Breathtaking

Maddie was amazed by how big the mall was and all the high-class stores there. She was used to the smaller malls which were crowded with people. So this was all new to her. "Maddie darling, where would you like to go first?" "Oh I wouldn't know where to start, everything here looks fascinating. What would you recommend we go to first mom?" Mrs. Guinto was elated to bring Maddie shopping she couldn't wait to dress up her new daughter-in-law. They went in and out of many stores until they felt tired. Mrs. Guinto ordered her maids to send their bags home while they go to the salon to get their hair and makeup done. Maddie looked beautiful in her dress and everybody in the salon couldn't help but stop and stare at her beauty in awe. Mrs. Guinto also took a stolen picture to send to Elijah. Which he replied with a single word "Breathtaking". She wore a long dark blue gown which accentuated her body perfectly. They put on their coats and headed to their car.

They soon arrived at the party and Mrs. Guinto introduced her to some of her friends. Maddie couldn't help but notice the other women there. They looked at her as though she didn't belong, and they were right she doesn't really belong in their circle. This made Maddie feel more uncomfortable. She could hear from a distance some of the girls making bets on how long she would last in the Guinto family. Mrs. Guinto reassured her and not to listen to their gossip. "Maddie, let me introduce you to your future grandmother. I'm sure she will love you." As they walked over, Maddie started to feel nervous, this was someone Eli admired a lot. So there was lots of pressure on her. "Mother, this is Maddie. Elijah's future wife." "It's nice to finally meet your grandmother." She just stared at Maddie disapprovingly thinking she just won Elijah based on her looks. She was just another pretty face that wanted the Guinto riches. "Mother, give her a chance. Elijah really loves her." Mrs. Guinto said when things weren't looking Maddie's way.

"Okay child I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. What school did you graduate from?" Grandmother Guinto probed. "Actually, I've always been homeschooled, but I can guarantee you that I'm more intelligent than any other woman here," Maddie said calmly. Grandmother Guinto started getting angry like she was being made a fool of. Everyone started gathering around hoping to join in the commotion. "You uneducated child. What makes you good enough for my grandson. I will never accept a granddaughter like you. Your just a gold digger." "Mother, that's enough, you've gone too far." Maddie didn't mind, she expected something like this to happen. This is why she planned ahead. "If you don't mind grandmother, who here is good enough for your grandson beside me. I'm more than qualified than any other woman here." Grandmother Guinto noticed her calm expression and though she was just being smug. "Alright, since you think your so smart, why not take the elite's test." Everyone around started to make a commotion, it was the most difficult test to determine if a woman was good enough to marry into a prestigious family. This test was only done if a girl was not accepted by the family. "This is an open test and whoever gets the highest score will be the one I accept as my future granddaughter." This meant that anyone present can marry into the Guinto family which is what all the single women there dreamt of becoming.

There was a total of 4 tests: intellectual, artistic, cooking, and physical ability. These were the basic abilities families looked for in a future mistress of a household and more than half of the contestants will be eliminated for the first 3 rounds, while the 4th round will determine the winner. Everyone started gossiping and wondering if they will join in the competition as well. Some women didn't mind joining just to see how far they would be able to reach while others wanted to join for the win and were very competitive. While everyone else was chatting, grandmother Guinto contacted well-known professors, artists, chefs, and people from the army. This was no longer considered a charity event, instead, it became a real-life pageant where the future of a person's life would be determined. The hosts of the charity didn't mind since they are getting free publicity and they had the chance to host the most prestigious event. Word quickly spread about the elite's test and almost everyone from the high society wanted to watch. After all, this was being held by the top family, and its been years since the last elite's test.

This test was conducted fairly since the family will not have a say on who to keep and who goes out. Only the professionals have a say since they have a more expert opinion on that particular field. The place started to get crowded and it was getting out of hand, so they decided to move the competition outside. There were rows of tables and chairs lined outside for the first test which was intelligence. Each test contained at least 10 questions each from, math, science, English, and history. And of course, all these questions are at a college level. There were a total of 64 women joining and each one was the pride of their families with outstanding backgrounds. And of course, there were some who didn't join since they didn't want to embarrass themselves and their families.