Page 31 of Mafia and Gold Digger

“Hey, Em.” I jump as I hear a voice behind me. It belongs to Addison. The casino is already busier than usual. “You didn’t tell me that your boyfriend’s mother was having a private party here today.”

“Didn’t I?” I say in a weak voice. I check the time on my watch and rush behind the bar and clock in, hoping that I don’t look as flustered as I feel. This isn’t how I’d envisioned my shift would go.

A little while later, I feel my heart sink when I notice Ronnie’s ma come up to the bar to get another glass of champagne.

“I’ll serve her,” Addison murmurs, and I flash her a grateful smile.

Even though my hands are clean, I go to the small basin at the rear of the bar and wash. It’s no secret that his ma doesn’t like me. Emotions swirl within me as everything she said earlier reruns through my mind. I wash my hands again and again, trying to let the ritual soothe me. The nail varnish on my thumb starts to peel at the edges, and shaking my head, I tell myself that I’ll only wash them once more, and then I have to stop. Because I don’t want anyone noticing and thinking I’m strange.

I definitely don’t want to have to deal with Ronnie’s ma at this party. I’m just going to have to stay out of her way so that I can avoid her acerbic tongue and cutting comments.

I see Saint sitting at the other end of the bar. Oh jeez, why do I have to deal with him today as well? But luckily, I get called over by someone else wanting a round of drinks, so I have the perfect excuse to ignore him.

Things quickly become busy at the bar as more attendees for the party arrive. I lose count of the number of drinks I prepare, my attention split between my work and looking for Ronnie.

I’ve only caught his eye in the briefest of glances, and he even gave me a small smile, but I’d be lying if I say it doesn’t sting a bit that he actually hasn’t come over to talk to me since the party started. He always reassures me that he doesn’t care what his ma or anyone thinks, although sometimes I wonder if he’s telling me the truth.

“Oh, God, what areyoudoing here?” An annoying, nasal voice interrupts my thoughts. I don’t even have to turn around to know that it’s Ria Gioberti.Just great.It’s like all my least favorite people in the world have decided to come together tonight just to make sure that I have the shift from hell. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” she hisses. “Aren’t you too poor to frequent these sorts of gatherings? And I don’t want people to think I socialize with someone from the gutter…”

I grit my teeth before turning around to face her. “I’m working, obviously. Do you want a drink?” I know that I have to be polite to her because I can’t risk one of the supervisors hearing me be rude toward a customer. I really wish I could say something to Ria and tell her to leave me the hell alone. But when I confronted her at school once, she got her mother to come in and complain about me being verbally abusive toward her. It was my word against Ria’s, and I was warned at the time that I could lose my scholarship place if I got into any further incidents. Money talks, and Ria’s family has plenty while my family has next to none. And at work now, it’s exactly the same thing—I can’t risk getting in trouble because I desperately need this job. I just have to bite my tongue and keep my retorts inside me, the whole time my mind conjuring up all the things I wish I could say to Ria.

She tosses her golden hair over her shoulder and demands a martini.

I tug down at my dress which is riding up a little too much, probably due to the few pounds I’ve put on recently.

She looks me up and down, a gleam in her gaze. “Hmm, your uniform looks a bit too snug. You’ve obviously gainedeven moreweight. You really need to lose a few pounds if you want to keep a man.” She snickers as she watches me. Her cronies have come up behind her and join in with her laughter.

I wince as I hear the cruel words. She is a size zero, and it’s something she constantly boasts about, like her weight is something that makes her totally superior to me.

And noticing my embarrassment, she zeros in on my discomfort. “You’ve obviously been at the cupcakes again, Emerald,” she sneers as she cackles another laugh at my expense.

I can’t help the flush of red that rushes up my cheeks. I stiffen my spine and glare at her. “Yeah, and they were delicious—all three of them.”

Her mouth drops slightly. I doubt she even remembers what sugar tastes like, what with her obsession over being a size zero. I feel a small swell of satisfaction at her expression. Because I’m not letting that mean girl fat-shame me. So what if I’ve turned to sugary treats a bit too much lately? It’s hardly surprising with everything I’m dealing with right now.

Pouring her drink as fast as I can, I’m relieved when she prances off with her friends, thankful that she has other things to occupy her tonight instead of sticking around to insult me. I try to let my job distract me, telling myself that I’m here to work and earn some money. Ria looks over and smirks at me. Why does she keep giving me looks like the cat who’s got the cream? It’s giving me the creeps. I shake my head. She’s just trying to gloat that she’s enjoying herself while I have to work.

An hour or so passes, and I’m kept busy with all the drinks orders that keep coming in. I’m trying to ignore Ria, which is hard when she keeps shooting me a smug look like she’s just got given an exclusive ticket to the Chanel catwalk show.

I wince as a loud, piercing sound fills the casino. Someone fiddles with a microphone, and conversation ebbs away as people turn toward the small stage.

Ronnie’s ma is standing there, looking like the poised mafia housewife she is. No doubt she’s about to make some boring speech. I wonder if anyone will notice if I sneak off for a quick break…

“I’d like to thank everyone for joining us here today to celebrate my birthday,” she starts, her gaze sweeping across the room. Ronnie and his father join her, standing off to the side as she continues. “This is such an important day for my family.” She looks over at someone in the crowd and waves them over. “Please join us…”

I look across, but I can’t see who she’s waving to.

“And I can’t think of a better time or place to make this special announcement.” She pauses for dramatic effect. “To strengthen the bond between our families, I’m absolutely thrilled to announce the engagement of my handsome Ronnie to the lovely Ria Gioberti!”

The room erupts with chatter and thundering applause.

I watch Ronnie and Ria step forward on the stage.

But I can’t hear anything going on around me.

It’s like time slows down to a crawl. Everything is unnaturally still, just like waves that lull before a shattering storm.

My lungs refuse to take in air as I watch that awful girl kiss Ronnie—my boyfriend—to celebrate her engagement.

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