Bridal Shower

Bass throbbed through the club’s walls like a heartbeat, slow and heavy. The private booth in the far corner was set back behind a velvet curtain; inside, the light was warmer.

Bottles of champagne sweated on the low table between bowls of olives, chips, and lobster. A half-empty platter of sushi teetered dangerously close to the edge.

Camila, perched cross-legged on the leather seat, lifted her phone high for another selfie. Seraphine leaned in, mouth open in a playful scream, while

Yumi sat a little apart, swirling her drink and watching the dance floor below. In the flicker of neon her face was unreadable.

It's been ages since she's seen Thea in school or ran into her. Runes had so much going on for him and he barely even had time for her now.

Was it all in her head? That Thea might know something?

Yolanda sat opposite them, back straight, fingers curled around a glass she’d barely touched. She should have been buzzing like the others; the DJ was a friend of hers, the drinks were free, the crowd was electric but tonight she felt detached, like she was watching herself through glass.

“I'm so sorry I'm late!” Posy squealed as she slid into the booth, wrapped in perfumes and honeyed hair.

“Have you ever been early?” Camila asked, a playful smile on her face.

Posy settled dowm on the soace next to Yumi who unconsciously moved away from her. Her eyes met Posy's, flashing her a fake smile.

“Ypure here.” Yumi muttered.

“Yes. It's been a lot of planning for the wedding. Especially now that Runes wants us to move the dates up…”

Yumi's smile faltered. Runes did what?!

Posy turns to the rest of the girls. “I'm so sorry girls!”

“It's fine!” Seraphine said in a high pitched voice. She was clearly drunk.

Yumi swallowed, the grip around her glass seemed to tighten as Posy's words echoed in her ears. That bastard had no plans for her, is that it?!

“And I needed to stop by the planner's office to bring you girls this…”

Posy set down a designer clutch and produced a neat stack of cream-and-gold envelopes, sliding one toward each girl.

“What’s this?” Camila asked, picking hers up and tilting it toward the light.

“A little something.” Posy’s voice dripped sweetness. “The official invitation to my bridal shower. Next weekend at the Merton Hotel’s sky terrace.”

Seraphine squealed. “Oh my God, Posy, that sounds amazing. The terrace is stunning at sunset.”

“I know.” Posy preened, pushing an envelope toward Yumi. “You’ll all come, right?”

Camila had already ripped hers open, eyes scanning the gold-embossed lettering. “Of course. This is going to be huge.”

Across the table Yumi took her envelope with two fingers, as if it were a filthy dirty rag. Her expression didn’t shift, but her knuckles whitened as she held it.

“Congratulations,” she said finally. Her teeth were clenched so tight the word came out as a hiss. She slipped the envelope into her handbag without opening it.

She grabbed her phone, fingers flying on the keyboard texting someone…

Seraphine squealed “We should do matching dresses. Pastels or florals? And a hashtag for the photos…”

“You’re so fucking noisy, you know that right?” Yolanda finally spoke and the entire room went dead silent.

She had tried to tune them out. She couldn’t stop thinking about the pictures she’d seen online, the whispers she’d overheard at last month’s charity gala.

Seth Blackwood.

Seth, the man who had always looked untouchable to her…married to Thea Balmero, who had somehow managed to turn every scandal into a crown.

Thea, who had broken her brother’s heart yet still managed to be draped over Seth’s arm like a queen.

“Yolanda, they were just excited about my bridal shower..” Posy explained but Yolanda cuts in.

“I still don’t understand how a man like Seth could marry someone like her.”

The conversation froze for a beat. Camila blinked. “You mean Thea?”

Yolanda nodded, eyes narrowing. “She’s a cheat. Everyone knows it. My brother..” She caught herself, glancing at Posy. “Rune’s engagement wouldn’t have ended if not for her.”

Posy’s lips curved slowly. She had been waiting for an opening like this.

“Exactly. She plays the victim so well. Poor little Thea. But no one talks about what she did to Rune.” Her voice softened, almost intimate. “I’m glad we can see it.”

Seraphine tilted her head, intrigued. “What actually happened that night? The press made it sound so messy.”

Posy gave a delicate shrug. “All I know is Rune came home humiliated because Thea slept with another man on the night of her engagement. ”

Across the table Yumi shifted. Her nails clicked against her glass.

“Maybe Rune’s not as perfect as you all think,” she muttered, too low for most of them to hear.

Only Camila glanced at her sharply, but Yumi kept her gaze fixed on the dance floor. She had no intention of discussing how Rune had spent the previous weekend in her apartment, swearing Posy was just a stepping stone, promising to leave after the wedding.

The hypocrisy made her stomach churn. He had even moved the wedding dates up. That fucking bastard!

Camila, oblivious, raised her glass. “Well, bridal showers are supposed to be fun, right? We’ll make it fabulous, Posy.”

“Yes,” Seraphine agreed. “It’ll be nice to have all the girls together again. Like old times.”

Yolanda gave a short laugh. “Old times.” She hadn’t enjoyed “old times” much either, but at least back then she’d still believed her brother was flawless and Seth Blackwood was someone she could dream about without feeling dirty.

She drained her drink and set it down hard enough to slosh the liquid.

Posy watched her with careful interest, wondering what was going through her mind right now. Thea has been pushing to be her maid of honour, not knowing the girls were her bridesmaid. Posy had been thinking of ways to make that day a horrible one for Thea.

“What’s wrong?” Posy asked lightly. “You don’t seem excited.”

Yolanda stared at the bubbles rising in her empty glass. “Why would a man like Seth marry Thea? He’s wasting himself on her! A man like that…he deserves loyalty. He deserves… me.”

Camila smirked. “Sounds like someone’s got a crush.”

Yolanda ignored her. “It’s disgusting. She’s ruined Rune’s life and now she’s dragging Seth down too.”

Posy’s fingers tightened on her own glass. “Well,” she said sweetly, “we can’t choose for them, can we? Seth will figure her out eventually. Everyone does.”

Yumi made a small sound, half-laugh, half-snort, but kept her eyes on her drink.

Camila was scrolling through dresses on her phone; Seraphine texted someone about VIP passes. Yolanda sat back, chewing the inside of her cheek.

Then, unexpectedly, she looked up at Posy. “You should invite Thea to the bridal shower.”

The words landed like a dropped glass. Camila’s head snapped up. “What?”

Even Yumi looked over, eyebrows raised.

Posy blinked. “Why would I do that?”

“Because,” Yolanda said evenly, “if she’s there, everyone will see what she’s really like. You’ve been so gracious about everything. Let her come. Show her you’re not afraid.”

Camila looked between them nervously. “That would be… dramatic.”

Seraphine, already picturing the gossip, brightened. “It would be headline-worthy, though. Imagine the photos.”

Yumi rolled her eyes. She wanted no part of any of it, but she said nothing.

Posy hesitated. Her instinct was to refuse.

Why would she let that woman anywhere near her celebration? But Yolanda was Rune’s sister. Soon to be her sister-in-law. And Posy had spent years perfecting the art of looking magnanimous when it suited her.

“You really think I should?” she asked, tilting her head.

Yolanda’s expression didn’t waver. “Yes.”

“What if she doesn't come?” Camila asks.

“Oh, she will..” Yolanda said with a sinister smile.

Posy could almost taste the opportunity in the air. A chance to humiliate Thea without lifting a finger. And Yolanda, dear naïve Yolanda, would think it was her own idea.

“All right,” Posy said at last, smiling. “If it means that much to you, I’ll send her an invitation.”

Seraphine clapped her hands. “This is going to be insane.”

Camila grinned nervously. “I hope nobody ends up throwing drinks.”

Yumi muttered under her breath, “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

Posy slipped another sip of champagne between her lips, feeling the bubbles fizz down her throat. She could already see the headlines, the photos, the whispers.

Across from her, Yolanda sat back, satisfaction flickering across her face. For the first time all night she felt a little lighter, as if she’d managed to do something, anything, about the frustration clawing at her. She didn’t notice the glint in Posy’s eyes.

The bass shifted into another track, louder, more urgent. Around them the club pulsed with movement. In the booth, the girls lifted their glasses again, each lost in her own thoughts: Camila dreaming of outfits, Seraphine of headlines, Yumi of the man she couldn’t claim, Yolanda of a fantasy of justice, and Posy of a trap disguised as hospitality.

No one spoke of it, but the air between them had changed. The envelopes lay on the table like little ticking clocks.