BLUE BLOOD

41 | [the night of the party]

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Gabriella Jontas has dreamt of this her whole life.  

Well, maybe not her whole life, but every since she set foot in Queens Erlington Academy and got a glimpse of the blue bloods walking down the hall, Ella knew that she would do anything to become one of them. 

Anything.

She jotted down the last few thoughts she had in her journal, closed it, clasped the lock, and then stuffed it into her Givenchy purse. It was not next season's, but it would have to do. Ella did not have enough influence to obtain one. At least, not yet.

An excited grin curved her lips. Today was going to be great. 

A knock came at her door. "Come in!" Ella all but chirped. Nothing could ruin her mood today.

It was her mother. Ella expected her to greet her with a bright smile, a tray of breakfast, and a huge kiss, but instead, her mother's face was all but furious.

"Mom?" Ella hesitated, hastily getting up on her bed to a sitting position.

"Why aren't you ready?" She snapped when she caught sight of her in her pajamas. "You're such a mess all the time, Gabriella."

"What-"

"I said get dressed!" 

Ella stared at her with wide eyes before she narrowed them. "It's my birthday, Mom. Why are you acting like this?"

Her mother looked up at her with a sneer. "Your father just called Gabriella. Did you know that?" At her silence, she continued. "Do you know what he told me? He said that he figured out where that bitch of your sister has fled from her boarding school in England. He wants her to come back and transfer to Queens. Do you know what this means?"

"Vesper?" Ella was suddenly standing in front of her mother in a panic. "She's coming back? But-But that's great."

Ella felt the pain before she heard the smack of her mother's palm. Tears pricked at her eyes as she stared at the ground, cheeks burning. She wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or anger.

"You're so useless," her mother hissed. "The only good thing that came out of you was using your existence to force your father to marry me."

She blinked furiously, trying to stop herself from sobbing. "But-" 

"Do you know that once she comes back, the neighbors will start to whisper? They'll start to say that we aren't truly one of them because your father refused for us to take the Du Sang's name, but that wretched girl does!"

"Then you should have thought twice before signing that contract!" Ella shouted.

Another slap. Her mother was quiet when she said, deceptively calmly, "That was his only requirement to get married and you will not speak to me that way. You would never be living in this sort of wealth if I didn't sacrifice all the things that I did."

Ella stayed quiet, despite the urge to crumple to the ground.

"Once she comes back, she will rob everything from you. Your popularity. Your status. Your reputation. It will be done the moment she enters that school."

"You don't know that!" Ella blurted out. Part of her felt indignation. She crawled her way into beds to get to where she was. It took her almost the whole year. Ella refused to think that Vesper could get everything handed to her. 

"Don't I?" her mother snarled. "She's just like her mother. Every person fell to her feet in her presence. A saint. Even your cold-hearted bastard of a father was enamored with her."