Chapter 7: One Too Many
TERESA'S POV
My head was spinning, a whirling mess of half-formed thoughts and champagne bubbles. I had let my problems lure me into one too many glasses of the effervescent stuff. It had seemed like a good idea—when wasn't drinking away your sorrows the most sensible course of action?—until the room started to blur around the edges. The grand chandeliers overhead turned into fuzzy halos, and the elegant string quartet's music became a distant hum. I could hear the murmurs of the wealthy guests around me, but their words floated through my mind like incomprehensible gibberish.
I glanced at the three stunning women sitting at my table. They were so poised, each draped in a gown that probably cost more than my monthly rent. Their perfectly coiffed hair and glittering jewelry made me feel like a drab pigeon among peacocks. I tried to focus on what they were saying, but my own voice drowned them out—slurred and rambling, a stream of words spilling from my numb lips without any sense or coherence.
"So, then I told my boss," I heard myself saying, my voice rising a little too loud, "I don't care if the copier's broken, I'm not—hic!—I'm not coming in on a Saturday!" My words were followed by a fit of laughter, my own, while the three women exchanged knowing glances and stifled giggles behind manicured hands.
"Who even is she?" the blonde whispered to the brunette, loud enough for me to hear.
"Apparently, she's Alpha Lucian's latest... charity case," the brunette replied with a smirk. "Honestly, look at those shoes. Did she buy them at a garage sale?"
They all laughed, and I tried to laugh with them, but it came out more like a snort. I swayed in my seat, my champagne flute tipping dangerously.
The redhead leaned in closer, her perfectly arched eyebrow raised. "What on earth possessed Alpha to bring her here? Did he lose a bet?"
"I bet he's just bored," the blonde said with a shrug. "He's always got that 'I can't be bothered with this' look. Maybe she's his entertainment for the night."
"Or maybe," the brunette cut in with a wicked smile, "he's using her as a social experiment. See how many people she can horrify before he has to step in."
Just as I was about to tell them what I thought about their perfect hair and their perfect dresses, a hush fell over the room. The double doors at the far end of the ballroom swung open, and Lucian strolled in. His presence was like a dark cloud rolling in over a sunny day. Tall and imposing, with his sharp suit and even sharper green eyes, he surveyed the room with an air of disinterest. His mouth was set in a line that spoke volumes—he was not impressed, not by the party, not by the people, and certainly not by me.