The Preparation

Poppy's POV:

"Take this away, Poppy," Penelope said the moment my fingers touched the edge of her dress. Her face twisted like I’d done something disgusting.

I was only trying to smooth out the hem before the party, but of course, she found a reason to be offended. She always did.

She handed me a tissue. Warm. Wet. Heavy.

I took it with two fingers, like it might burn me.

Fighting the urge to gag, I stepped on the trash bin pedal and dropped it in. “Yes, Penny,” I murmured, keeping my eyes low.

“You look so beautiful, sweetheart,” my stepmother Laura cooed from the side. A couple of the maids were still fussing with Penny’s gown.

And she did look beautiful.

The white lace hugged her perfectly. Her chest practically spilled out of it in a way that made people stare and never stop.

Her long, straight brown hair gave her an air of maturity—serious, believable. Which is probably why everyone trusted her. Even when she lied.

“Isn’t your sister so stunning?” Laura turned toward me with a tight smile that never reached her eyes.

I nodded, forcing a smile of my own.

“If only you looked like this,” she added under her breath. “Then maybe we could finally get rid of you.”

She didn’t want the maids to hear. But they always heard.

Laura compared me to Penny like it was a full-time job. I wasn’t pretty. I wasn’t useful.

I was just there—an embarrassing leftover from my dad’s first marriage. The one he barely acknowledged.

“Mother,” Penny called sweetly, “more tissue.”

I handed her another one. I always had them ready.

“It’s not her fault she looks like this,” Penny said, smiling at the maids. She turned to me with that fake sugar-glazed expression. “Pimples. Braces. Glasses.”

She sighed like she was listing a tragedy.

“All the signs of an ugly girl,” she finished.

She blew her nose loudly. The sound was thick and wet, and the tissue drooped from the weight of it. For someone who looked like a magazine cover, she always had stuff leaking out of her.

I looked away, breathing through my mouth.

“Since it’s your engagement party today,” Laura said suddenly, her eyes gleaming, “I just realized something.”

Penny perked up. “What?”

“No one is ever going to love Poppy.”

They laughed. So did the maids, because they always laughed when Penny did.

I bowed my head. What else could I do?

“At least she’ll always be around to help,” Laura added, shrugging like she was talking about a dying dog. “She’s so used to being your assistant anyway.”

She wasn’t wrong. I’d been doing Penny’s dirty work since high school—errands, cheating, writing her papers. Now? I was her full-time assistant.

She didn’t pay me. She said food and shelter were enough.

But today… today was supposed to be different. I was finally supposed to leave.

“Penny,” I said quietly. “I won’t be able to work for you anymore.”

Everyone froze.

“What did you say?” she asked, blinking like she couldn’t have heard right.

“I got another job,” I said, even softer.

She stood slowly, her fingers already lifting another tissue. “Take this.”

I glanced at the trash bin. It was closer to her than it was to me.

Still, I reached for the edge of the tissue—but she shoved the whole thing into my hand.

I dropped it in the trash and rushed to the sink to wash my hands.

“Get out,” she snapped at the maids.

They scattered. Quietly. They always knew when the air turned this dangerous.

Penny turned back to me. “Say it again.”

I dried my hands and took a breath I couldn’t quite control. “I’m starting work today. At Rhodesian Catering.”

“You ungrateful little shit,” Laura hissed.

Her hand flew.

WHACK.

The slap landed hard and hot across my cheek.

Before I could even react—

WHACK.

Harder this time. My head whipped sideways, my face burning.

“Mother—” I gasped.

“I’m not your mother!” she shrieked, her finger shaking in my face. “Don’t you ever forget that.”

I nodded quickly, trembling.

The last time I looked her in the eye during one of these moments, she fractured a bone around it. I still see double sometimes. My dad refused to pay for the surgery. Said I provoked her.

Now I wear glasses to fix what they broke.

I’d started at Rhodesian Catering a month ago. Small gigs, nothing major.

But today?

Today was Penny’s engagement party.

And not just any engagement. This was with the Caelum family.

Everyone in Velmora talked about them. The Caelum brothers were rich. Powerful. Secretive. Dangerous.

No one knew which one Penny was marrying. That was the big reveal.

Most people hoped it wasn't the eldest. The dangerous one. Rumors had it that he had sex with a woman before her husband. And what frightened the husband more was that his wife enjoyed every bit of it.

To other women, he was a fantasy who made their ovaries chun.

To other men, he was the cause of their wet dreams.

To me?

He wasn't even dangerous, just a huge red flag.

I didn’t like men who used charm like a weapon, or smiles like bait. I didn’t trust flirtation when it looked like a trick. I find it highly immature to like sleeping around, especially when you can just find one good girl.

But seriously, I had to go.

Being seen at that party—even once—could mean an opportunity and a way out.

I heard from Tanya, my floor manager, that the Caelums were looking for a personal chef.

And I’m a damn good cook.

I’ve been cooking for my family for years. I love it. Feeding people makes me feel useful and in control.

For once, I had a shot at something real.

Freedom.

But Penny had found out.

“You’re working for Rhodes?” Laura snapped. “As in, our rival?”

I nodded.

Even if he was their competition, Rhodes Catering was the best in Velmora.

Laura raised her hand again—but Penny stepped between us.

“I’ll handle it.”

She turned back to me, voice calm and razor-thin. “When do you start?”

“T-today.”

She clicked her tongue. “No, you won’t.”

My stomach dropped.

“Did you handle it?” Laura asked her.

Penny nodded. Then walked to her dresser and pulled something out that looked like a fabric.

It took a moment to register.

My catering uniform!

Or what was left of it.

She had cut it to ribbons!

“No,” I whispered, stepping forward. “What… what have you done?”

Penny tilted her head, eyes narrowing. “What did you just say to me?”

I glared at her.

“Who do you think you are, raising your voice at me?”

My throat went dry. My arms hung heavy at my sides.

I’d made a mistake. A stupid, stupid mistake.

The scars on my face were already beginning to show. I wore heavy makeup every day just to keep them hidden.

My father had once told Laura and Penny not to hit my face—not because he cared, but because he didn’t want gossip.

“Don’t hit her face,” he’d said. “What do you think people will say?”

Every time Penny’s day didn’t go right, I became her outlet.

She ripped her dress? I got slapped.

Her credit card failed? I got slapped. Then hit.

She failed her exams? I got slapped, hit, kicked.

A boy looked at me instead of her?

Slapped. Hit. Kicked. Spit on.

Eventually, she got bored of that too. Then she started throwing things.

I closed my eyes and braced myself. I waited patiently for it, but nothing came. I eventually opened them slowly.

Penny was just standing there, staring with her fist raised and she was breathing hard.

Maybe—just maybe—she was giving me a chance to walk it back.

“I’m sorry, Penelope,” I whispered.

Her fist didn’t drop.

Her voice was cold. “What did I say about using my full name?”

I flinched.

The slap was coming, I know it. And I might not be fast enough to stop it.

~~

A/N: This is a fictional novel with dark themes. Please suspend your morality and enjoy the ride. There will be spicy content in future chapters — consensual and not rape!!!

This book is part of a competition. Your support means everything.

Follow me on I* @Rossi_1847 for updates. 💜

~~