An Arranged Affair

chapter 49 the birthday

Victorias POV

“ hey Stanford, hey I need to ask you something.” I hated what I was about to do but I had no choice.

“ yes Victoria ma'am. What do you need?” he asked in his prim and proper manner.

“ do you have Richard Whelans number?”

He raised an eyebrow questioning but dictated the number. Dialing the number I signaled Stanford to stay.

I wanted a witness for this call.

The number rang and rang. I almost wanted it to go to voicemail but he answered on the 6th ring

“ Richard here.” His voice made my skin crawl but I kept my cool. This was for the party I was planning and I wanted it to be a success.

“ Richard hi, its Victoria.”

“ Victoria doll! Calling to take me up on my offer.  I heard there was trouble in paradise!”

“ Look Richard  this isn’t a social call but I do need your help. I’ve got a surprise party planned for Phillip next weekend and since you know who his friends are I need you to get the word out.”

“ sure chicky, message me the details and I will work my magic, you know my offer still stands if the whole accounting thing falls through..”

‘I’d rather waitress in a cheap café and survive on tips, just contact Phillips friends and ask them to keep things quiet. ” and I hung up.

The thing about growing up in a hotel for my entire life was that along the way I became friends with my parents contacts and eventually made my own contacts, and for this party I pulled in all my best contacts.

It was fantastic, I poured hours in to the planning, meetings with caterers and designing the venue.

The mansion was perfect, and the double full sized tennis courts made a great outdoor arena.

Lucky for me, Stanford and Martha had their contacts and soon enough the alcohol had been arranged and a massive marquee hired.

Planning this party was right in my comfort zone, if I had ever been given a choice of what to do with my life, to choose a career of my own choosing, this would be it, party planning and events coordination’s.

But it wasn’t my choice, I chose accounting because it was safe and respectable.

I chose accounting because it was what my parents needed.

I spent every waking moment fussing over the finer details, confirming deals and meeting with suppliers. I was lucky, with exams so close a lot of the lectures and professors were busy prepping for the exams so I had a lot more free time.

It also kept my  mind off him, even thought the party was for him, as long as I didn’t have to deal with him directly , I was ok.

Soon enough the day of the party arrived, the week had passed in a whirlwind and that morning I had Martha tell Phillip that I wasn’t attending university as I was unwell.

A knock on the door froze me in my tracks.

“ Victoria, can I come in?  Are you ok? Do you want anything  and do you want me to get Dr Brown for you?” Phillips voice sounded a but muffled through the door. He sounded tired, sad and almost dejected.

But I didn’t say anything, his voice reminded me of everything and it brought up so much pain and hurt.

I stood there frozen, checklists and to do charts in hand and breathed a sigh of relief as I head his footsteps faded away.