The CEO’ s second choice novel Chapter 37

　　Elena

　　“Elena! Lovely seeing you again!” Came the cheery voice of Meghan as she saunters into the villa. She was dragging a garment rack behind her before she enveloped me in a hug. Her Dior scent was lovely, and it brought a smile to my face. “Lovely to see you as well, Meghan. How was the flight over?” I ask her, and we make polite conversation. We had bonded over the dress design, and I quite liked her.

　　“You need to see how this dress turned out! Oh, you will be in absolute love!” She says with excitement to her voice that causes me to get hyped up as well. We walked over to the garment rack and as she unzipped the dress, my heart rate rose. It wasn’t just beautiful, it was exquisite! The rose gold shimmered in the light sweetheart neckline that would amplify my modest bosom, and the long-sleeved shawl/bolero with Queen Anne neckline would keep the chill away. The dress had me melting!

　　“I… I do not know how to express my feelings right now!” I tell her with tears in her eyes and wrap my arms around her again. She smiles and giggles at my response. “I wish I got this response from all my other clients!” She says as I let go of her and we walk up the stairs to the master bedroom.

　　Meghan frowns when she steps into the bedroom. “We weren’t in here last time, were we?” she says, clearly confused. I chuckle. “No, this is Sebastian and my room. Come into the walk-in and we can get this started!” I tell her and she follows me in.

　　20 minutes later, she was the one with tears in her eyes as she regarded me with wonder. “You make this dress what it is! On a mannequin is one thing but on you… gorgeous!” She gushes as she walks around me, taking the dress in. I stared at myself in the mirror and could see what she meant. My curves were not hidden away, instead, they were accentuated by the waistline and hugged my body comfortably. “I will definitely use you again, Meghan. Thank you for this.” I say, and we hug once more.

　　She helps me get out of the gown and we walk down the stairs, “Ready for tonight?” She asks, and I nod. I had no choice but to be ready, and this time I would not be alone; I would have Sebastian at my side. He loved my body and worshipped it, whereas at every other Winter Ball my mother would make rude comments about my weight and curves.

　　How did I put up with it for so long? Was it because she was my mother and had a say in my entire life? If there is one thing this marriage has taught me, it is that you need to remove all the toxic people from your life. I have not spoken to my mother since I left our wedding reception. Her behaviour there proved to me that she never thought of me as a daughter.

　　“As ready as I’ll ever be, tonight will be different, I can feel it,” I tell her, and she offers me a smile. We said our goodbyes, and I wandered to the kitchen, as I suddenly felt peckish.

　　“Ah, Mrs Dumont! Would you like some breakfast?” Ilse offers me as I take a seat in the breakfast nook. I nod, “Please, Ilse! A full English, if you don’t mind! I am ravenous and feeling brave this morning.” I say, and I notice the big smile on her face.

　　I watch her as she prepares the food with a smile, the smell of garlic mushrooms making my mouth water! As she placed my food in front of me, she sighs, “It is lovely to see you and Mr Dumont smiling and in love! It has brightened up the entire household!” She says with glistening eyes while beaming at me. I couldn’t help it. My bottom lip trembled, and I enveloped her in a hug. “Thank you, Ilse! I am done fighting what I feel for Sebastian, and ever since I gave into my feelings, I feel a thousand times lighter!” I say with honesty and she nods, not needing a further explanation, and she leaves me to eat in silence.

　　After breakfast, I headed back up to the bedroom so I could do some research about Oxford. I would still love to get a degree behind my name, even if it was only English Literature. After about 5 hours of vigorous searching and reading, I discovered that there would be an Open Day with Oxford Alumni who have made a name for themselves in English Lit. If I am happy and taken by the course, I have to write the admission tests and submit a paper. Seems easy enough.

　　The next Open Day was in a month’s time, so plenty of time to get myself ready. When I submitted my admission to Harvard, I did not have this feeling of contentment over my heart as I did with the prospect of studying at Oxford. I was trying to run away from a life where I had the tools to make something of myself, but I am only realising this after moving away from my family.

　　It seems that they were the ones keeping me tethered to the life of an heiress.