Elizabeth
She arrived at White Manor and slipped off her platform heels, walking barefoot from the car hoping her mother would be asleep. Elizabeth knew that her mother would have heard about August’s engagement by now and she would be livid.
From the outside, her life seemed glamorous; the glitz, the glam, the fashion and the money. Her family, The Whites, being the second wealthiest family in Washington, second only to the Dereons. Her father had his fingers in many pies, some even speculating that he had ties to the Chicago mafia underbelly.
But her mother was the matriarch. Agnes White ran this family like her father, Robert, ran his company, no love lost to any mistake made and people cut when they were not deemed worthy. Elizabeth dreaded running into her mother right now.
But alas, Agnes was waiting for her as she opened the door. Elizabeth blanched. “Mother-“
SMACK!
The sound of the slap resounded through the Manor. Elizabeth grabbed her cheek and looked at her mother in astonishment. Agnes had never laid her hands on her daughter before, and Elizabeth could not understand why. “What was that for, Mother?!” she screamed.
“For failing,” Agnes responded curtly, and turned around, striding away from her daughter with her chin jutted out. Elizabeth could not believe what she was hearing. She ran inside after her mother and pulled her back by her forearm. “Failing?! August Dereon is already engaged to be married in 6 months’ time. Your inside source had it all wrong! The Dereon’s and Grays will merge. How exactly did I fail?” Elizabeth exclaimed.
Agnes looks at her daughter with disgust and responded, “It was up to you to get the Dereon’s on our side tonight, and you failed. No excuses, Elizabeth. You will make this up to us somehow, I don’t care if you have to sleep with August Dereon and be his mistress for our families to merge, but you WILL get us in with the Dereon’s if it is the last thing you do.”
Elizabeth could not believe her ears. She knew her mother thought little of her, but she did not know she thought of her as a lowly mistress! Not being able to bear this any longer, she straightened her back and looked at her mother defiantly.
“No. I will not.” she said and shook her head. Agnes's eyes widened at her daughter’s disrespect. “Excuse me?!” she asked in disbelief. No one has ever dared defy her and she would be damned if her daughter started now! She went in for another slap, but Elizabeth grabbed her wrist. “I am done with you from here on out, Mother. I am sick of you treating me like I am your property instead of your daughter. I will be packing my bags and leaving. You will never see me again after tonight and I wish you a good life. Goodbye.” She said, a weight lifting from her shoulders.
She stepped past her mother and headed for her room for what she assumed was the last time.. She had only stayed here out of convenience after graduating, but it was time for her to grow up and move on. White Manor would continue to be her tomb, wrapping her in her guilt until she decided to leave.
Elizabeth could feel the anger coursing off Agnes as she walked past her. “If you leave now, don’t you dare return,” Agnes said. With a heavy heart and tears falling down her cheeks, Elizabeth kept walking.
Agnes
Agnes snapped back from her anger and walked towards her husband’s study, knowing he would be sipping on his nightcap. She opened the door and spotted Robert in his armchair. and he looked up. “Dear, your daughter failed and refused to help us. Get all the projects Libellule has for the next 6 months and have them cancelled. Tout de suite.” Agnes said as she joined him in a whiskey. He sighed. “Agnes, we have spoken about this before. Elizabeth is your only daughter-”
“One I want nothing to do with from this day on. If Elizabeth would not help her family, her family would destroy her in return.” She interjected and took a sip of her nightcap. Robert shook his head. “If you want to do that, be my guest, but you will not drag me into your pettiness, Agnes. Elizabeth is my only heir and I will not have you ruin what she has tried so hard to build up. If you’ll excuse me.” Robert said gruffly and stood up, leaving her livid at the exchange.
She could not believe the disrespect from both her husband and daughter this evening. “If you want something done properly, you have to do it yourself.” She murmured and pulled out her cell phone, dialling a number she had not used in years.
Elizabeth 3 am and Elizabeth stood with her bags and belongings all packed, while still wearing the dress from the ball. She took one last look at her room and sighed, realising she probably would not miss living here, and the thought alone saddened her profusely. When she reached the stair landing, she walked towards the kitchen and placed the keys where she knew her mother would see them when she came downstairs in the morning. With her resolve set, she straightened her back and wiped the last of her tears away. These would be the last tears she ever shed for her mother. Ever since her sister, Blair, died, her mother had been nothing but cruel to her only daughter. Blair was her mother’s favourite and a musical genius well on her way to becoming a prodigy. She had always shielded Elizabeth from her mother’s mood swings, but now that she wasn’t around anymore, Elizabeth got the brunt of her anger all the time. On the way from her mus
Elizabeth "August!" Elizabeth exclaims and looks at the handsome man who just caught her. Out of anyone she could have run into, it had to be him. "Little Dragonfly, are you following me?" he says and gives her a sly smile. She frowns at his words but feels a blush forming on her cheeks. But as she was about to respond to him, she remembered that she still had Liza on the line. "Sorry about that Liza, you got all that?" She asks, not just talking about her cake and coffee order. She hears Liza chuckle. "I'm still here and want all the details when you get back. I'll get a mixture of cakes. See you at the office, boss lady." Liza responds, and Elizabeth smiles," "You're a star, babe!" she said and ended the call, then looked at August. "I am sure you would like to believe I'm following you, but I am afraid that this is not the case. I am staying here for the time being due to personal reasons." Elizabeth said and wondered why she was telling him all this.
Walking into Libellule House, Elizabeth was still stunned at what had just transpired. August's fiancee was begging her to take on her wedding dress project. "I have been such a big fan since day 1, and it would make me so happy if you would design my wedding dress!" Elizabeth could not say no to her, and she had looked so sincere. So, she gave in. "Alright, team, are we ready to go into battle?!" she exclaims, walking into the meeting room. Her team yells back, excited and sensing her renewed energy. "Despite the setback of our projects that my mother pulled out from under our noses, I have some exciting news!" Elizabeth beams at them and looks at their anxious faces. "Come on, boss, we can't stand the suspense!" "Yeah, please tell us!" Elizabeth chuckles at their curiosity and looks around the room. "This morning, something rather spectacular happened on the way here," she continues while looking at their faces. "We've got th
8 pm: Elizabeth stretches and looks at the time. Not realizing she had spent her whole afternoon putting out fires and designing her new line, she switches off her computer and takes out her phone. Fifty-one missed calls?! She stares at her phone in shock and then realizes she left her phone silent after lunch with a potential client. She unlocks her phone and clicks to go into her call list. Twenty calls were from the same unknown number, and the rest were from her mother. Sighing, she returns her mother's call. Her mother answers on the 4th ring. "This is just like her, like she's not the one who was desperately looking for me." Elizabeth thinks sourly. "Elizabeth," her mother croons; she groans inwardly. "Sorry I missed your call, Mother. I have been quite busy putting out the fires you've created for me," She responds curtly. Sensing her mother's anger, she continues, "Was there a reason for your call?" "I've heard through the grapevin
Elizabeth gets off her flight from Tokyo and heads to collect her luggage; afterwards, she heads to the hotel. In the elevator, she pulls out her phone and calls Liza. "Hey babe, I'm back. Could you please do some house hunting for me? I need to find a place ASAP, or all our savings will be going to this hotel suite." She says, "No problem, boss. I will come back to you with the prospect's tomorrow morning. Your schedule has been cleared for Ms Gray today." Liza responds. Elizabeth has not been looking forward to this meeting for some reason. "Thanks, Liza. Chat tomorrow," she says and hangs up. After showering, she decides on a casual, off-the-shoulder top and tight jeans, accentuating her curves. With a satisfied nod, she opts for flats instead of heels today. She pulls up in front of Emily's address and parks her car. The villa is surprisingly quaint, not the Dereon flashiness at all. Elizabeth smiles and heads inside. She was about to ring the bell, but E
Elizabeth stands up, feeling flustered at being so close to August and trying to maintain her composure. "I'm sorry about that, Mr Dereon," she says while collecting all her scattered things that had fallen. "I should watch where I'm going." August frowns at her formality. Why was she acting like this when she knew how much he despises it? "No problem at all..." he responds, and Elizabeth looks at him defiantly and turns to walk away. "If you'll excuse me-" "Elizabeth, wait, please," August calls out after her and grabs her wrist. Elizabeth looks down at his hand and swallows hard, "Mr Dereon-" "Please call me by my name. You know how much I hate formality." Elizabeth knew this; that is why she was doing it. She needed him to think of her as just another employee contracted to his fiancée. "A-August. What is it?" she responds. He feels his heart tighten when she says his name. He looks at her with a broken expression. "I'm sorry for not introducing my
The past two weeks have flown by quickly. Elizabeth has seen more of Emily lately. The latter let it slip that August would be working out of town for the next month, so Elizabeth decided to take advantage of the situation and get to know Emily better. Sitting in her office at 5 pm, Elizabeth closes her laptop just as her phone starts ringing. She glances at the caller ID and smiles. "Lizzy, save me!" Emily exclaims on the other line, "The Dereon's kidnapped me today. I have been at their mercy for 9 hours, jumping to boutiques along with the wedding planner. I am drowning in frills and lace!" She finishes off dramatically. Elizabeth chuckles before she says, "Want to go out tonight? It will help you forget a bit. I promise not to tell August!" She jokes and can already see Emily making a face. "Yes! I would love that!" Emily responds. "Great! I'll bring Liza along. You two haven't met yet, and I know you'll love her." Elizabeth was starting to get excited as
3 am After dropping Liza off at her villa to sleep off the alcohol, Elizabeth pulls up outside Emily's place, intending to drop her off as well, but Emily is way too drunk. Elizabeth looks over at the passenger side and notices that Emily has passed out. Thinking back on the evening, Emily and Liza hit it off unexpectedly well, although a bit too well. The two of them danced and drank the night away; Elizabeth felt like the third wheel and resigned herself to being the designated driver. "Emily, wake up. We need to get you inside, "Elizabeth tries to coax her awake while giving her gentle smacks. Emily eventually wakes up, and Elizabeth bolts to the passenger side door. Emily gets out and leans on her for balance. As they walk towards the villa entrance, Emily is mumbling drunkenly, "Thank...Thank. You for taking out, Lizzy." She muttered. Elizabeth grimaces and continues to lead and drag Emily inside. "The Dereons will kill me if they see Emi