The ball room was huge and beautiful, and it was an understatement.
Mother and Father arrived last: the long moments of silence, accompanied by deadly stares from Channing and Tyler, as well as the confused ones of Mallory - who still did not get to understand why, on the one hand, I was walking in the shadows of our parents for once and, on the other hand, why I would have changed by whole behaviour and shut everybody that wasn't our family or my two personal bodyguards out. But she did not say a word - rather, she would just try to understand the situation by herself, and not ask too many questions. She is a sensitive girl: she can sense some things that others can't, and that's why I am sometimes so afraid of her exposing some intimate thoughts of mine.
Either way, when the power couple made their entrance in the room we were waiting in before our introduction, Father immediately has his eyes on me, ignoring Tyler and Channing, who were dying to be the center of his attention. Father is a cold yet divine man: he is not the tallest, but his almost non-existant hair are contrasted with his small beard, and his sneaky, intense eyes. He is wearing a black-and-white costume, with a red rose on the pocket of his vest. He is very elegant, and so is mother in her long, princess-like beige dress, that would suit her skin colour with grace.
Father stops in front of me : he usually is not the type to make compliments, or to say anything at all - usually, we would just know from the look in his eyes what he is thinking about and why. But this time, his eyes are cloudy, as he says:
"You look superb, Christen."
Nodding my head, I say, suspicious:
"You too."
I am wearing an amazing designed dress offered to me by my grandfather before he passed two years ago: I never wore it before, but since this was my new life, I decided to at least be on point for my first public appearance as part of Press Corporations.
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Father then nods his head, thoughtful, before stating:
"I know you don't agree with our methods, Christen. But I also know that you are worthy of being their heiress of Press Corporation, and you will be: you are young, beautiful, intelligent... You are perfect for this role. Trust me."
"Yes, well" I say, trying to sound detached, "too bad you had to kidnap somebody I care about to make me join the corporation."
He smirks.
"You are unique, and sometimes it takes what it takes to make the world keep on spinning" he only says, before tapping my shoulder and walking toward my sisters, saluting them and telling them all about his trip to Mexico.
While Mother is greeting Mallory, I just stand by, thoughtful.
Those past days, and the past week, as a matter of fact, I had been thinking a lot about her. Not being allowed to give her any news, or to have been there as support at her father's funeral was harsh. But was is even harder is the fact that I couldn't talk to her, and that she now might think that I've turned by back on her and her sisters, that I betrayed their cause, which is quite the case to be honest, although it was not my doing. Sometimes, when I cannot sleep at night, I see her beautiful eyes and feel anxious for some reason. Forget her, I would say to myself, knowing very well that, whatever I had felt toward her in the past, I could not feel it anymore.
