A Woman's Empire

II

CHAPTER TWO

Audrielle's dress was subtle and elegant compared to her mother's which was the complete opposite. As she entered the ballroom where everyone was gathered, her mother took her arm and led her through the crowds of peering eyes. Audrielle's eyes glanced at her mother who was wearing a dark cherry red colored dress. It was long but cut off just after her knees, showing off her tan, long legs. The dress was very revealing for the event being held. There was a long slit down the front of the dress, creating a plunging neckline which showcased her mother's proud assets. Her cleavage. Audrielle was annoyed when she found out her mother had left the state for the week just to get a boob job. And as soon as Mrs. Harrington got back from surgery, she bragged about them for the whole summer.

Pulling a warm smile on her face, Audrielle's eyes scanned over the room. She saw a few people she knew like Jacob and Jacquie but the rest were just business partners and investors who had been invited to the event just so Mr. Harrington could up his business. At the end of the hall was her father and for once in his stone cold life, he wore a smile on his face. It wasn't as large as his wife's but Mr. Harrington wasn't one to smile. He was always seen with a frown on his face or a straight face and that was the face Audrielle always saw.

Just as they reached the middle of the room where a giant chandelier hung from the ceiling, Mr. Harrington places a small kiss on Audrielle's cheek and she gave one back. "Happy birthday sweetheart." He said, smiling at her and she returned the gesture. Mr. Harrington was handsome during his young adult years and for a forty-seven year old man, he still had the qualities he had when he was younger. His once brown hair was now a salt and pepper color and his jaw wasn't as sharp as it used to be. His brown eyes, however, did not change one bit. They were a light brown almost a chestnut color and they showed no emotion. Even though he had just wished his daughter a happy birthday, Audrielle couldn't see the love in his eyes. Maybe happiness but not love. And that's what Audrielle had been wanting her whole life. Someone who stared at her and showed that they loved her.

She was disappointed but played along with it, thanking her father before taking his hand and going along with the whole scheme. Only because there were people around.

An hour passed on and everyone stopped what they were doing so they could have dinner. For the entree, they had smoked salmon with zucchini, pea sprouts and many more things that Audrielle ended up flicking to the side of her plate. The main consisted of a tiny circle of Japanese Kobe beef with a side of radish and cucumber. Audrielle found it ridiculous how her parents were willing to serve over two hundred guests a tiny piece of meat that was worth more than three hundred dollars a piece. But the Harrington's had enough money to lavish their guests in the finest food around the world. When Audrielle's parents hosted charity events, they would buy diamonds that cost more than two million dollars.

Everyone had finished off the three main course with a blueberry mousse cake that was decorated with fragile shavings of white chocolate. The chefs in the kitchen worked all month perfecting the menu and Mr. Harrington was somewhat happy with the food. Audrielle took a sip of her champagne while her mother and father sat on either side of her with her grandparents directly across. Grandpa Charles, who was her father's dad, was not someone you wanted to disagree with. If he told you to do something, you'd do it. You were dead if you argued with him. Grandpa Charles had killed people with his own hands. He's held people at gunpoint, not once thinking about the children or the wife this person would never see again. Audrielle wasn't a big fan and he wasn't a big fan in her. Every year, for her birthday, he got her nothing. The birthday cards she was given, only had her grandmother's name written delicately on it.

Charles didn't like Audrielle all for the fact that she was a girl. And the whole Harrington family were expecting a boy. But Audrielle was born instead. He never once smiled at Audrielle or even held her as a baby, all for the fact that he didn't get what he wanted; a grandson. But Audrielle learnt how to deal with his cold, hard stares he sends her. And for being able to not cave in when under pressure, she deserves a medal.