2- The very first date!

Willow Rae Johnson

****

My heart feels overwhelmed as tears pool at the corner of my eyes upon seeing the wholesome incident unfolding in front of my eyes. A little girl is hugging her mother while the hairdresser is cutting her hair, leaving her totally bald. To give moral support to the little girl who is seemingly fighting cancer, some ladies who accompanied the mother and daughter are sacrificing their own hair.

Hair is a precious part to anyone who values their beauty or anyone who wants to look good to their own eyes but they are so freely sacrificing it just to encourage the little girl, just to make her realize they are with her no matter what. It fills my heart with warmth.

I dare to take my eyes off the scene and avert them towards my sister who is unaware of every emotion the whole salon is radiating right now. She is busy on her phone, eyes glued to the screen since we stepped inside the salon.

"Amber." I call out to get her attention but she is too concentrated on her phone.

"Amber." I call for again, touching her shoulder this time.

"What?" She replies, not taking her eyes off the phone, still typing away furiously. It appears to me that she is fighting with someone over texts.

"Do you see what's happening? Isn't it so wholesome that they are going bald to motivate the little girl." I say to her, eyes darting towards the group, all of whom are crying now holding the little girl.

"Oh, yeah." She says nonchalantly, not bothering to look which makes me realize she doesn't even know what I'm talking about.

"I wish I could cut my hair to support the little girl too. I-" My voice dies down in my throat as Amber suddenly glares at me.

She doesn't say anything to me, rather she turns her gaze to the front, finally realizing what's happening. It doesn't take long for her to return her glare back at me.

"You do realize that you are here for a makeover, right? Do you think Amber Lovelace will be bald?" She asks in a serious tone through her surgical mask.

I shake my head immediately which softens her glare to some extent. I've been living with Amber for the past week and have never seen her this serious. It has something to do with the fight she was having with someone over the phone. I reason with myself.

"You are too emotional, Willow. It's not a good thing to be." She comments, her words leaving a sour effect in my heart.

She can't be blamed. I've always been an overly emotional person, the main reason why I can't mix up with people. Emotional turmoil makes me exhausted which ultimately results in keeping myself aloof from people and being in my own bubble.

Before she can continue to say more stuff, someone announces we are called to the private room for the makeover service. I wordlessly follow Amber to the room, heart beating erratically against my ribcage. I'm about to change my appearance, my lifestyle to match up with someone else. The thought itself is scary yet I can't deny the bubble of excitement rising in my stomach. Adventure has never been on my to do list but every once in a while I get bored of my monotonous life. However, when I think about the responsibility I'm shouldered with, the optimistic in me goes back to hiding.

"Sorry for making you wait, Amber." A lady says as soon as we enter a lavish room, equipped with modern things and cosmetics that I can't even name.

"Who is she?" She sounds bewildered as she asks, forgetting to blink her eyes.

"Don't have time for the pleasantries, Lia. Just do your magic and make her look like me." Amber hurriedly says, taking off her mask.

Disappointment invades my mind as she doesn't introduce me as her sister. But it's obvious that we see twins, isn't it? She doesn't need to announce it to everyone we meet. I shouldn't always think so negatively.

Even though the lady, Lia, looks baffled to the core, she nods her head and leads me to a chair.

"I don't know what's going on but we have a lot to do, babe." Lia mutters, having a close look at my face.

"Doesn't matter. Just do your job." Amber assures, taking a seat on the comfortable looking sofa.

"And yeah, this stays between us."

*******

I try not to steal a glance of the intimidating man beside me and look far at the stage where a woman in an elegant business suit is explaining something.

I cross my legs, my shaved legs being totally visible due to the slit in my Royal Blue dress. I feel exposed and under-confident. Never have I ever worn a dress like this. However, it's not the dress that bothers me, it's the presence of the man beside me.

Elliot Ivanov, my sister's fiance, is a gorgeous man. His dark brown hair is parted with the help of a gel, making his face look sharper. His deep blue eyes add to the charm only more. The blue coat that he is wearing has brought out the significance of his sharp blue eyes.

photos don't do him justice. From up close he looks ten times more gorgeous, handsome and every flattering adjective. Who hasn't heard of the famous Business tycoon of the country? Even a lonely hermit like me knows his name and admires him for his abilities in the business world. I feel weak on my knees when I realize this is the man whom I need to spend the afternoon with. This is the man from whom my sister needs to escape.

Even while sitting down, he looks confident and authoritative. His demeanor screams just one thing;confident. He is swirling the wine glass in his large hand while he listens to the lady, giving little to no attention to me. I don't know if his lack of attention should make me happy or disappointed.

He is a man with an exquisite taste as it seems. I never thought people would go on a date in an auction house to buy random stuff. Maybe it's a rich thing to do. When barely living is a miracle, you don't have to come to auctions to admire works of art and buy them, little things in life become miraculous on their own.

"200 thousand dollars." Elliot says confidently, bidding on an ancient item that looks like a hairbrush but I can't be sure.

I will go crazy if I stay here and watch crazy rich people throwing their money on things that don't seem useful to me in any sense. How much is too much for them?

I find Elliot giving me a side eye before raising his bid to 300 thousand dollars. He wins the bidding at last and my ears turn monetarily deaf hearing all the cheers. When the cheers die down, someone other than Elliot catches my attention.

The lady who is sitting beside our table is gossiping about me or more like Amber.

"Isn't it Lovelace's daughter?" The woman asks the man sitting beside her.

I try not to listen to her but I'm left with no choices. She isn't exactly discreet.

"I heard her father is going bankrupt. No wonder she is with Mr.Ivanov here. Fucking gold diggers." My blood boils as I hear her speak. Elliot's satisfied smirk only fastens the process, making me want to punch them both.

It looks like a well-thought conspiracy to me. Why is he smirking after hearing that lady? Did he call me here to insult me? I can't help but feel bad for my sister. Good thing is that she isn't here.

"I bet she won't bid on anything today. Came here just for the show. I don't see what Ivanov sees in her. My daughter is more beautiful." The woman adds more insult as if she was adding salt to my burning injury.

I've never been outspoken. Even when I heard people talking about me, I remained quiet, I remained deaf to their insults. However, when it comes to my family, I can't find myself to be that laid back. Rage bubbles inside my chest. The urge to say something on her face intensifies and when she can't seem to stop bad mouthing Amber, I find myself speaking up for the first time this evening.

"Do you smell something awful too? I guess someone forgot to use their mouthwash today." I say, a little too loud so that she can hear me over the noises.

My heartbeat starts to escalate at the little showcase of my bravery. It's one of the few times I've spoken against someone. My chest swells in pride, happy to stand up for my sister. However, my happiness doesn't stay long when Elliot decides to open his mouth.

"She wasn't entirely wrong, was she?" He regards me with his sharp eyes while he speaks in a voice which is heavy with mockery.

I blink my eyes at him, taking my time to process it. I wonder if he really wants to marry Amber or he just wants to exercise his power and flaunt his wealth by inviting her on a date. I don't know my father but I can tell he is committing a grave mistake by agreeing to this alliance.

My mind is in chaos but my face isn't. I calmly stare into his eyes as I let out a dry chuckle. Amber did a great job at grooming me and training me how to act like her, how to face difficulties confidently in the last 10 days. However, it's not enough. I find myself being captivated by nervousness but I'm willing to fight.

"Why don't we find out, Mr.Ivanov?" I say to him, looking smug while in reality I'm about to lose my cool.

Elliot keeps staring at me with his intense eyes, challenging me silently. I gulp down the fear and break eye contact, looking ahead to find the woman starting another bidding. This time a painting appears on the stage. It's an oil painting. An abstract one. I can feel a burning gaze on me. Both Elliot and the fuming lady are staring at me, waiting for me to take the bait. I satisfied them by being the first one to bid this time.

"100 thousand." I say loudly, trying my best to appear confident when several pairs of eyes land on me.

I'm playing with fire, I know. Amber didn't give me this huge amount of money to spend. If things go south and I will have to pay for the painting that I don't even want, I don't know what I will do. For now, I hope Elliot Ivanov is arrogant enough to raise the bidding. To my relief, someone else raises it. From the corner of my eyes, I find Elliot smirking at me, telling me to play the sick game of his.

"300 thousand." Having my heart on my sleeves, I speak.

"500 thousand dollars." Elliot joins me in the game, making me scared of my impulsive decision. But I can't back down now.

"700 thousand." I say, my confidence is decreasing significantly.

"1 million." Elliot says, making my breath hitch.

Is he so power hungry that he is willing to spend so much on a mere painting? That's too much. I let him win the bidding, not willing to play this silly game anymore.

"I bet the painting will enhance the beauty of your home, Mr.Ivanov. Congratulations!" I wish him, giving him a lopsided smile.

Turns out, he is not as smart as he lets people on. Arrogance makes people act this way, I guess.

"That will be my gift to your father at our wedding, Lovelace. Beautiful, isn't it?" His Russian accent is thick in his tone, making him sound alluring yet deadly to the ears.

I'm unable to discover his motive but he has me where he wants. He makes me feel scared of the future. Not for me but for my sister. What does he want? If he wants to marry Amber, why is he acting this way? Turns out, he let me think I outsmarted him only when the reality lies miles away from that.

Time seems to blur and the auction comes to an end eventually. I stand beside Mr. Ivanov patiently while he greets people on the way out. It's hard to stand still wearing high heels. It feels like the struggle of maintaining my balance while wearing these spiky shoes is greater than the total mass of the struggles I've faced my whole life.

By now I've reached the conclusion that Mr. Ivanov has no interest in Amber whatsoever. He just wants to flaunt his wealth, he just wants to establish the fact that he is superior to us. No matter how attractive and handsome he is, his ugly personality can't be hidden. I need to do something by the end of our date today. I need to do something so bizarre that he will break off the wedding himself. I keep plotting things in my head as he greets people.

Half an hour later, I find myself in a fancy restaurant yet again. My confidence starts to slip away slowly as I walk down the Hall to reach our designated table. Mr.Ivanov surprises me by pulling a chair for me to sit. Without showing any emotion, I take my seat. He doesn't need to know that the sudden changes in his behavior are surprising to me. He smiles charmingly as he takes his own seat in front of me. Why the sudden shift in behavior? I can't help but wonder.

"My apologies for not giving you enough attention earlier." He says like a perfect gentleman, smiling brightly at me.

His smile is so bright that it compels me to dispel all the bitterness I had for him. But it doesn't take him long to bring back the bitterness.

"Had to collect a few gifts for my in-laws considering the fact that your father needs money soon. He can sell them later on to save himself from total humiliation." He states, face reflecting nothing but mockery.

I've met a lot of people in my life, whether bad or worse. He tops the list. None can predict what he has to say. One moment he is a perfect gentleman and another moment he is jeering at me.

I grip the table cloth tightly in my grasp, trying my best to tolerate him. Every fiber of my being is telling me to punch him square in the face.

Truth be told, I have zero knowledge about my biological parents. I don't know how they are as people but as far as I've heard from Amber, they are very good people and I believe her. Therefore, I don't understand why he is acting like he holds a lifelong grudge against our parents.

Before I can gather words to throw at him, he starts again, making me agitated further.

"Listen here, Amber. I know what kind of a girl you are. You want money, you will get it once you get married to me. But you must keep it in mind that this is no business deal. Your father is basically selling you to me. So, I hope you know what you are agreeing to." The man says, leaning on his chair, making himself comfortable while igniting fire in my chest.

He is talking like Amber is not a person but a property. Surely, her father can't do that to her. He is willingly trying to rile me up. The deal was to do something so that he backs off but it seems to be going the other way around.

"Though I know you don't need the warning." He scoffs, looking down at me, "Girls like you would do anything for money."

And that's it. I grab the glass of water and splash the water at his face, taking him by surprise.

"Keep your money to yourself, you asshole. You might as well buy a new and clean personality with that money." I mutter, my voice mirroring the anger that my face is holding.