BOUND BY NECESSITY

[SELENE'S POV] 'Your work visa will expire in twenty-one days. Your employer has declined to file for sponsorship renewal.' “What!” I nearly screamed where I was, immediately I saw the text, as my legs wobbled immediately under me, to a point I had to grip the edge of the service table to stay on my feet. “Twenty-one days?” “Wait, how the hell would I get my freaking ass together in twenty days to leave the USA?" That was not a lot of time to build a whole new life. At this point, I had no time to spend being afraid. I was standing in the back hallway of the Ashford ballroom, with three hundred New York's richest people who were around for the Whitfield family's anniversary gala. I had built that event from nothing for over four months. From the flowers to the seating to the music, in fact, every detail down to the second. And now, while I was supposed to be checking a runway of place cards, I was reading words that could send me back to a country I ran from and from the same man I was still scared of, even from four thousand miles away. I did not have time to fall apart or start rolling myself in tears on the floor. So I quickly adjusted myself, as I immediately shoved the phone into my blazer pocket and wiped my palm on my skirt as I walked back out to the party with my clipboard held like a shield beside me, pretending everything was okay. For six years now I have lived by one rule in this business, and that was, as an event planner, no matter what is happening inside you, you shouldn't let people notice whatever you are feeling or get to see it. I headed to the auditorium ahead to check on the people I assigned duties to and make sure all guests are okay. When I got there, the guests were all in their suits and dinner gowns, dancing with their different partners and enjoying the surreal part of the event. While the dance was going on, that was when I heard a sound coming from the head table, where a wall of white candles lined the runner in front of the bride's grandmother's seat. One candle had tipped, and the edge of the tablecloth had already caught fire, with a flame that was already licking toward the flower arrangement. Nobody else had seen it yet, but one of the waiters, standing close by named Theo who had been with me two weeks, noticed that immediately as he gaped with his mouth half open, knowing fully well that if people noticed, that would cause a scene. I did not even hesitate as I rushed and grabbed the pitcher of ice water off the nearest tray and poured it straight over the flame before it could climb any higher. The fire died down immediately with a small hiss and a puff of smoke, and the whole thing was over in maybe four seconds. "Clean this mess up right now," I told Theo who was already finding his way to clear the mess. "Do it now, before anyone walks past this table." "I… I'm so sorry, Ma. I didn't even see it before the flame caught up with it," Theo said with his hands shaking as he grabbed the cloth and hurriedly got to work. Then by the time the guests returned to their tables, there was nothing to see but just fresh cloth and candles burning exactly where they should. “Oops! That was a close one,” I exclaimed as I went back to coordinating and making sure that the guests were alright. I was still catching my breath from that when I felt someone stopped right beside me, close enough that I caught his cologne before I even turned my head. Behold! It was Crane Smith. The Almighty Crane Smith! My stomach did that stupid drop; it always did around him, which I did not have a name for. He was the architect who had designed this whole building and who contracted me a few days ago to manage his event, of which during the event I took a whole lot of s**t from his proud and disgusting attitude. As a matter of fact, his family is the richest we have in New York, which meant that whatever he thought of tonight mattered more than what three hundred guests thought put together. "You know we don't hire incompetency here? So I wouldn't know why a professional like you claimed would allow your staff to pour water over an open flame two feet from my grandmother's seating arrangement," he said without any atom of pity at his choice of words. Yuck! That's why I hated him anyways, and I won't allow this one to pass this time. "Sir, I put out a fire two feet from your grandmother's seating table," I said, turning to face him fully. "Or you created a moment of chaos on purpose so you could impress the people here?" “Excuse me?” Immediately I felt my face go hot, and this time it had nothing to do with being scared. "You really think I really did this on purpose so I could get a compliment, Mr. Smith?" "I think you like being the one everyone needs," he said. "I've watched you do it all night. Isn't it?" I opened my mouth to answer him, but immediately one of his colleagues called his name from across the room, and he turned and walked off before I could even get to respond to him, leaving me standing there with my heart pounding in fury as it should have been. "Unbelievable! The nerve of this man.” I didn't even get a full minute to stay mad at him, because the second the party was over and the last car pulled off, my phone buzzed again with another message. 'Your immigration status has been flagged for review. You would be leaving this country in less than 7 days.' “Seven days?” “Not even three weeks.” “Like seven days? These people have got to be kidding me right now.”