Electra locked the door behind her and collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face. She sat comfortably on the floor with her back against the door, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, wallowing in sadness.
The chance of Mars barging into the house, causing a ruckus, and pulling her out if he knew what Alexander had done to her was high. She had only been trying to stop him and Neveah from fighting, but he had lashed out, hurling insults at her and calling her mother disgusting names. He had gone too far.
A sudden knock at the door startled her. She quickly stood up, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and opened the door to find Mrs. Dubois standing there.
"Mr. Cunningham wants you in his office," Mrs. Dubois informed her before taking her leave.
Electra closed the door and went to the bathroom, splashing water on her face to constrict the blood vessels and reduce the redness and swelling in her eyes. She looked in the mirror and saw Alexander's fingerprints on her cheeks, which almost made her cry again. But she held herself together and calmed down. After cleaning her face with a towel, she applied moisturizer and drank some water before heading to her father's office.
"Sorry I took a while to get here. I just needed to do something," she said as she stepped into his office. He was sitting in his usual rolling chair, but unlike that morning, he wasn't reading a file. His hands were entwined together and placed on the table.
"It's okay, dear. Take a seat," he said, and she immediately felt a bit better from Alexander's words and actions. "Okay, sir," she replied, sitting opposite him, waiting for him to speak.
"Tomorrow is a big day," he started, but his words broke her heart. She had expected him to talk about the awful way Alexander had treated her, but he dived straight into talking about something else. "Your soon-to-be mother-in-law wants to meet with you at 12 pm. I don't know what it's about, but I want you to make a good impression. She is a very strict and sophisticated woman, and I don't want her to see any faults in you that might make her have second thoughts about the wedding," he stated.
Electra stayed quiet, knowing that if she opened her mouth, she might say something rude and regretful because of how hurt she was. Alexander had slapped and pushed her, but her father wasn't going to talk about it? It was better to stay quiet.
"If she calls off the wedding, we'll lose our home and businesses. But if you marry her son, it would be easier to ask the chairman to invest money in a new business I came up with. The money we make from that business will be used to pay off our debts. Do you now understand how crucial it is to make a good impression?"
Electra was stunned by how dire their family's situation was. If she made mistakes during the meeting, they could end up penniless and in debt forever. "Okay, I won't let her see any faults in me. I'll make sure to make a good impression tomorrow," she promised.
---
The next morning, Electra woke up extra early to start her routine. She took a longer bath, exfoliated, used a face sheet mask, and even placed cucumbers on her eyelids. Unfortunately, one side of her cheek was still red from Alexander's slap. She took extra time to curl her ginger hair and watched makeup tutorials on achieving an elegant look. It took two hours, but when she finally finished, it was worth it.
She wasn't used to having her hair down in a wavy center part, having always favored a low bun since law school. Unlike her friends, she never fancied salon visits. A scrunchie and one swift move to put her hair in a low bun had been her style.
Finding the right outfit was the hardest part. Her wardrobe was filled with slacks, shirts, blazers, and stilettos—corporate wear. She had no sophisticated items. DIY videos on turning shirts into dresses didn't work and only frustrated her further.
An incoming call from Mars lifted her spirits. He always had a solution. "Oh my god, Mars, you have no idea how happy I am you called," she blurted out.
"Oookay, that's another way to say hello. I just turned in your resignation letter... *sighs* I miss you so much. The house feels empty without you. I had pastry and coffee for breakfast. I miss my balanced diet," he whined.
"This isn't the time to complain about your diet. I haven't even had breakfast. Look, I'm meeting my sophisticated soon-to-be mother-in-law today, and I have no elegant clothes. The fate of my family depends on this meeting. I need her to like me," she explained.
"You're more than good enough. Any woman should be happy to have you as their daughter-in-law. If she doesn't see that, she's blind. You don't need to go out of your way to impress anyone. Your whole existence is a blessing," he flattered her.
"I don't need flattery. I need clothes. Where can I find something suitable to wear?" she yelled.
"Maybe your step-sister Neveah has something you could wear, unless you have very different body types," he suggested.
"Her name is Neveah, not Nadia," she corrected.
"Oh, it matters," he replied sarcastically.
"Whatever. Thanks for the idea. I'll talk to you later. Je t'aime!" she said, hanging up and sprinting towards the kitchen.
"Mrs. Dubois, where is Neveah's room?" she asked.
"Still the same as it was," Mrs. Dubois answered without looking up from her work.
"Thank you!" Electra said, running towards the hallway where Neveah's room was located. She knocked a couple of times, but after no response, she slowly opened the door and found Neveah sitting on a rocking chair, her legs crossed and propped on a coffee table littered with weed and wrapping paper. She took a puff from the joint.
"I never said you could come in," Neveah slurred.
"I'm sorry for coming in without your permission, but I need your help. I'm meeting my soon-to-be mother-in-law soon and have nothing to wear. Father said she's very sophisticated, and I need to make a good impression. If I mess this up, she might call off the wedding. Do you have any clothes I could wear?" Electra explained.
"So you're meeting Mrs. Fountaine-Cadel today? Father doesn't mean she's sophisticated in the way you think. I've met her a few times, and she doesn't like too much makeup or flashy clothes," Neveah said, standing up and pulling Electra to sit on the bed.
"Vraiment?" Electra asked, surprised.
"Oui! She loves simple clothes and makeup, just the way you looked yesterday. Simple and basic," Neveah explained.
"Oh my god, I've been thinking this all wrong. I should clean off my makeup and put my hair in a low bun. Merci, Neveah! You're the best sister ever!" Electra said, running out of the room to hers.
She was relieved she had asked Neveah for help. She would have shown up looking like a clown and single-handedly made the family homeless. A few minutes later, she was ready. Her makeup was simple, and her hair was back in a low bun. She settled on a black suit and white stilettos, finishing with her pineapple-scented body spray.
As if on cue, Mrs. Dubois knocked on her door. "Mrs. Fountaine-Cadel is outside waiting for you," she informed in her typical robotic voice and left.
Taking one last look in the mirror, Electra headed downstairs, passing her step-mother. "Good morning," she greeted, but her step-mother ignored her. Used to it, Electra didn't mind.
At the front door, she found a woman standing beside a luxurious car. She was dressed in a black dress with a long slit up to her thigh and a deep V-neck, with a metallic ring at the waist. She wore black sunglasses, black faux leather stack platform heel mules, and long droopy golden earrings. A faux fur cropped jacket with wide loose-fitting sleeves and a fold-up collar completed the look.
She was the definition of elegance and sophistication.
"Are you Electra Cunningham or one of the maidservants?" the woman asked.