Page 157 of The Dollhouse

Chapter Sixteen – Zoey

My parents had dressed in their finest, and they hadn’t brought masks, unlike most of the Hillcrest invitees. My mother’s blond hair was pulled back, its long tresses curled perfectly. Sparkling sapphires clung to her ears and hung on her neck, matching the deep blue hue of her long, sleek dress. She wore elbow-length gloves, white fur hanging off her shoulders.

She looked too fancy to be here.

My father wore a black suit that was anything but simple, and his tie matched the hue of my mother’s dress. His hair was combed back, his wedding ring sparkling on his left hand. He stood tall beside my mother, both of them talking with the hostess pair near the vestibule, probably saying they didn’t want to wear a mask.

But, you see, this was a masquerade. If they wanted in, they’d fucking put one on or they’d leave… and my parents were far too curious to pack it in and leave.

I approached them, my own mask snug on my face, but my pink hair made it obvious. The moment my parents turned their eyes away from the greeters and their table of masks, their strained features relaxed somewhat.

“Oh, there you are,” my mother spoke. “Please tell me these masks are not required. I cannot stand to have anything on my face—” She reached for my father, and he absentmindedly nodded. It was more than clear the vendetta against the masks was more of my mother’s doing.

“It’s a masquerade,” I said. “They’re kind of necessary, otherwise it’d just be a regular party, and who wants that?”

The hostesses offered my parents masks, and they were slow to take them. My father put his on without a word, while my mother complained the whole time, like putting on a mask was akin to asking her to cut into her own flesh and peel some of it off. Like, come on. Drama queen.

“I must admit,” my mother spoke once the mask was firmly attached to her upper face, blocking out most of her scowl and judgment, “I didn’t expect this. You throwing a party… your father and I just don’t think it’s right. If you wanted to apologize to us, you should’ve come over and spoken with us, and your sister.”

My mother seemed to not care about airing our dirty laundry in front of the greeters, and I certainly had no problem with it either, for I said, “And why would I do that? I’m done with Willow, Mom.” I could barely contain myself. Alas, I had to. I couldn’t throw the gauntlet down just yet.

She made an annoyed sound. “Someday, Zoey, you will realize family is all you have. If there’s anything Hillcrest taught you, it should’ve been that.”

Funny, because what Hillcrest taught me was the very opposite. The saying everyone spread was that blood was thicker than water, but the true saying meant so much more. The blood of the covenant was thicker than the waters of the womb. Basically, the saying everyone knew was wrong, the complete opposite of what it truly meant.

Family wasn’t who you were thrust upon in life. It was who you found, who you chose, who you wanted. You had no obligation to your blood, to the family that raised you, especially if that family was toxic as all hell. Mine definitely was.

I’d found my family in Roman and Carter and Lake. I’d stumbled across them while not knowing what I’d do with myself or my future, and now I couldn’t imagine a life without them. They were mine, I was theirs, and that would never change. They were my family now, and I hoped I was theirs. The two people standing before me meant nothing to me.

That was something I should’ve realized a long time ago.

Instead of saying anything to my mother, because, let’s be honest, anything I could’ve said would’ve slid right off her and not penetrated that thick skull of hers, I turned and started to walk away from the hostesses and their table of masks. My parents got the hint. They followed me through the hall.

“There are a lot of cars here,” my father remarked, quite dryly. “I didn’t think there would be quite a crowd here—” And then, before he could say anything else, we emerged into the main room, where everyone had gathered. Without glancing at him or my mother, I knew they were both shocked at seeing so many people here.

“Is that themayor?” my mother asked, barely able to contain herself. “And the new dean of the university? How did you… why would they come to a party you threw? I’ve been trying to meet the new dean for months, but we never frequent the same events.” If I said she sounded like she was both jealous and in awe, it’d be an understatement.

I didn’t tell her the truth. The truth was, Markus knew a lot of people. He had more connections than my parents, probably more than anyone here in this room. The Scotts were a big family, and they were the kind of people who never let favors go unreturned. Hence why Markus could pull all these strings and get these people here on such short notice.

All because I’d agreed to show someone around Hillcrest University after this. I was kind of expecting him to come here with the person I’d show around, but so far, I hadn’t seen him.

Instead of the truth, I just shrugged it off and said, “You know, I have more connections around here than you think.” Two men approached us, two very tall, very handsome, drop-dead gorgeous men who made my lower half burn.

Roman and Carter, in case you were wondering.

And, God, they looked absolutely smoking in their suits and their masks. The masks might’ve hidden some of their faces, but it was more than clear how intense they were and how very lick-able every inch of their skin was.

“Joyce and Alexander,” Roman spoke, offering his hand. “It is good to see you two again. I’m Roman, in case you forgot.” He added that last part as my father took his hand and shook it, and it did not go unnoticed that my father flinched beneath his mask. Must’ve been one hard handshake.

He shook my mother’s hand next, but it didn’t look like he hurt her the same way. That was all fine and well, because my mother had already turned her focus to the other man near me, to Carter. “And who is this?”

“This is Carter,” I said, unable to hold back my smile. “My other boyfriend.”

Oh, how I wished my parents wouldn’t have been wearing masks, so I could’ve seen their reactions to my introduction. But they were, so I couldn’t. All I could do was watch as Carter shook their hands and gave them a tight-lipped smile. He took after Roman, except he squeezed both my father’s and mother’s hands equally, causing them to grimace.

“What a handshake,” my father muttered, shaking his hand afterward.

I turned toward Roman, meeting his dark eyes. “Why don’t you two show them around? I’ll be right back.” I didn’t give him a chance to say no, excusing myself from the conversation and hurrying to the hall. I peered around the corner, snagging a glass of some sparkling amber liquid off the nearest waiter and downing it in one shot.

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