An Echoing Race.

Chapter Six.

#Chapter Six#

I woke up in a sweat the next morning. My hair was splattered all over my pillow even though my body felt stiff and achy as if I hadn’t moved at all during my sleep. I was mummified, the blanket pulled up directly to my chin and although I was extremely comfortable, I was also very hot. 

Feeling the sheen of sweat on my body, I threw the blankets away from me and swung my legs over the side. Disoriented, I clutched at my swirling head as I had gotten up too fast, and fumbled around my night stand in search of my phone.

I checked the time once I had it grasped in my hand. It was eleven in the morning; it was the time I usually woke up around however today, I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something. As if I had somewhere important to be…

I gasped.

The High Tea!

Memories of yesterday afternoon came rushing back to me and I grimaced as I recalled how bad my migraine had been. Calculating the hours, I realised I had slept for nearly a whole day!

As the event started at exactly noon, I only had one hour to get ready and make my way there. I was angry no one had bothered to wake me up, but then again, they probably assumed I would want to rest the whole day. 

I took a quick body shower to rinse off the sweat that had accumulated overnight, before hurriedly walking out of the bathroom and wrapping a towel around myself in the process. Stepping into my walk-in wardrobe, I pulled the maroon dress I had bought a few days before, off its hanger and lay it out carefully onto my bed. Thankfully, the dress had long sleeves incorporated into it so all I had to worry about was my scarf, which Mira had already chosen for me. It was a shimmery, golden coloured veil that happened to contrast perfectly with the red of the dress. 

“SHE’S AWAKE!” I jumped at the sound of Mira’s voice, as she shouted to no one in particular. She sauntered into my room and dropped her shoulder bag on the floor. “How are you feeling? Well, you look better, anyway, we have a lot of work to do!” I rolled my eyes at her panicked rambling. 

With Mira’s assistance, I was ready twenty minutes later. We stumbled down the two flights of stairs until we were in the lobby. A driver was waiting for us and we climbed in, Mira being dramatic as usual. “I can’t believe you are going to be late to an event you created in the first place!” 

“Relax, will you. There’s still fifteen minutes until it starts.” The rest of my family had already left and we’d be meeting them there. 

Upon our arrival, swarms of paparazzi flocked to our car and began snapping away with their cameras whilst simultaneously yelling questions at us, even before we had gotten out of the car. I inhaled a deep breath and plastered on a smile. To my relief, Salem had materialised out of nowhere and was opening the car door for us. Whilst he focused on safely getting Mira and I into the hall, tens of other guards held back the unrelenting paps. 

“Miss Ahmad, you’re gown is just stunning!”