Chapter 48

It wasn’t taking me as long to put my contacts in lately. And I haven’t dropped one in the sink all week.

I’ve worn them several times after Victor insisted when he took me out to eat dinner and stuff. He constantly reminds me I will only get used to them by wearing them.

But I haven’t worn them to school yet because I didn't think I could wear them all day. I told myself I would try wearing them to school after my ball.

Occasionally, the contacts still make my eyes feel dry. And then I start blinking like crazy, and my eyelids feel like sandpaper.

But they worked great when Victor took me to the movies to see a new action flick that everybody had been talking about. The movie screen was nice and clear from our seats near the back of the theater.

And my contact lenses are comfortable to wear while we have dinner in some of Victor’s favorite restaurants.

Victor never explained why he was taking me out several times a week. I think it was to get me to wear my contacts and to help me get used to being around other Alphas.

Fortunately, I was growing less nervous while I was eating in fancy restaurants. And even though I didn’t want to admit it to myself, I enjoyed Victor’s company. He was a witty and charming companion.

Other women frequently gave me jealous looks as I sat with Victor. I could feel their eyes on us even when I tried to ignore them.

Like tonight, we sat at a candlelit table in an elegant restaurant as I studied my menu. I could feel the other restaurant patrons staring at me, but I stayed calm and concentrated on our table and Victor.

Victor nodded when our waiter approached our table and asked if we were ready to order. The waiter looked at me first.

“Madam?” the waiter said.

“I … I’ll start with the p … personal charcuterie board, followed by the truffle salad and a very rare filet mignon.” I cringed slightly when I stuttered a little.

Victor nodded his approval at my choices. “I’ll have the same as the lady and inform the chef that we will have the soufflé for dessert.”

After the waiter returned to the kitchen, Victor leaned across the table and said, “You have come a long way, Daisy, since that dinner with William when I had to order for you. And may I add, you have exquisite taste.”

“Thank you, Victor.” I blushed slightly at the compliments. “You’ve been a good teacher of many things. I appreciate it very much.”

I was starting to feel good about the way I had changed. Nobody stayed the same all their lives. Life was about learning and evolving. I was beginning to enjoy some of the new experiences in my life.

Yet, I still felt like an impostor at times, but I was becoming comfortable in more places than ever. And I had hope that things would only improve.

Victor gave me a big smile. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, how did you learn about all five-star menu items so quickly?”

“A little online research,” I replied as I swirled the golden non-alcoholic grape juice in my wine glass. “I found a website that posts photos of each dish with a description and the phonetic spelling so I could pronounce them.”

“Clever girl,” Victor said, raising his glass and toasted me.

I blushed again as the waiter returned with our appetizers.

A large party of alphas entered the restaurant and were seated across the room from us. Several members of the group called Victor’s name and waved.

“Who are they?” I asked. Two of the women kept staring at me and whispering. It made me squirm a little in my seat.

“They’re a couple of investors and their wives,” Victor replied.“Some of them will be at your ball. You’ll be introduced then.”

I finished eating my main course before the soufflé arrived, so I excused myself and went to the ladies’ room.

After powdering my nose, as Jennifer taught me, I entered the last toilet stall in the row.

As I locked the stall door, I heard the restroom door open and the chattering of women’s voices.

“Isn’t Victor’s date tonight lovely?” one of the voices asked.

They couldn’t be talking about me, could they?

“Yes, she’s quite pretty,” another voice replied. “And she looks very familiar. I’ve been trying to think of where I have seen her before.”

“Poor Victor,” the first voice said. “He must be dating all the beautiful women he can before he has to marry Alex Wilson’s daughter.”

I held my breath as I listened to the women discussing me.

“Isn’t it terrible that he is engaged with that ugly girl?” the other woman replied. “Did you hear she wore a wetsuit to William James’s pool party?”

I should have been amused. The women didn’t know the ugly girl in the wetsuit and the girl dining with Victor tonight were the same person.

Instead, their words hurt me deeply. But I knew if I tried to confront them, I would revert to being a stuttering mess.

The first woman laughed. “My daughter was at the pool party. She told me all about it. She said the girl is quite homely, stutters constantly, and she heard she was raised by Betas most of her life.”

“That’s why she’s ruined,” the second woman proclaimed, “There’s no way Alex can turn her into an Alpha now. Can you imagine the kind of disaster her ball is going to be?

They laughed again.

“I don’t understand why Alex is bothering to introduce her to the Alpha Society,” the second woman said. “Sure, we’re curious, but…”

“But we wouldn’t miss the ugly girl’s ball for the world,” the first woman added with another laugh. “The gossip is going to be simply delicious afterward. I must be there to see it all myself.”

The urge to come out of the stall and confront them grew intense. How dare they talk about me like this? Once again, Alphas were judging someone they didn’t know and the entire Beta population.

“There must be a way Victor can get out of marrying someone like that,” the other woman said. “I know he wants to be the next leader of the alliance, but is it worth marrying that ugly girl?”

“Knowing Victor, he has a plan to get out of marrying her, yet still attain the leadership position,” the first woman said. “A man like Victor would never be happy with an ugly, dimwitted girl like Alex Wilson’s daughter.”

“Not when there are many worthy and beautiful girls eager to be his wife.”

The woman’s laughter echoed in my head. They began discussing what they would wear to my ball as they departed the ladies’ room.

My lower lip quivered, and a tear ran down my cheek as the voices faded as the bathroom door opened and closed. They had left the room, but their nasty words hung in the air like a dark cloud.

I knew then that I would have people talking about me like this for the rest of my life. I wasn’t sure if I could take it. I would always be judged and judged unfairly. But I had to face it and not hide like a coward.

I exited the stall, blew my nose, and washed my face. I had to go back out there. I boosted my courage by reminding myself that Victor was still sitting at our table.

But the words of those two women stabbed my heart and wounded my mind.