. CHAPTER 3 — On Her Knees
“Clean it,” Vivienne repeated.
The rooftop was silent except for champagne dripping from the broken table. A violinist stopped mid-note. Phones rose quietly, hungry for another rich-person scandal, or maybe a poor girl’s humiliation. Amelia could feel every lens on her wet face.
The catering manager, Mr. Pike, hurried over with a tight smile that showed panic more than sympathy.
“Amelia,” he hissed, “apologize properly.”
“I didn’t break it,” she said.
His eyes flicked toward Vivienne. “It doesn’t matter.”
That sentence hit harder than the shattering glass.
It doesn’t matter.
It never mattered who pushed, who lied, who watched. It only mattered who could afford the story afterward.
Vivienne stepped around the broken glass, her white heels untouched. “Your employee damaged an important display at a private event. I expect her removed after she cleans it.”
Mr. Pike nodded too quickly. “Of course, Ms. Crowe.”
Amelia looked at him. “You saw her push it.”
He lowered his voice. “I saw you touch it first. Be smart.”
A man near the bar laughed. A woman whispered, “This is so embarrassing.” Someone else said, “Why do they hire these people?”
Amelia bent slowly, not to kneel, but to pick up one fallen napkin. A sharp piece of crystal caught the edge of her palm. A thin red line opened across her skin.
Vivienne noticed and smiled.
“Careful,” she said. “Those glasses are worth something.”
Amelia stood again. “So am I.”
The words left her mouth before she could stop them.
The rooftop changed.
Some guests looked away. Others leaned forward. Vivienne’s expression hardened, her beauty twisting into something smaller.
“What did you say?”
Amelia’s voice shook, but she repeated it. “So am I.”
Vivienne stepped close enough that Amelia could smell her perfume, expensive and suffocating.
“Listen to me carefully,” Vivienne said. “You are a temporary server with wet hair and cheap shoes. By sunrise, no one here will remember your name.”
Amelia almost laughed.
Because that was exactly why she had come.
“My name,” she said quietly, “is what this night is about.”
Vivienne’s eyes flashed.
Before Amelia could move, Vivienne reached toward her collar, fingers aiming for the hidden chain. Amelia caught her wrist.
The guests gasped again.
May you like
For the first time all evening, Vivienne looked truly afraid.
Then she screamed, “Security!”
