Chapter 4 : The Turnaround Starts

Theodore Hill had used the services of Leo Ad Agency to prepare advertisement for his friends and acquaintances in lieu of the funding, but refused to accept their services for any advertisement for any of his own companies. Robert had not found any reason for this queer behavior even after discreet investigations, and had later given up passing it off as his good luck. The sudden withdrawal of funds however disturbed him badly and shook the very edifice of his company.

Sarah meanwhile was sleeping soundly in the Hills Mansion. After being rushed home by her brother Mathew, she had found her father Theodore, her two remaining brothers, Edward and Henry, sister-in-law Nancy, housekeeper of many years, Rosie and a battery of servants standing in attendance with the choicest of dishes laid out on the table for her. The Hill family doctor and two masseurs were standing on the sides waiting for Sarah to finish her meal. The doctor gave her a thorough check up and treated her wounds quickly while the lady masseurs gave her a soothing massage with essential oils mixed with herbs followed by a bath in warm rose petal water mixed with turmeric, basil powder and sandalwood oil to ease away her stress and relax her nerves to facilitate sleep. Later they helped her change her clothes and tucked her in for the night, with a lavender oil diffuser below her bed to help her sleep away her worries and fatigue.  

Theodore kept awake and consulted many doctors on the best treatment for the light of his heart. He fixed appointments with the best dermatologists and cosmetologists in the country so that Sarah could get rid of her excess facial and body hairs forever and remove the unsightly mole on her chin. Next he focused on dieticians and weight loss experts. Sarah has to get a grip on her life, he decided.

When Sarah finally got up she felt refreshed as though she had slept for ages. She saw a row of elegant and beautiful dresses lined up in her walk-in closet and soft feather flip flops below her bed. As she washed up and got ready, housekeeper Rosie who had been a mother figure to the children from the time Theodore’s wife passed away, came up with a steaming cup of latte with milk, Sarah’s favourite morning brew and filled her up with the long list of plans her excited father, brothers and sister-in-law were making. Sarah felt tears rushing to her eyes. What a boon it was to have a loving family. She missed them in her stubbornness to make a mark for herself, solo, without anyone’s help.

“Since one has to bear the pain brought by our weaknesses and disadvantages whether one likes or not, why not enjoy the benefits that life throws at us dear?”, Rosie reasoned in her soft voice stroking Sarah’s head. She had seen this soft hearted girl who never shirked any work and never complained about anything, grow up before her eyes. True she was not pretty but her heart was the loveliest and kindest Rosie had seen. No, she did not deserve such ill treatment from the world. May the perpetrators be punished, even it be her husband she had loved, the elderly housekeeper sent a silent prayer to the Almighty, before taking Sarah down for a late lunch, as breakfast time was long over.   

In the main living room, Sarah found her father sitting with some of the top dermatologists, cosmetologists, nutritionists, weight loss experts and a team of many other doctors and beauticians, all professing to turn her into a swan who would have no resemblance to her present ugly self.

“ I will do as you say papa”, Sarah said, “ but I will be very grateful if you give me some time before I start these procedures. For me it is important to prove myself and rise from the morass I am in, with my present appearance. I want to prove that a woman can excel and climb high in the ladder of success in most fields even without a pretty face. Will you help me papa?”, she pleaded.

The man melted yet again like he had in the past. “Okay I agree to delay your electrolysis and laser treatments to remove excess hair from face and body and even the cosmetic surgery required to remove your mole. But delay is for a year only from today”, he sighed, adding “but your diet change and advanced treatment for PCOS has to be started from today itself. No skipping medicines or having food which the nutritionist- dietician disapproves of. This is for your health, not for superficial beauty”, he thundered.    

“I would like to start a small ad agency with the money I have saved papa”, Sarah requested again.

“Why not restart your old agency, ‘Butterflies’ which you, Amelia, Sophia and Henry had started in your college days?”, her elder brother Edward suggested. "Amelia and Sophia got in touch with Henry  a few days back requesting for your address and evincing interest to restart the agency you four had started during your last undergraduate semester. We were not sure that you want to reconnect and papa had forbidden us to contact you, so we were mulling over whether to give them your contact number. Henry has got busy in papa’s business but I’m sure if you join, he will devote time too.

“Yes I will”, Henry the youngest of the three brothers who was older to Sarah by a year nodded.

 Sarah’s heart filled with gratitude. Things had started falling in pace. Her closest college pals Amelia and Sophia who had left town to pursue their love and career respectively had returned and eager to join hands with her again. She had stopped keeping in touch or answering their messages or mails after her marriage with Robert hoping to reconnect when she finally wins Robert's affections but it had been a pipedream, she regretted. With them and Henry, besides her entire family by her side, she will not stop before crushing Robert and Jessica to the ground. There was no room for failure. She must stand for all like her who were not pretty. She had borne too much insult and abuse. No more. And her plan had to start from the present day.

“Henry- Edward- Mathew, which of you are planning to attend the Navy Annual Ball tonight ? I want to go”, Sarah said, certain that Robert would attend.