THE WELCOME GALA
Madison’s POV
I breathed a sigh and took graceful steps after my father, my mother beside us while the maidens followed closely behind.
When we approached the massive gate, it flung open, exposing my ancestral home. I was drawn to the beauty of the house, its classic architectural setting, and the rich ambiance that I failed to notice the people surrounding it until my eyes darted.
A red carpet was rolled from the door down to our spot. Men and women, dressed in the finest silks and royal robes walked around carrying glasses of wine and champagne. While some of them were hurrying into the mansion, others were outside in groups to exchange pleasantries.
The front yard was a garden itself. I was serenaded by its beauty, its richness, and its majesty, and for a moment, I was lost until I started to feel the eyes of people all over me. As someone who wasn’t used to getting so much attention, it was easier to feel spotted among the crowd when it happened.
My father turned to me with a proud smile on his face. “You’re ready?”
I nodded repeatedly and walked beside him toward the door. I was nervous as hell but what choice do I have?
I cast my gaze to the floor to avoid the eyes lingering around me from different corners.
While my mother stopped to greet some of the guests, my father led me into the house. We walked past the door and appeared in a hallway filled with people.
If this was their living room then it was the biggest I’ve ever seen or maybe it was their event hall. The spacious room was adorned with colorful flowers and linens.
My parents had mentioned that they invited a few guests but the room was filled with over twenty men and women who had stopped to look at me the moment I walked in.
The maidens walked around with serving trays, carrying glasses of wine. There was so much food on the table. This was more than a welcome gala. This was a feast.
I caught the banner draped on the wall. The sentence ‘Welcome home, Eleanor’ was embroidered on it.
An old steward walked up to my father with a glass of wine.
My father released my hand and took the drink and in that moment, I wished he hadn’t left me because I suddenly felt alone especially with all the eyes hovering around me.
I breathed a sigh, placed my hands behind me, and looked down. Suddenly, my mother appeared and stood beside me.
“You shouldn’t keep your head down, Eleanor. You’re a Worthington. We keep our heads high,”
I sighed and then lifted my head. Everyone was looking at me.
My mother continued whispering. “All these people are gathered for you. They are here to welcome you. I’m sure they are dazzled by your beauty so cheer up and look them in the face,”
I managed to smile.
My father cleared his throat loudly and lifted his glass. “Ladies and gentlemen, I need your attention here,”
The room fell silent.
“I want to thank you all for coming this evening to welcome my daughter. As you all know, my beloved wife and I have been searching for Eleanor for years and now that we’ve found her, it’s only fitting that we throw her a welcome gala then in subsequent days, we will throw a ball and maybe seven other parties,”
I turned to my mother with widened eyes.
She laughed. “He’s joking but I’m sure he’s going to throw the ball,”
I sighed and then shook my head.
“To Eleanor!” My father chanted.
“To Eleanor!” The whole room echoed with glasses raised to their faces.
He turned to me. “Welcome home, darling. I know you’re tired so I’ll just introduce you to a few guests and then the handmaidens will take you to your room so you can retire,”
I nodded. “Before then, I think I need to use the restroom,”
The guests returned to their chatter, their eyes lingering on me.
My mother turned to one of the handmaidens. “What are you waiting for? Didn’t you hear her,”
“I’m sorry,” the one who was introduced as Tasha came forward and stood before me. “I’ll take you to your room, my lady. You can access the restroom there,”
She turned around and I began to follow her. As we sauntered down the hallway, I tried to keep my head high. I flashed smiles at the guests who raised their glasses to me and acknowledged some with nods.
When we finally got away from the people and appeared in a deserted hallway, I breathed a sigh of relief.
The maiden was far ahead of me.
I noticed two women emerging in opposite directions and it looked like they didn’t see me because their heads were lowered and they were whispering.
“I heard that she was a hoe in New York. Her parents found her in a rich man’s house where she was warming his bed,”
I stopped in my tracks. The warning bells in my head began to ring.
The older woman shook her head. “Not really. I learned that she had no idea who she was so she was forced to work for the rich man as a surrogate. I had she lost the baby,”
“Or maybe aborted it,” the other woman stated.
They laughed.
“Well, if I wake up one day and learn that I’m a Worthington, I’m going to let go of everything holding me back whether it’s a child or not,” the older woman said.
Tears welled up in my eyes and when the maiden turned around, she noticed that there was a distance between us.
“My lady!” She cried out and began rushing toward me.
It was at that point that the women realized I was standing a few meters away from them. They lifted their heads, exchanged shocked glances, and then fastened their steps.
By the time Tasha reached me, tears were already streaming down my cheeks. I might have gotten away from New York, its haunting memories and loss but they say nothing travels faster than news especially when it’s not true,”
“Are you okay, my lady?”
I sniffled. “Take me to my room and then send my apologies to my parents. I’m exhausted and don’t wish to carry on with the gala,”
“Of course,” the maiden replied and turned around.
I held onto the sides of my dress with both hands and followed her down the hallway. She stopped in front of a room at the end of the hallway.
“We’ve been working on this room the moment the DNA results matched,” she said and pushed the door open. “Welcome to your room,”
I followed her and disappeared into the room. It felt as if I was standing in a house of my own because in this room, there was a massive bookshelf, a large king-size bed, and a set of furniture.
I rolled my eyes and caught the expensive paintings on the wall. I smiled and began to wipe my eyes with the edge of my palms. I was standing on a blue Persian rug that covered the whole room.
The maiden walked up to the closet. “We’ve got a handful of dresses here so you can go through them and pick out the items you don’t want but that will be tomorrow. I understand you’re very tired,”
I nodded and couldn’t stop staring at the majestic chandelier, the beautiful furniture, and the shelf.
“The washroom is there,” she pointed at a closed door at the end of the room.
“Yes, the washroom,” I cleared my throat loudly and dashed toward it.
“I’ll go give your parents your message,” she said and retreated.
“Tasha?”
She immediately turned around. “Yes, my lady!”
“On second thoughts, let it be. I’ll just use the restroom and then we can head back to the party,” I told her.
She bowed. “If you say so,”