Chapter 1
Being a law student is no easy task. I am drowning in case studies that these professors insist we read. It’s either I read them or get absolutely shunned when they decide to do a cold call on me in the middle of class. I am on the way to a cute little cafe in the north end of town, where the upper class tends to mingle. It is currently 1:00, meaning people are going to be gossiping inside the coffee shop I plan on heading to.
I am dressed in a nice pair of loafers with grey striped slacks and a simple white button-up silk shirt. I have my hair neatly tied in a bun on top of my head. I refuse to ever have a lazy day when I am going out. I need to always be dressed the best, you never know who I might run into on my outings.
Older ladies love to talk to me since I am young and look ambitious; they are the ones who will spread my name around to their grumpy husbands, who will desperately need my help in 5 years when my reputation as a lawyer will start to build. Sometimes I even mingle with the ladies and go on outings with them just to keep my name in their minds. People have tried to set me up with sons, but I simply decline and say I am too focused on academics; otherwise, I believe they would shun me from their minds.
These women do not take lightly to any sort of rejection.
I finally arrived at the cafe and took up the server’s offer of a mimosa. I also ordered a flat white and avocado toast to go with it. I have a lot of studying I need to get done. I am sipping on my mimosa, taking out my million pounds of books, when a boy takes a seat at my table. I do not like boys; I prefer to entertain men, but not boys. They are immature and only want sex, something I have not been willing to give anyone. I pretend I do not notice his insufferable presence and continue grabbing pens out of my bag until he takes a sip out of my mimosa. I freeze, take a deep breath, and slowly look up while having a pleasant face. I don’t want to give the crowd the wrong idea.
" I’m Jay Clover. My father owns Clover toys. Who are you?”
“I’m Rayne. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Now, for all things mighty, leave me alone.
" Wanna go out sometime? My friends are throwing this huge party, which looks like booze and herbs if you know what I mean. We would love to have you there.”
And there’s his true colors, he wants me to get high or drunk so I would sleep with him.
“Omg, that sounds like so much fun, I really wish I could come, but I already have plans with my boyfriend this weekend. We are going to his family’s mountain cabin.” Hopefully, the word boyfriend would scare him off. I thought about blaming it on school, but boys like him are annoying; you have to scare him off.
“Ditch him, I’ll pay for your food if you come, I know this place is up there in price, I’m sure a girl like you can’t really afford it.”
How dare he? He was right. I had no business being here, but how dare he?
“No worries, my boyfriend already paid for it; he has me on his black card, he really cares for me.” Maybe if I act stupid, he’ll leave me alone.
“You don’t mind if I sit here, do you?”
I fear he wasn’t really asking a question. This is why I do not like boys; they are annoying and insufferable.
“I really have a lot of work I need to focus on, maybe next time.”
“It’s okay, I’ll be quiet.”
I chose to just ignore him and hope for the best. I put on some headphones and got to reading and jotting down notes, and to my surprise, this boy really did just sit there and do nothing. Sure, he was staring at me like a creep, which he totally was, but at least he was quiet.
Two hours went by before he got up, and he was very dramatic about it. I mean, he was huffing and puffing. Annoyingly tapping his fingers, he just stomped away. Now I can finally relax.
The waiter came back by offering me another mimosa, which I gladly took. I took off my headphones to just relax to the ambience of the place when I overheard the juiciest gossip known to man from the table next to me.
“Did you get the invite to the Caswell ball? I heard it will be their biggest yet. They were even able to get the Vidorean building for it. I heard that it’s impossible to get that building without dropping millions just to rent it.”
Of course, being the nosy girl I am, I jump in on the conversation.
“Omg y’all are going to the ball as well, I am so excited. I know it’s going to be so elegant. I’m sure the bachelors are to die for as well.” I kept a pleasant smile and an annoying girl voice to fit right in with them.”
“Omg, you’re going as well, I feel like I haven’t seen much of you.” This was her way of saying she has no idea who I am and why I am talking to them.
“Well, of course, my father helped plan it; he just prefers to keep me out of the public eye until I’m done with school.”
The patient fell for half a second before recovering.
“Are you Steven Holt’s daughter? I only ever heard remorse. Omg, who are you wearing to the ball? I was going to wear Chanel. I’m Callie, by the way.”
“So nice to meet you, I was thinking of wearing Zimmerman, there was this new exclusive collection that I was able to get my hands on, it will be perfect.” The girl next to Callie just stared in shock and chose not to say anything. I decided I needed to leave before things started to get too crazy.
“I really enjoyed meeting you two, but I truly must get going; I have a lot to do to get ready.”
They smiled as I left in a hurry. I can only pretend so much before I slip somehow.
I started my journey back to my small apartment in Cambridge. I own a German Shepherd named Milo. The thought of actually being alone just terrifies me, so I went to a local shelter and adopted Milo as a puppy. He is only a year old now, but he is the best.
I put on his collar and changed into a running outfit so I can get some of his energy out while we run to the local park. We love to go on runs together, part of the reason I got a German Shepherd. I used to love running until one time I was followed and stopped running for a year. I only recently got back into it when Milo was big enough to be seen as scary.
We headed on our way outside when I came up with literally the best idea. I was going to sneak into the Caswell ball. I know where it is, but I have no idea what time it will start. It was about 3 miles away from me, so I could jog there and be super nosy. I know security will be there.
Our runs through Cambridge are really the most beautiful things there are. The old structures mixed with a touch of modernism and the greenery are everything I want. I want to spend the rest of my life in Cambridge. I arrived at the event’s location and was looking around from probably 100 feet back, looking for any type of worker, but not security. Security would tell me to go away and ignore me, while another worker may spill the beans. Then I see it by a side entrance, a group of guys moving some furniture. I happily skip on over there, mustering up a cute and innocent face. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
“Heyyyyy, what’s going on over here?” I definitely caught them by surprise. They turned around, looking a bit shocked, but then they smirked, creepy.
“Just the event for those stupid, filthy rich people later tonight, surprised they aren’t even making us use key cards to get in.”
“Oh, are they just keeping the door unlocked?”
“Yep, all night, I believe.”
“Oh wow, what time is this event even at? Have I heard anything about it before?”
“You aren’t supposed to, it’s exclusive, but I think it’s around 8, and guests are arriving at 7; they told us we need to be hidden when guests are arriving and throughout the night.” This man was using so much sarcasm that it was making me cringe internally.
“Oh wow, that’s rude of them to say, well, I’d better get going, I have dinner with my daddy later.” I have to get on their ‘good’ side in case I run into them sneaking in. They all laughed and stared at me running away with Milo.
When I got home, it was five, which meant I had two hours, and I still needed to buy something to wear. I quickly showered and did a little bit of makeup, and dressed in my nice clothes to go shopping. Right down the road was a designer mall. I may not have a lot of money, but I was good at saving, and I was willing to splurge. If I needed to, I could always resell as well. Sometimes I will grab a counterfeit product if the time calls for it, like purses and shoes, and even jewelry. I put on some fake sandals and a cute dress and grabbed a purse I bought from Italy online, and headed to the mall after kissing Milo.
I only had an hour to spare at the mall, so I had to be quick. I hit only the big stores like Chanel and Dior. I preferred their style over other brands. I finally settled on a dress that somehow fit me like a glove.
