Chapter 5 CHAPTER 5
“This is an official crisis.” I mumbled to myself as I sighed looking at the mess I made. My clothes were thrown everywhere in my room, I have a lot of clothes and when I mean a lot I am note exaggerating.
My dad has a clothing store in a mall in town so whenever I feel like I need something new I just call him and ask for new things and he never fights me but today out of all days I can’t find what I am looking for.
I stood in the middle of my room, with my hands on my hips, and I breathed out a long, irritated sigh. Nothing looked or felt right for this kind of event I am going to tonight.
The Annual Event Dinner — the “mingling” night is supposed to be special, but all I could think about was how much I didn’t want to go. The thought of facing them Callen and Sierra made my chest ache. But there’s a part of me that actually wanted to go and have some fun.
I kicked aside a pile of dresses and crawled toward the back of my closet, half tempted to just show up in jeans and spite.
I turned to look when I heard my bedroom door swung open.
“Ayla,” my mother’s voice carried the sharp tone of disapproval as she looked at the messy room. “What on earth happened here?” I turned, still on my knees among the chaos.
“I’m looking for something to wear for the Annual Event Dinner,” I said flatly. “Apparently, my wardrobe decided to revolt.” She sighed and stepped into the room, picking up a glittering top from the floor and looked at it before throwing on the bed like it personally offended her.
“Why don’t you just go to the mall? The store is open, pick something from our collection. You’d find something in ten minutes, it’s better than wasting time here.” she said with an overly cheerful voice, I turned look at her taken back by her voice going up an octave.
I froze thinking about it but I shook my head looking up at her, my jaw tightening. “You mean the one that got funding at the expense of my feelings?” I asked, my voice steady but sharp. “No thank you.” I don’t see myself ever taking anything from their damn businesses, the businesses that they sacrificed their children for.
Her eyes softened immediately, guilt flashing across her face. “Ayla… please. I know what we did hurt you.” She sat down on the edge of my bed, smoothing out her skirt like she needed something to do with her hands.
“But I didn’t want you tied down by Callen. You might not believe me, but I never liked him for you.” I blinked, anger twisting with confusion. What the fuck is she talking about?
“So you liked him for Sierra?” She shook her head, her gaze dropping to the floor as if her lies had caught up to her.
“No. But we chose Sierra because she’s calm and strong in a quiet way. She can endure things you can’t. You still have fire in you, Ayla, the kind that doesn’t settle.” For a moment, I just stared at her.
The words should’ve made me feel better but they didn’t. They just made the ache sharper. “So you sacrificed her instead,” I said quietly.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she didn’t deny it. She stood and left without another word, her perfume lingering in the air long after she closed the door.
I sat there in silence, staring at the clothes around me. Finally, I pushed to my feet and started picking up the mess again, dragging dresses back onto hangers until my hand brushed against something hidden behind a rack at the back of the closet.
It was a dress I had seen in a store and liked, I had hang it in my closet and forgot all about it. It was crimson red, soft fabric that shimmered faintly under the light. It looked like it will fit me perfectly, hug my body in the right places.
The neckline dipped just low enough to be daring without being indecent, and a long, matching scarf hung from its hanger thin, silky, meant to wrap softly around the neck elegantly.
I held it up against me in the mirror and smiled. It was bold and beautiful. If I was going to walk into that dinner, I wasn’t going to look like a girl they could pity.
After a quick shower, because I had lost track of time looking for through my closet. I slipped into the dress. It fit perfectly, like it had been waiting for tonight. I tied my hair into a neat bun, let a few strands fall to frame my face, and touched up my makeup, subtle but sharp.
When I stepped out of my room, my father was waiting by the front door. His usual stern expression had softened a little, I inwardly rolled my eyes feeling like something is bound to happen when he is waiting for me like this.
“You look beautiful,” he said, smiling faintly before clearing his throat. “And, well I thought I’d make tonight extra special for you. There’s a limo waiting outside.”
I blinked. “A limo?” He nodded. “Consider it an apology.“Before I could respond, the sound of an engine caught my attention.
Through the window, I saw Tasha’s car pull up loud, just like her. She parked the car and got out, and the second she saw the limo, she screamed in excitement.
“AYLA!” she shouted, laughing as she rushed toward the car. “Why didn’t you tell me you hired a limo? I would’ve waited for you at my house!” I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at my lips.
“It wasn’t me. My parents’ idea, I think they are trying soften me up.” I said as I rolled my eyes.
“Well,” she said, tossing her hair dramatically, “your parents seriously deserve an award for being parents of the year.”She ran her fingers over the shiny car smiling and squealed in excitement. A man in a black suit got out of the car and opened the door for us, Tasha squealed one more time before she slid in.
I followed, feeling the weight of everything pressing against my chest. I am about to face a whole crowd of people who know my sister got married to my boyfriend. The worst part is they will probably be there to flaunt.
