Broken Inside

49 - The Birthday Party

Among all of the craziness in preparation for Fashion Week, Alex was surprised when she was invited to Caroline's 50th Birthday Celebration. Apparently, all of B&G London was invited. Also, it was hinted that attendance was compulsory.

So on Saturday night, the night of the party, Alex met up with Molly as planned and headed up together. Alex wore a light green flutter sleeve floral chiffon dress with dark grey peep toes. It was the beginning of Spring so she thought the theme was appropriate. Molly wore a tight-fitting peach coloured laced dress. 

"So, how fancy is this party?" Alex asked Molly as they rode up the elevator.

"So fancy!" Molly said excitedly, as she touched up her lipstick. "The last party Caroline's husband threw for her was for her 45th birthday. It was a bash! So one can assume her 50th would be so much bigger!"

Alex turned to Molly, her eyes wide. "Caroline is married?"

"Yeah," Molly replied, chuckling. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," Alex said, shaking her head. Truthfully, she didn't think anyone married can be so bitter.

The elevator doors opened up to a massive hall at the top floor of the building. The roof and walls were made of glass. It felt like they have just stepped into a large glasshouse. A young man greeted them and offered to take their coats.

Alex and Molly both gaped as they looked around. The whole room was lit by numerous crystal chandeliers. At every corner, there were bouquets of white roses which filled the room with its beautiful scent. There were easily a hundred people in the room. The glass doors opened up to the outdoor terrace that surrounds the hall. 

"Wow..." both Alex and Molly uttered in unison. They looked at each other and laughed.

Molly took Alex's hand and led her deeper into the room. They greeted people from B&G and politely smiled to strangers. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces, which Alex assumed were Caroline or her husband's friends.

They stood at one corner, chatting, eating finger foods and drinking free-flowing champagne. 

A young man approached them and asked Molly for a dance. Molly passed her purse to Alex and she followed the man to the dance floor. Alex chuckled as she watched them waltzed away.

The room was feeling stuffy, so Alex decided to step out to the terrace for some fresh air. The terrace was well lit, with lightbulbs hanging overhead. Potted plants made the terrace looked cozy. There were only a few people out on the terrace because of the cool breeze, but Alex didn't mind. The brisk night air felt refreshing on her warm skin. 

Alex leaned over the stone railing and looked up at the night sky. She couldn't see any stars. Maybe they will come out in the summer.

A man cleared his throat and Alex turned her head around. A tall, well-dressed middle aged man with a thick moustache was smiling at Alex. "Good evening, would you mind if I join you?" he asked in his posh, British accent.

"Um, sure, why not," Alex replied, trying to be polite.

The man extended his hand and introduced himself. "I'm Lord Benjamin Powell. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I'm Alex Smith and the pleasure is all mine," Alex replied, shaking his hand. 

Lord Powell raised her hand to his lips, and lingered for longer than was necessary. Alex was beginning to feel uncomfortable, so she quickly retracted her hand. Alex turned back towards the railing and Lord Powell joined her, leaning sideways on the railing so that he can keep his view on Alex.

"Is that American accent I hear?" he asked.

"Uh, yes, I'm from New York," Alex replied, glancing at him and smiling tightly. 

"Ah, the Big Apple. The city that never sleeps," Lord Powell said enthusiastically. "Did you know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the United States?" he asked in a softer tone, as he ran the back of his fingers over her bare arm.

Alex could feel her skin crawling from his touch. "Yes, I knew that," she replied, moving an inch away from him. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my friend." She tried to go back inside but Lord Powell got in her way.

"What's the rush?" he asked her, smiling like a creepy predator. "I'd rather enjoy this private moment." 

He made the mistake of putting his hand on her hip. 

Alex's self-defence instinct kicked in automatically. She grabbed his ring finger, which ironically had a wedding band, and bent it backwards as hard as she could. Lord Powell let out a high-pitched yell as he dropped to his knees.

"Touch me again and I'll break your fingers for good," Alex threatened just loud enough for him to hear her. She let him go and he quickly scrambled to his feet, looking harassed. He huffed and stomped away. 

Lord Powell bumped into Paul as he hurried back into the hall. Paul frowned at him and then glanced at Alex. Their eyes met and Alex quickly looked away, turning her back to him. She crossed her arms, shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself.

"Are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and turned her head. Paul was standing beside her, a concerned look on his face. "Yes," she replied simply and turned her head back forward.

"Here, I thought you might need this," Paul handed her a crystal glass filled with brown liquid. 

Alex took it and asked, "What is it?"

"Bourbon."

Alex took a whiff before sipping the alcohol. She tasted a hint of vanilla sweetness and smokiness. "Hm, I like it." She glanced at Paul and said, "Thank you."

Paul smiled and took a sip from his own glass. He turned his gaze at the hall, where Lord Powell had disappeared into. He exhaled and said, "Lord Powell is well-known for his vile, depraved ways. I apologise on his behalf."

Alex turned to him and Paul looked at her. Alex smiled and said, "Thank you."

Paul nodded and with a small frown he asked, "Did you break his finger?"

Alex chuckled and said, "I was tempted to break it, believe me." She took another sip of the bourbon. 

"Many will applaud you if you did," Paul said, grinning at her. She grinned back and shook her head. They both leaned against the stone railing and looked ahead at the city view in front of them. Paul cleared his throat and asked, "Did you bring your boyfriend to the party?"

Alex looked sideways at him but Paul kept his eyes averted, slowly sipping his drink. "He's not my boyfriend," Alex said, sighing deeply. "Hasn't been for a long time." 

Paul finally looked at her. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said softly.

Alex exhaled sharply and said, "Well, I'm not."

Paul scrutinised her for a few seconds. Then he lifted his glass and toasted, "To being single."

Alex scoffed in disbelieve. "That's a terrible thing to toast to." She looked at Paul and he chuckled. Alex shook her head but clinked her glass against his anyway. Then they both took a long sip.

They heard the announcement that it was time to cut the cake. Smiling at each other, they made their way back into the hall.