Free The Monster of Fame (The Price of Fame Series) by Aimée Duffy Page A

to stop it. Being famous isn’t all glitz and glamour, and the weak can’t survive it. Fame comes at a price. It can hurt and destroy people.”
    His angry torrent of words ended and the sparkle in his eyes died, just like it did after he kissed her.
    “How do you know?” she asked. His life didn’t seem all that bad. He was famous and appeared to be doing okay. Or was that for show?
    “Because it happened to my wife.”
    He looked away and Anna was glad. Pain laced through her for his loss and she was sure it showed in her expression. She tried to pull herself together.
    “What happened to her?” Anna knew he’d been married at one point, but years and years ago. The papers didn’t write much about it now.
    He met her gaze and her breath caught at his grief-stricken expression. “Cassie was famous, a singer too, but she couldn’t handle the pressure fame put on her. She turned to drugs to help her through, and one day…she took too much.” His voice cracked and his eyes squeezed shut. She could see the sheen of tears just below and her heart hurt so much for him she thought she might break down again.
    But she didn’t. Instead, Anna walked over to him and placed a hand on his bare forearm. The heat from his skin made her heart race, but she ignored it. Miles opened his eyes and stared down at her, looking more lost than she felt.
    “I’m sorry, Miles,” she told him, her voice thick with emotion. “I’m truly sorry for your loss.”
    After gazing at her for a moment longer, he nodded and left.
    Anna stared at the closed door and understanding dawned. He didn’t want her to go through in the competition because he was worried about her. Not because he didn’t think she was good enough. He genuinely believed she wasn’t strong enough to handle it…just like his wife.
    Although Anna knew nothing about his wife, she knew that she wouldn’t end up the same way. She would never take drugs and would find some other way to cope with the stress and pressure if she did win. Now all she had to do was show him that she would be strong enough to survive.
    She had to be.
     

Chapter 6
    Betrayal
     
    Anna felt like throwing the damn CD out the window. It was Tuesday and she still had no idea what song she was going to sing on Saturday. Most of the other acts were already rehearsing theirs.
    Safri hadn’t returned any of her calls all week, so she came to the studio today to see what kind of songs they had. This week they were to sing a song by someone from their own country. Anna couldn’t find any Scottish songs which suited her voice, and she was getting more frustrated by the second.
    The CD one of the guys in the studio had given her with suggested tracks was terrible. She didn’t know half them, and the other half were in thick, heavy Scottish accents and even she couldn’t understand the words.
    The studio was quiet today. Most of the others already had their music mixed the way they wanted and were spending the day shopping for new outfits to reinvent themselves. They hadn’t invited her. Not that she really expected them to.
    Then there was the other, increasingly alarming distraction making it harder and harder to concentrate on anything at all.
    Miles.
    She hadn’t seen or heard from him since he’d left her dressing room on Saturday night. She’d even logged into EconEkt hoping that he’d contacted her. Nothing. His face—so full of grief and torture—stuck in her mind and she’d driven herself crazy wondering if he was okay.
    Anna hit play and another song on the CD she didn’t recognize played with a snappy, Highland Fling-like beat. She cringed at the unattractiveness of the singer’s thickly accented voice. Only three songs left on the disc and she wasn’t holding out hope that they were any better.
    The door to the studio opened and Anna’s eyes widened as she saw Miles laughing at something Kev Jones, one of his mentees, was saying. She’d never seen him laugh before. The way his