A week passed before the grand banquet was set to be held. They’d booked the most luxurious hotel in Dragon City. My father, Barry Johnson, was going to be there; in fact, he was the head of this bash. He hadn’t announced his merger with Aurora, Inc. yet. Not officially, anyway.

I’d been watching the stock market and reading the news. There was nothing on social media or in the paper about the authorized partnership. Nothing solid, from my vantage point.

As usual, there were some people from inside circles posting updates, leaking the information but those who had a stake wanted to hear confirmation, not rumors. That’s where the banquet fit in.

Most likely, this was where my father planned to make the announcement. I couldn’t fault him. It was the best way to announce something like this all at once. Besides, he’d acquire the attention he so voraciously wolfed down.

Of course, the richest attendees would come, and this announcement was only going to make my father more influential. Meanwhile, he would introduce Amanda and their daughter Ava to the guests. As a result, this thieving mother and daughter team would replace my mother and me, only to be trajected to the upper class without lifting a finger.

Just thinking about it made my skin crawl. They were spineless leeches, mooching, never having been cultured or industrious. Even my father had achieved his role through swiping the company from my mother.

They had no shame.

But I would never accept this. They were pretending to be in the clique without any dignity or elegance. It wouldn’t work, and I was convinced that sooner or later their true colors would be revealed. That was just a whimsical hope, however.

On the day of the banquet, my plan was set into motion. It wasn’t easy to construct but I had it down now and I was confident it would work. Even though I felt assured, I still had butterflies of worry in my stomach.

All week, from afar, I’d been studying the hotel staff; their habits, duties, and more importantly, their uniforms. I’d witnessed more than once, the front desk unlocking the front door for staff after hours. New faces showed up every day and there was no way the front desk employees recognized them all.

It was the uniform that they trusted.

They were required to wear generic white button-down blouses or shirts, a cheap black tie, with a matching belt, and either a maroon polyester skirt or set of pants. I’d managed to pick up similar-looking clothing. It wasn’t all that difficult to scrape up a few dollars and snag some at the local thrift store.

The outfit was ugly for sure, but it served my purpose. All I had to do was steal a golden pin with the hotel’s mini shaped headquarters and I’d be set. For that, I’d have to be on hotel property. With an inhale to calm myself, I courageously entered.

Walking to the lobby, I inconspicuously checked for the branded pin. It didn’t take long until I was able to find souvenirs scattered on a nearby table. Removing the backing, I punctured my white blouse with the golden pin then fastened it.

Finally, my ensemble was complete.

As I peeked into the hotel banquet hall, I took a lay of the land. The video projector was set up along with several widescreen TVs. My father would announce the partnership for all the room to see in 4K. He probably had the presentation laid out with some sort of generic marquee art.

He never was talented with media production.

Slipping in unnoticed, I soon was amid the preparation. Staff raced by me, a few glancing my way. Quickly I worked my way over to the silverware and began wrapping some in maroon napkins. With everyone dashing back and forth, I couldn’t see a way to do this without being caught.

However, the opportunity arose after patiently waiting.

When I could hear several staff bickering about placement of the decorative flowers I took my chance. Slipping over to the main computer I dusted around the podium faking my staff role. Sneakily I peeked at the tech.

My heart skipped a beat.

There it was. The silver and black memory stick. He’d been using this thing repeatedly for years. As such I bought one just like it. I’d even scuffed it up with a knife to make it appear old and used.

My heart was racing as I plucked the USB drive and attempted to replace it with mine. Holding my breath, I wiggled it in, but then I dropped it. With trembling hands, I picked it up then slowly turned around hoping nobody saw me.

They had resumed bustling around setting up the tablecloths, placing wine glasses out and making sure the seats were polished perfectly. This was a substantial event, and their bosses were pushing them to get it perfect. No one was paying attention to me.

Whirling around, I continued my task, finally sliding the memory stick in the front slot. As a man walked by, I resumed my dusting then skipped away as stealthily as possible. Clutching my father’s USB in my sweating palm, I rested assured that this was worth it. As I went back to my faux rolling duty, I knew all I had to do was wait.

But that was easier said than done. The anticipation was like a monster eating me from the inside. My guts were on fire and I was sweating along my lower back. Droplets collected then slid to my shirt.

Tapping my feet, I checked my watch. Huffing nervously, I waited not even ten minutes when the doors clicked open. An usher waved to the guests, welcoming them. People must have been waiting for a while.

They poured in droves, all eloquently poised. There wasn’t one of them that didn’t have a designer suit or dresses. Many of the men had fresh haircuts, the razor lines in the back defined and neat.

The women traipsed with grace; their outfits no less stunning than the men. Most of them were wearing ball gowns with head-to-toe matching accessories. Flashes of cornflower blue velvet, silky jet black, and suede sunflower yellow caught my eye as I watched them take their places.

Periodically, laughter erupted from the tables as businessmen clapped one another on the back. The room was thick with the aroma of various aftershaves and perfumes. The collection made for a rather unpleasant scent, causing my throat to burn.

Staff circled around tables like servants whipping out their notepads and furiously writing orders down. Cocktail servers roved the hall, offering to replenish drink orders.

When the festivities began, those attending the banquet began to chat cheerfully and toasted one another in celebration. There had to be over fifty people here, at least.

From the back, I surveyed the audience. Breathing to calm my racing heart, I looked over the attendees. That was when I saw not only my father, but Andre in attendance. My mouth went dry, and I shivered in fear.

Apparently as the CEO of Mars Group he had also been invited. Even though it made sense it still surprised me. Being around him even from across the room made me feel uncomfortable.

I wanted to avoid him seeing me but then it was like he read my mind and locked onto me. He wore smiling eyes with a glimmer of slyness, as if he knew what was about to happen. How could he possibly know?

Sweat collected on my palms as I shoved the USB in my pocket. Now I was doubting myself.

The cold surge of adrenaline prickled my chest. I wasn’t prepared for him to see me and especially not in this way. Maybe he believed I was newly hired staff, but something was wrong with those eyes.

That stare pierced my heart and weakened me. My breath became labored as I tried to conceal my turmoil. I was squirming under his gaze but to my relief there was a distraction. My gladness was short-lived however, only to be replaced with a figurative gut punch.

Amanda and Ava entered the banquet hall, dressed to the nines. Amanda had a cardinal red dress that swayed just above her matching flats. Her golden hair was curled in ringlets, wagging with her walk. Even from a distance, I could see her expertly applied black mascara with matching eye shadow. Her sparkling blue irises roved the crowd.

Ava was in an emerald, green two-toned dress, the top darker than the bottom. The straps wrapped around her shoulders into a decorative knot in the center of her back supple back. Her chestnut hair was pulled into a straightened ponytail, making it appear sleek and soft. As she bent forward a dangling necklace attracted my attention.

It looked familiar. My eyes darted back and forth as I felt sick. Frantically, I studied every stud, jewel, and locket and sure enough, they’d gone that far. They were wearing my mother’s collection!

My chest flushed as rage saturated my soul. How could they? They had to pay for what they’d done. I pounded one fist into the other.

But that brief tornado of anger was soon intertwined with sadness when I saw him. There was Carey, the CEO of Aurora Inc., who was also my ex-fiancé. Because I’d gone to prison, he cut ties with me.

So much for our plans.

Upon seeing Carey, my father waved to him eagerly. Carey approached and my father held Amanda’s back then presented Ava. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I concluded this was the first time Carey met those two.

The stinging reminder of his rejection hit my chest as I watched Carey’s gleaming smile at Ava. His charm had a way of captivating me throughout our relationship. He could avoid any trouble with those pearly whites.

Though I knew it was stupid of me to care about these things, it bothered me that I was duped by him. I thought we were both in love. Turns out it was only me. Groaning softly, I chastised myself for getting caught up.

It was just that, he left me alone to deal with prison while stealing the glow of cloud nine I’d been blinded with. I wasn’t ready for it to be taken yet. The truth was harsh but sometimes it was better knowing. Still, that didn’t mean it hadn’t scarred my heart.

The scratch of a lapel microphone snapped me out of my daze. I heard my father clear his throat. Everyone was captivated. The once boisterous room was hushed into silence.

A bolt of excitement and fear struck me head to toe. Here we go!

“Hello all and welcome. I’m Barry Johnson, head of Lanchester Company. To begin with, I’d like to introduce you to someone a lot of you might have heard of but haven’t met face to face.” He motioned for Carey to stand up with him. The room pinned their eyes on him as he smoothed his ash blonde hair back. “Carey is from Aurora Inc., of course.”

Several people widened their eyes in shock as he rose from a regular dining table. A few laughed elbowing each other.

Carey waved and took his own mic, slipping it along his taupe suit jacket. He sauntered up to my father’s side. They grinned, pleased with their cheesy tactic to have Carey among the crowd to surprise them.

“That’s right. I’ve been a part of Aurora for as long as I remember. Maybe longer.” He adjusted his expensive cream toned tie as he smiled at my father.

The crowd tittered as several people eyed Carey. It struck me like a rock to the head when I could see so many beautiful women staring at my ex. He looked sharp, I had to give him that. What did I expect?

“So, now that introductions are over, you’re probably wondering why we’re here,” my father said, placing his palms together. “It wasn’t just to surprise you with Carey and flash my beautiful family,” he joked motioning. My stomach turned as I saw the smug smirks on Amanda and Ava’s faces.

The crowd laughed lightly as all eyes turned to them. The mother and daughter were whispering to each other, basking in the attention they were receiving. How could they delight in unearned status? Carey then spoke.

“He’s right. We have something else to tell you. Some of you already know, but here we are to make it official,” he paused and nodded at the employees. “Lights?” he asked. The staff all dimmed the room, and the TVs flashed on. I scanned the audience, turning to see better. They were all paying close attention.

However, it was not the video they expected.

Instead of tacky upbeat business music that went along with these types of presentations, there were two people talking in a room. Everyone hushed as they viewed on the big screen Amanda and Barry sitting in my father’s study.