"Where is Paulina? We are to start soon." Tabatha Kingston asks, searching the living room for her daughter.
"Paulina." She ever so sweetly called out her name.

"I apologize for being late everyone. My call with my husband went on a little longer than expected." Paulina says as she enters with a radiant smile, dressed in the finest of dresses.

"That's quite alright." Mr. Rupert let's her know, and she smiles. Her eyes briefly meet her mother's before she looks towards her father as he walks up to her.

"You look radiant dear." He says, kissing her both her cheeks.

"Thank you father." He smiles.

Tabatha felt the strong desire to roll her eyes, but knew better than too. She knew her crude reaction to the loving father-daughter moment will only spark questions, ignite rumors, and they are too high in their success to have anything damage their reputation.

"Okay everyone!" Mr. Rupert claps drawing all attention to him.
"If I can have all staff members move to the side of the room, and our leading family to take their positions so we can begin, that would be magnificent."

Paulina and her father walk towards the front of the room, Tabatha moving to take her place on the stool present but Mr. Rupert interjects.

"The stool is actually for madam Paulina." He tells her and she nods in understanding, standing up and Paulina sits down.

"Let's start with some elegant portrait pictures and then we will move on to our next session." He explains and they nod fixing themselves into their first poses and he couldn't help but smile.

The esteemed family was and he believes will always be his favorite to photograph; their beauty was as if it was specifically sculpted by God to behold excellence in every picture taken; yet today, his session was not just with the prominent Real Estate family he always photographed, but with the notable three pillar force that continues to help all of Pemberton through these dark days of the Great Depression.

Their charity, their humility, and their influence has touched the hearts of every Pemberton family and citizen; the truest form of hope and resilience.

"Okay last one and then we'll take a five minute intercession. Let's not smile for this one, okay." They nod. Paulina places her hand in a elegant hold to her chest, while her mother and father stand tall and confident behind her.
"That's perfect. Okay and one...two...three." The camera flashes bright.

"Absolutely magnificent." He compliments as he stares at the picture in the small screen next to him, the others gushing over how well it came out.

"Okay we'll take a break, and come back for the next session." He says and staff immediately move forward to give the family glasses of water and fix their hair and makeup.

They truly were simply magnificent. Mr. Rupert thought to himself as he stared at the picture again.

"Your talent is always superior Mr. Rupert." Mrs. Kingston says as she comes to stand next to him, staring down at the small screen. They looked as powerful as she expected of them.

"Thank you Mrs. Kingston. It is an honor always to photograph your family. Not many families are as connected as you all are. It's as if I can see the genuine love you have for each other." She smiles softly at him.

Genuine love? She glances at her husband, who was in deep conversation with Marsha, the head of their household staff, then towards her daughter who now stood near the window, staring out at the garden.

"We do love each other don't we." She says, looking back down to the picture, with a small smile present on her lips.

"You really do." He replies and she thanks him. He goes to say something further but someone suddenly calls out to him and he apologizes to her, excusing himself and walking over to the man, leaving the living room with him.

She looks down to the picture once more, smiling humorously to herself. Genuine love....only if he knew. She thought.

——

This book is rated 18+ for reasons like:

•Explicit Language
•Descriptive Sexual Content between sexes
•Racism and Racist Slurs
•Sexism
•And many more.

READERS DESCRETION IS ADVISED.
——
This story takes place during the 1930s era. Some places stated are fictional(Pemberton), and others are real places(London,UK etc.)

I also want to acknowledge that racism was a pervasive part of the historical context in which this story is set. While the narrative is not centered on racism, it does include moments where it is mentioned or depicted, as it reflects the realities of the time. As a Black writer, I approach these elements with care and respect, striving to portray them authentically without perpetuating harmful stereotypes. My aim is to provide an honest depiction of the era while ensuring the story's focus remains true to its core themes.

——

Sorry in advance for any grammar errors/mistakes.

——
© COPYRIGHT of Königin F 2024
——

With all that said,
Sit back, lay back, stand up, whatever you choose to do to read,
and Enjoy.

🄺𝑜̈𝑛𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛 🄵