Part 1 – The Past
There aren’t many people who I genuinely hate with every fiber of my being — in fact, my list is comprised of only one name: Zane Windsor.
The mere thought of him has my stomach clenching and my veins filling with an immobilizing dread. Zane Windsor is the bane of my existence, the person I curse in my sleep. He always has been. When I think of the most horrible parts of my childhood, it’s his face that floats to the forefront of my mind. Knowing that I’ll have to see him again in just a few hours is making me anxious beyond words.
“Celeste?”
I look up to find my best friend, Lily, staring at me with clear concern in her blue eyes. She tucks a stray strand of my perfectly curled hair behind my ear, her gaze filled with understanding. “It’s going to be fine,” she reassures me. “It’s only a charity gala, and you’ll be able to get so much valuable networking done. Just focus on that, okay?”
I glance at my bright yellow nails, unable to put that niggling feeling of impending doom to rest. “It’s the Windsor annual gala,” I murmur, my voice breaking. “It just feels ominous that the first event I’m attending now that I’m back is one hosted by Zane’s family.”
I thought that five years away at college had instilled some much needed confidence in me, only for it to evaporate the moment I stepped foot back into my childhood home.
Coming home has felt like taking ten steps back, like the girl I used to be is clawing at me, seeking to be let out of the box I locked her in. I’m terrified that being around Zane again will turn me back into the version of myself I despise, the one I’m ashamed of.
“Celeste, you are the strongest and smartest woman I’ve ever met. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes — perhaps then you’d realize how silly it is that a guy like Zane affects you so much. He isn’t worth a second thought.”
I nod, willing myself to believe her, to snap out of the hold the past has over me. She’s right, of course. Zane shouldn’t have so much power over me. Not anymore.
“Did I tell you that Grandpa instructed me to analyze every inch of the Windsor hotel the event is hosted at?” I ask, trying to change the topic. Talking about Zane just reminds me of the things I keep trying to forget, the secrets I’ve kept from her. “Do you know what he said to me?”
Lily shakes her head, a questioning look in her eyes as she touches up the highlighter she applied on my cheekbones.
“The reviews for their hotel have been stellar, but we can’t gather enough information that way. They invited us, didn’t they? It’d be rude not to enjoy the hotel’s facilities to their fullest extent,” I repeat, mocking my grandfather. “Can you believe him?”
A startled laugh escapes Lily’s lips, and I can’t help but smile too. It takes the sting out of the words that followed, the ones I won’t tell Lily about.
“I can only hope that your education actually helped smarten you up, because I’m tired of my granddaughter coming second to that Windsor boy. You’re not in school anymore, Celeste. The stakes are higher now, and there’s no margin for error. At the very least, you should be able to raise our hotels to the same standard as the Windsors’.”
Sometimes I wonder, would my grandfather’s endless comparisons hurt less if they didn’t result in him finding me lacking every single time? Would my hatred for Zane have evolved into what it is had it not been fueled by Grandpa’s expectations?
To say that Zane and I were rivals growing up would be putting it mildly. Perhaps that’s what it started as, back at kindergarten — mere childish rivalry, a natural result of the feud between our families. Yet throughout the years, it grew into pure enmity and a hatred so profound that I sought an escape, a reprieve. One that has now come to an end.
“Your grandfather is ridiculous sometimes, honestly,” Lily says, a hint of concern buried in her voice. Every once in a while, it’s like she sees the pain I keep hidden, even when I try my best to keep it from her. “But he did choose you as his heir, so let his actions speak louder than his words, okay? He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t have faith in you.”
I suppress the impulse to bite my lip nervously and simply nod in acquiescence. Lily knows as well as I do that Grandpa only chose me as his successor because my brother, Archer, refused to bend to his will. If Archer hadn’t left home, refusing to set foot in the same house as our grandfather, I’d never have been given any responsibility at all.
Lily carefully looks over the black evening gown I’m wearing and double checks my makeup, ensuring it’s all perfect before nodding to herself in satisfaction. “This gala is going to cement your new position at your grandfather’s firm, and that’s all you need to focus on tonight. You’ll have so much fun networking, you won’t even realize Zane is there. You said there are usually hundreds of people at this event, right?”
I nod hesitantly, all the while hating that Zane makes me act so unlike myself. I’m no longer a timid little girl, yet that’s exactly who I become the moment he so much as crosses my mind.
“Then it won’t be hard to simply avoid Zane, for now. Personally, I think it’s best to face him head-on and set a new tone. He was your biggest rival when we were kids, but that’s nothing compared to the threat Windsor Hotels poses to Harrison Developments now. There’s no avoiding him entirely, and whether you like it or not, your companies will be competing constantly.”
“I know,” I murmur, sighing. “I can’t avoid him, but I’m just not sure I’m ready. Lil, this is the same guy that stole the first ‘F’ I got in algebra so he could frame it alongside his ‘A+’ before sending photos of it to the entire school. He teased me every day for two years when I had braces, and he’s taken every single opportunity to humiliate me and tear me down, ever since we were three years old. And now I’m supposed to be on good terms with him? I’m supposed to act cordial and thank him for inviting me, act like the way he bullied me for years didn’t leave scars?”
The pity in Lily’s eyes only makes me feel more pathetic, and I can’t help but look away. “Celeste,” Lily murmurs, her tone indulgent. “You, my darling, are pure magic. The way everything you envision comes to life truly is magical, so do all of that visualization stuff that you love so much and envision the path that lies ahead of you — one without obstacles, one where you’re the kind of woman Zane Windsor wouldn’t dare mess with. Because that’s who you are, you know? You are that woman, even if old insecurities are causing a momentary lapse in judgment. Aren’t you the one that always tells me that I control my thoughts, and they don’t control me? How about you take your own advice tonight?”
I blink at her, surprised to have my own mantra directed at me in that way. I can’t even refute her words, and they make me snap out of my destructive thoughts. It’s almost like a heavy veil is lifted, and my vision clears. It’s strange how insecurity and dread truly seem to weigh me down.
“You’re right,” I whisper, my heart pounding wildly as my eyes fall closed. For years, I envisioned a world in which I finally made my grandfather proud, one where I was at the top of my industry and spearheaded the world’s best hotel development projects. Why did I let that vision slip, even for a single moment?
“I’m always right,” Lily says, chuckling. “When doubt sets in tonight, remember my words. You’re pure magic, Celeste. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise — certainly not someone like Zane.”
I grin back at her, my body relaxing as my confidence returns. I wish I could bring her with me tonight — I’d much rather go with her than with Grandpa. “Okay. I’ve got this,” I tell her, my voice firm. “I’m just going to walk into that ballroom like I own it.”
Lily’s eyes twinkle with pride, and she gently strokes my hair. “That’s my girl,” she says. “Go and kill it out there. Charm them all, steal away all of Zane’s market share. If anyone can do it, it’s you.”
I smile to myself as I look in the mirror, filled with renewed confidence. “I can do this,” I murmur, more to myself than to Lily, but she nods nonetheless.
“You can — you will.”
I take in my perfect makeup and my composed expression. I’m no longer the shy, introverted girl I used to be. The woman reflected back at me isn’t the one that left five years ago, and Zane Windsor is about to discover that the hard way.
