Playing Virgin Mary

"I informed him and… we've met."

"What?"

"Not as Elsa of course," Shantel corrected.

"Oh. You almost scared the hell out of me. So what does he want?"

"Guess. But just a tip-off. He's not after my body, I can tell you that for sure."

"I know, but that's only because he's a fool. He needs Elsa's help, right ."

"How do you know?" 

"The state of his company is all over the place, besides, his assistant contacted me and I told him you don't work for men like Richard Domango," Grant said. 

He was there the day Richard made a public mockery of Shantel and knew all Shantel would want to dish out to Richard was nothing but cool, sweet revenge… not help save his useless company. 

"You know me the best but this time I think I might…"

"You might what?" Grant couldn't hide the shock from his voice. "Don't tell me you want to help …"

A knock at the door cut Grant off. Shantel's slender brow puckered in a slight frown. Slowly, she walked to the door and peered through the peephole thinking it must be Grant or even one of her sisters. Only Grant, her family and of course Richard Domango knew she was back in the country. 

So she wasn't surprised when she saw her sisters through the peephole.

"Shantel, why are you still couped up in this pighole you call an apartment? Come down for the party," Maggie Hale said as soon as they entered the room and saw Shantel not yet dressed for the party. 

"I already told you, big sis… I might not be making an appearance tonight."

"Didn't I tell you, Maggie. It's already a miracle she flew down this year. We should at least be content with that," Claudia Hale, her sixth sister said. 

She was the one closest in age to Shantel and the only one she shared a slight bond with. 

The rest of her five sisters were quite older and almost strangers to her. Perhaps it was the age difference and the fact that they constantly went with their mother to discuss business deals, leaving Shantel alone with Claudia and their nanny. 

Or the fact that she had gone to live with her paternal grandmother at the age of six and from there, charted a different path for herself. 

Whatever the case might be, they were never close and never made any effort to understand her— least of all, understand her decision to steer clear of the family business when she could have easily gotten a piece of the national cake. 

Her alienation and decision to have nothing to do with the vast wealth amassed by their mother was a concern to them initially, but as time went on, they were too busy to dwell on it for long. 

Perhaps they were even happy she wasn't dragging anything with them, after all, one less heiress to the family fortune was better, she presumed.

"Mom is about to give her speech, won't you at least give her that honor since you're here this year?" Selene said. Her tone came out more as a reproof than reasoning. She was the eldest with a domineering character just like their mother.

Sometimes, Shantel wondered how her husband was able to cope with such a strong character.

"I'll be down shortly. Give me sometime to get ready."

"And by that I believe you mean 'disguise yourself.' How long are you going to keep on playing Virgin Mary?" Maggie snickered. "After all these years you still think the whole bunch of us are sinners, right?"

Claudia shot Maggie a warning glance, but the damage had already been done. Shantel set down her wine glass so smoothly that the stem didn't even make the slightest clicking sound against the counter— one wouldn't know if what her sister had said affected her in any way or not.

"I never said that," she said casually. Little did her sisters know that this time she had a mission that will best be accomplished with both her identities as Elsa and the Seventh daughter of Jezebel and not just the masked frivolous slut Rovencia have come to know her with. But that was not for her to tell but for them to find out.

Maggie scoffed, oblivious of her sister's plans. "You don't have to. We can see through your silly acts. You only put up that appearance so people will loathe you and not approach you." 

She strolled further into the apartment, swept her gaze over the modest furniture with something between amusement and disdain. "I mean, look at this place, Shantel. A Hale daughter living like—"

"Maggie," Claudia interrupted sharply.

Shantel met Maggie's gaze head-on. "Like what?"

Maggie smirked, but her eyes gleamed sharper like someone who had finally unraveled a well kept secret.. "Like someone running away from herself… but to outsiders, you're a ticking time bomb."

Shantel didn't flinch, though her fingers twitched at her side. She exhaled, slow and measured, before turning away. "If you came to insult me, you can leave now."

"Oh, come on," Selene interjected. "We're not here to fight." Her voice was firm, but her eyes held that same judgment like her younger sister. "We're here because Mom will want to see you. And frankly, after all these years of you avoiding her, I think the least you can do is show your face."

"What has my face got to do with her? Besides, she sees my face every time she looks in the mirror," Shantel muttered, turning back to the counter.

"Oh come on… do you dare show your real face to everyone?"

This was a controversial subject with the sisters as Shantel had never allowed people to see her real face. All that exquisite face, red head and all— was just makeup to hide the real Shantel Hale that looked nothing like Jessica Hale. 

She'd taken after her father's mother, both in appearance and character, but only her mother and half siblings knew this. Everyone saw her as the exact replica of Jessica. No wonder men were more wary of her than her sister even though she was the youngest.

Claudia sighed. "Shan—"

"I said I'll come," Shantel cut in, sharper than intended. The last thing she wanted was to have a fallout with the only sister who has ever tried to understand her. 

A thick unyielding silence settled around them which was only broken by Selena's deep exhale. She exchanged glances with Maggie, then nodded. "Fine. We'll be downstairs."

Maggie lingered, her eyes narrowing slightly as if debating whether to push further, but eventually turned and left with Selene.

Only Claudia remained, watching her.

Shantel met her gaze. "You too?"

Claudia hesitated, then shook her head. "I just—" She sighed. "You don't have to stay long. Just make an appearance… Whichever one you choose, say a few words to Mom, and then leave if you want."

Shantel exhaled through her nose. "It's not that simple, Claud."

Claudia nodded as if she understood, though they both knew she never could. "Just… don't let them think they've won by making you hide up here all night."

With that, she left, closing the door behind her.

Shantel stood there for a long moment, staring at the space they had occupied.

Then, with a quiet curse, she grabbed the wine glass and downed the rest in one go before heading to her closet.