Hidden By Her Sister Loved By The Billionaire Novel – I finished packing up the clothes into their suitcases and heaved a sigh of relief, just as Mother came walking down the stairs, an irritable expression on her face. Tonight is the night. The one we’ve all been waiting for. I can feel the excitement in the air, even though I know better than to hope that it’s going to go my way. After everything I’ve sacrificed, all the hard work I’ve put into the company, I can only hope that it’s paid off and that I’ll be rewarded, even as part of me knows all too well that Sapphire, my fraternal twin and outgoing sister, is the one that is most likely to be the one called up on the stage. After all, I am too quiet, too meek, too introverted to be the face of an important company.
Why should it matter that it’s been my ideas, and my proposals over the last two years that have propelled the Silverspoons company into an expanding and even more successful company than it’s ever been? “Are you almost finished? We’re going to be late Sage” my mother snaps, raising her sunglasses and squinting at me. I gesture at the suitcases. “I’m done,” I say quietly. After all, we do have staff that could have dealt with this, but my mother and father always insisted that I take care of everything, simply because they could not bear to think that some of their precious items might go missing at the hands of a light-fingered servant. The horror of such an atrocity happening! “Finally” my mother complains, rolling her eyes and putting her sunglasses back down “Tonight is going to be the biggest event that our company, Elite Fashion has ever seen.
It’s important that we get there to show our investors just how much we care. They are all eagerly waiting for our speech and to see who takes up the role of CEO.” I nod silently. She hasn’t alluded to who has taken over the role. She and my father have claimed it’s to be a surprise. Another torment of theirs to foist upon their daughters. Our whole lives have been spent in competition, Sapphire and me. It all boils down to this. The ultimate prize that has been dangled in front of us since we were young enough to understand what was waiting for us. I watch as she motions towards the staff at the hotel who immediately begin to gather up the suitcases and take them downstairs where the limousine is waiting.
My father looks down at his watch, giving a small exhale “Business with this new jewelry designer took longer than I thought it was going to” he exclaimed shaking his head, “we need to go.” We walk downstairs and out the front of the hotel, aware of the curious gazes of the passers-by. As one of the wealthiest families in the country, we are well known and I can see several people pointing towards us out of the corner of my eye as I do my best to ignore them. The driver opens the door and my mother is the first to climb in, my father sliding in beside her. “You can sit in the front with the driver,” my mother says flatly as I stand there hesitating “I want to spend some alone time with your father discussing the event.” In other words, she didn’t want to be overheard I thought numbly, quietly going to the passenger side of the limousine and opening the door to let myself in.
The driver gave me a pitying look but I turned my head quickly to look out the window, my mother putting the privacy screen up to prevent me from speaking to her or my father. “Onwards to the Grand Hotel,” the driver says jovially. Sapphire is already waiting for us. She had no interest in coming to speak to the jewelry designer. Then again, she shows only enough interest in the company to keep mother and father from disqualifying her as the next CEO. I sigh and lean against the door, pressing my forehead against the window, watching as the buildings pass by in a flurry of movement. I’m tired. Drained. Endless business meetings over the last few days have sapped what little energy I have left. I can feel my body relaxing as the limousine begins it’s slow journey towards our city, my eyes fluttering open and closed. My feet move restlessly, already sore from the heels I’ve been forced to wear, my dress a fancy cocktail one, designed by our own company.
I’m prepared for the event, but part of me wonders why. A cynical part of me wonders what the point is when Sapphire has always been the favorite, the cherished daughter, and the one most likely to win this neverending competition. Don’t let yourself give up just yet I scolded myself, sometimes even the underdog has to win. I give a wry smile, looking down the long road we’re traveling on, the headlights of the limousine flickering in the darkness, due to the absence of streetlights. It’s peaceful and I yawn, before I hear the sound of a loud engine coming up behind us. Somebody is impatient to get to their destination, I think frowning to myself as the car gets closer and closer. I glance at the driver who is clenching his jaw and glancing anxiously at the rearview mirror. “Is everything okay?” I ask, feeling a sense of foreboding. “Your security team is too far back” he muttered, glancing over his shoulder “and the car is between us and them. I don’t like how aggressive they are driving.
They’re practically ramming us” he added as I felt the first flickering of fear. Why was our security team so far back? They were meant to be on our tail. Mother and father were so deeply involved in their discussion that they had failed to notice there was a problem and I knew that the driver would not interrupt them unless it was necessary. “Speed up,” I said anxiously. The driver nodded and did just that. The car behind us, a large black-tinted SUV did the same. I felt my heart beginning to race. It rammed us. I gave a cry as the car skidded. “Hold on” the driver shouted. We had no hope of outrunning them. Not in a limousine. It rammed us again and we went sliding off the road, the tires squealing loudly as I screamed. The privacy screen went down. I could hear my mother crying out and my father shouting. The security car was gaining on the SUV but there were men climbing out, men dressed in ski masks and camouflage. They opened fire on the security car, sending it flying, it flipping as I watched in horror.
We didn’t stand a chance. Even as my mother desperately opened the side door and made a run for it, I heard the sound of the shots as they fired, saw the crimson-red blood as she dropped to the ground, her eyes staring blankly at nothing while my father shouted in panic. They let loose on the limousine. I dropped, my hands to my head, tears filling my eyes as gunshots filled the car. The driver turned towards me and my mouth parted in an open scream as he was hit directly in the forehead, his head flopping back against the headrest. My father was silent. His head was drooped onto his chest. What did I do? I sobbed and then felt something hit me, the burning pain flaring through my side as I screamed in agony. My head hit the dashboard, hard, causing me to see stars. Pain, so much pain. I could hear the sounds of the men as they approached, their footsteps heavy, their voices low.
Had they killed the security team? Was that what the extra gunshots were just now? My head hurt so bad I could barely see. “Check and see if anybody is alive” I heard one of them order in a loud voice. I wanted to move but I was trapped. My head dropped even lower. “Mrs Silverspoon is deceased” a male voice announced gravely. “Security team has been disengaged, no survivors” The voice was low, but I was able to hear clearly even as I struggled to keep my eyes open. The security team was gone. Nobody was coming to save me. My last hope was fading. “Hurry up. Another security team will be on the way.
They would have notified the second team” a voice hissed. The second team. Even if they hurried, it wouldn’t be fast enough to save me, I thought weakly. I heard the sound of the back door opening and fought to keep my body still. “Mr Silverspoon is gone.” Everyone was gone. My eyes fluttered closed. This was it. This was the end. It seemed ridiculous now that I had been so concerned about tonight and who was going to be the new head of the company. I wanted to laugh at the irony. I could sense darkness surrounding me and I began to welcome it. Perhaps, I thought with the merest bit of hope, my death would be swift and quick. It was the final thought I had, before darkness surrounded me and I knew no more.