Iris had dreaded this event all week, amidst the apparent excitement of her father. She stared at her well dolled up face with a somber expression on her face. Her fiancé, who was rumored to be sickly and weak as a child, had returned earlier this week. She was going to meet him today, at the gathering prepared specially for his arrival.
Her younger self, a self in the distant past that had longed to freely travel the world and do as she wanted was all now going to be just a dream. Her only reprieve was that she would still be allowed to work in Sunsett, her family's design company. But it still was not enough. She did not want to marry someone she did not know.
But she had to.
She had to protect the legacy of her mother's family from her money-grubbing father and his family. They had done enough damage to it as it stood now. If she rebelled and did not seek power, everything that was rightfully hers would be run to the ground.
She let out a quiet sigh. No matter what, she could not allow herself to be resigned now. It was going to be difficult, but she had to do it. Her friend Pierce asked her what would happen if she fell for Lawrence in the end, and she remembered how loudly she laughed. She thought about it, but she highly doubted that she would. The most likely thing that would happen was that she would begin to hate him instead. The Yates to her were like a pack of wolves. She was to tread cautiously around them and follow their rules to the last letter.
She remembered when she saw the famous queen of song Selena. She had become a completely different person after marrying Idris Yates, the eldest child of the third generation of Yates. It was quite presumptious of her, but as her former fan, her retirement in the peak of her career, along with the disappearance of her charming smile told her a lot. She had heard too much about that family for her to believe it was completely nothing.
Her shoulders tensed unconsciously when she heard the door open behind her. Her father's head appeared in her vision from the mirror. His expression was clearly full of barely suppressed anticipation. She held back on her strong desire to roll her eyes at him.
"Darling, I know you need to take your time to get ready, but-
"I'm finished, dad," she interrupted, getting up decisively.
If she allowed herself to continue overthinking, she would have changed her mind. She would get it over with once and for all.
Her father was slightly lost for words when she turned to face him. But he regained his composure shortly after and cleared his throat.
"You look pretty today, darling."
She gave him a small smile.
"Thank you for the compliment, dad."
She knew she had outdone herself today, but she needed to stand out to her future mother-in-law. She was in a sleeveless ivory-colored form fitting dress with intricate hand embroidery and a v neck. Her shoulder length hair was styled into a sleek bob, and her makeup enhanced her attractive features to a great degree. She still hoped that all her effort would have the desired effect.
Her father extended his arm. She moved forward and took it. It was time to go then.
As she walked downstairs, she saw her stepmother stare at her with a complicated expression. She wanted to smile, but she did not. Who knew what that woman would scheme against her if she did? Iris vowed that she would certainly destroy her, but she was still too weak for that. All in due time.
They walked past her without a word. She could literally feel the daggers attempting to break her skin. Emily, her stepmom was bitter about the fact that an invitation had not been extended to herself and her daughter Leah. She was glad that she wasn't. It meant that after all these years, she still was not considered the lady of the Clayton family, which suited the goals of Iris fine.
At a certain point a few years ago, hatred bloomed in her heart for that family. It had not left her, growing stronger in her heart with each passing day. That was when she truly felt what it meant to be on the receiving end of cruelty. She almost died, and had not completely forgotten what had happened to her. Forgetting meant she was willing to let it happen again.
Emily's eldest daughter, Ivy was going to receive her karma soon. Her choice was incredibly stupid, and she would do nothing even if she could help her. She knew what was going to happen already, but she felt no remorse, as it was a choice ivy had made for herself, no matter how stupid it was. Love, after all was the undoing of many people in the end.
Iris was sure her late mother would have been disappointed with the step that she took, but it was for the best. Kindness was the strongest virtue of her mother, but it was what led to her early death. Excessive kindness was often mistaken for naivety, and often went unpaid.
When she was about to enter the car of her father, she saw Leah's car. She was sitting in it. Their gazes met, and Leah looked away almost instantly. Iris looked away from her coldly. There was no one she harbored resentment towards more than she did Leah Clayton. After all, the person most likely to hurt you was the person you trusted the most.
Iris cleared her mind off all the negativity she felt at that moment. She hated this place so much. It always managed to turn her heart cold. But she had to come back there because of today's event. As she drove towards the event taking place today, she hoped she was not moving from frying pan to fire.