By the time my shift finally ended… I was exhausted.
Three hours of picking up glasses, napkins, spilled drinks, and whatever else guests decided to abandon like the floor was their personal trash can.
And three hours of pretending I didn't exist while people whispered about the guy who made Dylan Donovan apologize.
That attention was not something I wanted.
By the time the last guests began leaving, the cleaners were already moving through the hall again.
The fancy music had stopped.
The glamorous tense atmosphere had disappeared.
Now the place just looked like the aftermath of an expensive storm.
I dragged a trash bag toward the service hallway where the rest of the staff were gathering.
My back hurt. And my brain still hadn't processed everything that happened tonight.
"Eli."
I froze.
Our supervisor stood near the doorway, with her arms folded. And from the look on her face…I already knew this wasn't going to be pleasant.
I wiped my hands on my apron and walked over. "Yes ma'am."
Her eyes narrowed. "What exactly were you thinking tonight?"
"I… don't actually know where to start."
"You embarrassed the entire staff," she continued. "Do you understand who those people are?"
"Yes," I said quietly.
"The Donovan family."
She leaned closer. "Exactly." Her voice dropped lower. "And you humiliated one of their heirs in front of the entire room."
My head snapped up.
"I didn't humiliate him. He accused me of stealing."
"You still should have kept your mouth shut."
Then she pulled a small envelope from her pocket and held it out. "Your payment."
I took it slowly.
The envelope felt light.
I opened it, and counted the bills.
My stomach dropped. "Wait." My hands trembled, nervously. "This is wrong."
Her expression didn't change. "No, it isn't."
"Yes, it is."
I held up the money. "This is almost half of my pay."
"You created unnecessary attention tonight."
I rubbed my face slowly. "I cleared my name."
"That doesn't matter."
I stared at her. "So I should've just stood there and let him call me a thief?"
"You should have behaved like an employee."
"I behaved like a human being."
The room had gone quiet around us.
The other cleaners nearby were quiet now, pretending not to listen. Nobody wanted to get involved.
She sighed impatiently. "Consider it a lesson."
My throat tightened.
That money wasn't just money. That was bus fare. Food. A week of not worrying about how I was going to survive.
And now almost half of it had disappeared because a rich guy decided to ruin my night. "That's not fair."
"You're lucky you're getting anything at all."
Arguing wasn't going to fix this. It never did.
I folded the envelope carefully and slipped it into my pocket. "Fine."
I turned to leave. "Eli."
Her voice stopped me.
I looked back. Her stern expression still hadn't changed. "You're fired."
My eyes widened.
The words didn't feel real.
Like they had been said to someone else."What?!"
"You caused trouble with the Donovan family."
My chest felt hollow. "You can't just…."
But she was already walking away. Like the conversation was over.
I stood there for a few seconds, staring at the empty hallway where she had disappeared.
I rubbed my face slowly, and walked toward the exit.
Charles walked past me. "Rough night?" he asked.
"You have no idea."
"Still alive though. You did a great job today." He gave me a small salute.
"See you tomorrow."
My throat tightened.
For a second, I almost told him 'I just got fired.'
Instead I just nodded. "Yeah."
I stuffed my hands into ny pocket, and walked out of the mansion.
The Donovan mansion behind me was still glowing with lights.
The driveway was quieter now.
Only a few cars remained.
I rubbed the back of my neck, and exhaled slowly. "Whatever."
No point standing here complaining.
I should head home.
Except…
Home wasn't exactly peaceful either. Because my version of family drama was nothing like the one inside that mansion. But at least theirs came with money.
Mine just came with yelling. A stepmother who clearly hated my existence. And a father who disappeared whenever things got difficult.
I dropped my head, and started walking toward the bus stop.
Apparently…tonight's drama wasn't over yet.
Because if the Donovans were chaotic…
My family was worse.