0.1 | No Exit from Deception ✓

0.36 | Joseph Doing Her Makeup And Stuff!

"Elijah, I get what you are implying to say. But no, not today. I'm going to Park Avenue ─ Elizabeth Warner will have her first interaction session with the media. It will surely consume our entire day." Mrs Warner waved her hand and ended the call without listening to him. She smiled at her makeup artist who was holding an eyebrow pencil in her hand tainted with a brown streak of eyeshadow. "Make sure Elizabeth dresses up in her best."

"I'm afraid to say, but she has declined the help of our first-class makeup artists because of which they are sitting in the hall idly." Her caked face was seething inwardly, as she added on to prove the excellence of her beautician squad, "Tonight, we have to do the makeup of a couple of celebrity chefs attending the million-dollar price tag smorgasbord, just thought about informing you."

Mrs Warner hardly took any heed of her fancy talks as she was worried about Elizabeth. "Looks like she wants to get ready all by herself. Unassisted. That's good."

She started packing up her makeup items with her assistants.

Though scent is one of the most evocative human senses and the bubbles of frangipani scent were floating in the air too, Mrs Warner drowned in the happiest yet saddest recap of the day when Elizabeth hugged her and pushed away from her tears. "It surprises me when I think I was never a part of her upbringing phase yet she comes here, hugs me, and teaches sixty-year-old women a lesson of a lifetime."

"It surprises me too," interjected Mary who held the edges of the golden sofa chair Mrs. Warner was sitting on. She looked lost.

Mrs Warner tilted her head carefully toward Mary. "Strange─your tone is reflecting something else." Her forced cackling came to an end when Mary involved her mind in an extremely dense 'how things stand.'

"Are you sure she's the real one?"

"Of course. She looks exactly like her."

"Diamonds along with the other pity stones are all the same in the dark; they don't shine unless light falls upon them."

"Mary. Stop talking in circles and come to the bottom line." It woke Mrs Warner's anger; she batted her eyelashes. "I'm her mother. I can tell it just by feeling her presence."

"To my mind, she looks like she's here to play some trick─"

"─Or is it because you couldn't bear babies and you want me to live a miserable life like yours," Mrs Warner's hard statement produced a thud in Mary's heart. Only Mrs Warner had known about Mary's multiple miscarriages. She had kept it from everybody apart from Mrs. Warner who was her confidante. But today, Mrs Warner rhapsodically went on to dredge up the sensitive topic.

"Katherine. Do you think I'm jealous of you?" Her words left Mrs. Warner speechless as she was guilty of disrespecting Mary who was too older than her. "My white head . . . shows that I've met people from all walks of life and I can judge people at first glance despite having no children."

"I've to leave now. Today is a very important day for Elizabeth. Don't want to keep the press waiting." Mrs Warner peered at her intending to leave her alone.

Around one hour later, Mrs Warner was seen talking to someone in the passage regarding the file he was showing to her. Joseph joined them soon. He was wearing a sky-blue shirt with a maroon tie and black low-waist pants. His flashy new shoes were the highlight. Joseph chuckled at the memory of how boring he used to dress himself up. What had changed? Instantly, he got excited to watch Ruby's reaction as she sees his dapper-boy style.

Mrs. Warner was looking at his new dress style and as Joseph happened to turn his head in her direction, she complimented, "You are looking different today."