Author's POV.
The next morning, Scarlett's eyes fluttered open, a pounding headache blurring her vision for the first few seconds. As she attempted to blink her confusion away, her vision slowly becoming clearer, she jolted awake, immediately regretting it as the pounding against her temples got even worse.
She looked around the rustled satin sheets, trying to figure out what had led to her being in this strange room. She wasn't naked, but what was she wearing? The black, sleeved button-up caressed her skin softly. Even at a glance, she could tell it was disgustingly expensive. But whose was it?
Suddenly, the silhouette of a man brushed her memory and she let out a gasp.
"Oh my…I had a one night stand." She whispered under her breath, her eyes wide with surprise.
Fighting against the wave of discomfort around her scalp, she tried and tried to remember what the man that had partaken in this intimate act with her looked like, but she came up short.
Never in her life had she been so drunk that she forgot an entire night. The evening before felt like fragments, like something had hijacked her consciousness and pulled her into the abyss.
"I'm never drinking again. What was I even thinking?" She mumbled, still trying to recall the man's face while searching for her phone admist the chaos.
'Wait a minute.' she thought to herself.
'How come he left so early? Did he not have a good time?' It was just 7am in the morning and this man had already disappeared.
Her ringtone cut off her sour thoughts.
"Hey girl! How-"
"How could you?" Scarlett exclaimed, exasperated that her best friend would let her make such reckless decisions.
"How could I set you up with that fine ass man? No need to thank me darling." She giggled from the other end, clearly not wiped out from their excessive alcohol consumption last night.
"Ouch. Can you not laugh so loudly?" Scarlett hissed, slowly dismounting the bed to get dressed.
"Sorry. Forgot you're a lightweight. There's some aspirin waiting for you at home."
"Okay. I'm on my way. And when this hangover dies down, you better run." She muttered, reaching for her purse and stuffing the black shirt inside.
"I'll keep that in mind. See you soon. Can't wait to hear all the details."
With an eye roll Scarlett ended the call, proceeding to sneak out of the club like a thief.
She called a cab who took her to Layla's apartment. When the cab stopped at the towering building, she reached for her debit card, handing it to the driver.
He slid it over his machine but it beeped, unresponding to the card. He swiped again and the same thing happened.
He turned to her with a hiss. "Are you trying to scam me, ma'am?"
"Of course not. Try it one more time." A daunting thought was beginning to creep in, one she refused to accept until it beeped for the third time.
"Something must be wrong with it. Just give me a moment." Her voice was shaky, her fingers trembling as she dialed Layla's number.
"Hello?" Layla answered on the first ring. Scarlett had never been more grateful for her friend's phone addiction.
"Could you please come down with your card? Mine isn't working for some reason."
"Sure, I'll be right there."
She breathed in a shaky breath, keeping mute as the driver complained she was wasting his time till Layla finally showed up, adding in a little extra tip for his patience before driving off.
"You look freshly-"
"I think my parents cut off my card," Scarlett blurted out, unable to hold back the thought.
"What?" Layla exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.
"You heard me." Scarlett rubbed her palms together nervously as they made their way inside.
Layla was silent as they got into the elevator with an older woman. Despite the air conditioner being on full blast, beads of sweat formed on Scarlett's temples.
Immediately they reached their floor Layla burst out with an influx of questions.
"How sure are you? Would they really go that far? Should I go and talk to them?"
"Definitely not!" Scarlett snapped as Layla slid open the apartment door and closed it behind them.
"How can I know for sure?" Scarlett asked, her voice small and trembling. She had hoped the events of last night were just a dream, but reality felt even worse.
"Leave that to me. In the meantime, the aspirin is in the top left drawer and I ordered pizza."
"For breakfast?"
Layla just gave her a sheepish smile and turned to her laptop.
Scarlett's heart raced in her chest, pounding like a wild horse. She took a glass of water, downed the aspirin pills, and bit into the pepperoni pizza Layla had left out.
Her stomach squirmed at the food, sick with anxiety, but she forced it down.
Layla's hurried footsteps echoed from the living room, the sound alone nearly bringing the food back up.
"You're right. Your card is inactive."
Scarlett's world spun at the news. Layla sat her down, trying to calm her, but it was no use. Scarlett stayed shaken, barely speaking for the rest of the day.
She couldn't sleep that night. Her head was filled with memories, before her father started the jewelry company, before money and status consumed him.
Money and status weren't everything to him then. Memories of him reading her bedtime stories and singing her to sleep filled her thoughts. A tear slid down her cheeks, followed by another till she could barely breathe from the force of her sobs.
Her life had taken a toil for the worst but she knew in her heart that she'd lost her parents long before this incident. They'd become a shadow of themselves, lost in the world of bank figures and presumed status.
She reached for her phone and dialed the only person who could truly understand.
"Hey pumpkin. What's up?" Her brother, Liam greeted as he picked up. A sharp inhale was all she could manage, but it was enough to alert him.
"Scarlett? What's wrong?"
"It's Mom and Dad… they-they threw me out." Her voice cracked under the weight of the words.
"What?! When? Why?" he asked, already angry.
Controlling her breath, she told him everything, except the one-night stand she could barely recall.
He spent the next hour comforting her, his words soothing her pain. He promised to support her as much as he could before the call ended.
Even though Liam was in another continent, during those moments it felt like he was right beside her.
She watched the sunrise, still unable to sleep, but with a new sense of purpose thanks to her brother's encouragement. Similar to what Layla had said, she needed to prove to them that she didn't need them.
Quietly, she tip-toed to the living room, careful not to wake Layla. Settling at her work desk, she took one of her laptops, drafting out emails to send to top companies. By the time she was done, it was 9am and Layla had just woken up; perks of being her own boss.
"What're you doing?" She questioned, making a cup of coffee with the espresso machine.
"Just sending out job applications to top companies." Scarlett replied and a warm smile spread across Layla's cheeks.
"I take it you're feeling better."
"Can't mope forever. Now, I'm going to take a long nap." Scarlett replied, returning to the guest room and falling into a deep slumber.
The rest of the week went on in the same fashion, her letters being rejected by all the companies she'd sent her applications to, getting more and more demoralized every day.
By Saturday evening, Scarlett was curled up in the corner of the couch, half-buried in a beige throw blanket, absently scrolling through yet another rejection email. Her chest ached. Not just from disappointment, but from the sharp stab of helplessness she hadn't felt in years.
Layla appeared in the doorway with a hesitant smile, holding two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, extra marshmallows, just how Scarlett liked it. "I was going to wait till later, but I can't stand watching you shrink into that blanket anymore," she said, walking over and handing her a mug.
Scarlett arched an eyebrow. "What did you do?"
"I may have pulled a couple of strings…" Layla trailed off, pretending to sip from her cup. "You've got an interview tomorrow morning."
Scarlett sat up straighter, nearly spilling the drink. "Wait, what?"
Layla grinned. "Knightingale Brewing Co."
Scarlett blinked. "The Knightingale Brewing Co.? As in the beer company with billboards on every damn highway in…the world?"
"The one and only. My brother works there, remember? He said they're looking for a new executive assistant in the marketing division. Told me to send your résumé, and well, he must've liked what he saw. Plus we both know he has a crush on you."
Scarlett stared at her, speechless.
"I know you wanted to do this on your own," Layla said, softening her voice, "but sometimes, even the strongest people need a little push."
The emotions rose like a tide in her throat; relief, gratitude, hope. She leaned in, hugging Layla tightly. "Thank you. Seriously. I... I needed this."
Layla smiled, squeezing her back. "You're gonna kill that interview. And hey, you'll be working for one of the best companies in the world."
Scarlett chuckled, wiping her eyes. "Let's just hope their CEO isn't some psycho billionaire who makes his workers cry."
Layla's smirk deepened, a mischievous look in her eyes "Well then you can have psychotic crying sex."
Scarlett aimed a throw pillow at her, which hit her smack in the face and they both burst out laughing.