Page 75 of Unwillingly His

Signing up for my first New York City library card in my twenties seemed ridiculous.

But there I was.

I just needed to use the computers, and I had seen on some crime shows that the easiest way for people not to see your search history is to use a public computer. I thought about spending part of my allowance on a small laptop or tablet, but I wasn’t sure if Lucian had some way to track my internet.

I knew his butler would rat me out if I asked for the WIFI password.

Three hours later, I was sitting at a coffee shop down the road, sipping my caramel macchiato and looking over the stack of pages I had printed out.

I considered looking into my legal options while at the library, but what could I find with Internet Explorer in two hours that my lawyer, with his years of experience and law school, couldn’t figure out? No, my energy was going to be better spent on finding a job so I could support myself.

Maybe if I got in front of a judge and proved that I was mentally stable, of sound mind and body, and financially responsible, then he would reverse the decision and give me my life back.

“Stella? Is that you?” a familiar and almost musical voice asked.

I looked up to see a woman I didn’t recognize at first.

She was wearing a pantsuit from at least three seasons ago that didn’t quite fit her right. She was gorgeous, her auburn hair pulled into a high ponytail, highlighting her light blue eyes, which had dark bags under them. She was a beautiful girl who looked like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown and holding her sanity together with duct tape. A sentiment I could very much relate to.

“I’m sorry, do I…”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I think we’ve only met a few times. I’m Emma Zeigler. My brother is…”

“Of course. Your brother was going to marry Charlotte. We met at the engagement party.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

It was Emma, but she looked so different. At the engagement party, she had been dressed in a stunning gown, her face was perfection, and even her gorgeous hair was done in a complicated updo. She was absolutely radiant, and I remembered being so jealous.

This girl got to live the fairy tale fantasies that I’d had as a child. She was a wealthy, stunning woman with a fantastic accent, and she had a title.

“That’s right,” she said again, her now worn smile not reaching her tired eyes.

“Would you like to join me?” I asked, not forgetting all of my manners.

“Uh...” She looked around for a moment and looked like she was going to say no, then changed her mind at the last moment. “Well, maybe for a moment, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” I smiled and signaled for the waiter. “How have you been?”

“Well, I suppose you have heard the gossip about my situation and family?”

“No, actually, I hadn’t. I’m sorry I’ve been kind of out of the loop lately.”

“Oh, that’s right. I am so sorry I heard about your parents. That must have been absolutely awful.” She reached over and laid her hand on mine in a moment of true sympathy that felt genuine, and I appreciated the connection.

After the accident, when I woke up in the hospital, the room was full of flowers and condolences, but with the exception of Charlotte and Amelia, I hadn’t heard from any of my friends. I guess it proved who my real friends were.

Emma looked down at the papers that I was holding and gave me a sad smile. “I suppose your circumstances have changed like mine have.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your job hunt. That’s actually what I’m doing here as well, applying for a waitress position.”

“A waitress?”

“After Charlotte and my brother’s engagement broke, a lot of information came out of the woodwork about my brother. It seems my family owed several creditors, and they were counting on Charlotte’s money to pay them off. When that clearly wasn’t going to happen, they called in the debts. My brother has run off somewhere to avoid prosecution, leaving me and my mother completely destitute. They even stripped our titles.”

“So you’re looking at waitressing?”

---