After the dramatic entrance, the Ellington family was led to their respective sits. Not only did they get their own space but sat observing the people like royalty.
Mr Ellington sight was occupied by a particular red head woman who sat far end the hall, She shook her head repeatedly, a troubled lizard in motion, subtly signalling toward the exit.
Unfortunately this action was witnessed by Freya his daughter. Around the golden walls, murmurs and food aroma filled the room.
None of all this seemed to faze her, some men tried to start conversation but it was as if they spoke to a stone. Her face was not only beautiful but as cold as a silver dagger. No emotion or expression was visible it was as if she was a ghost.
Never in her life has the word man interest her, it was as if she wasn't bound to love. Based on their parents' selfish reasons, they set her on blind dates but she either fled or scared the poor men away.
Following the narrow hall that led to the rooms, her father's tall figure was walking in one of the room and for some reason kept looking around to see if someone noticed him.
Whispers around her and even pictures and her dad distant behaviour supported the rumours she heard. One night as she was sneaking back home after attending a collage party, soft mummers in the store room caught her attention.
Her tiny, curious frame led her into the store, where she found the house helps watching something on their phones. With help of her bare feet she tiptoed slowly and checked only to startle the poor maids making them drop the phones. It was eerie how she appeared out of nowhere, eavesdropping and peeking at them nearly scaring them to death.
"Ma'am," one called nervously, her words trembling as if unsure whether to speak at all. Freya looked around ashamed, because it was disrespectful of her to eavesdrop. They were human after all and needed space.
Standing straight and holding her head high she raised her eyebrows nudging them to explain what was on the phone. A silent glance passed between the two maids not knowing how to restart the whole gossip,
"This will be shocking but since you asked we'll show it to you." the first maid said, casting her a knowing look before pressing play on the video. At first the people on the video were blurry but as the video played you could see that the figures on the video looked soo familiar and one of the figures was her dad shamelessly holding another woman's hand. Cold air swept through the room, making the two maids shiver as they rubbed their hands together for warmth.
Sensing her anger, the maids took two steps back, hurriedly explaining, "My cousin just so happens to work at the woman's mansion, and he knew that I worked for this family…"
She glanced down at her feet, ashamed that she knew more than she should, but Freya hummed, silently urging her to continue.
"So he recorded and shared this video with me. Please, don't tell the master about this i don't want to lose my job" she pleaded, unshed tears trembling on the brink of falling from her shivering eyes. It was a mistake to carry such information about a billionaire; not only would it stir trouble, but it could also soil his reputation.
"I won't say a word, but promise me that this won't get to my mom or my sister," Standing by the door, she began to walk away, but stopped abruptly, causing the two maids to stumble in surprise.
"And by the way, send me the video. Also, tell your cousin I need him to do something for me…"
A loud bang jolted her back to the present as she grabbed her phone from her pulse. Whispers filtered through the unlocked door. On her screen were new secrets about the other woman, and without a second thought, she leaned against the wall beside a mesmerizing portrait. She barely noticed its beauty, too pressed for time to indulge in it.
With minimal effort, she pressed the send button and walked back toward the hall. The stairs seemed unusually long, as if she were walking through a different kind of corridor one shrouded in twigs and dim light. But just as quickly, it felt like an illusion, and she found herself back in the lively, chatter-filled hall.
Stares couldn't escape her eyes because this time it was as if the people around her judged her as well as some mocking her. Not that she cared but this eerily and yet unfamiliar feeling gave her chills. Most of the people here were her dad's acquaintances and so them giving her looks was normal but it was as if time would stop and so would her surroundings.
In no time she sat next to her mom who looked at her worried expression,
"You okay?" Her mom's voice rang in her ears, distant and faint, as if coming from far away. This time, she sat next to a woman wearing a golden gown that matched her mesmerizing ocean-coloured eyes. The woman smiled at her, but it was a sad smile lonely, almost as if it were a hologram.
"Freya, Freya say something you are scaring mom," a shake woke her up again and she looked around as if to confirm something and then laughed, she was in deed crazy.
In the party she had taken some drugs and maybe it was still in her system.
"I'm fine, I just need fresh air, I'll be outside," Without waiting for their approval, she rose, clutching her aching head. It throbbed with a torturous intensity like a blade scraping against her skull, drawing invisible lines of pain that felt as if they could bleed. And with that, she collapsed, sinking into a bed that cradled her like a cloud."
'Genevieve…..'