Chapter One
London, 2003 It was another dreary, rainy day in London, but Adeline Kingsbury didn't mind. She dipped her brush in the grey oil paint she had by her side and continued to paint the grey sky she was currently looking at through her giant window. Her art studio was perfect: a large room with wooden floors and a window that took up over half of the far right wall, an old couch her mother had thrown out months ago had precedence in the middle, and the art supplies that filled every available space. Adeline loved her art studio; it was her only time away from the rushing of everyday life, and often times it felt more like home than her family's own large mansion did. She had just put the finishing touches on her latest painting (Why Stay Inside When You Can Dance In the Rain?) when her phone began to ring. Adeline rushed across the room to where her coat hung on the coat rack, pulled out her phone, and quickly flipped it up to answer the call. "Hello?" she answered. "Adeline," her mother responded, her voice just as commanding over the phone as it was in real life, "what are you doing? Where are you?" "Going to my next class," Adeline lied. She was studying business and art history at University, although her parents didn't know about art history. Being the only living heir to her parents, Adeline was meant to be the next CEO of Kingsbury's Castles, a hugely successful real estate company that had been in the family for years. They were known for their success at buying grand houses at great prices, even when the family only wanted a one-story house with two bedrooms. Elaine and Austin Kingsbury had a way of making your life seem more than it really was. Kingsbury's Castles truly was a successful business, with great reviews and happy employees. It would be a wonderful, steady job for their only daughter. The only problem: Adeline had no interest in real estate whatsoever. "Oh, sorry darling. How has class been so far?" "Fine. Great. Look, Mother, I really have to go. I'm going to be late. Love you." "Huh? Oh, yes. You too, dear. Oh, and don't forget about the dinner with the Lowells' tonight!" The phone clicked, and Adeline closed her phone, returning it to her coat pocket. She sighed and closed her eyes, dreading the idea of faking her way through a conversation with Ransom Lowell and choking down the organic food that Mrs. Lowell always had prepared. She was the type of mother who didn't believe in vaccinating her children. Yes, tonight was going to be a long night. Adeline was truly getting sick of dodging Ransom's proposal attempts, for of course they would be married, the only children of two of the wealthiest families in London. They would be marries in autumn, with Adeline in a dress with lace sleeves and a full skirt and Ransom in a sharp black suit. Then, they would have three children, all blond-haired and blue-eyed who would grow up to be a doctor, a real estate agent, and a disappointment, in that order. It made Adeline sick to her stomach to think of her guaranteed marriage to Ransom Lowell, a boy with cold eyes and an even colder tongue. Adeline prayed that she would come down with some sort of sickness before tonight. She sighed. "I need new art supplies," she told herself. Adeline shrugged on her coat and left her studio. Leave a Reply. |
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