. He smiled again, and this time it was a cruel smile. He knew he could help destroy the Mathews reputation. He knew that he had the advantage. He could blackmail me into anything now.

"Why should I answer?" I questioned. "If I don't tell you, you'll tell your father, and if I do tell you, you'll probably go running to daddy again,"

His eyebrows raised. He snorted.

"As if I want my father to succeed," he sneered. "I'm just curious. I wanna' know,"

"If you don't want your father to succeed, then I have no reason to tell you," I replied, trying to make myself sound confident. He smiled his cruel smile again. To be honest, it wasn't that bad looking, but it was evil. It was almost a smirk, with his white teeth shining dangerously. It was as if he had practiced it in the mirror.

"Yes, but I never said I didn't want your dad to fail," he smirked.

I shrugged. "I don't care about the business either,"

He leaned even more closer. I guessed that it made most girls go weak. I was unnerved by this, though.

"Then you wouldn't mind telling me," he stated. It was a statement, not a question.

Although I did not care for my dad, I did care for Luke. When you loved someone, it was hard for that love to go away. Even though he had betrayed me, I still loved him as a brother, as a guardian and also as a best friend. Even if he upset me, I couldn't upset him. I couldn't break his future. And that would mean breaking the business. I couldn't tell Josh anything, but that would be dangerous to the business. I didn't trust him with the secret. I couldn't tell him the secret. Which left two options. Either to run, or to lie.

I looked around for a way to escape, but I was wearing heels and a dress. Besides, I could see muscles through his clothes, which probably meant he could outrun me. So I had to lie. And I had to lie fast, before he suspected anything. Since the accident, I had put a mask around my face, concealing my true emotions. I was very good at lying.

I closed my eyes. I took a deep breath.

"Abduction." I whispered, smoothly. "I was kidnapped twice, even under all the security. So my dad thought giving me a fake identity was the best way,"

I looked up into his eyes. I could see curiosity, sorrow and something else. He took a step back. Before he could think, I quickly added, "This means a great deal to my family, so, please, don't tell anyone," Begging made me feel weak, but it was an act.

"Sorry, Santana, but I don't believe you. You are a good liar, by the way," he smirked. I rattled through my brains. What could have gone wrong.

"I told you the truth." I stated.

He shook his head. "Your mother was upset about her business. What does business have to do with the world finding out that your the Matthews daughter? And why would she care about you coming with another family as much as she did?"

Although I was annoyed, I was also impressed at his observations. He would make a good detective. But I would make a better criminal.

"There has been..." I started in a small voice, trying to think of something. "A journalist who had an article on all the guys I had dated. Most of them were business heirs, and the journalist thought I was after their money. My dad managed to stop the article from being released, but my mom still banned me from seeing boys from that had big figures in business. I had an argument with her about Cory...and you know. I had to do that to prove myself. And if someone suspected something..." I felt like smiling, because his face suggested that he totally believed me. But I didn't smile.

What came out of my mouth then was actually based on a true story. Thinking about it now made my chest clog up with the thoughts of Connor. I remembered back to when the article was released.

**********

Flashback.

Connor and I have been going out for four months. During those four months, I had learned to love him, and trust him with my worst secret. But it was worth it, because I was happier than I had ever been. I was happy before the accident, but I was young then and too normal to realize how much that happiness meant to me. Due to the sadness, I began appreciating the happy moments. It was like eating a sour sweet. It tasted bitter and horrible at first, but the feeling after the taste was heavenly. It was like that for me. After all that pain, it felt...beautiful to be happy again.

Beautiful. Connor called me that. All the time. And I know that he means it. He was close with Luke as well, but Luke sometimes gave him the scary big brother speech. I felt like an ordinary girl. I couldn't help thinking of the future. I dreamt of proms, a white wedding, or babies. But in all those dreams, one man was always present. Connor.

That particular day, I was flicking through an old book when i received a call from Connor.

"Hey," he said, sounding like he was in a rush. "Look, Sandy. Trust me. Just don't open the Mannor Newspaper."

The Mannor newspaper was a company run by the Mannors, a family that despised Connor's family. They were rivals in business, money, everything. Even the daughters hated each other.

But curiosity overtook my trust, and I picked up the paper. And I saw the photos. Of me. Of him. Of us. His past girlfriends. I read the headline.

"Micheals boy giving love for money." I scanned thought the text. Traitor. Santana Mathews. Fake. Ex-Girlfriends. Money. Cash. Heirs. Money. Money. The word money flashed up so many times, but I was frozen. I dropped the newspaper. It couoldn't be true. Connor loved me. He loved me, not my money. But it was there in black and white.

I read the article again. Again. Again.

Connor Micheals was instructed by his father to get close to a girl.

He was after her money.

He loved ,not her, but her money.

A source revealed that he had tried this before but failed.

Santana Mathews was the weakest of the four girls.

The last statement killed me. I had trusted him. I had been through everything that none of these girls barely knew existed. I had thought I would be the strongest. And that's when I made my decision to not trust anyone ever again. No man, no woman, no one. And I would stick to this.

♚♔♚♔♚♔♚♔♛♔♛♔♛♔♛♕

Josh leaned in even closer.

"I won't tell anyone," he promised, his eyes sincere. I believed him.