Chapter 31: Chapter 31

At the crack of dawn, Jessica’s grin greeted Annie as she opened the door. Raising an eyebrow, Annie questioned, “Hey Jessica?”

“Hey Annie, this dress is tailor–fit for you. You’re coming to the Chandler Group’s bash with us, right? Dad’s all about us Sanders gals looking sharp, so we don’t get side–eyed,” Jessica beamed, playing the caring older sister.

Sizing up the dress, Annie noticed it wasn’t the usual prank gear this one was high–class in design and craft, totally on fleek and bound to turn heads. Jessica must’ve splurged this time. Can’t be cheap and expect top–notch results. Yet, Annie couldn’t help but wonder if this was another trick. Grinning, Annie took the dress. “Thanks, Jessica.”

*****

Scenery Hotel was lit, hosting the swanky Chandler Group’s anniversary bash. Press folks were all set by the door, ready to snap shots of the big shots rolling in, to feature in a bunch of money mags.

The Sanders family showed up, causing a stir right off the bat. John’s family came first, Helen and Jessica killing it in the style and grace department. Then came Zachary’s crew, even the flaky ones stepping up their game, looking sharp and put- together. Lastly, Annie, walking solo, drew all the attention. Her designer gown hugged her curves, her perfect skin shining under the spotlight, a hint of a smirk playing on her lips, wielding a cool, standoffish vibe that made heads turn–icy yet magnetic. The moment she sauntered in, all eyes were on her.

“Who’s the new face?” a man asked.

“Seen her somewhere before?” the second man probed.

“Is she someone’s mystery squeeze?” the third man judged.

Those at Jessica’s shindig knew Annie right away. A person said excitedly, “Am I crazy, or is Annie even hotter now?”

“She’s outshining both Jessica and Yolanda, no lie,” another one echoed.

“Wait, I was out of town for a month, and I’m lost. Can you believe the babe was once the awkward duckling crushing on Mr. Jeremy Chandler?!” a girl shouted.

Yolanda overheard hushed chatter nearby, feeling a twinge of irritation. “Hey, Jessica, why’d you hand over that fancy- schmancy dress to Annie? She’s hogging all the attention.” Seeing herself in the mirror, Yolanda realized that all the good stuff had gone to Annie; now she had zilch to wear to the party. Hoped Jessica would toss her a new outfit, but nah, she just handed over a hand–me–down. Now, Yolanda was skittish about hitting packed spots, fearing folks might recognize her. Rocking Jessica’s old threads made her cringe. Eyeing Annie, Yolanda wondered, ‘Why’d Jessica whip out that pricey dress without even thinking? Has Annie cast a spell on her?‘

Giving her a side–eye, Jessica said with a sly grin, “You know nothing.” Annie had to be the star today. More eyes on her meant that Quinton was more likely to take notice. Once Quinton’s got his sight on her, there was no shaking him off.

Annie showed up solo and stayed that way through the gig. While others buddied up, she schlepped solo. But that didn’t seem to bother her any. Looking around the joint, she pondered the future of the crowd once she exited. The more sneaky and cutthroat they were, the cushier their lives turned out.

Some folks just stood out naturally, no need to fish for attention but catching it anyway. “You look unfamiliar. Wonder which rich clan you are from?” A posh lady struck up a chat with Annie, grinning warmly.

Annie met the lady’s gaze, returning the smile. She recognized her–Emily, Selena’s mom. Back in the day, Emily was high and–mighty, scoffing at Annie the most. Every meet–up was just roast sesh. Surprisingly, here she was, approaching Annic herself. Smirking, Annie spilled, “Last name’s Sanders.”

up.

Emily strained to recall any big–shot Sanders folks but drew a blank. Sharp–eyed, she scoped Annie out before chatting her Dressed to the nines and all polished, she was clearly well–off; snagging an invite to the Chandler party, she was oozing high–status vibes; classy in manner, chatting with ease, unfazed in a fancy setting–she was clearly no newbie to swirling with elites. Emily figured Annie was not from some small–time crew or minor celeb world. Politely, Emily offered, “Ms. Sanders, fresh to Betrico, right? My kid’s your age and loves making new pals. I’ll introduce you later.”

Annie smirked mysteriously, “Doubt Ms. Gale’s looking to buddy up with me.”

“Why would that even matter? My Selena’s a breeze to be around. But you know, some folks, when they buddy up with her, they almost downplay their own vibe and style, ain’t necessary at all. They say marriages should match social standings, and making pals should, too. What do you think?” Then Emily gave an example. “Take that Annie from the Sanders family. Even though she shares a last name with you, you are worlds apart. She is rough with sketchy morals, a bit of a petty streak–no way fits in with high society, not one bit.”

Annie caught wind of those remarks and couldn’t help but zone out for a second. Back in her past life, this dreadful image of her was etched in stone, not just perceived by Emily but by everyone. Jeremy first put up with her because of the Sanders family shares. As his ambitions grew and his sway rose, his attitude toward her grew colder and colder.

She always figured it was because she didn’t measure up to keep him. So, to match up and be the right kind of wife for him, a top–notch socialite, she kicked off this brutal regime to level up herself. Posture, speech, manners, style, vibe, all of these- she once held a straight–up posture 20 hours a day just to learn to stand tall; she once pulled all–nighters studying world history for a month, just to casually drop historical nuggets when tagging along with Jeremy to impress history–loving business buds.

She should probably give props to Jeremy. Without his disapproval and scorn, she might never have grown into who she was today.

“Hey, mom, what’s up?” Selena spotted her mom with Annie and hurried over to yank her away, shooting Annie a wary glare as a sign to keep her nose clean.

Annie just shrugged, all innocent–like; she hadn’t stirred the pot.

As her daughter neared, Emily held her back, whispering, “Go get friendly with her.”

Selena flatly refused, “Nah, not my thing!”

“Why are you being a rebel? Make pals with her, snoop around her family background and deets. If she’s a fit, I could set something up for your bro,” Emily said in a low voice.

“Mom!” Selena’s eyes widened in surprise. She just couldn’t believe that–her mom wanted Annie as her sis–in–law! She thought she’d misheard, asking, “Mom, do you know who she is?

Emily shot back, “If I knew, why’d I be asking you to dig?”

“Sorry for butting in…” Annie flashed a bright smile, voice chill. “Mrs Gale, that’s me, the very Annie you mentioned, not up to snuff for your daughter to hang with.”