It would take a lot of time to get rid of her feelings for Max but one day, she was sure she'll be able to completely forget him and start anew.
'I will never go back to him.' Emma reminded herself once again.
Karen was stunned but remained quiet. She asked her assistant to bring the essentials and they both basked in silence until she fetched the required products.
'Emma, there's no going back now. You're strong and independent' She consistently reminded herself.
Karen combed Emma's hair and since she had already washed it went straight to applying bleach to her brown hair, starting from the roots down to the tips.
"Emma, I've applied the bleach. Let's wait for 3 hours for it to act. Do you want anything to drink?"
"Cold Orange juice should suffice." Emma stared at her aluminum foil-covered hair.
'I hope it turns out good.'
"All right. You wait here while I tend to other customers." Karen said as she went out of the room.
Honestly, Emma was grateful as Karen never did the bleaching herself.
As she felt bored she took out her mobile phone.
Turns out it is difficult to take your phone out of your jeans pocket with a non-dominant hand.
'I'm learning new things every day.' Emma smiled at the thought.
Opening the home screen, she logged into the internet browser.
News about her was still the hottest topic. Everyone was giving their opinions about her as she had slapped the most eligible bachelor and CEO, Max Davies.
3 hours quickly passed and Karen came back again.
"I think having light grey with dark grey streaks would suit you much better than going for an all-grey color."
"Whatever you deem fit"
"At least try to look a bit involved in the process. I'll not offer any refunds if you don't like the final color" Karen grumbled.
She was right. Emma was still brooding over her thoughts of Max and how happy they must have been.
'It's all in the past. Get over him.'
"I'm sorry."
"Let's go with light silver fox color first then we'll discuss the additional streaks"
2 Hours Later
Emma was amazed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Karen had cut her hair to shoulder length and Emma couldn't be happier with how the color turned out.
"Wow, It suits you. The streaks add more definition to your hair. And the uncanny resemblance of your hair with your eyes is stunning." Karen had been praising her artwork since she dried and styled Emma's hair.
The grey hair refined her features and gave her a mature charm.
Emma called the driver who said he'll be there in 30 minutes.
"By the way, would you be interested in a vacation? Perhaps?" Karen asked gingerly.
"Why would I take a vacation in the middle of the year?" Emma questioned as it was completely random.
"You know, it'll be better if you go on a solo trip just, you know, to clear some things off your mind." She was pointing at the situation online and Emma's relationship.
"No, I'm fine. I'm coping well with all of this." Emma politely declined.
"Just in case you want, Cruise trips are really in nowadays. If you ever want to go on one, just let me know. I'll book you the most luxurious suite on the cruise." Karen said as a matter of fact. Emma's interest was piqued.
She had always loved the sea. And the idea of traveling to new places by a huge ship was fascinating to her.
"Have you ever gone on one yourself?" Emma couldn't keep her curiosity.
"Yeah, I went on one last year. It was mesmerizing. Being on the sea, witnessing its majestic vastness and the cloudless sky is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You'll forget all your problems and enjoy your time there, I guarantee it." She said in a pleased tone.
"Do you know which countries you visit?"
"You can book a tour where you know and you can also book a mystery tour where you don't have any idea where you'll dock. I recommend the second one as it is popular among young folks." Karen explained.
"How do you book a tour?" Emma had just asked the question when she heard my mom's voice behind her.
Mrs. Woods looked stunned and amazed at the same time.
"Emma, you said you were only going for a light massage and a trim. What is this?" Mrs. Woods didn't sound angry.
'That's good. I had prepared myself to get an earful when I reached home.'
"I just felt like it. But why are you here?" Emma was not expecting her to visit the salon like this.
Unlike her, Mrs. Woods believes in making an appointment couple of days in advance.
"I came here to pick you up. I got worried as it has been more than 5 hours since you left home. You should have given me a call to inform me." Mrs. Woods nagged.
"I'm sorry. It slipped my mind." Emma apologized. She felt guilty for making her mother worry about her constantly.
"It's okay. Just inform me next time." Mrs. Woods lightly held Emma's left hand as they went to the car after thanking Granny Karen.
Mrs. Woods kept staring at Emma until they reached home. Emma was flustered by her incessant staring but managed to remain still.
The moment they entered the hall, Emma was shocked by the people present there.
It was the Davies family.
Her heart fell as she saw them looking at her, their gazes were indecipherable.
She tried my best to comprehend the meaning behind their stares but to no avail. At last, she attributed it to her hair.
'That's why Mom rushed to the salon. She was afraid I would be a brat and refuse to meet them.'
Emma ignored them and tried to walk to her room. The keyword here is tried.
Just as she had taken a few steps, her Grandfather called her.
Unwillingly, she had to acknowledge their presence and greet them.
There was a time when Emma used to be eager to welcome them.
But they were the ones who didn't even attend the ball and now they have come. Emma scoffed at their hypocrisy.
Max's mom got up and held Emma's arm, lightly examining her broken bandaged hand, turning a blind eye to her bleeding heart.
"I heard from your Father that you wish to break off your engagement with Max. I have come to apologize on behalf of Max. You know, how he gets sometimes. Forgive him this once. He'll do better. Besides you have loved him long enough to be offended by such trivial matters."
She started with an insincere apology, asking Emma to be understanding. 'Why should I be the one who is forgiving and understanding all the time?' It irked her.
"Do I look like a pushover to you? It was your son who waited until the engagement day to slander me and my family without even cross-checking the info he got. It was you guys who didn't attend the ball. And you're asking me to be forgiving? Does it read Saint on my forehead?"
Emma was beyond annoyed. If they thought that she was going to get an obedient dog for her son, then they were wrong. On the contrary, Emma was a rabid dog.
Emma only endured their insults and backhanded comments because she had feelings for Max. But that wasn't the case anymore.
Now, you'll have a taste of real Emma Woods. An arrogant, willful, stubborn, and disrespectful person.
Mrs. Davies was speechless. Even Mr. Davies was startled. They had not expected Emma to speak like that.
"Emma, I know that you are hurt by Max's behavior but he told me that he didn't mean to do that"
"Oh, yeah, poor him, I didn't know he was forced on a gunpoint to ruin my family's ball. I sympathize with your son who didn't mean to do anything by bringing a girl to his engagement ball and introducing her as his girlfriend." Emma was so angry that tears accumulated in the corner of her eyes.
This is what she hated the most. Belittling and Confrontation.
"Emma, you have misunderstood," Mrs. Davies urgently said, wanting to pacify Emma but she was unwilling to blame her son for Emma.
'This girl, she was not this stubborn in the past,' She thought hatefully.
She had never liked Emma. She only agreed to let Emma pursue Max due to her strong background and her wealth.
Now this golden fish was slipping through her fingers, how could she accept it?
"Let's sit down and talk. This whole situation must have been very tough on you." Mr. Davies stood up and lightly gestured to the seat beside him.
"I don't think we have a relationship where we can sit and chat heartily, Mr. Davies." Emma was disgusted.
She had somewhat predicted being blamed for the broken engagement but did not think that she would be accused outrightly.