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“You saw what?” Jayna asked.
“When I couldn’t reach you through your gemphone, I had security track you on the video feeds. We found you and Kalani, all wrapped up with each other in the bushes behind the hotel. Emmaline saw it too, so don’t try and deny it.”
Jayna’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You…” she started to speak, but then narrowed her eyes at him. Her cheeks flushed, and Sid could tell there was a fiery redhead explosion coming. “Of course, you tracked me. Why should I expect anything less from a creepy, self-important mervert.”
“Mervert?” Sid had been accused of being many unsavory things, but this was a first.
“That’s right. I should have seen it from the beginning. You’re just another bottom-feeding stalker with a mermaid fetish.” Jayna moved her face close to his and jabbed his chest with her finger. “I’ve had to deal with creeps like you my whole career—perverts who think that just because a girl is in a costume, she must want to take part in their twisted fantasies.”
Sid took an involuntary step backwards as Jayna’s accusations left him at a loss for words.
“Most of the worms back off after their inappropriate comments fail to get the desired reaction. A dangerous few try getting physical and have to be dealt with more forcefully.”
Sid took another step back as Jayna continued to advance forward, and the back of his legs pressed against the edge of the fountain.
“But never, in a million years, did I imagine I’d meet someone so depraved that they would try to buy me.” She jabbed her finger into his chest again for emphasis. “Well, you may have bought Realms of Neptune, but I am not for sale!”
He took an involuntary step back, but there was nowhere left to go, and the fountain cut him off at the knees. Before he could react, Sid tumbled backwards.
Chapter 33
Instinctively, Jayna reached out to catch Sid. His arms flailed wildly as he tried to regain his balance, and her fingers grazed the sleeves of his jacket before he tumbled backwards into the fountain with a splash.
Jayna stared in shock as Sid floundered in the water. She hadn’t meant for him to go into the fountain, but as she watched him scrambling to his feet, she felt a sense of satisfaction.
Their eyes met, and there was shock and anger on his drenched face. The fountain thundered in her ears, and the weight of the gown threatened to crush her. It all suddenly became more than she could handle, and she turned and sprinted towards the exit.
Jayna had worried Sid would eventually break her heart. But not so soon. Not like this. She was disgusted at the thought of him stalking her for months in a twisted scheme to manipulate her feelings for him.
And when she called him on it, he responded with wild accusations about her and Kalani.
Jayna was furious. She pushed her way outside, not knowing or caring where she was going. She passed several security guards, but they didn’t move to intercept her. She felt certain that if she hadn’t already been leaving on her own, they would be escorting her out.
But as she walked through the grounds, she reached one of the back lots and saw a small bus with the SAPP logo on the side. Without a second thought, she ran towards it.
When she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass door, she was struck with a reminder that she wasn’t a performer at the event, and she worried the bus wouldn’t let her in. To her relief, the door popped open. She hesitantly stepped inside, and the chatter immediately died as every head turned towards her.
A moment later, someone in the back began to applaud. Soon, everyone on the bus was cheering. Confused, Jayna turned to see if there was someone behind her. This applause couldn’t be for her.
Someone tapped her arm, and Jayna looked down to find Rani in the front seat. Rani moved to the window seat and motioned for Jayna to join her.
Jayna hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Of course,” Rani said. “It’s not every day I get to sit next to a celebrity.”
Jayna scoffed as she slid into the seat. “You have some low standards for what counts as a celebrity.”
“Those aren’t my standards,” Rani said. “Those come from the list makers. Look.”
She swiped at her phone before showing it to Jayna. She had officially made it onto the “zed-list.” Sure, it was the lowest of the lettered lists, but by definition anyone on a lettered list was considered a celebrity.
Rani swiped again. “It probably has something to do with this,” she said and offered Jayna her phone.
Jayna reluctantly took it, and her stomach clenched when she realized it was playing a video of her fight with Sid. How had this video already made it out into the streams?
She swiped and scanned, confirming that her argument with Sid had generated a ton of attention. And while some of it was negative, the bulk of it showed Jayna as a wronged everywoman delivering comeuppance to a wealthy jerk. Her ranking had soared while his had fallen off a cliff.
After everything he had done, she should have felt some satisfaction at seeing his reputation score tank.
