Alice woke up to the blaring sound of the telephone slicing through her chaotic dream. AGAIN.
Or maybe calling it a dream made it sound like a good thing. It was a nightmare. One involving you-know-who. But this time, with three extra devils who had been planning to have her killed instead of bringing her back to consciousness.
The telephone kept blaring, making her heart race and head pound.
For a disoriented second, she didn’t know where she was. Her brain played a frantic game of catch-up. Bed. Safe.
She wasn’t sure how she survived last night, but she had survived and snuck back in. But it had been hard to fall asleep, especially when she continued to replay being chased by a dog, being recognized by people, Hades stabbing someone like it was nothing and then how he had grabbed her hair before telling her to run.
With a groggy groan, she fumbled around her nightstand, knocking over a book, a water bottle, and her charger before finally grabbing the telephone.
"Hello?" Her voice was hoarse, sleep clinging to her every syllable.
"Second Lady!" The brisk voice Betty came on. "An emergency legal team meeting. Starts in an hour. Be ready in 30 minutes."
Her brain short-circuited. "What?"
"Thirty minutes. Don’t be late." The call disconnected with a curt beep.
Alice sat frozen for a moment, processing the information. Emergency legal meeting? She looked at the clock. It was currently 6 a.m. Was this even legal?
Be ready in 30 minutes.
She remembered the instruction suddenly.
Panic gripped her chest. Thirty minutes to get ready?! That wasn’t enough time to do anything, let alone look remotely presentable for a room full of lawyers where she had to pretend to be one when she knew nothing. NOTHING!
She threw off the covers and sprinted to the bathroom like a woman possessed. Her reflection in the mirror nearly gave her a heart attack. She did look like a woman possessed.
Dark circles the size of dinner plates stared back at her, and her hair looked like it had hosted an overnight rave.
Maybe she was overthinking it, but it felt like her freckles were showing up more again. Also, she noticed a sign of break out. Her skin was probably reacting to either the make up she was frequently wearing now, or the kind of meal she was eating now.
She was going to die.
She shook her head. No time to dwell on that nonsense.
Alice splashed cold water on her face, muttering a stream of frantic pep talks. "You may be unlucky, Alice. But you always survive!" She said to herself.
Ten minutes later, she was hopping around her room, trying to shove her legs into a pair of trousers while simultaneously brushing her teeth.
In 25 minutes, she was already down and they got into the car, she at the back seat, while Betty sat in front beside the driver.
Just like yesterday, Betty tried to sound ’sweet’ but she looked like she hated another day she had to deal with Alice. And to be honest, Alice felt the same way.
Alice barely registered the buildings zipping past the tinted windows, her stomach twisting into a series of knots. She tugged at her blouse repeatedly.
Her mind raced with questions: What was this emergency meeting about? Who were these people she’d be facing? And why in the world was she being dragged into it at the crack of dawn? Most importantly, who could she ask to get her out of these unwanted positions?
The driver pulled up in front of an intimidating glass building that gleamed coldly under the early morning light. Alice took a deep breath, her nerves fraying by the second.
Betty gestured for Alice to follow and then spun on her heels, marching into the building with the efficiency of a military commander. Alice hurried after her, heels clicking against the marble floor. She almost tripped. She would never get used to these heels.
They rode the elevator in tense silence. Alice tried to steady her breathing, but it felt like she was being led to a firing squad.
When the elevator doors opened, Betty strode down a corridor lined with frosted glass walls. Alice caught glimpses of shadowy figures in conference rooms, their voices muffled but intense. The atmosphere was thick with urgency.
Betty stopped in front of the door which was opened from inside by a young man.
Alice’s heart slammed against her ribs as she stepped inside after Betty.
Eight people were seated around around the table, their faces tense and focused. Papers were lined across the table, and the air hummed with the weight of an important deliberation.
Her eyes immediately sought out a familiar face—and found Suzy, who winked at her, from her seat near the middle. But everyone else was a stranger. And they looked mean.
Three young men in tailored suits sat on one side, their gazes sharp and calculating. Across from them were two young women, both with perfectly styled hair and expressions that could freeze lava. At the head of the table sat two older women, one of whom seemed to be chairing the meeting. Her presence was commanding, her eyes cold and piercing as they landed on Alice.
The room fell into a heavy silence as all eyes turned to her.
Alice felt like she’d walked into a courtroom where she was the defendant—and the jury had already decided she was guilty.
Betty cleared her throat. "This is the Second Lady of the Wildfire family, Aurora," she announced flatly. "She’s here for the meeting." Then, without another word, she handed Alice the car key and then turned on her heel and left, the door clicking shut behind her.
Alice’s throat went dry as she was left standing there with the weight of all their gazes on her, raking over her as if she were some unremarkable specimen that had somehow wandered into their sacred space.