Breathe

Chapter 27

Jenny POV

Perfect little Aria Rose. I absolutely hate her. I've been sitting here for an entire hour poking holes into one of her pictures. I don't understand why everyone loves her. What is so great about her? Absolutely nothing. I've made it my life's mission to ruin her life. But she still ends up getting everything, even the guy.

I grew up with Daniel and Aria, and it seems they forgot who I am. We were friends once upon a time, but then my father messed everything up because he was obsessive over Aria. I guess we were around 7 years old when people started noticing his attempt to get closer. Due to his actions, we were ostracized in our crazy little town.

I remember nights when Mom used to talk to Dad, trying to convince him to leave this little girl alone. Obviously, I didn't understand what was going on. But what made her so special? Why was everyone so worried about her? I mean, what's so great about her? She was just a little girl who irritated the heck out of me. My father paid more attention to her than to me.

It all blew up on her 7th birthday when Dad tried to collect her from school. Because everyone already knew he was so interested in her, everyone was on high alert. When he attempted to take her for ice cream, the whole neighbourhood confronted him, resulting in Aria's dad assaulting mine that day. 

Though Mom knew about Daddy's obsession, she never really addressed it besides that one conversation they had; she didn't really care much, as long as she was taken care of. We had to leave. My father wasn't charged because he didn't touch her. The week before we left was the worst—no one laid a finger on me, but you could hear whispers and see fingers pointed at us. That's when my hatred for Aria deepened.

While our neighbourhood was small, word somehow reached neighbouring areas, preventing us from simply moving on to the next one or into my grandparents' houses. We had to relocate far away, leaving behind my childhood home and memories, all because everyone wanted to protect this person. What my dad tried wasn't right, but why should I pay for it? I didn't do anything to her. 

The day we left, I vowed to make her life a living hell. When I was old enough, I changed my name, hair colour, and began my mission. It took a long time to gather the needed information, but I found the way in through Daniel, who ended up with Aria. 

He was easily manipulated, always the nicest, and that became his downfall. Although I liked Daniel, it wasn't in that way. He was good in bed, but I could never be with someone like him. Daniel was too soft. I needed someone strong. He was just mean to me.

Sure, I had to do some degrading stuff, a bit of manipulation, and a lot of blackmailing to infiltrate that company, just to have a chance to get to Daniel. Remember, Daniel was the key to reaching Aria. I must say, it wasn't too challenging for me to do everything I needed to get what I wanted.

Once I managed to get into the company, capturing Daniel's attention wasn't actually difficult. I portrayed myself as the friendliest person out there, always being the life of the party, which somehow attracted everyone's attention. 

I realized that Aria and I were complete opposites – I craved attention while she always ran from it like a coward. I assumed Daniel liked my outgoing spirit, but from the start, he made it clear that he wasn't interested in me romantically. I wasn't having any of that. I mean, did he even look at me? He outright told me that he wanted nothing more than friendship, and I couldn't accept that.

I started off small, with little comments here and there, making sure to seem like a nice friend to get on his good side. I made sure to always compliment Aria. Sure, she's pretty, but I believed I was better. He didn't need to know that at this point. Eventually, when I managed to get him to open up to me, I made it a point to whisper little things, initiating manipulation to get him to start doubting their relationship.

I made sure to always insert myself into their dates, making it my mission to disrupt their time together. I knew there was a stage when Daniel was so busy at work that every little moment, they spent together was precious. They were honestly the most solid couple, but I just had to keep exploiting the cracks. One day, I managed to get hold of his cell phone and attached software to track his whereabouts. 

All I had to do was show up. I always probed him for plans with Aria by feigning concern, scratching beneath the surface. There were times when he questioned my interest, and I always played the caring friend to throw him off my trail. I started noticing cracks when I showed up on hikes or dinner dates, and Daniel said nothing, but the displeasure on his face was evident when you looked at Aria. For me, that was gold.

While researching how to connect with Daniel, I discovered where he was working. Obviously, I lacked the qualifications to directly join that company. So, I had to find an alternative way in, leading me to Mr. Wilkins, the owner. Initially, I considered that sleeping with the man might be my way in. However, based on all the research I've done – stalking his posts, exploring his companies – it appeared that this man was loyal to his wife.

The first thing was to get some sort of evidence on this man, to try and get her to do my bidding. So, the first thing I had to do was speak to him. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it's something that I had to do. So, one night, I ended up at the same bar that he goes to every single Friday, and conveniently moved myself right next to him. 

Conversation was easy as I knew what to talk about; his life was basically on the internet. While we were having drinks, when he was not looking, I slipped a little something into his glass. And then I had to just wait for the effects to kick in. Once it did, I simply told the bartender that I knew him, and that I was going to take him home. But instead of taking him home, I took him to my place.

I proceeded to undress him, down to his boxers, and lay him in my bed. I proceeded to undress myself. And made sure to get a good couple of pictures with it. I allowed him to sleep it off. And when he woke up in the morning, all panicked and shit, because he wasn't sure as to where he was, or what happened. 

I made sure to explain what was really happening. If he does not comply and creates a post for me in his company. Specifically, the company where Daniel was working. He had a lot to lose. Wife, the kids, the perfect family, the perfect house. So, he just had to comply.

I worked my way into Daniel and Aria's life. Daniel wanted to propose to her on two occasions, but I made sure to disrupt those days by showing up once again. Just thinking about the look on her face each time brings so much joy to my heart. I admit, Daniel being completely hooked on coke was never my plan; it just kind of happened.

At first, he always denied and even tried to get me to stop, but I worked him down, and he eventually gave in. I was so deep into his head that I convinced him that marriage and kids wouldn't be a great idea, considering he was working so hard on his career.

When he told me Aria was pregnant, I was furious. Once again, she gets to have it all. I planned a weekend away for Daniel and me, insisting on picking him up. I got us all coffee, including Aria, with a little something special in it. I watched her drink it all, making sure to take out cups with us when we left. 

Five hours later, her calls started, and I made sure to mute them. That night, I made sure to get him nice and high. The next day, I played the concerned friend when he mentioned her miscarriage. I couldn't help but feel a bit of joy when the news finally came.

I prevented him from calling, telling him she needs her space. I convinced him that losing the child was for the best, as he surely wasn't ready to be a father, and the idiot once again just went with it.

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