Mastering Wren

Ch.31 Ultimatum

Ultimatum

I help Chloe with her makeup and surprisingly she appreciates my help considering I honestly don't know much. We become fast friends and her passion is infectious.

"You should be a model too, you know," Chloe suggests as she twirls around before the mirror and her younger cousins sit back and play with her makeup, trying to compete.

"I would be terrible, I'd probably fall off the cat walk I'd be so nervous," I joke and Chloe spins to face me in disbelief.

"Nervous? How could you be nervous when Theo would be there to catch you if you fell off," she points out, very wisely and very seriously. It makes my heart skip a beat, desperately wanting her words to be true.

Who knew a thirteen year old's words would be so powerful to my ears?

It's a fantasy, Wren, you're not going to be walking on any cat walks any time soon. If you did you'd probably we wearing one of those fashion designer bear-meets-the-city designs, with fur and twigs covering you to make you look like an urban cave woman... and you could hold Mr. Fox in your arms as an accessory.

Ok brain, what the fuck, shut up.

My imagination was a little too over active sometimes.

"Chloe!" I quickly come back to the present when a new voice calls out. I turn my head and down the small hallway, where Chloe and I had found a mirror to get her ready in front of, Bryony, the birthday girl, appears.

"What is it?" Chloe asks, still inspecting the highlighter on her cheek bones I generously applied for her.

"You having fun?" the birthday girl asks.

"Yeah, why?" Chloe is impatient, clearly being interrupted in her most crucial preparation faze.

"I have a surprise for you," Bryony winks and Chloe pauses.

"Tell me," she turns, hand on hips, demanding her surprise be shown.

"Just someone you love, who arrived just a few moments ago. She's been looking for you," Bryony's hints are strong now and my stomach drops when Chloe's eyes sparkle.

It could only be one person.

"Your favourite model just arrived to spice up the party," Bryony steps out further into the hall, with a hand on Cynthia's elbow, making her a surprise for Chloe.

The blood drains from my face as the blonde bombshell, dressed in a tight black maxi dress that looks stunning, opens her arms to Chloe. Cynthia gives the teen her biggest smile and drops down to her knees.

"My perfect little angle," Cynthia holds out her arms and Chloe screams in utter delight and runs her way up to give her role-model the biggest hug of her life. I quickly shuffle on my knees so my back is to the three girls. I'm hoping Cynthia doesn't notice me just yet. I make sure I am utterly consumed in the other cousins, who are fighting over lipstick and blusher.

I wonder to myself if Theo would have noticed Cynthia's return. He was in the ball room, speaking to family while I agreed to get Chloe ready behind the scenes for her cat walk.

Now, I was happy to stay with the kids, but not happy to be left in a hallway with Cynthia.

I quickly realise she must have come with Kyros... why else would she be here?

And they had come late, too, how rude.

As I attend the little cousins, I keep a keen ear open to the conversation behind my back.

"Are you getting... fat?" Chloe asks, boldly and in shock.

I literally snort at that, uncontrollably and loudly.