Chapter 5: One Small Mistake
1732 Words
Sarah’s POV
I forced myself to look away from Kelvin Harrison.
He was just another guest.
It did not matter that everyone seemed to stop what they were doing whenever he walked past
them.
It did not matter that people smiled the moment they caught his attention or that cameras
followed him everywhere he went. None of that had anything to do with me.
I tightened my grip on the silver tray and reminded myself why I was there.
I needed the money.
Nothing else mattered.
“Sarah.”
I turned and saw Mrs. Brooks walking toward me.
“Yes, ma’am?”
She smiled as she glanced at my tray.
“You’re doing well.”
“Thank you.”
“I need you to take a fresh tray of drinks to the guests near the front of the ballroom.”
I looked in the direction she pointed.
That was where the Harrison family was standing.
My stomach tightened.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
I quickly shook my head.
“No. I’ll take them.”
“Good.”
She picked up my empty tray and handed me another one filled with sparkling glasses.
“Be careful. These are expensive crystal glasses.”
“I will.”
I took a deep breath before walking across the ballroom.
The music played softly in the background while guests laughed and talked around me. I kept
my eyes on the tray, making sure none of the glasses moved.
“You’ve got this,” I whispered to myself.
A middle aged woman smiled as I stopped beside her.
“Champagne, ma’am?”
“Thank you.”
She picked up a glass.
Another guest reached for one.
Then another.
The tray became lighter with every step.
I smiled to myself.
Maybe I had worried for nothing.
Everything was going perfectly.
As I turned toward another group of guests, someone suddenly stepped backward without
looking.
Their shoulder slammed into mine.
The tray tilted.
My heart stopped.
One of the glasses slipped.
I caught it before it hit the floor.
A relieved smile spread across my face.
“I got it.”
Before I could steady the tray completely, another person brushed past me from the opposite
direction.
This time, I lost my balance.
The tray lurched forward.
The glasses crashed together.
Time seemed to slow.
One glass flew off the tray.
Its contents splashed through the air.
Straight onto the front of someone’s black suit.
The entire ballroom fell silent.
My breathing stopped.
The empty glass rolled across the polished floor before coming to a stop.
I slowly lifted my eyes.
The first thing I saw was the dark stain spreading across an expensive black jacket.
Then I looked up.
Kelvin Harrison was standing right in front of me.
The color drained from my face.
“Oh my God.”
The words escaped before I could stop them.
“I’m so sorry.”
I reached for a napkin with trembling hands.
“I didn’t mean…”
My voice disappeared.
Everyone was staring at us.
No one spoke.
Even the music seemed quieter than before.
My hands shook so badly that I almost dropped the napkin too.
“I’m really sorry,” I whispered again.
“I wasn’t looking.”
“I mean… I was looking.”
“I…”
I closed my eyes for a second.
Why was I making it worse?
When I opened them again, Kelvin was still looking at me.
His expression was impossible to read.
Behind him, I noticed his mother staring at me with a look so cold that it made my stomach twist.
People had already started whispering.
“Who is she?”
“Did she really spill her drink on him?”
“She must be new.”
“What a disaster.”
I wanted the floor to open and swallow me.
Mrs. Brooks hurried toward us, her face filled with panic.
“Sarah!”
“I…”
“I’m so sorry.”
She turned to Kelvin immediately.
“Mr. Harrison, I sincerely apologize for this.”
“It was an accident.”
“I’ll have someone take care of your suit immediately.”
I lowered my head.
“I’ll pay for the cleaning.”
The words came out before I even thought about them.
A few people nearby laughed quietly.
I knew why.
The suit probably cost more than everything I owned.
My eyes filled with tears.
I blinked quickly.
I refused to cry.
Not here.
Not in front of all these people.
Then, for the first time since the accident, Kelvin finally spoke.“
…It’s okay.”
For a moment, I thought I had imagined it.
I slowly looked up at him.
“What?”
“It’s okay,” he repeated calmly.
His voice was steady, as though nothing serious had happened.
I stared at him, unable to believe what I had just heard.
“I spilled a drink on you.”
“I noticed.”
His answer caught me off guard.
A few people nearby laughed quietly.
I wished they would stop looking at me.
“I’m really sorry,” I said again.
“It was an accident. I wasn’t paying enough attention.”
“You were paying attention,” Kelvin replied.
“Someone bumped into you.”
I blinked.
He had seen it.
Mrs. Brooks looked relieved.
“Mr. Harrison, we’ll have someone clean your jacket immediately.”
Kelvin looked down at the stain before shrugging.
“It isn’t the end of the world.”
His mother stepped forward before anyone else could speak.
“It may not be the end of the world, Kelvin, but it is certainly unacceptable.”
The room became quiet again.
She turned her eyes toward me.
“They should train their staff properly before allowing them to serve guests.”
Every word felt like a slap.
Mrs. Brooks lowered her head politely.
“I sincerely apologize, Mrs. Harrison.”
“I’ll make sure this never happens again.”
“I certainly hope so.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Harrison.”
She looked at me for only a second before turning away as though I no longer existed.
That somehow hurt even more.
Kelvin looked at his mother.
“It was an accident.”
She smiled at him, but there was no warmth in it.
“That doesn’t change the fact that it happened.”
His father finally spoke.
“Let’s not make a scene.”
Mrs. Harrison adjusted the sleeve of her dress.
“There wouldn’t be a scene if people simply did their jobs properly.”
I lowered my eyes to the floor.
I could not bear to look at anyone anymore.
Mrs. Brooks gently touched my arm.
“Sarah.”
“Yes?”
“Go to the staff room for a few minutes.”
“I…”
“It’s alright.”
“I’ll handle things here.”
I nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
She gave me a reassuring smile.
“I know.”
I turned and walked away as quickly as I could.
The whispers followed me.
“I feel bad for her.”
“Did you see Mrs. Harrison’s face?”
“That girl is probably getting fired.”
“I heard the suit was custom made.”
I pushed open the staff room door before anyone could see the tears filling my eyes.
The moment the door closed behind me, I let out a shaky breath.
Lily looked up from where she was arranging glasses.
“Sarah?”
I wiped my eyes quickly.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
She walked over.
“What happened out there?”
I laughed bitterly.
“You didn’t hear?”
“I only heard that someone spilled a drink.”
“It was me.”
Her eyes widened.
“Oh.”
“I’m so embarrassed.”
“You didn’t do it on purpose.”
“I know.”
“But everyone was looking at me.”
She handed me a bottle of water.
“Sit down.”
I sat without saying another word.
“I’ve probably lost this job.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I embarrassed the hotel.”
“You made one mistake.”
“I made it in front of the most important family in the room.”
Before Lily could answer, the staff room door opened.
Mrs. Brooks stepped inside.
I stood immediately.
“I’m sorry.”
She raised her hand gently.
“Relax.”
“I should have been more careful.”
“You should have.”
“I understand if you want to send me home.”
She sighed.
“Sarah, look at me.”
I slowly lifted my head.
“Did you spill that drink on purpose?”
“No.”
“Have you worked hard all evening?”
“Yes.”
“Have you been polite to every guest?”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“Then one accident doesn’t erase all of that.”
I felt my shoulders relax a little.
“So…”
“I’m not fired?”
She smiled.
“No.”
Relief washed over me so suddenly that I almost cried again.
“Thank you.”
“I do need you to take a few minutes to calm yourself.”
“I don’t want you going back out there while you’re upset.”
“I understand.”
She started walking toward the door before stopping.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes?”
She smiled.
“Mr. Harrison specifically asked me not to blame you.”
I frowned.
“He did?”
“He said it wasn’t your fault.”
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Why would he do that?
He didn’t even know me.
Mrs. Brooks left the room, closing the door behind her.
Lily smiled.
“Maybe he’s nicer than people think.”
I looked down at my hands.
Maybe.
Or maybe he was simply being polite.
Either way, I knew I would probably never see him again after tonight.
I had no idea that somewhere else in the ballroom, someone had uploaded a short video of the
accident to social media.
By the time I returned home that night, thousands of people would have already watched the
moment I spilled a drink on Kelvin Harrison.
“Oh no…”
- Writer
