Overdressed for dinner

Gina got bored as the days went by. With no place to go and no one to talk to, she saw herself becoming often pissed and irritated. Her new status as a billionaire wife did not help her predicament at all as her husband wasn't in the least involved with her. It was true that she had no friends but this time, it was very different as she had the maid back home who talked to her nicely and respectfully and Mia who she shared almost everything with. 

She had tried to warm up to a few of the staff but they were still skeptical about her. With Adams and Chris always out for most of the day, she only ever got good company during dinner when they were both back from work. She resorted to cherishing every dinner as she always had real conversations with Chris. On very good days, Adams would chip in a sentence or two. 

Right now, she was preparing to go downstairs for dinner but this time she was going to ask for the very thing that had been on her mind for a few days now. Been indoors for almost a month was too much to take in. She had only been out for a few events with Adams. 

Gina sighed, smoothening her dress with her hands as she stared at her figure in the mirror. Even though she intended to dress a little bit too extra for an ordinary dinner, she wasn't meaning to put on a dinner dress as though it was an official occasion. However, since she woke up this morning, she couldn't find any of her boxes. She found it was strange but was patient enough to keep mute. 

With a dab of powder here and there on her face and a little dash of pale peach lipstick, she made to spray a few spritz of her Victoria Secret body mist on herself and she was good to go. 

Chris looked up from the tablet in his hand on hearing the descending clink of heels against the stairs. His attention had been on his surbodinate who was presenting a document to him but from the second she stepped down the stairs, his eyes peeled right off the tablet and perched on her. 

He keenly observed her clumsy, hesitant walk as she made her way down the steps.

Her husband was nowhere interested nor did he care enough to throw a glance her way to acknowledge her presence. He was hunched over his tablet too listening with rapt attention the presentation of his father's personal assistant. 

Chris wanted to smack his son. How could he bury himself so much in his work that he failed to realise the beautiful woman who had walked over and taken a seat on the table?

The one time that Adams did raise his eyes, he shot her a question. 

“Why are you all dressed up?” Adams asked, barely sparing her a second glance. Adams didn't get why she would decide to show up to the table in a dinner gown and heels. 

Gina looked at the surprised faces around the table and suddenly felt the urge to run back upstairs and get changed. But what would she change into? 

Chris quickly dismissed his personal assistant. 

Gina cleared her throat, finding it difficult to put her words together. “I was only able to this kind of dresses in my wardrobe. Someone must have changed the position of my boxes, probably to the wrong room. I'm sure I can get it back and get my dress changed.” 

Adams dismissed her words with a wave of his hand. “No need. Sit down and let's eat.” 

Left to Adams, he would have dug into his dinner earlier. But his father had insisted that they wait for her to show up. He didn't want to have to listen to another lecture from his father about how ill mannered he was and how he needed to learn to treat his wife better, so he had agreed. 

“If I had known she would try this hard to get my attention then maybe I wouldn't have married her,” Adams whispered to himself. 

Not getting her box was the least of the reasons that Gina put on that dress though, but she had no idea the way things worked around here. She could have easily gone down to get one of the maids to find it. Back home, she wasn't allowed to send any of the maids on any errand whatsoever so she had wanted to be on the safe side. 

Had she known that she would end up becoming embarrassed, she wouldn't have bmallowed herself get so overdressed. 

And her husband didn't make her feel any better. Instead of being gentle, he went on to make her feel like she did too much. And he better not think that she didn't hear what he whispered to himself. 

Of course she did. 

Chris turned to Gina with a warm gaze. “There is no need to be so troubled, I'm sure that this is all just a little misunderstanding. Next time, remember that we keep things simple around here. Just make your request known to any of the staff and you'll have it done.”

“Yes sir. But then, my husband asked me to always look beautiful at all times so I felt he wanted me to stick to the set of rules that he gave me. I apologize if I got out of hand.” Gina said knowingly, whether it was to spite Adams or get him into trouble, she did not know. But she felt good at her comeback. 

“”What the hell!” Adams swore. 

“Common sense is not so hard to find, Gina.” Adams wanted to say out loud but it wasn't in his nature. So he settled for other words. 

“Just because I asked you to look pretty at all times, does that mean you need to wear a Christian Dior sneakers just to use the bathroom?”

Chris was cross. “Don't speak poorly to the woman! She has apologized hasn't she? I don't want to hear anymore of this!” 

“And what nonsense do I hear about some rules?” Chris looked at his son, raising an eyebrow.

“I asked the housekeeper to move your boxes into the next room while you were still asleep. I felt that you needed new clothes to fit your status as Mrs Carter. Are you confirming that you did not see the new boxes in the closet?” Adams turned to Gina in an attempt to ignore his father's question about the rules. 

“Enough son!” Chris slammed his hand on the dining table. “Can we all have this dinner in peace without worrying about what anyone is wearing?” 

Gina wanted to roll her eyes at Adams. While Adams exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding, finally settling into his meal. He didn't mutter another word. He couldn't help noticing that his father had changed. He was unusually soft towards his own wife.

The man who he knew would not have taken what Gina did so easily. Maybe he was trying to welcome the new woman, it was hard to tell. This was one of the things with women, they make you weak. He thought.

Adams just hoped his father didn't think of Gina more than she already was; a fake bride. 

Chris was satisfied that he had finally been able to shut down the matter. The poor girl still hadn't uttered a word since her apology. 

Her pretty face was buried in her meal, her fork scraping her plate every now and then as she slowly chewed in every bit of the scrumptious meal, savoring it's taste. This was another thing she loved about dinner in the mansion, the meals- the cook always prepared really tasty meals. But tonight, she just couldn't eat. 

Chris could imagine what his fragile daughter in-law was going through. He had learnt about the drama with her family and how her marriage to his son was not with her will. 

Don't ask how he knew! He was Chris Carter! Always in the know of every happenings in New York City and those he did not know? He found out whenever he wanted to. He only wished his son would make things easier for the poor girl. 

To be forced into a marriage and not get even the least love from her husband? He couldn't think of her life getting any more harder. Well, except for the fact that anytime she looked into her father-in-law's face, all that she would remember was the night she lost her pride to him. 

“Earth to where, Gina?” He called and her fork slightly scraped against the plate as she was startled. 

“Nowhere, sir.”