Chapter 7: The Whispering Serpent

Use your beauty as a weapon.

Elsie was seated in her dorm room, a stare fixated on her phone that buzzed with another of her mother's calls. For weeks she had been avoiding Mama Elsie, being so caught up in her new student life that she had little time and leeway to meet her mother's never-ending demands. This time she could no longer afford to ignore the call. Heart sinking, she picked up. This time, unmistakably, her mother was not joyous.

"Elsie, my girl, why have you not been picking my calls?" Mama Elsie's tone was a reprimand laced with bitterness.

"I have had a lot to do, Mama," Elsie responded, sounding tired. "Classes, social events... a lot to cope with."

Mama Elsie clicked her tongue, irked. "Busy? Too busy for your own mother? Elsie, you will always remember where you come from. You may be in the city, but you will always remain my daughter, and I did not raise you to forget your family."

Sighing, Elsie ran a hand through her hair. "I have not forgotten you, Mama. I just... I am trying to get used to this new life."

There was a pause on the other end, and when Mama Elsie's voice spoke next, it had lost a bit of that ice. Yet, there was a hint-not a hint, really, more like an assertion-of something almost sly, as though she were calculating her next step. "You see, Elsie, my dear, I know that everything is entirely new to you. But keep in mind why you are there. You are the wife of Damian, yes, but you are a woman with power. A woman with beauty. And beauty, my dear... beauty is a weapon."

"Doctors encouraging pregnant mothers to avoid anxiety-inducing substances announce that poetic justice has arrived."

Elsie frowned and tightened her grip on the phone. "What are you talking about, Mama?"

Mama Elsie appeared to be whispering, sharing a precious secret. ""A woman with power over a rich man controls his wealth." Forthwith use your beauty, your charm, to ensure that Damian's wealth is kept within your control. Understand? You should be the one controlling it."

The wild beating of Elsie's heart came alive as she listened to her mother's advice. There had never been a problem trusting Mama Elsie, but this felt different. This felt...ominous.

"A woman with power over a rich man controls his wealth,"

Later that evening, Elsie sat before her mirror, staring into the face of her reflection. Her mother's words kept echoing in her mind, a relentless whisper she could not rid herself of. "A woman with power over a rich man controls his wealth." Until now she had seen herself as Damian's wife, one who had to obey and submit. But now, for the first time, she was beginning to question whether there was some alternative.

She remembered the women at the university, how they walked with confidence, how they met and crossed the street waving without blinking. They depended not on their husbands for anything. They had their own lives, their own power. And so did Elsie. She wished to be more than just Damian's wife. She wanted to be in control of Damian's wealth.

But how? How could she possibly control Damian's wealth without him finding out? The thought knotted her stomach, even as it thrilled her. For the first time, she felt a brief spark of ambition-or greed, even.

Phone in hand, she made a quick call to her mother. "Mama," she said, trembling. "I need you."

Mama Elsie sounded smug when she replied, "Of course, my child. Just tell me what you want."

The germ of greed had been planted

For the next several weeks, Mama Elsie became Elsie's closest advisor, a voice whispering into her daughter's ear. She taught Elsie how to manipulate Damian, how to use her beauty and charm to get what she wanted. She taught her to ask for expensive gifts, to demand that Damian sign properties into her name, and to take control of his finances.

At first, Elsie hesitated. She loved Damian, and betraying him was terribly painful. But as the days passed, she really began to see the merits of her mother's suggestions. The more she exploited her mother's cleverly woven evil plans, the more Damian had indulged her with gifts and attention. With every new acquisition given to her by him, Elsie felt a strength already surging within her that she had never felt before.

One evening in the penthouse, surrounded by beauty, she felt a pang of satisfaction that bordered on absurdity. She had everything she had ever wanted: wealth, power, control- but there was still that tiny voice of disquiet in her belly. Another day of watching the seed of greed gaining new sprouts. 

Occasionally, she thought about Damian and all the love and trust he had given her, the life they had built together, and for a flickering moment felt guilty. But then she would remember her mother's words: "A woman with power over a rich man controls his wealth." And just like that, all guilt would evaporate from her heart only to be replaced by the venomous surge of cold calculation.

"No longer was she that naive village girl of yesteryears. She had become a woman of the hour: a woman in power."