Chapter 2
In the end, Paula got herself slapped with three days in lock-up.
Three days later, Paula showed up at our door again.
She asked to move in, saying she wanted to experience the family warmth she'd missed out on for years.
Dad, cold as ever, said, "Megan, get a room ready."
Paula was so happy, her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Mom and Dad already see me as their daughter. This is the best thing ever. From now on, I'll be the perfect daughter and stick close to their side," she said.
She gave me a defiant glare and declared loudly, "I'm going to make up for all the time I missed with them."
I turned my head away, my expression stiff.
All the times she missed?
For as long as I could remember, I'd woken up in the huge 5000-square-feet room and had breakfast at a ridiculously long dining table.
The usual people at home? Just Megan, the butler, Damon Warner, and the two Dobermans out in the yard. Jaden only came home on weekends.
My childhood was incredibly lonely.
Whenever I felt melodramatic as a teen, I'd tilt my head back, channeling all those moody vibes.
My posts on social media were tragically dramatic: [Money can't buy love or anyone who actually cares,] and [If you get it, great. If you don't, why even ask?]
Of course, all that came to a crashing halt at New Year's Eve dinner, when Jaden blew up screenshots of my posts, and made them loop on a big screen.
I was utterly embarrassed then. I'd rather die than relive that memory. Now, I couldn't help but sympathize with Paula.
Her dream was doomed from the start.
But the stunning and radiant Mom was beaming, applauding enthusiastically. She said excitedly, "That's so true. I want to make up for all those lost years too.
"With your gorgeous looks, I can dress you up as the most dazzling princess ever."
The most dazzling princess?
Jaden and I took a step back simultaneously.
We wondered if we should speak up.
Mom was practically bouncing with excitement as she grabbed Paula.
Jaden and I exchanged a look, and proceeded to shut our mouths.
"I've got all these fabulous clothes just sitting in my closet with no one to wear them. And now—finally—I found my very own model. This is seriously the best," Mom exclaimed.
"Mom, if you're up for it, I'll be your personal model, forever and ever," Paula replied.
"For real? Oh my god, you're so sweet. I'm so moved right now. Having you is a dream come true," Mom gushed.
Paula was so hyped, she totally lost herself.
After a bit, Paula cast me a sly sideways glance.
"Mom, you never played dress-up with Laura before?" Paula asked.
Paula went on, "Well, makes sense I guess. She's not your real daughter, so of course you two weren't all lovey-dovey like a true mother and child.
"It's like the two dogs in the yard, right? All that motherly affection is something only real family has. Sorry, but fake will never measure up to the real deal."
Paula just wouldn't shut up, digging in with every word, getting bolder by the second.
She added, "See how the two dogs are always glued together? It's basically a mirror of our family..."
I informed her, "Max and Milo are both males."
Paula's smile froze.
"And they've been neutered for over a decade," I added.
Paula's face turned red.
But it didn't last. She bounced right back, smug as ever.
Mom pulled her away upstairs. As she left, Paula shot me a triumphant look.
She never noticed the pity in my eyes though.
Good luck to her.
*****
Soon, it was lunchtime.
There were four settings at the dining table: me, Jaden, Mom, and Paula, who'd been dolled up so much she looked like a dopamine-infused doll straight out of a fever dream.
She was wearing a glitzy ball gown, sparkly jewelry, and some ridiculous skyscraper of a hat.
Yup, the hat was really tall.
I glanced at Paula. Her head was buried under an eight-layer cake-shaped hat, face painted like she'd just escaped from a medieval ghost story.
Honestly, I couldn't help but feel overwhelming sympathy for her right then.
Since I was a kid, Mom put her heart and soul into making me the most beautiful doll.
Too bad I was hopelessly average and way too laid-back to care. And so, she gave up on me.
Jaden, on the other hand, was blessed with killer genes, but perfectly inherited Dad's powerful aura.
Jaden had mastered the death stare when he was young, and Mom never stood a chance against his look.
But I always knew Mom was just laying low—she never truly quit. She had bought numerous dolls, even going so far as to buy life-size dolls under Dad's name.
That whole thing actually made the front page as a high society scandal once.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I spotted Paula, trussed up in a corset so tightly she couldn't even sit down. She had to eat standing up.
Every time she went to grab food, her ridiculous cake hat wobbled dangerously. And when she bent over, face powder fell onto her plate.
Jaden said, "It's not even Christmas. Who turned her into a Christmas tree?"
I burst out laughing.
I almost never laugh at stuff like this—but seriously, I just couldn't stop myself.
Mom's face fell and she started sulking. "You don't think it looks good? Paula looks just like one of those dolls..." She batted her gorgeous, sparkling eyes.
Jaden snorted, "Well, dolls don't need to breathe but Paula looks like she's about to drop."
Mom's confidence wavered.
She shot Paula a look full of concern.
Honestly, I had no idea what was going through Paula's head. Her face had already gone purple from suffocation.
But facing Mom's rare moment of tenderness, Paula powered through and managed an ugly smile. "No, I'm totally fine."
"Don't push yourself," I said.
I was honestly just trying to be kind.
But Paula brushed me off, shooting me a smug look. She sneered, "You don't get it at all. A parent's love for their daughter is heavy. What I'm wearing is the weight of parental love."
Right after Paula finished her big "heavy love" speech, there was a loud snap.
Her face contorted, and she started shaking.
Weighted down by that absurd eight-layer cake hat, she went down like a sack of bricks, landing with a crash so loud it made everyone jump.
Pandemonium broke out.
Just as I thought, parental love really did pack a punch.