5 1.4 The CEO

The morning of the charity ball arrived, and Sonja had to, surprisingly, be there for setup. Groaning in her bed, she looked at her phone, which nearly blinded her. Closing her eyes then slowly opening then again, she read the time, which read 6:30 AM, which wasn't bad. However, Sonja was never a morning person, not this soul nor the original. This meant that it was absolute torture for her to get up before 10 AM. Rolling out of bed and wobbling to the bathroom took longer than it needed to be, but Sonja couldn't have cared less. Quickly getting reading and throwing on a black T-shirt and jeans, her attire for the charity ball, she made her way to the door, only stopping to grab the muffin her mom had made for her. Bless her.

Walking down the street and munching on the muffin at the same time, Sonja slowly made her way to her destination, which was two miles away. When she got there, the time was 8:00 AM, which was the time she was supposed to be there to help out. Sonja would have come late, but she couldn't risk losing this opportunity.

"Hey Sonja, can you sort out the alcohol? The bar is still being finalized by the design crew. Most of the wine and champagne goes where the kitchen is, but keep about ten or so of each for the bar, though. The placement and sorting style is all yours." A woman called out to Sonja as soon as she set foot inside the huge hall where the ball would be held. This was Constanza Kertész, a Colombian woman who was in charge of the organization of this ball. Following the direction in which Constanza was pointing, Sonja made her way over to where the crates of alcohol were held, not forgetting to say "good morning" as she passed by her.

Sorting out and transferring supplies and bottles took much longer than Sonja anticipated, forcing her to work through her lunch to get through them all and stay on time. When she got done at around 2 PM, she marveled at the bar she would be working at while her stomach made noises akin to a growl from the depths of hell. After quickly grabbing a bite to eat lest her stomach devours itself, Sonja did some menial tasks, such as wiping down the bar and chairs, preparing her equipment and glasses, as well as table decorating, since some of the waiters were on break.

Since it was almost time for the guests to arrive, Sonja did some last minute cleaning of her bar in case of any dust or dirt and threw her hair up into a high ponytail. Sonja also put on some nude lipstick and mascara to highlight her most prominent features: her lips and eyes, not needing anything else. She would have done more, but a mere bartender can't overshadow the lady guests, not like it's hard. Straightening out her shirt, she waited for the fun to begin.

At 7:30 PM, the guests began to arrive. It first started out as a trickle, then around 8:00 PM, it became a surge. The hall soon was filled it the noise of idle chatter and classical music. The people inside the hall varied from old to young, tall to short, business tycoon or military personnel, but they all had one thing in common: they were all filthy rich. There were even a few patrons at the bar, but not many, as it would be unsightly to get drunk before the main event.

Sonja served them with a reserved smile, as she wasn't interested in them bragging about their net worth or their seemingly-flirtatious-but-in-actuality-very-creepy advancements. She was looking for two people: Rebekka, who was to appear with her boss/lover, and the male lead, though she didn't know what he looked like. Sonja was just relying on the system and the male lead's halo, which surely would make him stand out from the rest of the crowd.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity and a half, Rebekka had arrived. She was wearing a seemingly modest dress, with a not too deep neckline and long sleeves, but that image was crushed as soon as someone looked at her right side. A long slit running from a few inches below her hip to the hem of her royal blue dress, which was brushing against the ground, completely ruined the mature and elegant look for an elegant-but-provocative look. At a glance, it was apparent that Rebekka had chosen this dress herself, as she looked confident in it and her boss was none too happy with all the people looking at her. Her makeup, at a distance, was beautiful, but if you were closer to her, you could see that there was just way too much on her face, destroying any natural beauty she may have had.

Sonja smirked, this was too easy. Pointing out Rebekka to the male lead would destroy anything romantic that may bloom between them, as it was stated in the original story that he liked Rebekka's "cute and natural look", in which she has neither at the moment. So, with an updated game-plan, she grinned downward as she wiped a glass as to not attract any unnecessary attention, as an almost empty or completely empty bar is needed to attract the male lead.

After two, long, torturous hours, the main event was done and the socializing period began. This was the most critical time to snag the male lead's attention, as he would escape this, head to the bar for some drinks, then go outside. Sonja curiously looked outside to see if Sonja was out there already and almost laughed. It was pitch black outside, she couldn't even see a hundred feet out the window to her left because the light from the hall couldn't penetrate that far. No wonder the male lead didn't notice Rebekka's caked up face, he couldn't see her! He must have recognized her voice for the story to progress. Looking away from the window since she couldn't see anything, Sonja spied Rebekka in near the middle of the crowd, an opening between groups allowing her to do so. Sonja only saw her back, but it was apparent that Rebekka didn't know what to do in a situation like this, relying on her boss, who was right next to her, to bail her out of any sticky spots.

Stifling her laughter, Sonja continued to wipe glasses as she envisioned Rebekka embarrassing herself so badly she had to excuse herself to "get some fresh air", not really paying attention to her surroundings. This is why a short, impatient cough startled her so badly she almost jumped. Turning her head to where the noise came from, brows furrowed ever so slightly, she froze, nearly dropping her glass, for there in front of her was the male lead, Sebastian Iliescu.