VOICES

"Your steamy night story is slowly dying down on the net," Matilda asserted, her fingers working rapidly against the screen of her phone. She fixed her gaze on the screen with her brows drawn in concentration. "The news all over the internet is the news of the actress found dead in her apartment bathtub."

Jane chewed on her pinky finger, her mind absent at the news. She ought not to be invested in it but she was too stunned to even analyze what was going on, how everything came about. Didn't she see her just four days ago? She was the female lead— a famous actress she aspired to be like. She remembered filming with her in a thrilling movie, where she (Jane) acted as her best friend who betrayed her.

She was also the female lead actress of the recent movie "Secrets in the woods" where she played her sister— as her conniving sister. The role the director took from her and gave to Ashley Mckenzie.

Angelica Marco...… Jane continued to chew her pinky finger, puzzled at everything. When she and Ivy saw the news on TV, how she laid in her bathtub, with her bathtub water filled with her blood, Jane didn't know what to make of the situation. She still found it hard to digest, how? How could someone she met not days long be found dead in her apartment?

Jane's thoughts traveled back to her batter with Ashley Mckenzie. When their dispute was getting heated, Angelica Marco had stepped in to stop them.

"You two should stop this right now," she remembered her cutting off their quarrel when Ashley accused her of having an affair with a politician or something.

"This is just a role, no point in making a mountain out of a molehill." Angelica went on to speak. Looking from her to Ashley, wearing a scolding look across her face.

"Jane, I suggest you do as the director told you," she added. "You should lay low for now. Once your stories are off the internet feed, you can return."

"Exactly! Why is she transferring her frustration on me? I wasn't the one who took away her role, was I?" Ashley twitched her face in a frown, glaring at Jane.

"I believe you participated in taking it away in the first place," Jane prompted, throwing the same look her way. "I know I messed up but who goes posting photos of me, waiting for me to stumble so they can print a story about me...."

"What are you implying?" Ashley lifted a brow. Questioning. "That I was the one who did that?"

"I didn't say that, but your words are making me think in that direction…." Jane said. "Right from the day and time I joined this industry, you seemed to pick on me for no reason...…

Ashley didn't say a word and only glared at her, and huffed.

"Jane, I know you are upset right now but you should go home and have some rest, this role isn't the last role of your acting life. You ought to be happy you got contracted by Wonder Prism Studio to star as the lead actress. The first drama you'll star as the lead actress so this minor role shouldn't worry you."

"Every rising actress aspires to act along with him," Angelica's lips lit up with a small smile. Her eyes twinkled under the cabin lights. "But you got that offer without the odds so don't get upset or something….."

Angelica's calm and encouraging words soothed her soul which sorta calmed the anger sizzling in her.

"Jane?" Angelica walked closer to her, taking her hand. "Your acting skill is very good and nothing will steal it away. You just have to focus on giving it your best shot."

Famous actresses like Angelica Marco should be feeling envious or jealous that Wonder Prism Studio saw a potential and top actress like her but wasn't offered the role, instead she was happy and congratulated her. Acting alongside her showed to Jane that the gentle and sensible character and personality she acted in movies or dramas were her true nature.

So how is she announced dead?

"There's so much speculation going on the internet right now, concerning her death," Matilda cut short her thoughts. Bringing her back to the present. "Some netizens are saying she was molested and killed, some said she was suffering from depression so she ended up murdering herself."

"Here…..look," Matilda turned the phone to her view. Jane gaped at the lifeless Angelica, her body white including her face, the colors on her face drained. Jane stared at the video of her dead body in disbelief, refusing to digest she's gone. Now she's gone, who would take up her role?

Angelica's wrist was slit, proving she bled to death. The bloody water was hanging over her neckline as Jane watched the police and some figures she couldn't recognize, probably reporters and journalists taking pictures of her.

"Others said she was in a toxic relationship, and her boyfriend is the prime suspect." Jane's mind drifted off as Matilda's voice became fuzzy, all she could see was Angelica Marco's dead body. Angelica never showed any sign of depression with the few times she interacted and worked with her.

"What could be the real truth?" Matilda inquired rhetorically, lifting her eyes from her phone. "A case like this happened not six months ago. After all the speculations and questions, everything went down the drain. The death of the actress was not further investigated. They closed the case that she was on drugs, battling with mental issues."

"Do you think it's the same with Angelica Marco?"

"Nope!" Jane snapped. "No ... .I don't think so, Angelica is sane and from my interactions with her and working with her, her mental health was okay."

"Sometimes, you shouldn't focus or conclude on the outer look. You should focus on the inner look." Matilda sighed.

"True but Angelica isn't the type that'd hurt herself even if she was going through a rough time..."

"My own speculation is that her boyfriend," Matilda nipped on her lower lip, returning her attention on her phone. "It was rumored they were about to wed but something from his side hindered the rumored marriage. Could it be that she found out her boyfriend was cheating on her and to get rid of her, he killed her."

"Nothing is certain," Jane raised a finger under her chin. Her eyes directed on the tabletop of the restaurant Matilda worked in. "Also, why aren't there customers today?" She scurried her attention to the few customers occupying the restaurant.

"I remember this restaurant was swarmed by many customers everyday. What happened today? Are they also stunned by the death of Angelica?"

"It isn't the death of Jesus Christ, you know….." Matilda answered, her focus still fixed on her phone. "Not having many customers today has nothing to do with her, some days are just like that and....." She dropped her phone on the table and planted her gaze on Jane, she gawked at her for some minutes making Jane feel a little bit uneasy under her gaze.

"Why…..why…..are you staring at me like that….., are you by any chance suspecting me?"

"Why don't you ever order something each time you come here?" Jane was thrown off guard at Matilda's question. She was speechless for a moment before letting out a chuckle.

"And why would I suspect you?" Matilda eyed her, a look of skepticism graced her face momentarily as her eyes widened, like they would puff out of their sockets. "Exactly!" She clapped her hands.

"You'd be my number one suspect since netizens said they preferred Angelica Marco to you to be the perfect person for the role."

"Geezz…." Jane face-palmed herself before flicking Matilda's forehead. "Of course not, I'm not that kind of person."

Matilda grinned. "By the way, this sealed cloth had been lying here," she motioned to the well packaged sealed cloth lying on a seat beside Jane. "Did you get a new outfit for the award show coming soon?"

The award show? Crafty Royal movie award show. Jane never got the time to think about the show or what she would wear on that day. A lot has been going on lately in her life that needed focus, especially the mysterious guy she had a one night stand with.

Indy hadn't contacted her for four days now concerning that too, added with the fact that Hugo was having an affair with someone else. She wanted to tell Indy to keep an eye on Hugo and report to her everything he does including the woman he was two timing on her with.

But that would be stupid of her. She didn't want to act like an obsessive betrayed girlfriend.

"No," she answered. "It belonged to the hooded guy?"

"Who?" Matilda raised her head. Spiked with curiosity when she said that. "What hooded guy?"

Jane nodded. "The guy who carried me out of the stage in my drunken messed up state. I spent the night at his place in his clothes so…."

"Why do I feel something is up in the air?" Matilda's eyes had a glint of mischief in them as she nudged her arm.

"It's not what you think…." Jane frowned. "He was just being the good person that he is."

"Yeah, yeah. I believe you," Matilda nodded, harboring disbelief and a skeptical look across her face. "But why did you bring it here?"

"I told him to meet me here." Jane lifted her gaze when the door opened in hopes it was him but to her disappointment, it wasn't.

●●●●●●●●●●

Jane waited for him for another four hours engaging in different topics with Matilda but he never showed up. Wasn't he worried about his clothes? How could he not show up even when she told him to and she recalled giving him her number but he never called.

It was already dark, she strolled down the lane that led to the bus station, deep in thought. The street lights only illuminate a part of the roads. She didn't come with her car because it broke down the other day and it's in repair shop. The mechanic told her to come back in a week that it would be ready by then.

Walking down the path. Voices in a darkened area caught her attention. Two voices between the trees caught her attention and they belonged to a man and a woman. Jane looked over her shoulders to the darkened area, her gaze falling over two shadows. She couldn't recognize the man's voice but she definitely recognized the female's voice.

"Hope you kept your promise and you'd not come back for more?" The female voice inserted.

That voice….that voice…..it sounded like...

'ASHLEY MCKENZIE?' Jane gasped as she walked closer to the darkened spot.