At Your Service [Tommy Shelby]

Party - part 2

Unfortunately, the remainder of the night didn't unfold as smoothly as Vivian might have hoped. As the hours passed, the atmosphere grew rowdier, with unruly guests adding to the chaos. The gypsy boys and girls proved to be troublemakers, and some of the maids, intentionally or not, only fueled their mischief. Vivian found herself in uncomfortable situations, deftly dodging an attempted kiss on the cheek and facing an unwelcome grab around the neck while balancing a tray of drinks. Thankfully, Johnny Dogs, a familiar face among the gypsies, intervened and came to her aid, demonstrating a sense of decency.

In an attempt to escape the tumultuous side of the celebration, Vivian sought assistance from the hired male staff, hoping they would let her cater to the more composed side of the gathering. However, her efforts were met with laughter and dismissive remarks, leaving her to navigate the chaotic situation largely on her own. The hired extras, with whom cooperation was expected, only added to the challenges of an already tumultuous night for Vivian.

The night had taken its toll on Vivian, with six hours of relentless running around and managing a tumultuous celebration. In desperate need of a break and a moment to herself, she yearned for the solace of a smoke. However, the relentless pace of the night allowed no respite, forcing her to continue the frantic hustle.

At a bar-table, a group of boys from the Lee family ordered a substantial number of drinks. Although it took her a while to gather the order, Vivian approached the table with the drinks in hand, only to sense an ominous atmosphere. The boys appeared to be in a nasty mood, but determined to fulfill her duties, she delivered the drinks swiftly.

Before she could make her escape, a hand touched her behind, sending a wave of disgust through her. Reacting instinctively, she turned away, inadvertently bumping into the drinks and causing them to spill. The men around her expressed their displeasure, shaking their heads in disapproval. Vivian, overwhelmed with a rush of emotions, none of them positive, nearly cried out an apology. "I'll clean it! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, scrambling to gather cleaning supplies from the kitchen.

The intense embarrassment and frustration threatened to overshadow the entire night. Vivian felt like she had reached her breaking point—treated like an object to be toyed with, she grappled with a profound sense of indignity. The realization struck that she wasn't being compensated enough for enduring such mistreatment throughout the night. The culmination of these experiences left her yearning for nothing more than to disappear from the chaotic scene.

As Vivian frantically sought out the cleaning supplies, perhaps taking a bit longer than anticipated, a bitter twist of fate revealed itself. A few of the hired staff had taken it upon themselves to clean the mess she had inadvertently caused. Holding a bucket and sponge, she approached the scene only to be met with disapproving shakes of heads from the men present. "Is this your first day, sweetheart? We are almost done here. You're too late!"

The words struck her like a merciless blow, the echo of a haunting sentence that had plagued her dreams: You're too late. The weight of those words bore down on her, intensifying the sense of humiliation and frustration. A bubble of overwhelming emotions surged within her chest, threatening to explode. The faces around her blurred into a mocking laughter, and the incessant repetition of that damning phrase reverberated in her mind.

"You're too late."

Drowning in this sea of judgment, Vivian felt smothered, the walls of the place closing in on her. The Lee boys attempted to communicate with her, but their words became distant echoes as the overwhelming refrain of "You're too late" dominated her thoughts. In a swift motion, she turned on her heels and fled, clutching the bucket and sponge tightly in her hands. The relentless chant of those words trailed after her as she sought escape from the suffocating atmosphere that had become an unbearable prison.