Fake It

14. Girls Support Each Other

"You look awful. No, not awful, it looks like if you have been into a mosh pit fell over and tons of rockers stepped on you." My sister whispered fixing her air up in a bun.

"But I put concealer over the bruise..."

"But you forgot to change your clothes." She added scrunching up her nose.

After leaving Hailey and Levi in their respective homes, we headed to Dimitri's house. It was 7am at that time, and I had to be in the office at 7:30 thanks to my grandmother anticipating the meeting. So that's why I didn't have time to take a shower or sleep. Yep, I was a walking disaster exhausted after the craziness of last night.

Our mom shushed us, making us pay attention to whatever Reina was saying. I fixed my eyes on the woman that controlled our future with a grey mop of hair perfectly styled.

"...After that interview, the words that Carmen said seem to be glued to the tabloids. She directed the attention of the world towards our collection, the expectative is huge. So... any suggestions?"

I raised my hand but my grandmother ignored me as always. We were invited to the meetings of the company but we never had the right to vote.

"If she wants us to show something different and more inclusive, then she should talk with Primark or Target. We are Ninn & Co, we are an exclusive brand!" Danielle exclaimed. Disgust never looked so great in her face.

"She meant plus sizes of course." David glared at me. Like if it was my fault that they had to make the entire collection from scratch because their models were too skinny.

"She meant normal people not fatties." Danielle added. And that was the point in which Cassandra couldn't stand it anymore.

"Oh bimbo, you think you are normal? Sadly, you would need a brain first." My sister got up the room and started heading towards the door, deja vu effect as always. They got under her skin so easily that every important decision could be taken by them, just because we left the room following her steps.

"Cassandra, sit." My aunt ordered. I almost forgot about her. Her icy eyes demanded attention wherever she went, when she was in the room you would sit straighter, fix your clothes and behave, even if you didn't like her.

Laura Ninn was the face of the company. She was successful designer who took over after her brother passed away, with the world at her feet and no one to contradict her.
Cass glared at my aunt but returned to her seat.

"Now," Laura started looking at us. "What we need is someone who doesn't look like a model but isn't fat. So, Cassandra, you are in. Pick some of your friends, cheerleaders, popular girls, I don't care. And we'll put them as an alternative in the campaign."

She was kidding me right? That was the most stupid thing ever. Who would buy that?

Carmen's words were:

"The Ninns need to change their appearance. We need something new, something fresh, we need them to make a change for good and feed their models with something more."

Translate that as a fucking signal that plus sizes needed to step in. Or translate that as a fucking signal that I had to take some control over the company and show my designs.

"Mom you can't be serious, you will risk the business for HER?!" Danielle started but regretted her decision soon because my sister was flashing one of her diabolic smiles at my aunt. I could see her mind racing with crazy-unbelievable ideas...

"Okay." Cass spoke up, fixing her gaze on Laura.

Okay? Fucking okay?! Everybody in the room dropped their jaws in awe except for my grandmother and my aunt, who pressed their lips in a tight line. They booth seemed unhappy with Cassandra's answer. I was more like shocked.