"Sorry, Giana!" She put her fingers on her lips, signaling her friend to keep silent.
She rushed to the lockers to take out a uniform, donning it as fast as possible before the supervisor realized she was late.
The last thing she needed was to lose this job, not when she desperately needed the money.
"Charlie, where have you been?" Her friend rushed to her side with a reprimanding expression covering her face.
But in her defense, her friend did not give her enough time to prepare, informing her late about the job. Unfortunately, she had already booked an earlier gig that took longer than she thought.
Still, she could not pass up this chance to earn extra money, especially now that she was pregnant.
"I am sorry, but I am here now." Charlie could not see any reason to point fingers at who was at fault. "Just help me with my tie." She just wanted to get out there and do her job.
But she was exhausted, and her feet hurt from walking several blocks to reach the hotel in time. But it did not matter because she badly needed this waitressing position, even if it was just for tonight.
"Come on, the Dragon Lady is already spitting fire. We need to get to our spot before she notices." Giana pulled her across the lobby toward the grand ballroom.
Still, she was grateful to her friend for informing her about this work, even if it was temporary. At least, it guaranteed good pay for several hours of labor.
"You said this is a big deal. Are we talking about celebrities, producers, directors, people in the movie industry?" Charlie always wished to bump into the big shots.
Who knew if they would discover her and make her a star? But, of course, she knew how showbiz worked. It was not as easy as lining up for a role. The auditions could be brutal.
"I wish, but no!" Her friend whispered back in her ears as they sneaked into the ballroom, avoiding to catch the Dragon Lady's attention.
"Oh! The Elites, then." She referred to the politicians, business tycoons, famous people, and the cream of the high society.
She was not particularly interested in this group because most of them were snobbish. They thought of themselves as Gods. But to her, they were just arrogant bastards.
"They said there might be several special guests. Maybe there would be directors and producers dropping by." But her friend stopped when the Dragon Lady glanced in their direction.
The last thing they wanted was to catch her eyes. Then, they would be the target for the entire evening. So, they quickly busied themselves before they found a bullseye marked on their backs.
Damn! Speaking of her back, it hurts.
But she could do nothing about it but stretch her muscles. Still, she had a long way to go, feeling the weight of the glasses of champagne she carried around the room.
"Hey, have you heard?" Giana anxiously and breathlessly whispered in her ears. "The Royal family just pulled up outside."
It was as if an explosion blasted in her ears when her friend's word registered in her mind. But that could be a coincidence. It could not be the Prince.
Calm down, Charlie! There is no need to panic.
"Royal family?" She inquired, wondering if her friend knew more details. "Do you think it could be him?"
She never tried to contact him or heard from him either. She still had a couple of days to consider his proposal, so she had not finalized a decision yet.
"They said it is Princess Jasmin." Giana shared what little she knew about the arriving guest. "Does she know who you are?"
Oh! Then, that is not a problem.
She doubted if the Princess would recognize her since they never actually met. Then, the Princess's assistant would probably pretend not to know her if they bumped into each other.
Therefore, she believed her secret was safe.
"I don't think so." Charlie thought out loud, believing she had nothing to worry about. "Anyway, I'll see you at the back after this." She pointed to another tray of wine that she needed to serve. Then, she could finally take a break.
"I'll try to catch up, but you go ahead. I still have several things to do." Her friend said as she pointed to the Dragon Lady.
Then, she was off, circulating the floor, finding guests who wanted to replenish their drinks.
She was almost home free when a commotion at the entrance caught her attention. She stopped and looked, hearing whispers that the Princess just entered the ballroom.
"I heard that she is engaged to Prince Elijah Drummond." A stunning socialite gossiped to her group of friends.
She could not help but listen to their conversation. Of course, she was intrigued. What else was new about the Prince and Princess's engagement?
"Have you seen the Prince? Oh my! He is to die for." Another guest expressed her enthusiasm.
She heard the ladies talk about how handsome, masculine, and perfect the Prince was. But she already knew that.
But she could not help but wonder what the Princess felt about their arranged marriage. Did she change her mind about the engagement, remembering she did not even want to see him?
"Oh! Don't worry. I heard he is coming tonight since they are announcing their engagement."
Oh! Fuck! He is coming.
She did not even care who said that as her brain shifted to panic mode.
Damn!
No!
The Prince could not see her. She had to disappear before the Prince arrived.
Quickly, she rushed to return the tray to the bar and ran to the lockers to change. But before she could make her quick escape, she changed her mind.
"What am I doing?" She chastised herself as she calmed down, bracing her arms on the locker doors.
She could not just run every time she heard his name. Besides, she could not abandon her friend, leaving her friend behind after she had done everything to get her this job.
"No! I can't do that to Giana." She had to go back to work. But first, she needed some fresh air.
Soon, she hurriedly walked along the narrow corridor to the back entrance to take her break.
Bam!
"Jeez! Watch where you are going!" A masculine voice angrily shouted.
But she could not care less about him as her feet slipped. Then, she felt her body falling.
Oh my!
"No!"
She already knew it would hurt, bracing herself for the hard impact. But she was not concerned for herself.
My baby!