Chapter 16: Party Delight

*VICKY* Present day… I woke the next morning with a large cramp in my neck from sleeping curled up on the carpet. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, which were still tender, before trying to stretch my neck left and right to release pressure. My eyes fell to the packages beside me: several bags were laid on the floor, some of their contents dripping out, and I felt even more disparity. The last thing I wanted to do right now was to serve wealthy socialites at a birthday party hosted by Osip. I wondered if it was worse than being betrayed by your mate. Jacob's face flashed into my mind, and the scenes of my dream replayed over again in its eye. It all moved so fast—-the stabbing, the reveal, my rescue, and the recovery. At this moment, my mind was a mess. Some were fragments of my memories, but most bled into the memories of the time I had spent with Leon. A Blood Bond was precious, and I didn't know if I could trust anyone again in such a way. So instead, I stood and reached into the fridge for another bottle of tranquillizer. I climbed onto the couch and curled myself into a blanket. Eventually, my brain stopped racing, and I fell back asleep and dreamt of nothing but my childhood memories. *** When I awoke, mid-afternoon had rolled around, and I stretched from my sleep. I looked down at my phone, which rested beside my leg, and turned it on to see three missed calls from Leon. It was only Sunday. What was so urgent? I hesitated before I hit re-dial. The line started ringing. The longer it went on, the more anxious I became, until it clicked on. "Hello?" "Hi…" I started. This was beyond weird, especially with how we left things. "You called?" Noises came from the background on the other end of the line, and I heard Osip shout about a piece of furniture being in the wrong position when Leon finally spoke. "Yeah, Osip's changed the party date." My heart sank. "She…what?" "Changed the party date," Leon repeated. "To today. I know it's very last minute—but do you think you can create a menu and be here in like…2 hours?" Of course, Osip changed the date. This was it. She wasn't hiring me out of the goodness of her heart; she was hiring me to humiliate me, and giving me 2 hours to get ready, drive there, AND create a menu, was one surefire way to do it. "We have everything you'd need for every dish imaginable…" Leon continued when I didn't respond. "I just—" His voice cut off, and he sounded beyond angered and frustrated. "I just need you here as soon as possible. Please." I didn't know what I was going to prepare; in fact, to be totally honest, I was completely blindsided. But, something inside of me was telling me to do it. And so I said: "I'll try." Because if she was going to play this game, I would play it even better. *** I watched through the double-paned windows as drove past the bay and arrived at the most famous Sands point in the Gray Atoll. The castle in the center of the manor was a square medieval building, and the vast garden encircling it was gorgeously decorated with birthday theme elements. The guests walking around the lot were dressed in black-tie attire, holding champagne and small snack plates. It seemed that the planning and decorations teams had really gone through a lot of trouble over this. I helped the rest of the staff finish cleaning up from the dinner rush and prep dessert for the 120 guests. It was stressful and entirely busy to be in charge of an event of this calibre, but once it was over, I could take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of the evening, according to my job description. As I dung for the final entree to head out, I sighed and wiped my forehead before making my way to the swinging doors to witness people take the first bite of their chocolate cream pie. I smiled when several guests showed a deep appreciation for my work, and a sense of pride swelled inside me. Regardless of Osip's intentions, I had done it. And I couldn't have been more proud of myself. "You did it," Leon's voice carried through the kitchen. I didn't even need to look to know it was him—I could already smell him before he entered. "Everyone's raving about your menu. I've had people asking who the chef was!" I turned around to face him and let out a relieved chuckle. "Thanks. I'm honestly just surprised I pulled it off." Leon smiled. "Well, you did. Good job." Silence. The tension was palpable, and continued to grow with every passing second. God, I wanted to say something—open up my true desires, but truth was…I was terrified. Terrified of putting myself out there again after Jacob. I loved once and vowed I'd never love again. "Well…since you're done for the evening, how about coming to join the party?" Leon asked, finally breaking the silence. I chuckled, but then it came to a slow when I saw he wasn't laughing with me. "Oh, wait. You're serious? Isn't it kind of unprofessional for the help to enter as a guest?" "Not if you're my guest," Leon smirked. "Come out to the car. I have something for you." I set down my tools and followed Leon to the parking lot, where the valet handed him the keys. "Thank you," Leon nodded as he unlocked the door. I watched as he reached in and rummaged around in the backseat before calling out to me. "I brought this just in case…you know, Osip forbid clashes with someone, or someone is wearing the same thing as her. But she seems okay, so why don't you borrow it?" He backed up and in his hand was a coat hanger with an outfit underneath. "Oh, no, Leon—I can't do that." But it was too late. When he lifted it, he unearthed a gorgeous deep emerald green A-line dress with spaghetti straps and a deep V-neck. I had never seen a dress so beautiful. What would Osip think of seeing me in her clothes? It was a little weird, no? "Please," Leon coaxed, knowing exactly what I was thinking. "Don't worry about her. You deserve this, Vicky; you've worked hard. Enjoy it." I reached out and touched the dress, rubbing the silk material through my fingers. It was exquisite, and I was going to be a showstopper in it. *** The so-called gatherings of the upper class were meant to be an event of gigantic gossip. Birthdays, marriages, or celebrations were just an excuse for them to get together, no matter who you were. It was obvious by the cliques and groups that many people didn't even know each other. But it didn't stop them from exchanging all kinds of exciting gossip. There were no secrets among the wealthy. What happened mere minutes prior would spread throughout the entire venue like a virus. As Leon and I entered, I could hear the praise coming from the guests, making my heart swell. "Oh my god, this tastes insanely good!" "I think this is going to be the highlight of the evening." "I've never had a dessert like this! And trust me, I've eaten in Paris." However, far in the distance, I could see Osip was not in the mood to eat those delicacies at all. It was probably because they were all made by me. When she received the gifts, she only smiled politely. However, I knew she must be fuelled with anger, and a piece of me really enjoyed it. It was only made better when her eyes found me in the crowd, dressed in her own outfit. Her eyes widened, and her face dropped. She roughly set down her drink, and I tried to avert my gaze as she stomped over to us. "Leon! What the hell is she doing here?!" "She's the chef, Osip. You hired her," Leon said, already visibly frustrated with the conversation. She rolled her eyes. "Exactly! As a restaurant owner, you should know how unprofessional her being here is!" "I do—" Leon began. "But look at the guests' reactions. Wouldn't you say she deserves this?" Osip stopped and looked as if she were considering talking again and grunted. "Why would you do this? Are you purposely trying to humiliate me? Do you have any idea how you've made me look just now?!" Leon didn't answer, and I just watched the scene unfold. I wanted to beat Osip at her own game—if she was set on humiliating me, then I'd do the same—but now that it was happening, I started to feel unexpectedly shitty. "And YOU," she continued, pointing at me. "Coming in here wearing MY outfit. I don't think so." "Osip, stop," Leon said more calmly than expected. "Don't you tell me to stop!" she yelled, her voice level increasing. "I am Osip Spenser—do you know how many people want me?! You should consider yourself lucky to be around me and have me on your arm!" I could see people starting to look our way, and I knew Leon did, too, only neither of us said a word. "I am the reason for either of your existences!" She leaned in closer to me and pointed a sharp finger at me. "Don't you ever fucking forget it. I can take it away just as fast as I gave it." "Osip," Leon growled under his breath. I could hear the tinge of anger in the back of his throat. "Stop it. You're making a scene." As soon as she heard these words, Osip's face changed to horrified. She looked around at the guests who had noticed and started gossiping about the altercation happening in front of them. "Let's talk about this outside," Leon whispered, reaching to grab a hold of her arm. But instead, Osip snapped it back and bared her teeth at him. "Don't you dare touch me. And find somewhere else to stay tonight. I need to cool down before I do something I'll regret." Her eyes glared at Leon and me one final time before she turned on her heel and stormed out of the building.