Chapter 3
“Why’d you yank my hair instead of answering?” Felicia snapped rubbing her scalp where the pain had shot through. Winona had messed up her carefully styled hair.
Winona just grinned foolishly, waving her white plush bear–dressed in women’s pajamas–at Felicia. “Felicia, those sparkly stars on your head look awesome! I’m gonna give them to my mom; she’d love them,” she said.
Then, Winona deliberately tugged on Felicia’s diamond tiara, faking a complaint. “Felicia, those sparkly stars on your head are tough to get off…” she added.
Felicia’s diamond tiara was pinned in her hair, but Winona yanked it, intending to make it hurt. Felicia flinched, afraid her hair would be pulled out, and grabbed Winona’s hand.
‘What a silly girl,‘ she thought, ‘mixing up a plush bear with her mom and not getting that a tiara isn’t just some stars. She’s even trying to take off my super expensive tiara to put it on that bear?‘
Felicia bit back her anger and pasted on a fake smile. “Winona, that’s not stars on my head. It’s a tiara. If you want it, I’ll give it to you. But first, tell me why Matthew didn’t dump you. Didn’t he catch you with those five guys in bed?“–
“I didn’t get to have any fun with the cute guys before the ugly one barged in, just like this…” Winona replied, her voice taking on a childish lilt. Then, without warning, she yanked Felicia’s hair and slapped her face twice.
Felicia was taken aback as Winona lunged at her and punched her hard in the stomach. Pain exploded in Felicia’s vision, and before she could react, Winona kicked the back of her knee, sending her crashing to the floor.
Kneeling on the ground, Felicia groaned loudly, her mind racing. What is this idiot doing, attacking me out of nowhere?‘ she thought, gritting her teeth.
As Felicia glared up at Winona, seething for an explanation, Winona cut her off with a chirpy, childish narrative. “That ugly weirdo just stormed in, did these to those guys, and scared off them all. They wouldn’t play with me anymore.”
Winona’s explanation had Felicia seething. ‘What’s the matter with her? Can’t she just talk things out?‘ Felicia thought to herself. If it weren’t for Winona’s flaky behavior, Felicia’d think the slaps and punches were on purpose.
Winona, however, offered Felicia a goofy grin. She clutched her plush bear, her gaze glued to the tiara perched atop Felicia’s head. “Felicia, I already answered you,” she said. “Can my mommy wear your tiara?”
Felicia rubbed her sore cheek, smeared away the blood from her mouth, and rose slowly. She clutched her aching gut, gritting her teeth at the sting in her knees.
She’d never been hit before; people usually handled her like she was precious. Right now, all she craved was to make Winona pay for her fury, but she knew this wasn’t the time.
With a forced smile, Felicia said, “Sure, but you have to promise to play a little game with my friend in bed later.
“Sounds fun!” Winona chirped, her naivety shining through as she suddenly snatched the tiara off Felicia’s head. It snagged in her hair, and with a rough yank from Winona, it pulled free.
“Ouch…” Felicia whimpered, clutching her smarting scalp. She thought to herself, “What a moron! She’s as rude as a wild beast–so barbaric!”
Winona, seemingly oblivious to Felicia’s wince and the fire in her eyes, held the tiara up to her plush bear. “Look, Mommy, isn’t this pretty?” she chirped. “You’ll be the prettiest mommy ever when you wear it.”
Felicia watched as Winona playfully placed the tiara on the bear, her own anger simmering just below the surface.
Downstairs among the party guests, there was Chad Logue, a wealthy magnate in his sixties with a touch of gray in his hair.
1/2
22.11
Wed, Dec 23
Chapter 3
E
He’d been leering at Felicia, his intentions as clear as day. Felicia was already plotting to use him to tarnish Winona’s reputation.
+5
Felicia’s plan was to slip a strong aphrodisiac into Chad’s wine. She figured that in his excitement with Winona, his old heart might just give out. If that happened, Winona would not just be disgraced.
Matthew would likely call off their engagement, and Winona would carry the guilt of causing a death. She’d lose the love of her father and brothers, become an outcast in the Mosley family, and end up exiled to the countryside.
Felicia, envisioning the downfall she had planned for Winona, quickly instructed, “Go take a shower and wash off that messy makeup. Wrap up in a towel and wait on the bed–I’ll bring my friend over to have some fun with you.”
“Sure thing, Felicia!” Winona chirped, skipping towards the bathroom with her plush bear in tow. But as she turned the corner, her eyes held a chilling glint–it was only fair to reciprocate when someone tried to plot against her.
Felicia smirked, watching Winona disappear into the bathroom. She then turned on her heel and made her way out.
Chad was definitely a man who chased after women. Winona, despite her plump figure, had a strikingly beautiful face. Once she washed away that garish makeup and revealed her natural beauty, Chad would be eager to sleep with her.
In the bathroom, Winona listened as Felicia hurried down the stairs. It was only then that she approached the sink and gazed into the mirror.
She was taken aback by the reflection that stared back at her. Her round face, full–figured waist, and sturdy legs suggested she was at least 220 pounds.
Her hair was a chaotic array of colorful curls, matched with dramatic, smoky eye makeup and a stark skull tattoo on her cheek.
To top it off, she sported a silver nose stud, bright pink lips with a black lip ring, and ears loaded with a string of piercings.
Most eye–catching was her large frame crammed into a tight pink dress that highlighted every contour. From her body, hair, and face to her attire, everything was an over–the–top spectacle that was hard to take in.
Felicia had been slipping Winona food with quick–acting weight gainers and was the mastermind behind her flamboyant style. She’d convinced Winona that this outlandish look was what the elite found appealing. Whenever.Winona faced unflattering remarks, Felicia would spin it as mere envy.
Winona, who once had the cognitive abilities of a five–year–old, lapped up Felicia’s words because she believed the attention she received was positive. But when she traveled back in time by five years and regained her full intellect, she realized how mortifying her appearance had been.
Gazing at her reflection, Winona wished she could hit herself. It was no wonder Travis had shied away from her in her previous life, not even wanting to get close to her.
Recalling Travis’s disdain, Winona was suddenly hit with the memory of Matthew’s intense, inviting warmth from earlier. Her cheeks flushed a deep red, and her eyes sparkled with confusion. ‘Why would someone like Matthew even think about kissing someone as unappealing as me?‘ she wondered.
As this thought crossed her mind, she caught the sound of quick footsteps approaching. Swiftly, Winona reached for the faucet, turning it on to feign the act of taking a shower.
