Behind the Puppet Master

The Aftermath

I feel time move slowly as everything erupts into chaos around me. Some of the guests who saw the commotion gasp, and I hear some confused chatter further down the hall from guests who only heard it. The music instantly stops, and there’s a lot of voices I can hear, but nothing I can make out. I feel the blood pumping through my veins as my brain tries to comprehend what just happened. I look down at my dress, and notice how the wine has spread out onto the crimson design, completely blending in with it. It feels like minutes have passed, when in reality, it’s only seconds. The server girl quickly rushes to me and begins to apologize profusely for the mess, it’s her voice that brings me back.

“Miss! I’m so, so, so, sorry! It was an accident, I- I didn’t see him, and- and- I couldn’t- I-” she’s clearly panicking. I get up and hold her shoulders trying to calm her down.

“Hey, hey,” I tell her, soothing her, “it’s alright, hun, don’t worry about it, it was an accident, and no one got hurt. Are you okay?” I move her back to avoid the broken glass on the ground.

“Who cares if she’s okay?!” I hear Nick get up angrily. “Look at what she did to your dress!”  

“Nick, calm down, it’s just a dress. She didn’t mean to do it.” 

“She should watch where she’s going! It’s her damn job!”

I look in her eyes and notice her trying to hold back tears.

“It wasn’t her fault!” I speak up louder, “there was nothing she could have done to prevent it!”

The man who bumped into her rushes over and starts apologizing to her. Nick isn’t having any of it and is furious.

“Why are you apologizing to her now? I thought waitresses were supposed to be good on their feet, and not clumsy like her.”

I’m getting sick of Nick berating her, I let her go and turn around to face him.

“Nick! It’s just a damn dress, it could have been a lot worse, okay? Someone could have gotten hurt.”

“No it’s not ‘just a damn dress’,” he barks back, with obnoxious quotation marks, mocking me, “it’s a custom Bottega gown, which is worth more than you’ll ever be damn worth.” he says pointing at the server. 

My blood begins to boil; I can feel my face flush with anger, and it takes everything in me to not punch him in the throat. The server starts crying and I turn around to hug her. Luckily, his mother gets up, and in a quiet but stern voice says, “Nicholas William! Remove yourself from this situation, immediately.”

He seems taken aback, “wha- ME? You want me to remove myself?”

“I’m not asking.” She says. She signals to one of the security guards, who escorts him out of the hall to calm down.

“This is bullshit!” he howls as he walks away, “how was any of this my fault?!”

“We’ll discuss this later,” she says through gritted teeth as he leaves, “come back when you behave yourself.” 

The poor girl is sobbing into my chest, and I can’t do anything but keep holding her to calm her down. Mrs. Fay walks towards her and starts comforting her too. 

“Please excuse my son,” she begins, “that was completely unacceptable behavior. You know this isn’t your fault, darling.” She starts rubbing her back. 

“I’m really- really- so sor- sorry miss,” she says to me in between her sobs, “I didn’t- m-mean to ruin your d-dress.”

“Hey, hey, don’t stress about it.” I tell her, “it’s a bit of an improvement if you ask me.” I make sure to whisper that in her ear so that only she hears it. A tiny smile forms on her lips and I hug her even more tightly. 

“I’ll take it from here.” Mrs. Fay says, “Someone should help you get cleaned up, Alina. Lets not allow the rest of the night to spoil over such an incident.” She holds the girl and guides her to the kitchen.

“I can help you get cleaned up, plus I have plenty of gowns you can wear.” Alexia says as she walks towards me, gently grabbing my arm. The hairs on the back of my neck rises up as I feel her touch. 

“Oh, yeah, that would be great. Thanks.” I say gratefully, trying to hide my nerves. 

William and my dad start walking towards me. 

“Honey,” my dad starts, “I’m so proud of the way you handled that girl. I’m sorry you had to be put in that situation to begin with.” 

“It really isn’t a big deal, dad.” I tell him and he hugs me. 

William seems extremely disappointed. I can’t even blame him, his son just made a fool of himself in front of two hundred guests. “Please, ignore my son. He has never been the best at dealing with his emotions. Nothing in any situation would have permitted such behavior.” He pats my shoulder. “I’ll handle the whole situation. You worry about getting yourself cleaned up.”

I nod my head and Alexia guides me out of the grand hall. I can hear William trying to defuse the situation, entertaining the guests, as the other servers are cleaning up the broken glass. She leads me up the stairs, down some hallway, up more stairs, and soon enough I'm lost. I glance over at Alexia every now and then, and I can tell by the look on her face that she’s trying to find the right words to say. Her thinking face is so cute and focused, I can’t help but smile. Luckily she doesn’t see it as she’s too lost in her own mind. After a couple more minutes pass, she takes a deep breath and finally says, "I'm really sorry about my brother's behavior. I know you’ve been hearing that a lot already, but I really am sorry. I don’t know what came over him.”

I let out a little chuckle, and she’s confused, “what?” she asks. 

“Sorry, I just don’t think any of you guys should be apologizing for Nick. Plus, I’m not really too surprised by his behavior. I’ve seen him throw his tantrums before.” I turn to look at her and notice her pursed lips. Again, her thinking face is back on.

“I know it’s not an excuse, but I just know he has really low self-esteem. We were never really rich growing up. I was about one or two years old when my father founded the company. Nick was already like five or six- I can’t recall exactly.” She goes quiet again trying to figure out what to say next, “I think he just wants people to see him as this big macho man, and wants them to forget that at one point, our family was just an average family. True we were a little better off than most families, but Nick doesn’t want people to think we’re new money.”

I just nod my head and now my lips are pursed too, not too sure of what to say. I let her keep opening up to me- part of me curious, but another part could just keep listening to her talk about anything.

“My mother’s family was wealthy, and they always sneered at my father because he wasn’t as wealthy. Mackenzy was the only one born into this life of luxury, but I remember what it was like when we first started. I still don’t understand how Nick could treat that poor girl that way.”

She genuinely seems so disappointed, and I’m surprised by how much she’s opening up to me already. I’m also blown away by how humble she is, despite practically being royalty.

“Hey,” I tell her, finally finding my train of thought, “not everyone is going to be the same, you know? It’s no one’s fault but his and you shouldn’t be feeling disappointed in anyone but him.”

She looks at me, smiling and again I feel everything melt around me. I don’t know if this girl is aware of the effects she has on me. Before I know it, we reach her room. She opens the door, leading me in, and I feel ashamed to have even called it a room. I’ve stayed at the Ritz Carlton, in the presidential suite once, and her bedroom makes the suite look like a motel room. It’s like living in your own apartment, minus the kitchen. She takes me to her walk-in closet, which is bigger than my own bathroom; the room lights up revealing a brilliantly lit and well organized closet. There are rows and rows of clothes, with so many shoes and handbags. I’m blown away by it all and all I can do is stare, wide-eyed, at everything.

“You can pick whichever gown you want,” she says bringing my attention back to her, “honestly, I probably won’t even miss it so you can have it too.”

“Oh no, no, no, no, I couldn’t-” I try to start.

“You can, and you will. Consider it an ‘I’m sorry please don’t hate us’ gift.”

“I could never hate you-” I think to myself. “Why don’t you pick something out for me? Maybe then I’ll feel less guilty.” 

She giggles and my heart flutters. She walks towards her long row of gowns, looking at me up and down. Her lips are pursed again, but this time she’s just thinking. The way her eyes light up while she’s thinking is like nothing I’ve ever seen. I feel my heart start racing again, now that I have nothing else to look at but her. All I can think about is how badly I want to feel those lips pressed against mine. I shake that thought out of my head.

“Oh you don’t like this dress?” Alexia asks, looking a little sad.

“What? No, no sorry I-” oh god, I’m so embarrassed, “I think it’s perfect.”

She smiles, “I thought so, this dress is definitely more ‘you’. Now, let's get you cleaned up, cause you smell like wine.”

She’s definitely not wrong, I do smell strongly of wine, but also the dress she picked is stunning. I express my worry about the shower ruining my hair and makeup, to which she tells me not to stress because she has an automated stylist, in-house. I trust her so I step into the shower as she goes to wait on her bed. I try to make it quick, and once I’m finished, I wrap myself in the robe she provided and go out to her. She leads me back into the closet, and instructs me on where to stand. She presses a button somewhere and a part of the closet begins transforming. She instructs me to take off my robe, saying she’ll give me some privacy and to call her once it’s done. She shows me which buttons to press and leaves before I can ask anything else.

I press the first button, which blows a strong gush of air out, almost instantly drying me and my hair. I stand there for a few seconds, thinking to myself that a warning would have been nice. I then proceed to press the second button, which releases a pair of robotic arms. They begin styling my hair into a loose wavy updo. It’s done in a matter of minutes, and so I press the third button. I hear a whirring sound come on and this machine comes down from the ceiling. “Close your eyes and mouth, please.” I hear a voice instruct and I do as I’m told. Something sprays on my face and it’s a bit cold, sending shivers down my spine. It stops spraying and I assume I’m done, so I put the robe back on. I open the door and Alexia gets super excited.

“Oh my gosh! You look stunning!” She says hugging me.

“Wait- I’m done?” I ask her, shocked.

“Yea, it’s a new thing my father is having me try out for the company. It actually styled me for today.”

“That’s super cool.” I tell her, but get sad remembering Miss June and how eventually this might take over her job. Alexia hands me the gown and heels and tells me to try it on. She tells me she had it resized while I was in the shower. She used the automated tailor which based the size on the Bottega gown measurements. Is there anything William can’t envision? 

I put on the dress while Alexia waits outside, and I immediately fall in love with the gown before actually seeing it on me. It’s a gorgeous silver gown that shimmers like diamonds. It’s a sheath shaped dress which compliments my figure perfectly. It has a heart neckline bringing just the right attention to my breasts. I’m getting all sorts of excited to see it on me. I put on the dress and heels, and then open the door. Alexia’s jaws drop and she’s adorably excited. She comes over to help me zip up the dress, and feeling her hand slide up my back, gives me goosebumps like no other. She leads me over to a mirror and I too feel my jaws drop. “Wow.” Is all I can manage to say.

“Wow, indeed.” she echos. 

I turn around to thank her, and that’s when I notice her pupils are dilated- wait, are they though? No, no it can’t be, she’s engaged- I’m probably just overthinking it. “Shall we go back down then?” she asks. 

“Lead the way.”

She smiles, and we leave her room, making our way down to the grand hall. We make small talk, and it mostly involves me asking her things so I can hear her talk. I would want to admire the luxurious house, but there's nothing more I'd want to stare at than her. I wish time would stop so that it can be just me and her talking about anything. Sadly before I realize it, we're back at the grand hall, making our way down the stairs. I feel my stomach drop to the ground as we reach the bottom of the stairs. The music and festivities has resumed, but every guest in the hall is staring at us, and I can feel their eyes pierce through me. My heart begins to race and my palms immediately get sweaty as we walk back to our table. I can hear some of the guests whispering, some things I can make out, others I can’t. I can hear some talk about what happened earlier. I also hear someone claim I was bleeding on the dress from the broken glass. Not true. I ignore the rest of the chatter and just look straight ahead, feeling the gazes follow me. We reach the table and my father looks at me, smiling; I know what he’s thinking already. Alexia and I sit down at our seats, with Nick’s seat still empty. William informs us that Nick has decided to leave the party, claiming we ruined it for him. “Good riddance.” I think to myself.

A few more minutes of awkward chatter goes by, and William decides to lighten the mood by finally giving his speech. He stands up, grabbing his champagne glass with a microphone and clears his throat. The room immediately goes quiet, anxious to hear what he has to say. 

“Thank you, everyone, for your patience, and again, I apologize for the commotion earlier. I hope everyone enjoyed their dinner, and now it’s finally time for the announcement. Yes, yes, I know, this is the moment we’ve all been wondering, what is the next big venture of Fayroe Global? Well, I am proud to finally announce that Fayroe Global will be expanding our business. We will begin manufacturing new weapons for the United States military!”

Gasps of excitement fill the room and the guests begin applauding. William gives them a minute to let it sink in, before raising his hand and quieting the room again.

“Quite ambitious, I know. Along with the weapons manufacturing, we will also be expanding our medical research facility. As many of you have observed, we have a magnificent, new building underway. It will take a few more months to complete construction, but I would like to use this time to adjust to the big changes coming our way. We will need to assemble a team of the very best. From researchers, engineers, doctors, weapons experts, and everything in between. This is, by far, the most aspiring venture yet, and we will need someone to lead the way. The board of directors, Henry and myself have thought long and hard of who this person should be. This person will be the executive administrator of this new branch, and will also have a seat on the board of directors. This is someone who reminds me of myself when I was younger.”

There’s some exciting chatter going around the room.

“Everyone, please raise your glass to the future of this corporation: Alina Monroe!”

My gut instantly drops and I feel a huge lump build in my throat. Did he seriously just say my name? Me? I didn’t even know I could be considered- I have no idea what to say- am I even ready for this? My mind starts running a hundred miles an hour and I hear applause fill the room as William walks towards me with the microphone. Oh god, oh god, no, no, no! I frantically look around the table. My father is smiling, he’s proud and applauding. Alexia is mouthing the words “congratulations!” with her gorgeous and excited smile. Okay, you can wake up now, Alina, this is all just a dream, wake up, wake up! Except I don’t wake up. I pinch myself, feeling the pain, confirming this isn’t a dream. 

I stand up as William reaches me, it only takes a few seconds but my mind is racing, slowing down the time. He pats me on the shoulder, smiling and congratulating me. I smile back, and try not to look like a deer in headlights, as he hands me the mic. I’m shaking, but I’m doing my best to try and hide it.

“Uh, hi-” I begin, I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves to the best of my ability, which is harder than it sounds because my mouth went dry, “wow, what an honor. Thank you, Mr. Fay, and thank you to the board of directors for choosing me. I am- am honestly- speechless at this incredible opportunity. I will not let you guys down. Thank you.”

I hand the microphone back to William and he smiles again, “everyone, please enjoy the rest of the evening, and thank you all for coming tonight.” He switches off the microphone and puts it down on the table. The music resumes and the guests are filled with excited chatter, or maybe it’s gossiping, who knows. He turns to face me and can still see the look of shock on my face. 

“Mr. Fay, I didn’t even realize I was even a candidate. I have so many questions-”

“Oh, my dear, we have all of Monday to discuss this. I already have the time set aside for you. Take this weekend as an opportunity to celebrate and let it all sink in. I know you’ll be great.” He goes back to his seat to finish his dessert.

My dad walks over to me and pulls me in for a warm embrace. “Alina, it’s okay, sweetheart, calm down, you wouldn’t be put in any position we didn’t think you were ready for.” I think he can feel my heart racing.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this, dad?”

“And ruin the big surprise for you? Never. Honey, we see how hard you’ve worked for this already, you just didn’t realize it. There is no one who deserved this more than you.” He gives me a loving kiss on my cheek, “I’m so proud of you.” One last hug, and he heads back to his seat. The rest of the evening is a blur of guests congratulating me, and my mind trying to let it all soak in. The gears in my head are already turning, getting ready for whatever tasks lay ahead of me.