A YEAR AGO
In a luxurious upscale restaurant with a spacious private room reserved for the company's dinner night. The room was beautifully set with tables that stood out and golden light that made the room glow.
The dinner night was a vibrant and lively celebration . The dinner was bubbling with laughter, good food and refreshments.
Susan was dressed in a beautiful black dinner gown, her hair packed in a ponytail style, her eyes glimmed as she speaks to some guests.
She grabs a cocktail and drinks as she interacts.
"Susan !" Jane called out to her as she walked towards her.
Susan turns around and looks back at the guests. Jane signalled to Susan that she needed to speak to her. Susan had to excuse herself.
"What's it Jane?"
Jane whispers something to Susan's ear. Susan face lits up and she laughs.
Jane holds Susan's hand and pulls her , while Susan tries to walk in her pace. She was still holding a cocktail as she was been pulled by Jane. She mistakenly bumps into a lady and the cocktail poured on the lady
The lady opened her mouth in shock. Susan snatched her hand from Jane, she couldn't believe she had just poured a drink on someone. Not just someone but one of their biggest client, Mrs Smith.
"I'm so..." Before Susan could apologize she slapped her.
"How dare you! On my beautiful dress, do you know how much I spent on this dress?"
She shouted loud, drawing the attention of everybody in the room.
Jane just stood there, feeling guilt and pity for her friend, while Susan just looked at her, with her hand on her cheek.
The lady grabbed two Glass of cocktails from a passing usher and poured it on Susan.
"You filthy thing, do you know who I am? You ruined my dress and my mood today"
Susan stood there speechless, tears forming up in her eye. The room was silent and everyone was just looking at the scene.
Only the lady was shouting.
" My dress costs a fortune and now it's ruined she deserves to be fired"
Susan who had been quiet finally spoke
" I already apologized and you already retaliated ma, so I'll take my leave now"
The lady scoffs,
"Don't you dare take a step, you lowly thing and I haven't retaliated yet, I'm going to ruin your life for ruining my mood" she screams at Susan.
Finally the C.E.O walks in , he walks towards the lady and Jane sighs, she whispers
" Thank God he's here already"
The C.E.O apologizes to the lady and reprimanded Susan
"I'll speak to her'
Susan looked at the C.E.O with disgust and hatred . The C.E.O grabs the lady out while Jane hugs her .
PRESENT
***
Susan is at home, she opens her fridge ,takes a can of Soda and closes the fridge. She opens it and drinks it .
Susan goes to sit. She remembered how she was embarrassed
"I wish I had slapped her back"
She gulps down the remaining content of the soda and disposes the can.
She never wishes to encounter or come across her again.
She enters her room and about to sleep she prays the dinner goes well and becomes a good memory for her.
The next morning she picks a dress down for the dinner and goes to work to prepare for the event .
***
Susan enters the company and waits for the elevator to get down. While waiting a message pops up, she opens it and saw a text from her boyfriend as she was about to open the message, the elevator opens and she looks up to see Kelvin walking out of the elevator. She greets him
"Good morning Sir"
"Good morning Miss Susan martins"
Kelvin smiled at her and leaves, she enters the elevator trying to understand why he had called her by full name and smiled at her, she smiles as the elevator door closes and checks her phone to open up his message to see a deleted message. She sent a good morning text to him which he replied with good morning, I sent the message by mistake and asked if she had seen it?. Susan replies with a no.
She walks out of the elevator and enters her office. She opened her computer system to check the list of the guests for the dinner, but she was more interested in checking if Mrs Smith was on the list. And yes she was on the top three of the list. She sighs. She expected it she was just giving herself a false hope.
she left work early to go prepare for the dinner.
***
In her apartment she looks at herself in the mirror, she was putting on a beautiful long silver gown. She applied some make up on and puts on a pair of dangling golden earrings and a beautiful golden necklace.
She wears a pair of black shoes. She was ready for the dinner.
***
Susan enters the same fancy restaurants private room reserved for the company. It restaurant has an alignment with the company and all dinner or special were hosted there.
As she walks in she could see people murmuring and looking at her, she felt awkward and nervous, she was trying to find someone who won't make her feel uncomfortable when she sights Tony from afar. She goes to meet him. He also sees her approaching and goes to meet her
" Thank goodness you're here Susan, I've been expecting you, I need your help to welcome the guest I have something important to do"
"But..." He looks at her pleadingly before she rejects to help
"Please"
" Fine I will"
He smiles and as he was about to leave he turns back and tells her
"By the way, you look good"
She blushes "Thank you"
Susan had always been good in welcoming guests, she did lot of jobs when she was little one of it was ushering guests and she did it well.
She smiled warmly at the guests and welcomed them in. She felt relaxed as she exchanges pleasantries with them.
Things were going on smoothly until when Mrs Smith walks in.
She walks in all proud and mighty, with her elegant, glittering dinner gown. The black dinner gown was laced with shining stones which made her glitter. She walks up to Susan looking directly at her, while Susan looks at her with a smiley face.
Susan was nervous but she tries to be brave and confident with her eyes fully focused on her. She thinks what's the worst that could happen?
Susan greets her,
"You're welcome ma" with a smile
Mrs Smith laughed evily for five seconds and suddenly stops giving a devilish look at Susan.
" I can't believe you're still working here, I thought you had been fired,"
Susan tried with all perseverance to put on a smile, she wasn't going to utter a word.
"You really do have the effontery to stand before me with that filthy face of yours and welcome me?, I told that old hag (previous C.E.O) to fire you and but he didn't. "
Guests and staffs had all gathered around her and whispering.
Susan silence was pissing her off and she wanted to cause a scene, but she wasn't getting any response which annoyed her more.
"I guess you must have pleased him on bed to make him still..."
Susan couldn't hold it anymore and gave her a resounding slap before she could even finish her sentence.
The whole hall was silent at once. Susan broke the silence
" I'm not a slut like you who would lay down with any man for money"
As Mrs Smith raises her hand to give Susan a slap, a hand from behind grabs her stopping her from hitting her.
All eyes were on the owner of the hand, kelvin had held Mrs Smith hands, he drops her hand. Susan, Mrs Smith and everybody present eyes were on kelvin