CHAPTER 1: Invisible Staff

Sophia lifted one edge of her veil with two fingers, careful not to wrinkle it, though she had no trouble wrinkling a woman's dignity in front of three hundred guests.
"This is exactly why staff should stay invisible," she said.
A few people glanced down at their champagne glasses.
No one stepped forward.
That was the part Elena knew too well. Cruelty in a luxury hotel rarely arrived as a shout. It came dressed in perfume, satin, and old money. It smiled while asking someone else to disappear.
Elena kept one hand on the edge of Sophia's gown train. The fabric was heavy, flawless, and worth more than some employees made in a month.
Margaret's diamond bracelet caught the chandelier light as she folded her arms.
"Careful," Margaret said. "If she damages it again, I want her fired before dinner service."
Elena did not flinch.
She thought of the hotel staff lined up earlier that evening, nervous and overworked, warned by Margaret's planner that one mistake would cost them their jobs.
She thought of the young server Sophia had made cry over a napkin fold.
She thought of how easily wealthy guests mistook restraint for weakness.
Then Elena released the gown train gently.