Marrying For The Throne

CHAPTER FIVE

Savannah craned her neck all the way up so she could gaze in awe at the humongous building that was The Kenningston Tower. The building seemed to stretch far into the sky, earning it the right to be called a tower.

The entire building shimmered because of its entire glass exterior, and it was hard to miss the gigantic golden K that glimmered like gold at the top.

She couldn’t believe she was going to get to work there, but of course, she had to pass the screening process the receptionist talked about.

She wasn’t entirely sure what kind of job it was, but Savannah was desperate. Anything to get her out of her dead-end salesgirl job at the strip mall boutique.

The traffic light turned red, and the pedestrian walk sign lit up bright green. Savannah almost hesitated, but she took a deep breath and crossed the road, heading straight for the tower.

She pushed the revolving doors and walked inside the building. This multi-billion dollar company clearly had taste, and it showed in the sheer luxury that existed in the lobby alone.

There were flowers, chandeliers, pieces of exquisite art. And, of course, the unmistakable scent of expensive cologne wafted in the air. The place of the rich.

Savannah couldn’t help but take everything in, she almost wanted to spin around because it felt too overwhelming, but then she noticed the circular desk with a gorgeous woman in a navy blazer.

She immediately remembered why she was there in the first place, and the impulse disappeared. Slowly, she made her way to the receptionist, and her heart pounded all the way there.

“Hi, I’m Savannah Reid.” she tried to come off as confident, but her voice shrunk the more she spoke. “We spoke on the phone yesterday.”

The receptionist looked up from her screen with a bright smile that could cheer a room up. But when she caught sight of Savannah, her expression immediately changed to that of confusion.

“You’re Savannah Reid?” She leaned over the counter while her eyes swept all over Savannah and landed on her clothes. “You?”

Truth be told, Savannah had actually spent hours putting her outfit together. She decided to go simple but elegant. She wore her best pair of black slacks and a white blouse. Then she also wore a cardigan to add a little bit of sophistication, but her worn-out dress shoes and tote bag weren’t exactly speaking sophistication.

“Yes,” Savannah answered firmly. She was used to the dirty looks.

The receptionist leaned back, her gaze flickered between Savannah’s face and her clothes. “Do you have any identification?”

Savannah slowly took out her ID card, along with the sleek black card Prison Ricky had given her. The receptionist’s eyes widened when Savannah placed the cards on the desk, but she quickly hid her surprise.

She returned to her professional smile and pushed the cards back to Savannah. “You’re late, Miss Reid. Your appointment was at 11 a.m and it’s already 11:43.”

She noticed Savannah was about to give some sort of explanation, but she didn’t want to hear it, so she stood up and began walking away, “Come with me.”

The receptionist led Savannah to the farthest elevator and then put in a code that made the screen light up green, and the silver doors slid open.

They stepped inside, and the receptionist pressed a button for the 87th floor, but Savannah noticed there were just two numbers, 87 and 88.

She hesitated for a moment before finally asking the receptionist, “Can I ask what kind of job it is?”

“Job?” the receptionist snapped her neck toward Savannah, “What on earth are you talking about?”

“The… the screening?” Savannah’s nerves made her stumble over her words.

The receptionist turned away and smirked, “Oh.”

She didn’t say anything other than that, and Savannah started to feel a bit uneasy. After a short while, the elevator dinged open, and the receptionist walked out, with Savannah closely behind her.

Savannah read the words atop the glass doors on the 87th floor, Penthouse Conference Hall.

The receptionist pushed open the doors, and Savannah found herself in a room filled with the most glamorous women she had ever seen, so much so that the gorgeous receptionist didn’t even hold a candle to them.

Each of them wore expensive designer dresses, and had on flawless makeup that Savannah had only seen on top-tier models. Even the heels they wore looked more expensive than Savannah’s entire wardrobe.

“She’s the last candidate.” The receptionist announced in an obvious, mocking tone, and the entire room broke into giggles.

Savannah felt their mocking stares on her, and her hand tightened around the strap of her tote bag. She wanted to run out of the room and head back to the elevator to escape the flush of embarrassment that overwhelmed her.

But she thought of her father, and the weary smile she grew tired of seeing from across a glass pane. She wasn’t doing this for herself, she made a promise to him, and she intended to keep it. She straightened herself up and held her ground.

“Quiet girls,” said a sharp voice and the room fell silent immediately.

A regal woman dressed in a black flowing dress and a fur shawl stepped out from the small group of girls.

Her eyes scanned Savannah, and a frown creased her beautiful face. “Who are you, and why are you late?”

Savannah quickly brought out the sleek black card. “I was given this by…” she paused, unsure of how to say it. “By Prison Ricky.”

The woman’s brows furrowed, “Fredrick?” she murmured to herself. Her gaze hardened as she looked back at Savannah. “Stand with them and face me.” she said, gesturing to the line of girls.

Savannah nodded and scurried over to the line, but as she got into place, the girl next to her shifted away, and the rest of them laughed.

The regal woman then cleared her throat and began to speak, “For those of you unfamiliar with who I am,” Her gaze fell on Savannah, and Savannah’s breath hitched. “My name is Elizabeth Kenningston, wife of Arthur Kenningston and matriarch of this empire.”

Everyone immediately became eerily quiet.

“I’m sure you all know why you’re here, so let us begin.” Elizabeth said, and began to slowly walk down the line, her eyes observing every girl she passed.

She stopped in front of the fourth girl and frowned, “Your posture is atrocious,” she said sharply, “Step out of line.”

The girl’s face paled instantly, and she bowed her head in shame before stepping back.

Elizabeth continued down the line, “Those shoes, what is this? A circus audition?” Elizabeth made the seventh girl step out of line as well.

She stopped at the ninth girl and scoffed, “If you can’t even manage to put on the right shade of lipstick, I fear to think what other lapses in judgement you might have. Out.”

Savannah’s heart thundered. She thought that the girl’s lipstick was gorgeous, and she felt the seventh girl’s shoes were absolutely stunning. Unconsciously, she gripped the strap of her bag even more tightly as Elizabeth started walking again.

When Elizabeth reached the eleventh girl, who just happened to be the girl standing right next to Savannah, her expression changed, and she smiled. “Now this is refreshing. Poised, polished and clearly invested in her appearance. Well done, dear.”

The girl beamed under the praise, then quickly threw Savannah a smug glance. “Thank you, Mrs Kenningston,” she said sweetly.

Elizabeth then turned to Savannah, and the entire room seemed to hold its breath. Everyone, Savannah included, knew what was coming.

“Well, where do I even start?” Elizabeth’s voice dripped with condescension. “That cardigan has seen better days, and frankly, so have you. Don’t even get me started on those god-awful shoes, and as for your overall demeanor? Plain, and uninspired.”

Savannah’s cheeks burned, but she kept her head straight, and her gaze focused on Elizabeth in front of her.

Elizabeth gave her one final glance, “I truly don’t know what Fredrick saw in you,” she said finally, then she narrowed her gaze. “Beccause I don’t see a damn thing.”

She took a step back and scoffed. “Step out of…”

Before she could finish, the room was interrupted by the sound of a clock chiming, and the glass doors swung open.

Every head turned to see the strikingly handsome man who had just strode in, dressed sharply in a black Armani suit.

“I’m here,” His deep voice drawled lazily but somehow managed to fill the entire room. “Guess we might as well get this over with.”