Chapter 15 #2
Like mismatched twins out of a porcelain Barbie factory, Crystal and Georgina make their way through the swelling crowd of sparkling guests, their hips swaying in perfect sync as they smile at us.
The two women walk like they own the place, commanding everybody’s attention.
They act as if everyone should be worshipping at their glimmering feet, wrapped in strappy, nude sandals with diamond inserts and perfectly pedicured toes.
I feel nothing but anger when I look at them, a fire burning within me, brighter with every step they take in my direction.
“We’re going to need more alcohol for this,” Theo says as he steps closer and slips his arm around my waist to keep me glued to his side.
Dominic and August stand tall with Todd beside them, while Penny takes a deep breath and puts on a polite smile, as any self-respecting host should do.
“Ladies,” she greets Georgina and Crystal as they reach us. “Glad you could make it. You both look stunning.”
“Thank you,” Crystal replies with a fake smile, then looks at me long enough to let that familiar dread seep into my bones. “And thank you for having us. It’s quite the party you’ve managed to put together.”
“It doesn’t compare to the Met just yet, but you’re getting closer,” Georgina adds with a cool fake smile.
“Agree to disagree,” Dominic fires the first shot. “Why are you here, anyway? Didn’t peg either of you for the charity type.”
“It’s a society event, and we’re part of the society,” Georgina replies, then gives me a frown. “I’m surprised to see you, though, Phoebe.”
“Why wouldn’t she be here?” Penny shoots back.
Crystal sighs and turns her sights on me. “We just figured you’d crawled back into a hole after the weeks’ worth of embarrassment you’ve caused our family.”
And so it begins.
“You’re making a fool of yourself,” I say to Crystal. “Out of all the places to try and humiliate me, and you had to pick an important charity event.”
“You do a good job of humiliating yourself, honey,” my sister replies. “Screwing around with three men, shaming our family name—”
“I’d watch your mouth if I were you,” Theo warns her.
Penny tries to step in. “Guys, gals, come on. We need to keep things civil here. If you have something personal to discuss, duke it out as far away from this building as possible,” she says, looking specifically at Crystal and Georgina.
“Otherwise, enjoy the drinks, enjoy the evening, and get the hell out of my sight.”
“Figured you’d pick her side, Penelope,” Crystal says, crossing her arms. “You clearly don’t understand what’s at stake.”
“What’s at stake is that you and Mom are trying to strip me of my rightful inheritance,” I say, determined to hold my own in front of them. “On top of that, you’re accosting me at a public event, harassing me. How’s that going to work out for you in court, with all these witnesses?”
“What witnesses?” Crystal laughs. “Your fuckboys, your chief ass-kisser and her boy-toy?”
“Hey, why the drive by?” Todd mutters, looking downright hurt. He’s not a long-term option for Penny, that much is obvious. But he’s been nice and decent so far. He certainly doesn’t deserve to get caught in the crossfire.
“Pick a better woman, and maybe we won’t even notice you exist,” Georgina replies with an arrogant smile.
I give Theo a startled look. “I can’t believe you dated her.”
“Worst chapter of my life, by far,” he sighs deeply.
Georgina hears us, a grin slitting across her heavily made-up face.
“You sure loved taking me wherever there was a flat surface available. There isn’t a single counter in my kitchen or yours, for that matter, that didn’t get a print of my ass at one point or another.
Yet now that you’re slumming it with this beached whale, you’re too good for me? ”
“What is this ruckus?” Mom hisses as she joins the verbal skirmish, seemingly out of nowhere.
Silence falls around her as I look at her, then at my sister.
“She started it,” I say, hating that I sound like a petulant child.
Our mother shakes her head. “I could hear your voices all the way from the dessert bar.” She pauses and gives Crystal and Georgina a frown. “You left your dates there, completely unattended, by the way.”
“They can wait,” Crystal rolls her eyes.
“Or you two can just scram,” Dominic suggests. “You’ve made enough noise for one evening, and we have more important things to discuss.”
“Interesting seeing you here,” Mom tells Dominic. “You’re quite shameless, accompanying my daughter like this in public.”
“Like what, exactly?” I ask. “What are you implying, Mom?”
“Nothing. But our lawyers will have a field day with this.”
Click. Click. Georgina and Crystal get to snapping quick photos of us with their phones, while Mom measures me from head to toe. My face burns, my blood boiling to a steady simmer while my skin feels cold all over.
“Not that I’m surprised. I didn’t expect anything more from you,” Mom adds, giving me a disgusted look. “You could’ve picked a different dress, though. This one makes you look twice your size.”
“And you need to go easy on those fillers, Mrs. Astor-Baldwin, your face is proof that more isn’t better,” August cuts in.
She gives him an outraged glare. “Excuse me?”
“Humiliating your daughter in public might’ve been your go-to choice of entertainment in the past, but that stopped the minute we became a part of her life,” August says.
“I suggest the three of you not-so-fine ladies turn around and enjoy the rest of your evening as far away from us as possible. But don’t forget to donate to Penny’s noble cause.
Paying for the plates is simply the starting point. ”
“You don’t want the guests to think you’re poor,” Theo chuckles dryly.
“Not sure we want to be here anymore,” Crystal scoffs. “This whole event pretty much blows.”
“Then leave and make it better,” Penny snaps.
That gets her a shocked gasp from my mother, while Crystal and Georgina put on their most offended expressions, like something out of a comedic tragedy.
Penny waves them off. “Don’t give me those shocked looks because you’re reaping the consequences of your own actions.
All you had to do was show up, clink a few glasses, exchange some pleasantries with other guests, sign a fucking check, and go home.
That was it. The one thing you’re actually good at. And you couldn’t even do that.”
“Penelope, I’m dismayed that you would speak to us like this,” Mom says. “At this point, I have a mind of canceling our yearly donation to your charity foundation.”
“That’s fine,” Dominic replies, then looks at Penny. “We’ll double whatever they were donating.”
“Triple it,” Theo chimes in. “I’ve got a separate donation fund I’ve been meaning to redirect toward more meaningful causes.”
“Mom, please,” I plead, trying to appeal to the last sliver of common sense she might still have. “Don’t do this. Don’t stoop this low. Please.”
“Until you clean up your act and return to the civilized world, you and I have nothing left to discuss,” she tells me. “Crystal, Georgina, come. I’ve had enough of this vulgarity for one evening.”
“Good riddance,” Penny mutters, arms crossed, a grim look settling on her face as Todd moves closer and puts his arm around her shoulders. “Sorry you had to deal with that.”
“It’s okay. I’ve dealt with worse. Wait until you meet my family,” he jokes.
That’s not going to happen anytime soon, judging by the look on Penny’s face, but I keep the thought to myself as I watch my mother, sister, and her best friend walk away from us.
“Phoebe,” Dominic says as he turns to face me. “You need to understand that this was just a tactic. They’re determined to bring you down, but they don’t have the truth working in their favor, so they use insults.”
“I know.”
But it doesn’t stop their hurtful words from cutting deep. I guess I’m not as healed as I thought I was.
Theo tightens his grip on my hip, beckoning me to look up at him. “Phoebe, we’re here with you. Proud and loud. They hate seeing you happy because they are miserable. That’s all this is.”
“And you are, by far, the prettiest girl in this place,” August whispers in my ear. “I mean, look at us, baby. The three of us, hooked on you, unable to pull away. And I can’t wait to get you out of this dress later tonight.”
I can’t help but smile, surrounded by their charm, by their genuine adoration and kindness. I feel every word with the clarity and the sincerity with which it was intended, and slowly, the tension begins to dissipate.
“So, you hate this dress so much that you want to take it off me,” I jokingly reply. August plants a kiss on my temple, and I breathe in his peppery cologne. I close my eyes as my whole body shudders in response.
“I hate any garment that covers this gorgeous body of yours.”
Arousal burns through me as liquid heat pools between my legs. I clench my core tightly as I lean into Theo, trying to keep my composure in the middle of a public event.