“No,” I say immediately, and my body temperature spikes a thousand degrees at the panic overtaking me. “I don’t think I can do this. She’s going to know it’s me.”
“Babe,Ibarely know it’s you,” she scoffs. “Seriously, you look incredible, and you’re going to have a great night dancing with rich, hot guys. If you won’t do it for you, then do it for me because I’m going to be living vicariously through you the entire time.”
I sigh heavily. I know I’m just scared and nervous—and not just because Adrianna might recognize me.
I’m terrified that I might go up there and actually enjoy myself. Because if I do, then what?
Tomorrow, I’ll go back to being a servant, and I’ll know exactly what I’m missing if it wasn’t for her coming into my life.
She didn’t have to keep me a secret, like my dad always had. In part, my dad helped her with that, given his privacy andprotection all these years. It was easy for her to sweep me under the rug and keep me there.
I just can’t decide if tonight will feel more like freedom or punishment. But I do know that I owe it to Jules and her mom for all they’ve done for me. And I also owe it to myself.
Besides, it’s not like it’ll be like this forever, only until the wedding. Then she’ll give me the house and the few thousand dollars left of my inheritance.
The mere thought of her fuels the fire inside of me, one I usually do my best to ignore. She doesn’t deserve free rent in my head.
My internal pep talk does wonders, and as my eyes meet my reflection in the mirror, I’m standing a little taller than before. “I’m ready.”
Jules shrieks, “That’s my girl. Now come on. Go find yourself a prince.”
I roll my eyes. “I amnotgoing for that.”
“Like I said … vicariously. Find one for me then.” She laughs, closing the distance and pulling me into a hug. “I love you, Cirella. You’re going to do great.”
My heart melts, and I sink into her embrace, feeling my eyes burn. I blink the sting away as much as I can.
“I love you too. Thank you guys for this,” I murmur, my words thick with emotion.
“Hush.” She pulls away, grabbing my shoulders and holding me gently. “Now go up there, look her dead in the eye, and walk on by … or punch her in the face. Either works.”
I chuckle, slipping my mask back down over my eyes. “I will.”
My heels click on the floor as I stride toward the door.
“Cirella?” Jules calls.
“Yeah?” I turn back.
“Don’t forget, you have to be back by midnight,” she tells me as if I’m not the one who told her about Adrianna’s scheduled check-in after the fireworks.
“I won’t be late.”
I sneak up through the staff entrance, running into coworkers who see me every day. Not a single one of them recognizes me. Some even step aside, calling me miss and treating me like an actual guest at the party.
I can’t believe this is really going to work.
Desperate to avoid the announcer who is introducing every guest, like one would at a fairy-tale ball, stating their first and last name and association to the family, I enter through a side hallway.
Adrianna did way too much for this engagement party. It’s far too extravagant. I mean, you’d think actual royalty was getting engaged by the grandiose of it all.
Just a little bit farther down this hallway, and I should be entering the party right beneath the grand staircase that overlooks the foyer. The chatter and live orchestra grow louder as I round the corner, stepping into a whole new world.
My breathing slows, and my eyes devour as much as they can. I’ve worked in this place for a little over a month, and it’s like I’m seeing it all for the first time.
The giant chandelier that hangs in the center of the sky-high room glistens more than ever. The air seems lighter, brighter even.
It’s like I’ve stepped straight onto the set of aBridgertonball, florals filling every space, music humming through the room, and a sense of magic in the air.
