Chapter 5 A Living Doll

LILITH - Evening, 5: 30 PM.

Up at the presidential suite on the top floor of Aurora Palace-the most luxurious hotel in the country and a family-owned business-I had just finished enduring two full hours of grooming and makeup. And now, it was time to pick an evening gown.

However, the moment my eyes landed on the rows of pink dresses lined neatly before me, my expression darkened.

I had almost forgotten that the period I returned to was a chapter of my life I'd disliked deeply-a time when everything I wore, ate, and did was tightly controlled and dictated by my parents.

The reason for this should be traced to my older siblings.

When my fraternal twin siblings-Julian and Marissa-were born, our parents had been too preoccupied with their respective careers to raise them personally, so the twins were sent to live with our grandparents.

By the time our parents' careers finally stabilized and they had the time to care, the twins had sadly grown up and moved past the age of craving parental affection.

They remained respectful and polite, every bit the image of perfect children, but the emotional closeness to our parents was never quite there.

As a result, this matter became a regret that weighed heavily on their hearts.

So, when they had me, they were determined to do things differently.

And they did.

I was raised at their side, surrounded by love, luxury, and the best of everything from birth. I lacked nothing, except the one thing that mattered most: freedom.

I had grown up like a doll in a glass case.

Precious. Pampered. Sheltered.

I was never allowed to make even the smallest decisions on my own. My whole life was perfectly arranged-the color of my room, the clothes I wore, the school I attended, the major I studied, and even the man I ended up marrying.

My irreconcilable dislike for the color pink stemmed from the fact that it had been the dominant theme of my entire life.

The color of my bedroom decor, my clothes, my accessories, and even the first car they ever gifted me. A car I never got to drive myself, of course, because they were too concerned for my 'safety.'

In my past life, I had lived more than a decade away from them after getting married, but even then, I never asked or understood what the color meant to them, or why they insisted on using it so obsessively in every aspect of my life.

But to me, it represented suffocation.

It made me feel like a living doll, because pink was the only color that seemed to exist in my universe. I woke up to pink every morning and fell asleep to it every night.

And now, staring at those dresses again-each one a reminder of the unhappy memories I'd kept locked away-I felt a familiar, silent scream crawling up my throat.

I turned away sharply, my brows furrowed tightly. "Take these away. I won't wear any of it."

The sudden command made the stylist team exchange glances.

The lead stylist, Rosa, stepped forward with a faintly worried expression. "But your mother specifically instructed-"

I side-eyed her with a frosty look and cut her off.

"She might be the one paying the bills, but in this room, I'm your employer. You listen to me, understood?"

A brief silence followed, each team member looked visibly surprised.

And I knew exactly why.

To be fair, this wasn't the first time they'd worked on me. But over the years, they'd probably grown accustomed to my quiet and well-behaved demeanor. Like a pliant doll, I wore and did what I was told, never expressing an opinion of my own.

In both lives, this was my first time speaking out, and also going against my mom's instructions.

Rosa recovered first. She blinked, quickly masking her surprise, then lowered her head. "My apologies, Miss Caldwell."

I didn't respond. I didn't have the strength to.

As I turned to go back to my seat, my eyes suddenly caught sight of something. Swiveling, I walked past Rosa and stopped at the far end of the rack.

There, nestled between two pastel pink gowns, was what had drawn my attention-a midnight black evening dress.

"I'll wear this one," I said firmly, my fingers running over the smooth fabric.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Rosa shot a look at the wardrobe assistant, realizing this was likely her mistake-accidentally slipping in a different color. But she soon recovered, likely realizing that this little mix-up had saved them a great deal of trouble.

As for the aftermath I might face from wearing black instead of pink? That was between us mother and daughter. Not something she should be concerned with.

So, she nodded and smiled, appropriately. "It'll look perfect on you."

The rest of the team followed suit, showering me with compliments. How elegant it was, how well it matched my skin tone, how sophisticated it made me look...

Of course, how sincere any of them were was up for debate.

But I didn't care. As long as I liked the dress, that was all that mattered.

Without another word, I took the gown and disappeared into the changing room.

When I walked out moments later, the eyes of everyone in the room visibly lit up and I read the same word from their faces.

Wow.

I was pleased with the reaction, but I didn't show it. Instead, I walked up to the full-length mirror and studied my reflection closely.

The black dress fit me like a glove, hugging my slender frame in all the right places. I looked elegant, poised, and untouchable.

Like a queen in the making.

The woman staring back at me made the first real smile since I arrived at the hotel slowly appear on my lips.

Much better.

Just then, the familiar ding of a notification sounded from my phone.

I had a feeling I knew who it was from.

Picking it up, my intuition proved correct. It was indeed a message from the private investigator I'd hired.

Clicking on the first image, the smile at the corner of my lips deepened.

With another swipe, I browsed through the remaining pictures and a file, then quickly sent the final payment.

{It's a pleasure working with you.}

The reply came just as quickly.

{I'm glad you're satisfied with our services. Let's work together again sometime.}

{Sure.}

With that, I went offline.

My eyes twinkled with excitement as I began thinking about how best to put my plans into motion.

I would make sure tonight was etched into everyone's memory for a long time to come.