Too Late for Regret novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Analise’s POV

I went to sleep early last night to make sure I was well rested. I knew that tonight would start the battle.

Roger was back now, and every year he took his family to this auction. I never went because I wouldn’t be

able to hide my identity. Roger is already married, and Sasha is not going to give him up for anything. He thinks she loves him, but to her, he’s just a means to an end.

This year, I’m sure he will include Sasha. She wants to be by his side, even if our engagement is still valid. We are to be getting married in two weeks. I’m not going to cancel it just yet. I want to showcase just how big a jerk he is and expose exactly who he married in my place. Once that happens, there will be nowhere to hide for either of them. They will never recover from the scandal.

I can’t wait to see Joyce’s face when she finally realizes that the girl she’s always put down over the years belongs to the very family she wanted Roger to marry into. She’s going to be mad enough to faint when she finds out. After she finds out, she’ll pretend she wanted us to be together. But I’m not going to let her get away with the deception. I have a surprise in store for her as well.

I slept in and started my coffee maker. I splurged and got myself a drip coffee maker, and the fancy one for when the mood strikes. I love it. I had to rearrange my office while making a dress–one for me to wear for the auction. I knew my parents and brother would be there, and this outfit was my armor.

I found some gorgeous copper colored fabric this week. I decided that this auction would be the perfect time to show everyone that I was no longer going to be pushed around. My family needed that message as much as Roger and his family did. I knew my parents would keep their distance. They knew the engagement was

over. But until the wedding was called off, Roger was officially still my fiancé.

I lined the dress, and had been very intentional about how I wanted it to look. I didn’t make it over the top. I

made the top part deep, but ensured the straps are wide enough to accommodate a bra. I left the back as open as possible, still allowing me to wear a bra, as there was a strip of fabric that covered the bra, but left

the rest of my back exposed, down to my waist. We have a gym here at the company, and I’ve been using it all

week.

Christine’s husband, Darren, was also a sought–after personal trainer. They have come over twice this week for him to show me what I needed to do. Darren was a nice guy, and he kept refusing payment, but I finally talked him into accepting my help. I gave him the capital to start his second gym. One that happens to be near my home. I now have a lifetime pass to go anytime I choose, So I can use the one at the company, or hist

gym, when I need him to give me some tips.

I admit that using the one here at my company allowed me to be less self–conscious. I know now that I needed to start therapy. My first appointment is on Monday, and I’m not looking forward to it. Gwen and Emily had kept insisting that I needed to do this for myself. It wasn’t healthy for me to hang on to my anger. They said I needed an outlet, and even offered to go with me. But I knew I needed to do this on my

own.

In fact, Gwen had an epiphany that Emily and Christine had jumped on. Darren had been trying to figure out if

16

< Returning to High Society

he wanted three or four bays at his new gym. Christine mentioned to him that I was going to look into boxing, or some kind of self–defense, as a stress reliever. He had already been toying with the idea himself, and that settled it. The fourth bay was going to have a boxing ring and a sparring pad. He was going to be able to hire three friends to run that area.

The boxing class was initially scheduled by appointment only, as his friend was teaching in another gym at the moment. The self–defense classes would be on weekdays. They would both be there on weekends to handle the increased traffic and offer options for more challenging classes to be held. After hearing about the gym expansion, both Gwen and Emily also contributed to it, which helped him get everything in place without needing to take out a second loan. He appreciated our faith in him, and they got lifetime passes as

well.

They would be going with us to the auction tonight. Christine was one of the top sellers at her job. My purchases and sales had pushed her to the top this year. She had bought one of our gowns from the showroom to wear tonight. Gwen’s eye was unmatched. The dress looked like it had been made for Christine, despite it not being custom–made for her. Tonight was an opportunity for her and Darren to promote the gym

to potential investors and gauge interest in finding someone a new home. Christine really looked gorgeous in

ever worn. It’s a little bold, but not over the top. When you stand still, the slit is not noticed, but when I walk, it will appear as if by magic. This was not the demure dress that my mother liked for me to wear, but it wasn’t

Gwen hired a team to help us get ready tonight at her home. She wanted me to look my best as I reentered society. Three women who would glam us up as we got ready on time. Roger’s mother like to arrive about an hour before the event. She liked to be photographed and respected. I’m thrilled that the entrance to the event is near where the paparazzi are stationed. They should get some great shots of her meltdown. This was my first time targeting Joyce and her daughter, Regina. They had both been ruthless to me and deserved the humiliation that was coming they’re way

this is over, they are all going to need one.

I showered and headed over to Gwen’s house with my dress in a garment bag. I was looking forward to

tonight. This was one of the targeted attacks that I had come up with on my own. I was going to use the opportunity to watch Joyce and Regina’s meltdown and send a message at the same time. Scott and Charlie Cook would just step back and accept they couldn’t enter, but not Joyce. She was going to throw a fit, and so was her daughter. But no matter what they said, I’m positive Roger would insist that Sasha be the one who was allowed entry.

And just like that, Joyce will no longer like or accept Sasha as her daughter-in–law. Regina will end up turning on her, too. They’re all about appearances. Once they’re refused entry, they will be humiliated, and that’s going to be the end of Sasha. She won’t be able to console them. Once she enters that venue, they are going to be pissed. Then the real games begin. I’m hoping against hope that I get to see at least some of it in person. That would be wonderful.

Roger is going to fold like a card table. He is going to try to blame me for it, and I welcome the accusation. I’m ready for him. This is my time to shine now, and I won’t be letting him use me as a scapegoat again.

The ladies getting us ready looked at our dresses to get inspiration. They were excited about my gown and kept asking where they could get it. I had to admit that it was stunning. I was ready to get dressed and head to the venue. I was glad that they hadn’t cut a lot of my hair now. I might have made a bad decision if I had told them to just cut it off. My high ponytail was about two inches past my shoulders. Curled to perfection, with a few tendrils pulled down on either side of my face to soften the look.

When she did my makeup, she used a beautiful copper shade for the main part of my lid, and made my eyes look even deeper by putting a darker brown at the far corners. She came in with a lighter color on the inside,

near my nose, and I was impressed. I had to admit my eyes looked even more intriguing. She added false eyelashes, which ended up making my eyes look even bigger than they normally did. I had to admit that my eyes were captivating tonight. She did a semi–nude lip, as my eyes were the star of the show.

Gwen and Emily squealed with excitement when they saw me, as I was the last one dressed. I admit I took a

few minutes to grab a few selfies, which wasn’t something that I would normally do at all. It took a few minutes for me to accept that this was me. I didn’t look like I used to, at all. I looked like a confident, sexy woman. Which was a first for me. We had hired a SUV to drive us tonight, as we planned to have a few drinks

and enjoy our evening.

I was nervous on the way there. It wasn’t over my transformation, because I loved how I looked tonight. It was because this was the first real throwdown. By the end of tonight, they’re all going to learn that I’m not the woman I was before, and I never will be again.

KatVonBeck