“Darla, I’ve been seeing your face all over billboards lately. You’re everywhere!” Matthew had teased.
I smiled, feeling awkward. “Thanks.”
Darla flashed a charming yet cynical smile when she asked, "Does Charles' family have a hand in this?"
“Charles’ family doesn’t sponsor Bright Agency, only focus on Les Agency,” Rheymond answered casually.
“Ah, you’re a good friend then, only sponsoring our agency that promotes us. You should ask for a 30-70 split; I’m stressed from all the gaming nights for just a 50-50,” Matthew joked.
Matthew, a renowned gamer, streamed nightly and uploaded content daily. He was one of the top five gaming content creators in the world.
“You should discuss that with your agency, Matt,” Darla replied with a laugh.
Matthew teased, “Said a beauty influencer who got an 80-20 split. You must’ve sweet-talked your boss into it, admit it.”
“It’s all hard work, well, by my brother’s and Rheymond’s help of course,” Darla said, a hint of pride in her voice.
“My brother would never help me, but it’s fine. I’ll just ask my mom,” Matthew quipped, and everyone laughed.
It was always like that. Darla and Matthew dominated the conversation, while Rheymond remained aloof and quiet.
I used to think it was just his nature. But Darla’s recent post from the Alps Festival made me realize maybe he was only truly himself when I was not around.
Hearing these privileged kids talk also made me feel insignificant, like my hard work meant nothing.
Even when we posted pictures of the four of us, the comments focused only on them, labeling me as a sycophant who clung to them just to become a top model and launch Rhe Cosmetics.
When I complained to Rheymond about it, he would simply say, “People with dirty hearts see everything as dirty.”
Then I would swallow my pride, telling myself he was right.
Suddenly my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. It was my manager.
“Rheya, where are you? The meeting’s about to start.”
“I’m on my way.”
As I headed to the meeting room, memories of Rheymond choosing Darla over me played in my mind. Darla would call him for anything, from work issues to being scared of thunderstorms in the middle of the night, and he would always rush to her side.
When I confronted him, we would argue all night. But in the end, he would say, “You’re stupid if you’re jealous of Darla. She’s just my friend, while you’re my lover, Rhe.”