Chapter Fifty Five - Financial Crisis

As she entered the ballroom, she was immediately accosted by the head waiter. "Ms. Amelia, we have a problem," he said, his face pale. "Half of the wait staff hasn't shown up. They called in sick this morning." Amelia felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. "Half? But... how is that possible?" The waiter shook his head helplessly. "I don't know. It's unprecedented. We're trying to call in replacements, but on such short notice..." Amelia took a deep breath, forcing herself to think clearly. "Okay. Okay. We'll... we'll have to make do. Can you call any off-duty staff? Friends, family members, anyone who can help?" As the waiter hurried off to make calls, Amelia turned her attention to the rest of the room. The flower arrangements, half of what she had originally ordered, looked sparse and underwhelming. The programs, which had arrived just an hour ago, were riddled with typos. And then, as if things couldn't get any worse, the sound system began to emit a high-pitched whine. "No,