CHAPTER 3

A week had passed already and Emily had found herself shuffling odd jobs and crying herself to sleep in her tiny apartment, sleep-deprived and eating noodles out of a cup. She spent most of her nights when she wasn’t working, scrolling through her mother’s I*******m and F******k, hovering over the message icon. She needed closure, an explanation on why she left, abandoned her without even a flick of her hair. She never married again, never had any other children and she wondered if she ever thought of her at all, ever missed her, or even ever thought to call her.

Emily felt distraught, the cold hands of loneliness pressing against her neck each night she had to close her eyes to sleep and wake up the next morning with the same feeling nagging at the pit of her stomach.

It was even harder to get decent jobs because she never completed high school, talk more of gracing the four walls of a community college. The most decent job she had gotten was waitressing at a little restaurant because she couldn’t help her clumsiness stemmed from distress that weighed on her, she got fired multiple for tripping or breaking cups and plates and she was stuck cleaning hotel rooms and toilets because it was the only job that required minimal carefulness and precision.  She was grateful to get a job at one of the luxurious hotels in the City, which was graced mostly by the people wealthy enough to afford them, mostly celebrities and rich business families looking for a place to unwind for the weekend or holidays. 

It was supposed to be her day-off but a rich conglomerate family was throwing a formal dinner to celebrate a golden jubilee for their family business and everybody was required to be on deck for extra pay she jumped at the opportunity because she’d jump at anything that required her not to be by herself at home. She had no idea who the family where and she wasn’t required to know, she wasn’t sure she was supposed to care although she had overheard a few of her colleagues whisper about them, but at that moment it was the least of her problems.

In the heart of The Luxe Hotel, the ballroom of unparalleled grandeur unfolded before Emily’s eyes, as she stood at the entrance, rubber gloves tightly holding onto a mop, her brown hair roughly tied up in a messy bun with patches of sweat streaked across her forehead even though all corners of the hotel had been heavily air-conditioned. She pressed her lips as she took it all in, crystal chandeliers hung from the ornate ceiling, casting a soft, ethereal glow. The room was adorned with beautiful decorations, from intricate tapestries to glided mirrors lining the walls so people could admire themselves when they danced. The dance floor, a mosaic of marble, reflected the flickering candlelight as couples gracefully swayed to the enchanting melodies. The air was filled with an air of elegance and anticipation, as if every moment held the promise of a magical evening and Emily dreamed of being part of it. It was a sight that would be etched in her memory forever, a scene straight out of a fairytale. She sighed sadly.

“Lovely, isn’t it?” the question snapped her out of her daydream and she turned to find Cheryl, her friend and colleague equally admiring the sight before them.

“It’s a dream I can’t seem to catch,” Emily said “It’s all so lovely and beautiful and I can never be a part of it because well, I’m scrubbing toilets for the people who are indeed part of it” 

“The self-pity is indeed pitiful girl,” Cheryl said, as her very brown eyes always seemed to light up with every statement she made and it was an absolute delight when she got excited. “But girl, the Hatton family are rich rich, imagine being able to afford all these”

“Hatton?” Emily had her eyebrows raised in confusion 

“They’re the rich billionaire family that is throwing this ball, they’re old money rich. They have two sons, Ethan and Jackson, and those hotties keep gracing the hot bachelor list every damn year” 

“How do you even know all these?”

Cheryl smiled her pickled smile that only seemed to expose her two front teeth, it was easily one of the best features on her heart-shaped face. “Nights when I’m not scrubbing toilets or riding a bike to deliver pizza, I keep myself busy with a gossip magazine, or even a playboy” she whispered the last part in a raunchy tone

“And I know, I know” she went on “Who still reads a Playboy at this time and age, but I still love to keep things old school and traditional” She winked after and Emily winced.

“First of all eww Cheryl, and I promise you no one cares and also too much information, but what other gossip” Emily pressed on, she had always appreciated Cheryl’s sunny personality. She always seemed to know the right thing to say, always seemed to know how to lift her mood unknowingly. She was the kind of friend to tried to stay positive regardless of whatever situation; she always seemed less lonely whenever Cheryl was around her.

“Well” Cheryl started, her eyes instantly lighting up and Emily peered in eagerly. “Word on the street is that the elder Hatton son proposed to his girlfriend of three years and she rejected him and now he’s on the prowl frantically searching for a wife”

“Why? What’s the big deal?” Emily asked

“I’m not sure really, but the gossip is that he lost out on his inheritance because of a contract gone wrong and now the only means for redemption is to get married” 

“I still don’t see the problem, I mean he’s rich, right? Thousands of girls would jump at this, I mean I know I would” Emily cracked a smile, turning from her friend to behold the marvelous sight that was the ballroom.

“Girl same but then word on this same street is that he’s weird and mysterious and nobody wants to put up with that”

 “What does that even matter? I mean for even a few thousand dollars I’ll put up with the highest level of crazy, my grandmother is living proof” Emily said.

“What was even the deal with that” Cheryl asked, this time pulling Emily out of the way because of the servers rolling the food in.

“She fired me, kicked me out, and called my mother a slimy whore, which isn’t so far from the truth but still it hurt to hear. But I swear, I’m over it” she admitted although lying through her teeth it but didn’t matter, she was trying to move on from it.

“That’s good Em, I’m proud of you. But I have an idea” Cheryl’s eyes lit up again, looking from the ballroom back to Emily’s cautious but curious eyes.

“Go on” Emily urged her 

“So I heard that after the whole formal golden jubilee celebration, the Hatton brothers are throwing an actual party here in this very ball after the parents have gone off to sleep. Trust me, there are no restrictions, no guest list no nothing, although it’s pretty low-key to still keep it classy and at bay. I think we should come, I know a guy in Williamsburg..…”

“Are you fucking crazy Cher?” Emily cut in immediately in a whisper pulling her farther away from the entrance. “We’re not allowed to do that, we could get fired for that. We’re not allowed to attend occasions within the hotel, and if Aubrey…..”

“Oh my God, slow your good girl horses. It doesn’t start till like well past midnight, and Aubrey is off duty tonight which leaves Gerald he’s old so he wouldn’t care and you didn’t let me get to the best part, it’s a masked party so nobody would recognize us, we just be by ourselves and have fun, drink the kind of booze rich people drink” 

“Cher….” Emily wanted to say but Cheryl shushed her

“Don’t overthink it, I know a guy who can lend us pretty dresses and a mask so it’s all covered for, come on Emily, pretty please. You need this, I need this, just one night Emily"

Emily stayed pensive for a moment, her overactive mind suddenly going through scenarios that could go wrong, although she had come up with a million in her head, they didn’t seem feasible at that moment plus it was impossible to say no to Cheryl, and her puppy eyes, so she nodded her head with a smile.

“Fine, I’m in”