The Magic
1293 Words
**Tiffany’s pov**
**Present Day and Time**
The magic of the masquerade lasted exactly twenty three minutes. That was how long it
took me to get from the Blue and Gold Hotel to my apartment before reality came crashing
back into my life.
I tossed my heels beside the front door and leaned against it with a sigh. For one
incredible night, I hadn’t been Tiffany Bennett, the woman desperately trying to save a failing
company.
I had simply been… me No deadlines, no debt, and no expectations, just laughter. And a
stranger whose name I would never know, a smile tugged at my lips before I caught myself.
“Don’t romanticize it,
” I muttered.
“It was one night.
”
Well one unforgettable night. I walked toward my bedroom and caught my reflection in
the mirror, my hair was hopelessly messy, and my lipstick had long disappeared. There was
a softness in my eyes I hadn’t seen in months, maybe years. I reached up to remove my
sapphire earrings, my fingers froze.
“
…Where’s the other one?”
I searched my purse, nothing. My dress, nothing. The bathroom, still nothing. I groaned.
“It had to be the expensive pair.
”
For a second I considered calling the hotel. Then I laughed.
“And tell them what?”
Hi, I think I left my earring in the hotel suite of the stranger I spent the night with.
Absolutely not, I’d simply buy another pair, eventually. If Bennett Interiors ever stopped
bleeding money, the thought erased my smile… work. I glanced at the clock, it was eight
thirty.
If I hurried, I could still make it to the office before everyone else. After a quick shower
and an even quicker change into a cream blouse and navy pencil skirt, I tied my hair into a
neat ponytail and headed out.
By the time I reached Bennett Interiors, the building already felt… different, and quieter.
Employees who normally greeted one another with cheerful smiles now spoke in whispers,
conversations stopped whenever someone walked by. Fear hung in the air like a storm
cloud, I hated it.
Molly appeared beside me carrying two coffees.
I accepted one.
“I work here.
”
“I was wondering if you’d show up.
”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be too busy thinking about Mr. Mysterious.
”
Heat rushed into my cheeks.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.
”
“Oh?”
She grinned wickedly.
“I lost track of time.
”
“So you didn’t disappear for almost five hours last night?”
“You certainly did.
”
“Molly.
”
brain.
”
“You came back looking like someone had kissed every rational thought right out of your
I looked away.
“It wasn’t like that.
”
“No?”
“
…Maybe a little.
”
She gasped dramatically.
“I knew it!”
Several designers looked over.
I lowered my voice.
“Will you stop shouting?”
“I will the moment you tell me everything.
”
“There isn’t much to tell.
”
“You met someone.
”
“Yes.
”
“You danced.
”
“Yes.
”
“You left together.
”
“
…Yes.
”
Her eyes widened.
“You left together?”
“I thought you already knew.
”
“I guessed!”
She nearly spilled her coffee.
“Tiffany Bennett had a one night stand.
”
I covered her mouth before another word escaped.
“Keep your voice down!”
She laughed against my hand. After I finally let go, she smiled knowingly.
“So what?”
“So?”
“Was he handsome?”
I thought about the man in the silver mask, the warmth in his voice, and his quiet
confidence. The way he’d looked at me as though every word I spoke deserved his full
attention.
“
…Yes.
”
“Did he make you laugh?”
I smiled before I could stop myself.
“A little?”
“A little.
”
“Fine.
”
I laughed softly.
“He made me laugh a lot.
”
“And?”
“He listened.
”
She tilted her head.
“That’s your favorite thing about him?”
“You’d understand if you met him.
”
“No flirting?”
“There was flirting.
”
“No sparks?”
I looked down into my coffee.
“There were sparks.
”
She leaned closer.
“Then why are you not smiling like someone just stole your puppy?”
“Because I’ll never see him again.
”
The words felt strangely heavier than they should have. She reached over and squeezed
my arm.
“Maybe that’s okay.
”
“Is it?”
“Some people come into our lives for one beautiful chapter.
”
I smiled sadly.
“I don’t even know his name.
”
Before either of us could say another word, my father’s office door opened.
“Tiffany.
”
His voice was unusually serious.
“Can I see you?”
I exchanged a quick glance with Molly before walking into his office. The moment the
door closed, I knew something was wrong, my father wasn’t sitting behind his desk. He
stood by the window instead, staring out at the city, with his shoulders looked heavier than
they had yesterday.
“Dad?”
He turned around slowly.
“I had another meeting with the bank.
”
I already knew from his expression how it had gone.
“They refused again.
”
My stomach sank.
“They’re demanding immediate repayment on part of the loan.
”
“How much?”
He named the figure.
I gripped the back of the nearest chair.
“That’s impossible.
”
“I know.
”
“They can’t seriously expect us to…
”
“They can.
”
Silence stretched between us.
Finally he walked over and handed me a thick folder.
“A proposal.
”
I frowned.
“From who?”
“What’s this?”
“I received it this morning.
”
The company logo embossed across the front made my breath catch.
HOLDINGS”
“ASHFORD GLOBAL
I looked up.
“The Ashfords?”
“They’ve been following Bennett Interiors for years.
”
Hope flickered inside me.
“They want to invest?”
My father didn’t answer immediately, instead, he looked away.
“Dad?”
“It’s… complicated.
”
My pulse quickened.
“What do you mean complicated?”
“They’re willing to erase our debts.
”
I stared at him.
“They are?”
“Yes.
”
Relief flooded through me so quickly I nearly laughed.
“Oh, thank God.
”
“But…
”
The single word stole every ounce of relief.
“There are conditions.
”
My smile faded.
He swallowed.
“What kind of conditions?”
“I don’t know all the details yet.
”
“Then what do you know?”
“The head of the Ashford family requested a private meeting.
”
“When?”
“This afternoon.
”
“With you?”
He hesitated.
“With both of us.
”
A strange feeling settled in my stomach.
“Why me?”
“I asked the same question.
”
“And?”
“They insisted.
”
I looked down at the folder again, the Ashfords. The richest families in New York. Why
would they care about a struggling interior design company? More importantly… Why did
they specifically want me there?
I had no answers. Only a growing feeling that my life was about to change,
And somewhere else in Manhattan… A man I believed I would never see again had no
idea that our paths were already leading us toward the same meeting. Neither of us knew it
yet, but fate had already signed the first page of our story.
- Writer
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