Velvet Passions: 20. Jealous Fire

The Velvet Room was thick with perfume and sweat, but Rose had grown used to it. The stage lights no longer blinded her; they bathed her. And always, somewhere in the shadows, Adrian was watching.

That was what Selene hated most.

Rose could feel the rival’s eyes like knives as she adjusted her red dress in the dressing room mirror. Selene leaned against the lockers, hair glossy black, lips a defiant scarlet.

“You think you’re special because he looks at you,” she sneered. “Men like him always look—until someone better comes along.”

Rose swallowed the retort. She’d learned silence could be a shield. But Selene wasn’t done.

“You don’t even know who he is, do you?” she pressed, stepping closer. “Men like that don’t play house. They break toys when they’re bored. And when he’s done, don’t expect him to leave you anything but pieces.”

Rose tightened her grip on her bag, refusing to rise to it. But inside, Selene’s words hit where she was softest—her gn