Chapter 2 Masterpiece

At the stroke of midnight, Inside one of the rooms in a beautiful family home, Emma Steele's eyes sprang open. The disturbing yet familiar sound of her phone alarm blasted into the air of her closet room. With little to no space from her bed and the walls, she gently got down, careful not to make a noise while curtailing her excitement to begin her day with a secret rendezvous. Emma had previously placed some black pants and shirt at the top of her luggage which was by the little and only window she was lucky to have in her room. On getting to the window, a dazzling smile graced her lips as she took in the beautiful midnight stars. She only allowed herself this ritual once every year. She could vividly remember how her mother would wake her up at the stroke of midnight to wish her a happy birthday. The early hours of her birthday was always something she'd grown to look forward to as a result of the fun activities and time she got to be in the company of her parents. Just like now, she used to go stargazing with her parents at the rooftop of their fancy home. She'd always gotten gifts from her parents during those hours before she was finally made to return to bed in preparation for the great things that always followed throughout the day. Those days were pretty much over after the death of her mother. Things got a lot more terrible when her father decided to remarry and have another child, when she thought things couldn't get anymore worse, she lost her father, leaving her in the hands of her step mother and sister. A lot of things had happened since then but Emma didn't quite feel like getting into the oh so gory details of her life. Today was a beautiful day, one she'd been waiting for her whole life. She was turning twenty one today which simultaneously meant she was finally legal. She hurriedly got dressed and with careful steps, headed out of her little closet room, sneaked down the stairs and out of the house. She had it all planned out the previous day and as anticipated, it was pretty easy to get out of the property as soon as she was out of the main building. Emma got to the main gates, pulled out the spare key she'd stolen from the devil's room, which is code for her stepmother's room, and within seconds, the gates were unlocked. Beaming, she exited the compound, making sure to lock the gates and sprinted down the streets, determined to finish up what she started a long time ago. As she neared her destination, her heartbeat picked up and she couldn't wait to get to her safe haven. Her ultimate way out of the hell she's been living for the past seventeen years. The final puzzle piece that would effectively launch her into the life she'd been waiting for. By the time she got to the door of a flat in an apartment complex, she took out a golden key and like she had been doing for the past five years, she opened the door and walked into a place that she believed was her home. Inside the basic flat was home to some of the greatest designs she had ever created. Other than her beautiful designs which were on different canvases spread around the room, it was home to her mother's designs too. It was a room filled with different sketches of Women shoes of all Categories. Each and everyone of them yet to be created, produced or shared to the world. Emma was the daughter of a famous shoe designer and the heir of the Steele Shoes company which was in the business of designing, producing and marketing all kinds of shoes known to womankind. They were the number one plug for prestigious women's shoes and had amassed so great success in the field which made them the most sought after brand in the nation. Another unique thing about them was the fact that unlike other shoe companies, it was owned and run by the Steele family. Emma walked straight to one of the unfinished paintings with a million ideas coursing through her mind and immediately began the job she was hell bent on concluding before the break of day. Holding a sharpened pencil and instinct, Emma got to work on the final piece of the collection she had been working on for the past few years of her life. A secret that was privy to herself and the love of her life who was committed to making her dreams come true. With her beloved in heart, she brought to life her signature piece which was born out of her undying love and adoration of the only man she knew. For the first time ever, she was creating a piece for the opposite sex. Due to the nature of her parents business, she grew up painting and creating designs for women's footwear which at the age of twelve, her Father walked into her creative process and for some reason, took a chance on her design and the rest was history. She became an unofficial designer for the Steele footwears and the first time she saw a live representation of her design. She knew she had found her calling. When she received her mother's last and unproduced designs from her father, she became even more convinced that she was made to do this. From that moment, she never looked back. After about forty five minutes of adding the finishing touches, her vision was finally brought to life. In the White canvas, stood a pictorial version of a beautiful male footwear. It was a polished black shoe with silver linings by the sides which gave it a regal and exquisite outlook. Apart from the silver linings, another thing that stood out in the design was the fact that the soles were silver with some unique patterned engravings. It was a simple, exquisite and stunning design that she envisioned on the feet of her significant other. She had officially created a masterpiece! Happy with the turn out of the project, Emma left the building after securely locking her craft and hurried back to the house, slipping in and returning to her bed like she never left. The next day, before Emma woke up, the house was buzzing with a lot of activities. It was her twenty-first birthday and for the first time ever, there was a pending celebration of the event taking place. She slipped out of bed with a smile and immediately there were three successive knocks on her door. " Come in! " Her door flew open and Talia, her step sister walked into the cramped room with a dazzling smile, behind her was a troop of people with some boxes of things she believed included her dress, makeup and other accessories. " Okay… we can't work here so we are going to have to move into the guest room." Talia said, addressing the people behind her. " Emma! It's your birthday. You should at least attempt to look the part. I can't have you looking homeless while the guests arrive. Clean this stink hole and join the team at the guest room for a makeover. Do not embarrass us! " Talia stalked out of the room with her head high in the air. Not bothering to wish her sister a happy birthday and instead rushed off to her room, where there was a personal makeover Crew waiting for her presence. Her mother had instructed her to make sure Emma was out of the closet and prepared for the event. She took it upon herself to ensure that no news of the event whatsoever would leak into the ears of her stupid sister. At least not yet. In the guest room, Emma was being treated with disdain by the crew employed to attend to her. " Ew! Your feet are in a terrible state! Have you thought of a pedicure ma'am?" " Your hair is so fringy! It's going to take a while to get it in a bearable state! " " We need more makeup! Do you have a skin condition? " The workers came up with a lot more depreciating conversations about her general outlook but Emma didn't care. She didn't mind going through anything and all she could think about was her latest designs on the foot of her boyfriend, Colton. Speaking of Colton, she had been dialing his line since the beginning of the day and somehow he just wasn't picking up. She was beginning to get worried but at the same time, she felt excited at the thought of being surprised by her long time lover. It was her birthday after all! Time passed and soon she was left alone to her devices. She attempted to leave the guest room but realized that the doors had been locked and information was she wasn't allowed to leave the room until she was called upon as the celebrant. Emma heard a lot of cars drive into the house, voices mixed with soft music were also being played downstairs. She felt anxious to leave and finally get a glimpse of the party that was prepared in her honour. After some hours, the door clicked and she was up on her feet with a smile, ready to finally join the others. The door revealed a man in a tuxedo who was sent to escort her to the venue and her smile fell. She had expected to see Colton but she knew he was a busy man and probably hadn't arrived just yet. She took the arm of the man and together, they walked out of the room and down the stairs where the main event was taking place. Mid way through the steps, Emma froze as she took in the situation before her. Her boyfriend half kneed with a ring to Talia while the people around cheer ed on. Immediately, she felt dizzy and her escort tightened his grip around her in warning.