********
Meesha walked down the hallway, heading to her dressing room to grab her purse before leaving the industry.
As she walked, two people suddenly approached her. The woman, who appeared to be in her fifties, had a scowl on her face, while the teenage girl beside her looked like she had just sucked on a lemon.
The woman's eyes narrowed as she glared at Meesha. "You, you're a murderer!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the hallway. "You killed Sarah!"
Meesha's eyes widened in confusion. "I didn't kill Sarah," she replied calmly. "The misunderstanding has long been cleared."
The woman's expression turned uglier. "No, you're the one who killed Sarah," she spat. "You deserve to go to prison."
Meesha's confusion deepened. "I didn't kill Sarah," she repeated. "The real murderer has been arrested."
The teenage girl spoke up, her voice dripping with venom. "You have no respect just because you're a celebrity," she sneered. "How dare you talk to my mother like that?"
Meesha tried to keep her cool. "Who are you to Sarah?" she asked.
The girl's expression turned even uglier. "We're her relatives," she replied bluntly. "My mother is Sarah's aunt, and I'm her cousin."
The woman chimed in, her voice rising. "We won't let you off the hook for what you did to Sarah," she threatened. "You'll pay for what you did."
Meesha sighed, trying to reason with them. "You can check the news, check your phones, or ask anyone you know," she said. "It has already been cleared. The murderer has already been imprisoned."
But the woman was having none of it. "You're a liar," she spat. "You're a bad person."
The teenage girl joined in, her voice rising to a shrill. "Yeah, you're a murderer! You deserve to die!"
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The woman's eyes gleamed with malice. "You're going to pay for what you did," she hissed. "You're going to regret the day you ever crossed us."
Meesha's eyes widened in fear as the woman's words sent shivers down her spine.
The woman's expression turned even uglier. "You must give us a compensation for Sarah's death," she demanded.
Meesha's brow furrowed. "A compensation?" she repeated.
The woman nodded, her eyes glinting with greed. "Yes, you must give us 50,000 dollars."
Meesha's eyes widened in shock. "Why should I give you money?" she asked.
The woman's expression turned even uglier. "You killed Sarah," she spat. "You must pay for what you did."
Meesha's annoyance piqued. "I didn't kill Sarah," she repeated. "The real murderer has been arrested."
The teenage girl spoke up, her voice dripping with hatred. "You're just trying to cover your tracks," she sneered. "But we won't let you get away with it."
The woman's eyes gleamed with malice. "You'll regret it if you don't give us the money. We'll tell everyone you killed Sarah, we'll tarnish your reputation, we'll make sure you die."
Meesha's eyes widened in fear as the woman's words sent chill through her.
The woman spat. "You're a disgusting person, you deserve to die."
The teenage girl joined in, her voice rising to a shrill. "Yeah, you're a murderer! You deserve to rot in hell!"
Meesha's raised her voice. "You two are frauds," she accused. "Why should I compensate you?"
The woman's face turned red with rage. "How dare you!" she shouted, her voice echoing. She raised her hand, slapping Meesha across the face with all her might.
Meesha's head snapped to the side, her cheek stinging from the force of the slap. She felt a searing pain as the woman's ring brushed against her skin, leaving a jagged scratch that began to bleed.
Meesha's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at the woman, shocked and hurt. Her cheek throbbed with pain, and she could feel the warmth of her tears as they spilled down her face.
The woman sneered, her eyes glinting with malice. "You're so mannerless!" she spat. "How dare you speak to me like that? Is that how you speak to your mother?"
Meesha eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at the woman.
"I heard you're an orphan, aren't you?" she sneered. "You never had a mother to teach you right from wrong. That's why you turned out unfilial like this."
Meesha's eyes overflowed with tears as the woman's words struck a nerve. She felt a deep pain in her heart, and her tears flowed down like a river.
"You're a motherless child!" the teenage girl spat. "You're a nobody! You don't deserve to live!"
"You deserve to die a slow and painful death! You're a heartless, soulless monster!"
Meesha's tears flowed more as she listened to their hateful words. She felt like she was torn apart, her heart shattered into a million pieces.
The woman's eyes gleamed with malice. "You're going to pay for what you did to Sarah," she repeated. "You're going to regret the day you ever crossed us."
The teenage girl nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're going to pay dearly for what you did," she sneered.
After spilling out a torrent of hateful words, the woman and the girl finally left with a threat to return for the money the next day.
*****
Meesha walked into the house, her head lowered as she trudged along. Her hair fell forward, covering her face, and Xanqer couldn't see her expression. But he could sense that something was off.
"Is anything wrong?" Xanqer asked, his eyebrow raised in concern.
Meesha just shook her head without lifting her face and walked upstairs. Xanqer watched her leave, feeling a sense of unease.
Meesha went into her room and sat on the end of her bed, staring down at her hands. She felt a lump form in her throat as she thought about the woman's words. The woman had said that she had no parents, and Meesha couldn't help but feel a deep sadness whenever anyone said that to her. Why do they always have to remind her she grew up parentless?
Tears began to fall as she thought about her past. She felt alone and vulnerable, and the woman's words had cut deep.
Just then, she heard the door open. She raised her head slightly and saw Xanqer standing in the doorway. She quickly lowered her head back down, not wanting him to see her tears.
