Girlfriend For Hire 🔥

Foreboding

As the Jackson family gathered for their get-together party, laughter echoed through the rooms of Neverland Ranch. Michael's siblings were all in high spirits, and Katherine, as always, was nothing but warm and kind. The Jackson matriarch handed Anica a basket of fresh fruits, her voice soft and affectionate.

"For you, sweetheart," Katherine said with a tender smile. "I want you to stay healthy."

Anica smiled back, grateful for the kindness, but she couldn't ignore the heavy feeling in her chest. The entire family, it seemed, had welcomed her, save for one looming presence—Joe Jackson.

His disapproval hung in the air like a storm cloud. She could feel his cold eyes watching her from across the room, and though everyone else smiled, his stare was unrelenting. It was no secret. He had told her once before, with ruthless clarity, that he would never accept her.

Anica had kept that conversation hidden from everyone, especially Michael. She didn't want to create any more friction in the family, but now, her heart sank as she sensed that another confrontation was near.

As the evening wore on, Anica did her best to steer clear of Joe, but fate had other plans. In the quiet of one of Neverland Ranch's long, dimly lit corridors, she suddenly found herself face to face with him. The silence between them was suffocating.

Joe stood tall, his expression ice-cold, and a dark, knowing smirk curled at the edge of his lips. He didn't speak right away, simply staring her down, as if sizing her up and already finding her lacking. The weight of his gaze made Anica's skin crawl.

"Well, if it isn't the gold digger herself," Joe finally said, his voice low but dripping with venom. His words were calm, almost too calm, which made them even more menacing. "Still hanging around like a stray dog, I see."

Anica's heart raced, but she forced herself to meet his gaze, refusing to back down.

"You have some nerve, don't you?" Joe continued, taking a step closer. "After everything I told you, you still parade yourself around here like you're part of this family. Let me make this clear again—you will never be one of us. Ever."

Anica swallowed hard, her throat tight with anxiety, but she remained silent.

Joe leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing as his voice dropped to a near whisper, laced with cruelty. "You think you've won, don't you? Trapping my son like some pathetic leech, feeding off his fame, his fortune. You think you're special because Katherine smiles at you? Don't be fooled. You're nothing but a temporary amusement, a passing fling."

His words cut like glass, but Joe wasn't done.

"You're not good enough for Michael," he spat, each word deliberate, meant to wound. "You're not even in the same league. Do you really think you'll last? He'll get bored of you, just like he gets bored of everything. And when he does, you'll be tossed aside like trash, right where you belong."

Anica's chest tightened, the cruelty in Joe's words nearly overwhelming, but she fought to hold her composure.

"You're shameless," Joe hissed, his voice filled with disdain. "A parasite. And I'll be damned if I let you destroy this family with your lies and your desperation. Leave. Before you embarrass yourself any more than you already have."

His gaze burned through her, and for a moment, it felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room. Joe straightened up, looking down at her as if she were beneath him.

"And don't think for a second," Joe added with a sneer, "that you'll ever get my blessing. Over my dead body."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, his footsteps echoing down the corridor, leaving Anica standing there, shaken to her core. She felt tears welling in her eyes, but she swallowed them down, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her break.