Something flickers in his gaze. “Good.”
He leaves, slamming the door in his wake. I expect more tears to come, but they don’t. No, I feel hollow inside.
Was he playing with me the entire time? My head throbs and I feel like I’m going to be sick. How could I be such a fool? Am I the joke that they all laugh about when my back is turned? And what about Al? Have I misread the situation with him? I think he likes me, but now I can’t be sure.
Grabbing my phone, I send Al a text.
Al (works for Jafar)
Hey, are you still interested in going with me tonight? I know Jafar was kind of rude.
Not sure what’s up his ass, but YES. I’m still game if you are.
Awesome. I’ll see you at the hotel.
There’s a mirror hanging on the wall. I make sure I look okay before I walk out of the study. Everyone is waiting, including Jafar, who glares at me.
Jasmine says, “There you are. We were starting to think we were going to have to leave you behind.”
I wish they would have left. It would make this a lot easier.
I force a smile on my face. “I’m ready.”
The elevator ride is tense, and Jasmine makes a joke about Jafar being in a mood. He doesn’t answer her, which might be worse than if he snapped. We reach the lobby and are ushered outside, where a black limo waits. I climb in last, thankfully ending up far away from Jafar. Dru and Jasmine take selfies as we ride across town, but I just can’t seem to get into the spirit of things.
We reach the hotel and I scramble from the limo. I bypass the line of photographers, though everyone else stops. Richard is waiting inside the hotel wearing a tux that he doesn’t look comfortable in.
“Ellie, you look nice.”
“You do, too.”
“Thanks. I always hate coming to events like these, but Dru loves them.”
“That means you’re a good husband. I’m glad she has you.”
For the first time in my life, I mean it sincerely and without any bad feelings toward him or Dru. I pat his shoulder as I pass. Inside the ballroom, I’m awed by the changes that have been made. It’s truly like stepping into a fairytale wonderland. Gemma sees me and waves me over, where she introduces me to her husband, who isn’t what I expected to be married to such a vibrant personality. He smiles before rushing off to get her a drink.
She says, “Ignore him. He gets nervous at events like this. You’d think after all this time he’d get used to it.”
“I can’t blame him. There are so many people here. Did you see the star from those Marvel films?” I fan myself. “I can’t believe he’s here.”
“Tell me about it! If we’re feeling brave, we’ll have to track him down and ask for a selfie. We can ask how his sweet rescue dog is doing.”
That has me laughing. “If you lead, I will follow.”
She gestures at my dress. “Before I forget to say it, you look amazing, Ellie.”
“You look so amazing, too.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, this was a good idea. I can’t wait to see how much money we’re going to raise tonight.”
“Me too.”
Just then, I spot Al across the room, standing in a corner.
“Excuse me.”
She follows my gaze and grins. “Don’t let me hold you up. I expect to hear all the juicy details on Monday.”