Luck or Not

Chapter Three: The Not-So-Anticipated Dinner

Chapter Three

Shoes kicked off, I lay across my bed staring at the ceiling, watching the clock tick away. 6:15 p.m. It was only a matter of time before my stress system reset and I had to start preparing for that dreadful dinner.

Month after month, dinner with the Kensingtons always ended in the same awful state. Everyone angry and twenty seconds away from tearing each other apart. Most times, it seemed like the only thing holding this family together was Mum. Though she was gone now. At least, that's how it felt to me.

I closed my eyes. Seven o'clock.

Dad's message was still sitting unanswered on my phone. I didn't want to go, but Dad never really gave us the option of not showing up. And somehow, that reminded me of another dinner. A much happier one.

—

“I don't wanna wear the bow,” I grumbled, fighting for my life, or rather, my beloved dignity.

“You have to dress well for dinner today.” Mom said, trying to persuade me.

“I don't get why we even have to dress up for dinner. It's literally right down the hallway.”

“Not today, honey. We'll be going out to support your father on the new contract he's about to sign.”

“Really?” I was practically about to leap out of my body with excitement. “Dad never lets us go with him for company matters.”

“Well, today we are, so settle down while I fix your bow. You'll look so pretty when it's done.” My mother smiled at me through the mirror.

She had the most brilliant smile. Dad often said she could have brought empires to their knees if we'd lived in the Victorian era. “My wife could talk a man into going to hell willingly, and he'd leave gladly and say thank you.” He boasted about her like that often.

I never blamed him. Mum was as much beauty as she was brains. She had helped Dad build Aurelia Group from the ground up. She was everything I wanted to aspire to be and more. Which made it all the more confusing that she had so often chosen to sit on the sidelines and watch Dad take the reins.

“Well, I don't want to look pretty.”

She frowned.

“Why on earth would you say that?”

“Because William and Edward will make fun of me.”

I was doing everything I could to hold myself together. One wrong move and I was certain I'd stain my dress and get scolded for it. To my surprise, she didn't. Instead, she adjusted the bow on my dress and looked at me through the mirror.

“Fashion is armour for surviving the reality of everyday life.”

I stared at her.

“The worse your day is, the better you should dress.”

She turned me around to face her.

“You're a girl and they're not. They don't understand the rules society set for us before we were even recognised as women.”

She smiled.

“When you grow up, you'll have the opportunity to redefine them. Test those limits.”

I didn't understand everything she meant back then. But I remembered every word.

I sat up and checked the time.

6:25.

Right.

Dinner.

I took a shower, did my makeup and put on the brightest red dress I owned, paired with gold jewellery and suede-strap heels. If I was going to suffer, I might as well look good doing it. The driver was going to arrive any minute, and Father had never accepted any form of tardiness.

As the doorbell rang, I put all thoughts about TGC and the anonymous messenger on hold. For now. I put on my bravest face, reapplied my red lipstick and headed towards the door. Which, in hindsight, might as well have been the entrance to my impending doom.

—

James Kensington was a lot of things, but the man certainly knew how to pick a venue.

Le Bernardin was nothing short of luxurious, with its elegant décor, impeccable service and food that cost enough to make you question your financial decisions. Dad had a talent for choosing places that reminded everyone exactly how much money he had.

He also knew how to make an entrance.

So I wasn't surprised when I arrived to find only William and Edward waiting at the table.

“Elena.” Edward stood as soon as he saw me.

“You look as gorgeous as ever. I'm so happy to see you.”

“That's the same thing you said last month.”

“Yes, and I'm even more ecstatic to see you again today than I was last time.”

I rolled my eyes.

Edward was everything the pride and joy of the family was supposed to be. His silver tongue got him whatever his heart desired. Everyone loved him. Girls, professors, colleagues, his bosses, and most especially, Dad. If I'd inherited Mum's looks, Edward had definitely inherited her charm.

“Come on, Will. Won't you give your big sister a hug?” I gave Edward a little nudge as i said. “Unlike some people here, we actually haven't seen each other in ages. Not since you decided to ship yourself off to Japan.”

William stood and pulled me into a hug. “Of course. You're my favourite sister, after all.”

“I'm your only sister.”

“Yeah. That's what I meant.” We all laughed.

For a moment, everything felt normal. Almost.

At 7:30 exactly, Dad finally arrived.

Edward, William and I all stood to greet him. “Thank you all for waiting.”

He didn't say it merely as a courtesy.Father genuinely believed he was worth waiting for. After all, why would you arrange dinner for seven if you had always intended to arrive thirty minutes later?

He took his seat and immediately turned to William.

“How's your thesis coming along?”

“It's been a bit demanding trying to balance my studies and work, but I've managed. I've finished it and I'm currently waiting for feedback.”

“That's good. Well done.” He nodded before turning to Edward.

“And you?” The conversation continued.

Everyone took turns talking about their various accomplishments and plans. For a while, I almost managed to slip through the evening unnoticed. Unfortunately, my dreams were shattered when Edward inadvertently mentioned the one thing I'd been hoping no one would bring up. My internship.

“It’s going very well,” I said quickly. “My boss even approved the report I sent to his desk.” The lie left my mouth before I could stop it.

“Ah. The long-awaited internship.”

Dad looked pleased.

“You started this morning, right? I'm glad to hear it's going so well.”

He laughed. “I may even give your boss an appraisal myself.”

My stomach dropped.

“What is the name of your boss again?”

“Mr Collins.”

I took a sip of water.

“He's the head of financial management at T.G.C. Holdings.”

“Oh.” Dad's expression changed. “Collins.”

He leaned back.

“He's really moved up in the ranks. You know, we went to business school together.” He smiled. “It seems it's time I paid my old classmate a visit.”

It was in that moment that I knew I had completely and utterly messed up.

“There's really no need for that, Father.”

“No, there is.” He said waving his hand dismissively. “Rekindling friendships is always necessary in business.”

I couldn't decide whether to keep up the lie and pray that the heavens would grant me mercy, or confess and hope my father didn't decide I'd just wasted four years of my life. Somehow, I didn't think I'd be that lucky. I took a deep breath.

Then another.

Finally, I put my glass down.

“Actually, I haven't finished the report yet.”

Dad looked at me.

“My boss told me it was complete s**t and that I should do it over.”

Silence.

The kind of silence that made you suddenly aware of every person sitting at the table. The second the words left my mouth, I knew everything was over for me. I would be labelled a bad investment. A disappointment. Less and less like the daughter my father had hoped I'd become.

So I sat there, hands folded neatly in my lap, and waited for the judgement.

“I'm very disappointed in you, Elena—”

“I know, Father.”

I lowered my head.

“—that you felt the need to lie in the first place.”

I looked up. For a second, I wondered if I'd heard him correctly.

That was it? He wasn't angry about the report? He was angry because I'd lied?

Father rarely apologised. He didn't need to. He was a successful business tycoon who had somehow managed to keep Aurelia Group together after it nearly collapsed following the death of its CEO—my mother—in a house fire. He had earned every bit of the confidence, arrogance and authority he carried around with him. So I was more than a little confused when he reached across the table and took my hand.

“I know I'm usually hard on you children,” he said, “and most of all on you, Elena.” I looked at him. “But that's because the world is a hard place.” His voice softened.

“And it's even harder for women. Especially women who want to remain in male-dominated fields.” He squeezed my hand. “You'll have to work twice as hard as the men around you. And even then, some of them will still find a reason to doubt you.”

I didn't know what to say.

“It isn't alright that your first day didn't go well.” He paused. “But there is always tomorrow. There will always be another opportunity to prove yourself. Just make sure you take it when you can.”

Wonders never cease. I had never imagined James Kensington giving me a pep talk. Worse, it wasn't even a bad one. “Thank you.”

He nodded and released my hand.

“Now, speaking of forming alliances, there's a man I'd like you to meet.”

My brows furrowed. “Okay.”

“Coincidentally, he's an executive at TGC.”

My confusion disappeared. “Oh.” I sat up a little straighter. “That could actually be a great opportunity.”

I was already thinking through possible ways to make the most of the connection. “What would you like me to speak to him about? Are you trying to arrange an acquisition or something?”

“A merger more or less.” He took a sip of his wine.

“And I've already spoken to him about it. All that's left is for you to do the same.”

I frowned. Okay. That was strange.

Why would I need to speak to an executive about something Dad had already discussed with him?

And why me?

“What could I possibly need to clarify with him that you haven't already?” I tried my best to hide the confusion that was threatening to consume me.

Dad looked at me. “Well, it's pretty simple, really.”

I waited. “Your marriage to him.”

For a moment, I simply stared at him. The restaurant seemed to grow quieter around me. I blinked once. Then twice.

Surely I had heard him wrong.

“I'm sorry?”

Dad didn't even flinch.

“Your marriage to him.”