Playing with Fire

CHAPTER 3

DANA'S POV

I walked into the mall, head held high. Bored, I had nothing to do at the mansion except watching my sister and her husband canoodle.

Even if I wanted to be happy for her, I couldn't, especially every time I saw Damon's face kissing her passionately.

It was disgusting! I preferred to walk myself to exhaustion rather than see Damon.

The world was small; imagine that? Out of all the men in the world, she married Damon.

I was about to enter a boutique when someone bumped into me. Yes! She was so stupid to collide with me! Before I could even look at her, she spoke.

"Ma'am, I'm so sorry," she said, quickly brushing off my dress. I wasn't as shallow as others, so I looked at her.

"Next time, please be careful," I replied before entering the store. Annoying! I had so many things on me. It was good I was already at the boutique; I didn't need to go far to change.

After finding a fitted black dress, I quickly put it on and paid. Finished shopping at the boutique, I entered the next store.

The Pixie Dust. This was a famous high-end store I'd seen here, besides the boutique. I started shopping for shoes and bags.

This was my stress reliever. Instead of drinking alcohol, I used my money to buy designer shoes and bags. Actually, I wasn't into this before. But, like I said, people change, and I was the one who would prove that when you're hurt, you change for the better.

The sales lady greeted me quickly, and since she seemed kind, I smiled back.

"Ma'am, this is a limited-stock item. You might like it," she offered. I looked at the bag she handed me. My eyes gleamed when I saw it.

"I'll take this," I said without looking at the price before choosing other bags. Before I could choose my next purchase, someone spoke beside me.

"OMG! Dana Girl! Is that you?" she asked, making me look around curiously to see where the exclamation came from. I saw a girl wearing sunglasses staring at me.

"Annika," I greeted her with a smile.

"I told you! I saw you outside earlier talking to the staff," she added, and I just smiled in response.

"Where's Eerah? Are you alone?" she asked, looking around.

"Yes. She's with her husband," I replied bitterly. I saw her raise an eyebrow.

"Are you jealous?" she asked, making me pause. What did she mean? Don't tell me she knew about Damon and me?

"Oh, come on, Dana! You can't deny it to me," she said, smiling. I couldn't speak because I didn't know what to say.

"Are you jealous of Damon because he gets Eerah's attention, right?" she asked, and I breathed a sigh of relief at her words.

"Are you okay?" she asked, making me quickly smile and nod.

"Of course, Sis. Yeah, I mean, of course not. Sis Eerah deserves to be happy," I replied, smiling even though I didn't truly agree. I didn't want her to suspect me because Sis's friends were observant, and I needed to keep it from them.

"I told you, you can't deny it. By the way, I have to go. Jade's calling me," she said goodbye with a smile, and I nodded before taking a deep breath.

Shit! I needed to do something so they wouldn't notice my actions.

How would I execute my plan if they were around? After paying for my purchases, I quickly left and went for another walk. I didn't want to stress myself out with that stupid plan; I just wanted to de-stress today. There was a right time for it, and it wasn't now.

Hours passed. After eating, I quickly went home. It was already five in the afternoon. When I arrived at the mansion, it was quiet, with Nanny cleaning up in the kitchen.

"Good evening, Ma'am. I'll just prepare your food—"

"No need, Nanny. I've already eaten," I said. I was about to go upstairs when I turned back.

"Where's my sister?" I asked her.

"Ma'am, she already left. She was in a hurry, like she had somewhere to go," she replied.

"Okay," I replied, even though I was a little curious. It was too early for her to go to a bar. Where would she go at this hour?

"Nanny please take my purchases to my room," I instructed before finally going upstairs. I arrived in front of my sister's room, and Damon was just coming out, so we bumped into each other.

"I-I'm sorry," he said, seeming hesitant to help me up. But I quickly stepped back and avoided his gaze.

"No thanks," I said and quickly entered the room.

I didn't know what I was doing earlier. That was my chance to carry out my plan against him. I faced the mirror again. I looked at myself.

"Come on, Dana. This is your chance! You can't just stand there and let that man win! He needs to learn a lesson!" I shouted, talking to myself in the mirror.

I wasn't insane. This was my way of convincing myself to proceed with my plan if it wasn't working. I just wanted revenge!

Slowly, plans formed in my mind. I couldn't help but smile when I thought of them.

I couldn't fail, so I needed to plan everything carefully.

I woke up early and quickly got ready. It was Sunday, and I knew Kira had the day off, so I called her. But before I could, someone knocked on my door.

"Ma'am, you have a visitor downstairs," she said, making me raise an eyebrow.

"Who?" I asked curiously. She didn't answer, so I quickly left my room and raised my eyebrows when I found Hannah downstairs.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"Aren't you asking me to hang out?" she asked me.

"Yeah, but as far as I know, it's later. So what are you doing here at this hour?" I asked her.

"Actually, I have something to tell you," she replied, so I didn't say anything.

"Hey! I said I have something to say," she said.

Instead of answering, I just raised an eyebrow. She raised her hand, revealing a ring. My eyes widened when I saw it.

"Seriously? For real?" I asked, confused. She just smiled and nodded.

"Wait, who's the unlucky guy who proposed to you?" I asked her.

"You're so mean, Dana! You should say, lucky guy because I accepted his proposal last night," she said.

"That's why you called me all night?" I asked her sharply.

"Of course! You're my friend! I wanted to tell you first, but Arky's a gossip. So, he was the first to know," she said.

"I want to meet him. Who is he?" I asked again.

"Wait, slow down, Dana. Also, don't glare at him! Miguel is a good person," she said, seemingly giddy.

"Miguel?"

"Yes, why? Is there a problem?" she asked, seeming nervous.

"Nothing, I'm just surprised he proposed to you," I said, laughing.

"Hey, Dana! I'm not the only pretty one here! I am too, you know! So I have the right to be giddy, duh!" she said sharply, making me laugh.

Since I hadn't eaten yet, we went to the kitchen. Kira ate there too. She was too early for gossip. That became my breakfast instead of actual food.

"By the way, where are we going?" she asked me. I didn't answer. I just looked at her before smiling.

"OMG! I'm nervous about that smile, Dana," she said, clearly worried.

"Just chill. I just have something for you to do," I said with a smile.

"What is it?"

"You'll find out. For now, just chill. You're too nervous," I said, laughing.

"Who wouldn't be nervous if Dana Cathaleia smiled like that? I prefer your meanness because it's natural to you, but that smile?" she said.

"Calm down, I'm not going to kill you for what I'm going to ask you to do," I said, laughing.

"What is your plan, and why are you smiling like that? I'm restless," she asked, curious. I didn't answer and continued eating.

Kira was the only one I knew who could help me. Arky was too busy, so I decided to call Kira instead.

Just wait for my sweet revenge, Damon. You'll taste it soon. You hurt the wrong person. A sweet smile returned to my lips.