Right Hook (Gaslight series) COMPLETE

43| Champagne and Caviar

Alyssa ♔

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I spend most of the evening getting ready. The pressure mounts in my chest as I slip on my dress, the silky ivory gown as light as feathers on my skin. My earrings go in next, beautiful diamonds my father had gifted me for my fifteenth birthday. Subtle, but not too subtle. My mother would always say less is more for this kind of event. You want people to acknowledge your beauty without making it obvious.

Subtlety is key.

And yet ironically, there is nothing subtle about this night. The party planners have been swanning about for days now, bringing in flowers and statues and waterfalls, all to impress a crowd of faceless businessmen who care about nothing but their money. Sometimes, it hurts to remember my dad is one of them.

My lipstick is the last thing to go on, a subtle plum color that sets off my bronzer. My role for the evening is all too apparent: be seen but not heard. And if I am a woman without a voice, I am determined to at least be noticed.

When I'm finally ready, I step back to study myself in the mirror. The dress is beautiful, clinging to my curves with an air of elegance and cutting off just below my knees. It is a dress fit for someone about to mingle with the riches, the kind I'd have no qualms about wearing before, but now something feels strange, like I'm standing in someone else's skin.

By the time I head downstairs, everything is ready to go. The waiters are already swanning around with trays of canapes, the fountains already spurting with water in the lobby. Covering every surface are white roses and lilies – Mom's favorite flowers. 

She turns from where she's examining the petals and lets her eyes roam over me. I hold my breath in the seconds that follow, waiting for her approval. "You look beautiful," she says, pulling me into a hug. "The guests will be arriving soon. I assume your date will be also?"

"Yeah," I say. "He should be here any minute."

She nods briefly but doesn't press the issue. Dad comes over now and hooks an arm around her waist, kissing her affectionately on the cheek. It's the most affection he's given her in months, and she's eating it up.

For a second, I have a flash of what a future with Justin would have been like. Sure, we'd have had the big house and the beautiful kids, but I'd have been miserable, filling my days with Pilates and juices and trying to forget about the fact my husband didn't love me. In some ways, I feel sorry for my mother. I used to ask myself why these things were so important to her, but now I realize.

This is all she has.

When the first few guests arrive, I eagerly scan their faces for Max, but he's still not here. I try not to show my disappointment as I grab myself a glass of champagne and mingle with the best of them. At one point, my friends from school arrive with their parents, so I straighten my shoulders and head over to Marnie with the nicest smile I can muster.

She smiles back as her eyes roam my dress somewhat enviously. "You look amazing," she says. "I bought that same dress last season. Beautiful, right?"

I resist the urge to sigh. Typical Marnie. "Not possible," I say instead. "This dress just came out. You might be thinking of something you bought off the rack. Oh, is that Tiana?" I spin around and head in the direction of Tiana before pulling her into a death grip. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Don't tell me Marnie is being a bitch already," she says. "Doesn't that girl ever take a day off?"

"Apparently not." We link arms and form some sort of team as we make our way through the guests. It's always easy to fake it when Tiana is here, like she gives me the strength to keep going. I may detest everything tonight stands for now, but I know how important impressions are to my father. As much as I wish I could turn my back on him, I can't. Not when he's family.