Mrs. Fountaine-Cadel's words repeated in Electra Cunningham's head as she stepped into the mansion. She spotted the family sitting at the dining table, quietly feeding themselves, but they turned their heads to her when they heard the clacking sounds of her heels on the tiled floor.
Mrs. Cadel's words were, "As soon as you get home, I want you to walk over to your stepsister and give her a tight slap," she had let out, taking a sip of her latte.
"...Why would I do that? She's my sister, four years older even," Electra had said, disagreeing.
"She lied to you when you were trying to help your family. She almost sabotaged your chances of getting married to my son. The slap would be on behalf of the family, and no one will have anything against you for slapping her. She deserves it."
That was what Electra planned to do. Mrs. Cadel was right; Neveah deserved to be slapped because she knew how important the marriage was to the family but chose to trick her. If Mrs. Cadel hadn't been a good woman with a good heart, the marriage plans would have been jeopardized, and the family would be penniless and on the streets.
"Neveah!" Electra called as she arrived beside her. Neveah's eyes landed on hers as she turned her face, but Electra made sure to turn it back with a jaw-clenching slap. Neveah's hands moved the plates on the table to the floor, and the shattering sounds of breaking ceramics mixed with gasps.
"Electra!" her stepmother called, standing up. "Are you insane??!!" she asked rhetorically.
"Neveah is the one who's insane! She knew how much the marriage means to this family and how important it is that I marry into the Cadel family, but she tried to ruin my chances before I could even be given one," Electra explained to the family.
"What?!!" her father exclaimed.
"Are you out of your mind??!!" Alexander yelled.
"Yes, she tried to sabotage my first meeting with Mrs. Cadel. If not for the fact that she has a pure heart, she would have called off the wedding. Neveah said I shouldn't be seen dressed in a ringarde manner, so she changed my entire outfit. Mrs. Cadel also asked me to give her that slap." Electra finished and walked away, going straight to her room.
She closed the door behind her and set her brand new purse on the bed, the first gift from her mother-in-law that she would cherish forever.
She sat on the bed, started removing her heels, and then moved to take off her dress. Thinking about the whole day, it had been extremely eventful. Her heart almost ripped out of her chest when Mrs. Cadel called her 'basic' with a distasteful expression and tone.
She thought she had ruined her chances and that the family would be broke and left on the streets. But Mrs. Cadel telling her to get off her feet and stop apologizing changed things. Electra knew it was a smart idea to beg when there was no other option.
But she couldn't help but worry about the groom. Mrs. Cadel said she would make sure they got married, but Ryker had the power to ask for a divorce as soon as they got married if he couldn't stand her. That was why she needed to make sure she got pregnant as soon as possible—but she wasn't even planning on getting married, not to think of getting pregnant.
It was already enough for her to get married to a man she barely knew and didn't have any feelings for, but giving herself to him so quickly was something she couldn't do. She wasn't even sure if it was morally right.
Pregnancy would have to wait for a few months—at least for her to feel something for him before giving herself to him.
Mrs. Cadel wanted to meet with her again the next day to take a look at the houses she and Ryker would move into after the wedding, saying she would buy the one Electra chose as a wedding gift.
And of course, Electra was asked to get ready in advance, which meant Sophia and Angelica would be coming to the mansion early in the morning to get her dressed up.
She needed to inform her father about the progress, but she felt like she had to give him room to absorb the fact that she had barged into dinner and slapped his eldest daughter because she was trying to ruin the family. In the meantime, Electra decided to take her calm pill, which was talking to Mars.
He was her calming pill.
Sitting in the bathtub and taking a deep breath of relaxation, she let her back settle comfortably, then proceeded to dial Mars' number.
"Hello," Mars said across the phone. "I figured you would call me sooner or later. How did the day go?" he questioned.
"You will not believe what happened. Do you remember suggesting I go to Neveah for help? I went to her and asked for help, and she went on about how Mrs. Cadel doesn't like too much makeup or flashy clothes, whereas that was exactly what she liked. I fell for her venomous lies and went to Mrs. Cadel dressed simply, and then Mrs. Cadel asked if I was the maidservant," Electra started.
"I should have known Neveah wouldn't help you. Even when you're trying to help their stupid—no offense, stupid family, they still have something against you. I bet Alexander will soon pull some nonsense too," he hissed, purposely getting their names wrong.
"Don't even get me started about Alexander. If you knew what he did, you would burn this house down," Electra let out a soft chuckle, knowing there was at least one person fully on her side.
"What did he do?!!" Mars exclaimed defensively, confirming to Electra that she did the right thing by keeping the fact that Alexander had slapped her away from him.
"I'll tell you when we meet...but you'd be happy to know that Mrs. Cadel liked me regardless of what I wore. Also, she made sure to punish Neveah through me when she heard what happened," she said.
"Punish her how?"
"She asked me to give Neveah a tight slap, and I did...just a few minutes ago."
After what seemed like a blink of an eye, which was in reality an eternity, Electra finally caught Mars up on everything that had happened during the day and what she was expecting the next.
"What are you doing right now?" he asked across the phone.
"Freezing in the tub. What about you?" she responded simply and questioned.
"On my bed... Missing you like crazy,"
"I literally just left yesterday. Stop being a drama queen and find something better to do, Mars!"
"Do you not miss me? Because I can't seem to focus on anything else knowing you are trapped in that hellhole with crazy people."
"Of course I miss you. I haven't spent one night away from you before, and it was hard for me to sleep last night knowing you weren't in the next room. Knowing I can't come cuddle because you're an hour away from me."
"You can always ditch everything and come back to me. It would be like the old times, just you and me against the world, and we won't have to host two weddings, we can just have one."
"Mars, you mean the world to me, and if I could, I would pack my things and come to you without second thoughts, but I have a duty to perform as a member of the Cunningham family."