Chapter 3: The Mirror of Vanity
The wedding reception was officially paused. Guests milled about awkwardly in the gardens, drinking champagne they no longer tasted, while the catering manager paced nervously in the kitchens, terrified of losing the contract.
Inside the bridal suite, the atmosphere was suffocating. Elena sat in a corner chair, the heavy silk of her dress pooling around her, feeling like an absolute monster. The image of Maya’s terrified face played on a loop in her mind. How had she become this person?
Elena’s mother, Vivian, pushed her way into the suite, ignoring Julian’s glare. She took one look at the weeping catering girl on the sofa and wrinkled her nose.
"Julian, darling, this is a beautiful reunion, I’m sure," Vivian said smoothly, her tone dripping with toxic elitism. "But you have three hundred guests out there waiting for the cake cutting. Give the girl a generous check, set her up in a nice apartment, and let’s salvage this evening. The press is already whispering."
"Get out," Julian said.
Vivian blinked, taken aback. "Excuse me?"
"I said get out," Julian repeated, his voice vibrating with barely contained rage. "My sister is not a problem to be paid off, Vivian. She is my family. And if you think I care about a cake or the press right now, you are out of your mind."
"Elena, talk some sense into him!" Vivian snapped, turning to her daughter. "This girl is a waitress! She will ruin the aesthetic of the evening. She can't sit at the head table!"
For a long time, Elena had lived under the shadow of her mother’s vanity. She had been molded to believe that appearances were the only currency that mattered. But looking at Julian’s devastated face, and the small, trembling figure of Maya, a dam broke inside Elena.
"Mom," Elena said, her voice shaking but gaining strength. "Shut up."
Vivian gasped, clutching her pearls. "Elena!"
"I said shut up and get out!" Elena screamed, tears ruining her expensive makeup. "Look at what your obsession with 'aesthetics' has turned me into! I just assaulted an innocent girl because I was terrified of a scandal! I am the scandal, Mom! I am the monster! Get out of this room before I have security throw you out!"
Shocked by her daughter's outburst, Vivian turned on her heel and stormed out of the suite, slamming the door.
The room fell silent again, save for Maya’s soft sniffles. The young woman slowly stood up. She looked exhausted, her catering uniform wrinkled, her dark hair a mess.
"I should go," Maya whispered, not looking at either of them. "My shift manager is going to fire me for causing a scene. I need this job."
Julian stepped forward, grabbing her gently by the shoulders. "You are never working a catering shift again unless you want to. You are coming home with me."
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"I don't belong in your world, Julian," Maya cried softly, looking at the lavish suite, the diamonds, and then at Elena. "I'm just a mistake that ruined your perfect day. I'm sorry."
Before Julian could stop her, Maya slipped out of his grasp, opened the side door that led to the service alley, and bolted into the night. Julian shouted her name and ran after her, leaving Elena alone in the room with the shattered pieces of her life. She looked in the large vanity mirror. The woman staring back at her was dressed like a queen, but inside, she felt entirely bankrupt.
