Hello All,
Finally chapter 2 is up! I've decided to work on this story, and see where it leads. This chapter builds up to the main events that are about to happen in a bit. I hope you find it enjoyable.
As always, I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts and comments on this story! It is the best motivation, ever.
Chapter 2
Serena took deep breaths to calm herself down as she drove to the Carter's residence; a statuesque manor home, located in the eastern portion of Manhattan.
She needed to be level headed when dealing with her mother-in-law. Yelling and shouting would only make matters worse. And of course, such behavior would be unbecoming.
But this was easier said than done. It was hard to keep a certain phone conversation with a florist, which had happened under an hour ago, from her mind.
"Please turn left at the next intersection," instructed the programmed voice from her BMW's GPS system.
Thank god for modern navigation devices. Geography and maps were not her strong point.
Serena sighed as she obeyed her GPS system and swerved left onto Maple Avenue. She knew the Carter's would be troublesome to marry into.
Andrew was very sweet and an absolute gentleman, despite his affluent family. He was the heir to a prominent software business.
But he wasn't a spoiled rich boy who had just been born into wealth. The company and expanded and flourished under his supervision. It was a multi-million dollar enterprise.
And the fact that Andrew had accomplished so much at such a young age was astounding.
Andrew had obviously inherited his mannerisms from his father. Benjamin Carter was an intelligent and kind man; one whom Serena enjoyed conversing with.
It was Andrew's mother that was the problem.
Lillian Carter was a proud woman, who was born into money. She lead many society committees, many where they fought for the preservation of one monument or another. Few people ever refused Lillian, and this only added to her monumental sized ego.
Lillian adored Andrew, who was an only child. She was very protective over her fully grown, adult child, and she wanted the best things in life for him.
This is where the problem arose. Serena was not the best thing for Andrew. According to Lillian, Serena was beneath him.
This was not because of the fact that Serena was poor or not from a wealthy family. No, to the contrary, Serena's family was also counted among the wealthy in New York City. Her father, Heath Beaumont, was a prominent real estate developer in the Upper East Side. They were also worth millions.
But, they were what you would consider, "new money". Their money came solely from the hard work of her father, not from generations of hardworking ancestors.
Lillian liked to believe that their family had a history; that they were more refined and of "old money".
But the real reason why Lillian disliked Serena, in Serena's opinion, was that they were polar opposites. Lillian wanted somebody like herself for her son. Someone who wanted to be part of committees, someone who wanted to live in past traditions, and someone who listened and obeyed Lillian's every word.
Serena couldn't stand being part of committees filled with catty old women fighting over frivolous matters.
She suspected that due to their inherent differences, Lillian believed Serena would take Andrew away from her.
Which was not something Serena wanted to do. Despite how bat crazy she was, Lillian was still his mother.
"You have arrived at your destination."
Serena looked up the large mansion, made of stone and brick in dread. She didn't want to talk to Lillian, because she wasn't confident she could control her temper. The woman was insufferable!
But she needed to assert herself. She needed to show Lillian that Serena was not going to let Lillian step all over her.
She would decide the arrangements for her own wedding, dammit!
With confidence, Serena marched up the stone steps and knocked on the large wooden door.
The door opened to show a petit woman. "Ms. Serena, good afternoon! I didn't know you would be coming by today," she exclaimed, with a warm welcoming smile.
"Good afternoon Maria. I wasn't planning on stopping by, but there are some things that I must discuss with Mrs. Carter," replied Serena. She had always liked Maria, the Carter's housekeeper. She brought some warmth and happiness into the house.
"Yes of course, come in. Mrs. Carter is in the study," said Maria, as she moved back to let Serena pass.
Serena waited as Maria announced her arrival to Lillian, and when Maria walked out of the study, Serena promptly strode in.
"Well hello Serena. What a pleasant surprise," exclaimed Lillian, from behind a large mahogany desk. It looked like she had been reading over some papers. Lillian removed her glasses and gave Serena a stiff smile.
'Pleasant, my ass,' Serena thought mentally.
"Good Afternoon Lillian," Serena returned the stiff smile.
"Should I call for some snacks? You must be famished. You look positively starved," came the taunt.
Yes, how could Serena have forgotten this from the list of all things that were wrong with her according to Lillian Carter? Lillian also believed her far too thin and scrawny.
Taking a deep breath, Serena replied, "No thank you, I'm afraid I won't be staying very long. There is just a matter that I would like to discuss with you."
"Yes, my dear. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Serena moved closer to the desk as she said; "It has been brought to my attention that flowers, and perhaps even a cake, have been ordered already for our wedding…"
"Mhm," Lillian acknowledged, waiting for Serena to get to continue.
"So you agree that you have placed these orders?"
"Why yes I have. We need to hurry and make some decisions before all the good vendors are taken," she said nonchalantly.
She wasn't even the least bit perturbed.
Serena felt the anger rising.
In a bid to calm down, Serena smiled and asked, "Of course this is true, but didn't you think it would be important to ask me my preferences, for my wedding?"
"Oh you're too busy. You don't have time for this. Don't worry about it, I have an eye for these things," she said, with a wave of her hand.
She just waved off her concern! The nerve! What, she has an eye for these things? Was Lillian implying that Serena had no eye for décor, or that she just had bad taste in general?
"Regardless of how occupied I am, I would really like to have an input in these matters-" started Serena, before Lillian cut her off.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about these things, dear. What could you possibly have to contribute to mundane things like wedding preparations?" said Lillian, as she flipped through the papers on her desk.
"How about the significant detail of my being allergic to Lilies?" Serena spit out, with a sarcastic smile.
"Oh," was the only thing that came out of Lillian's mouth, as she sat frozen in her seat.
She had practically yelled at her mother-in-law, but she had finally managed to shut up Lillian Carter. This day must be marked in her calendar.
Serena was tired of these digs at her self-worth. She was clearly an intelligent woman. But Lillian insisted on treating her as if she was incapable of handling two things simultaneously.
"Well, ahem, I was unaware of that fact," Lillian said, as she started to come out of her stupor.
Ah, it didn't take long for her smug tone to resurface.
"Yes, you were. Listen Lillian, I understand that you would like to be involved in the preparations. And I am happy to have your input. But, I also need to be included in the preparations for my own wedding. I am capable of planning my own wedding, and I would like to worry about mundane wedding preparations," finished Serena.
There she had said it. Serena would actually prefer for Lillian not to be involved, but she knew that in all reality, that was not a possibility.
There was an awkward pause, where they stared at each other for what seemed like minutes.
She must be trying to figure out how serious I am.
Then the silence broke. "Yes of course. You should have a say in the preparations," Lillian acquiesced.
Feeling brave, Serena added, "I would like to make the main decisions; with input from you and my mother, of course."
Lillian apparently wasn't feeling that generous, as she said, "Serena, you are quite young. You don't understand what goes into planning a wedding of this caliber. It is the social event of the season. We have expectations to uphold."
"But, I'd rather that I choose- " Serena started.
"I know, I know. I will keep you informed of all the important decisions. And we will of course require your input before we finalize anything. Don't worry."
There was that phrase again. How could she not worry? Her mother-in-law had hijacked her wedding preparations!
"Was there anything else my dear? I have papers to get to…" she asked, with raised brows, as if encouraging her to argue some more.
"Not at this moment. Thank you, but we will talk some more on this matter later. Please make sure you inform me when we need to decide on any events or arrangements."
"Of course," Lillian said, with that stiff smile.
As Serena drove away from the mansion, she felt dissatisfied. Why? She shouldn't be? She had made headway right? Lillian had agreed to involve her in the decisions…
But the problem was that Serena didn't trust Lillian. Would she actually come through with her promises? She didn't think so.
This whole situation was beyond frustrating. Serena was asking permission to be involved with her own wedding plans!
She couldn't leave it at this. She couldn't take her mother-in-law's words seriously. She needed to go home and hash out a plan.
She needed to be in charge of her own damn wedding!
Thank you for reading! Please review! Pretty please?