She ignores my question and paces back and forth in front of the bed, pressing her fingers against her temple. “Whereexactlyis the ball?”
I pull up the event on my phone, scanning through the information. “A place called Music—with ak—vary-in?” I squint at the invite, a red PDF with gold and silver sparkles dancing around the page.
Cecily drags her eyes to the ceiling and rubs her face. “Fucking hell, we don’t have much time.” She sprints out of the room, leaving me seriously confused on the bed.
“It’s not for another two weeks! Just come to the shops with me tomorrow and we’ll find something!” I shout, hearing her running from room to room like Coyote preparing for Road Runner. I brace myself as I hear her stomping back down the hallway before bouncing into the bedroom, out of breath with a black dress bag in hand.
“You need to wear this.” She unzips the bag in one liquid movement and holds out a deep royal-purple silk gown with off-the-shoulder straps and a fitted skirt. “And you’ll needgloves, white ones ideally. I think we have some in the attic. And jewels, I’ll text my mum to see if she’ll let me borrow one of her diamond chokers out of the safe.”
My eyebrows raise in surprise, taking in the glossy fabric. “This dress is gorgeous, but why do I need to do all this?”
She throws her hands out. “Because you are going to ball season in Vienna. Ever heard of the Viennese waltz?”
I purse my lips, holding a hand out. “As in the dance they do onStrictly?”
She closes her eyes for a second, taking a long breath. “As in the dance that originated at these balls because they aresucha big deal. And you, my sweet but idiotic friend, are going to the Philharmonic Ball at Musikverein. That’s, like,theball to end all balls. I mean literally, it’s the last one of the season!”
My eyes widen. “No wonder our tickets cost more than our entire hotel stay.”
She nods, planning out something in her head. “Odericco Investments are going to be watching you and Spencer like hawks. You have to look and act the part.”
The alcohol in my stomach sours into vinegar. “Well, maybe I shouldn’t go. Just leave Spencer to it?”
She throws her arm out. “I have no doubt Spencer will flourish in this environment. But don’t waste the money you’ve already spent. This is your moment—you’re going.”
“I guess I can be... formal,” I say, knowing the last formal event I went to was my sixth-form prom.
“Will the tall drink of water formerly known as Lover Boy be there?” She shoots me a teasing smile.
My heart skips a beat, imagining us both dressed up infinery, dancing the night away like we’re in a Disney movie.Cinderellais my only reference for a formal ball. Maybe I can have one last night?
I shrug. “I’d imagine so; he’s been at every other TechRumble event. I can’t imagine he’d miss the final evening.”
She holds out the dress bag to me to try on like my Fairy Godmother. “Then you shoulddefinitelywear this.”
Chapter 22
Business Account (WYST) BALANCE: £2,158.68
Personal Account BALANCE: -£1,862.90
Recent transactions:
Transport for London: £5.80
Thirty minutes into our practice session, Spencer wrings his fingers as he stands in jeans and a fern-green wrinkled shirt in front of a bright projector screen. We’ve spent the day fielding any issues ahead of the beta launch, which feels both exciting and anxiety inducing. Sign-ups have skyrocketed since we got through to the final round of TechRumble, and we’ve been singled out in social media coverage as one of the few companies focusing on women.
“What are the growth projections for the next twenty-four months?” Cecily asks as we sit across from Spencer at the conference room table.
“Ummm, good?” he replies with a smile.
I drop my pen on the table and rub my eyes. “Spence...”
“What? You don’t want me to be positive?”
I look up through my fingers. “Did you read throughanypart of the script I sent you?”
His lips form a straight line. “I’ve had some other things on my mind.”
