Save Me - Chapter 5: Chapter 6

Dahlia
There was no way the girl in the mirror staring back at me was me.
'What the heck have I gotten myself into?' I asked myself for the thousandth time.
When Robert Hall had proclaimed that he would only help my mother if I got married for a business deal, I laughed. Because how else could anyone respond to the absurdity of the situation? Then he glared at me and said he would draw up a contract, and coldly told me that when I was serious about saving my mom, I knew where to find him.
I had been gaping at my reflection for probably five minutes straight now, unable to comprehend that a person's appearance could change so drastically. Raul- the man responsible for my transformation- took my look of shock as a good sign. Not that it wasn't; I just didn't look like myself. Unlike my usual unruly appearance, I now looked like a delicate little China doll, with pale flawless skin and rosy cheeks, wearing a stunning soft blue gown with a full skirt. One of Raul's assistants had even managed to tame my wild curls into a slick bun, I was partially convinced her hair straightener was magic.
"I knew there was a beautiful diamond underneath those terrible hippie clothes and crazy hair!" Raul exclaimed, clapping his hands in delight. He only seemed to speak in exclamation points.
I frowned a little. 'To base your self-worth on your appearances is simply tragic, Firefly. Outer beauty is only temporary, what truly matters is what's in your heart.' I had never really cared much about my appearance, but my mother's words carried much more weight now that I knew she once belonged to this world where clothes cost a small fortune and outer beauty mattered a great deal.
I had signed the contract the following day after my initial meeting with Robert. Even if his lawyers had drafted it the same day, I would have still signed it. After my meeting with him and his lawyers, he had informed me that I would be meeting my fiancé in a week and we would attend a 'ball' for the grand opening hotel in the city together.
Tonight was the big night. I would have preferred to meet him over dinner or something simpler than a ball, but I guessed our relationship would be all for show anyway, so a ball made more sense.
My fiancé -Vincent Hathaway according to the contract- was supposed to pick me up from Raul's luxury boutique at six, but I ended up waiting outside for almost an hour after the boutique had closed. The cool spring breeze nipped at my bare arms since Raul had refused to give me a coat earlier because "Covering up a Victoria Grace designer gown is a crime worse than murder!"
By the time a glossy black limo pulled up to the curb, I was done making up possible excuses for Vincent's tardiness. I was now thoroughly annoyed.
The driver, dressed in an impeccable black suit, exited the limo and open the back door for me.
This was the moment I had been dreading since I agreed to Robert's deal. I had pictured so many versions of Vincent, and though I had tried to remain positive, I knew there was a possibility he wouldn't be a kind man who would at the very least make me comfortable in his presence.
But who was in that limo didn't matter, what mattered was saving my mother.
"Hello." I greeted the driver, offering him a small smile. He looked startled for a moment before quickly recovering and giving me a small nod as he helped me into the limo.
"Took you long enough," a bored voice remarked once the door was closed.
The man at the end of the seat was completely in his mobile phone in his hands, so I glanced around, unsure if he was speaking to me.
"What are you, deaf?" He sighed, as though the idea of me being hard of hearing would greatly inconvenience him.
"No." I said, unsure how else to respond.
"Grandpapa couldn't even find me someone with larger breasts?" He huffed, clearly not caring if I heard him or not.
A wave of disappointment washed over me; he was not what I hoped he would be, but exactly what I had been expecting. I hadn't interacted with many wealthy people growing up, but when I did, they all had the same air of entitlement and couldn't be bothered to show basic human decency to those whose net worth wasn't in the millions- at least.
I always felt sorry for them, they had everything, yet they were still so bitter and unhappy.
The rest of the car ride was silent, and Vincent did not look up from his phone even once.
The ball was being hosted at a new hotel called La Rose Royale. The architecture had a more 'old Hollywood' glam to it instead of the modern, impersonal designs. The vintage theme extended to the interior as well. I took in the gold and burgundy furniture, the shiny cream marble tiles, and the champagne-colored crystal chandeliers; it was all so beautiful it took my breath away.
We made our way to the ballroom and I once again, I was awestruck by how vastly different the world of the rich and wealthy was. The room itself looked like it belonged in a royal palace. There were beautiful classic paintings covering the walls, the dark hardwood floors were polished to perfection, and there were half a dozen huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, twinkling like diamonds. There was an orchestra -an actual honest-to-goodness orchestra- playing on a low stage in a corner, while the elegantly dressed guests drank champagne and conversed.
I had never felt so out of place in my whole life; it was as though I had been transported to another dimension.
Suddenly Vincent took my arm in his. Startled I looked up to see him grinning at me, his teeth so unnaturally white it was almost blinding. It was the first time I got a good look at him. He was taller than me, but only because I was short; otherwise, his height was average. His platinum blonde hair was gelled back, not a strand out of place, and his eyes were an icy blue.
He narrowed his eyes, but his grin didn't waver as he said, "You'd better be a damn good actress- they're watching."
Then I watched him transform from an entitled, rude man into the perfect, charming gentleman as he conversed with other guests, always introducing me as his date and looking at me adoringly as he did.
I tried to hold my composure, but the thought of marrying Vincent Hathaway became more and more terrifying as the night went on. How could he become a completely different person in the blink of an eye?
Maybe it was a sense of foreboding that made me more paranoid, but at some point, I had an intense feeling that someone was watching me. By the end of the night, I was starting to regret my decision to immerse myself in this world.