Nearby, Elise and Ally had noticed the tension between her and Brayan–and also the way Catalina’s mood had clearly dipped. They exchanged looks, clearly ready to throw a few more cheap insults Jennifer’s way to cheer Catalina up.
But before they could approach, a hotel staff member in uniform came rushing over.
“Excuse me, are you Ms. Griffin?”
Jennifer nodded.
The staff member held something out to her.
“Hi there, I’m from Z&M. Our store manager asked me to deliver this to you.”
Only then did Jennifer realize–Joanna had sent someone over with a dress for her.
Joanna, the manager of Z&M, was an old acquaintance.
“Pretty impressive that you figured out who I was without even knowing me,” Jennifer said casually, offering a light compliment.
The staffer smiled. “The manager told me, ‘Don’t worry if you don’t know what she looks like–just look for the most beautiful woman in the hotel. That’ll be Ms. Griffin for sure.”
The flattery made Jennifer a little embarrassed. Off to the side, Catalina and her entourage stood fuming, their expressions turning darker by the second.
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Jennifer paid them no mind. Cradling the dress in her arms, she turned to look for a changing room. Just then, a cleaning lady came hurrying over, apologizing as she led the way.
“Sony again for messing up your outfit earlier,” she said. “The
manager asked me to take you upstairs–there’s a dressing room on the second floor.”
And just like that. Jennifer disappeared, leaving Catalina, Ronan, Elise, and Ally standing around, completely thrown.
By the time Jennifer returned, the opulent lobby of Royalpine Hotel was lit with stunned admiration.
She descended the sweeping spiral staircase from the second floor, drawing every eye in the room.
Gone was the janitor’s uniform. In its place, she wore a breathtaking evening gown.
Her long, softly curled hair shimmered under the light of the crystal chandelier–every strand catching the glow like fine silk.
The dress was dramatic and elegant: a voluminous black gown with intricate dark red rose embroidery across the bodice, delicately adorned with Swarovski crystals. Under the lights, it sparkled with quiet opulence and modern edge..
With each step down, she looked like a queen descending to meet her court. Everyone in the lobby stopped to watch.
She walked straight to the double keyboard at the center of the room, sat gracefully, and began to play.
Catalina could no longer make sense of anything.
‘How has Jennifer gone from janitor… to pianist?” she thought.
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And that gown–she recognized it instantly as a Z&M piece.
While it wasn’t as outrageously expensive as her own, Z&M was a rising brand created by an up–and–coming designer, beloved by socialites and young heiresses alike. The dresses were notoriously hard to buy, and even harder to borrow.
It had quietly become a symbol of taste and status.
So what gives Jennifer the right?” she wondered.
There was no way Brayan had bought it for her.
Which meant… ‘She has a new backer? she wondered.
The thought nearly made Catalina’s head explode. There was no room left in her mind to appreciate the music.
Elise and Ally weren’t doing any better. They couldn’t understand a thing about the performance–they were too busy drowning in envy.
But the most stunned of all was Ronan.
He had no idea Jennifer could play–let alone play like this.
She wasn’t just good. She was extraordinary.
For Jennifer, sitting in front of a keyboard–any keyboard–was something she’d sworn off long ago.
Tonight, she was only here as a favor to Lydia.
Lydia’s cousin happened to be the lobby manager at this hotel. That evening, the hotel’s owner was hosting a private dinner for some high- profile guests, including a famous pianist. The lobby manager was desperate to have someone talented perform, just to save face in front of the guest of honor.
Chaphics
Lydia had asked everyone she could think of. In the end, she reached out to Jennifer.
She knew Jennifer had sworn never to play again. But she was truly out of options, so she sent a desperate message, asking if Jennifer might reconsider–just this once.
Jennifer could tell she was at the end of her rope. If it wasn’t that serious, Lydia never would’ve asked.
So she agreed–on one condition: could the piano be swapped for a double keyboard?
It could be programmed to sound like a grand piano. Back in juvenile detention, there had been no real pianos–only an old electronic keyboard. It had been her escape.
And so, the hotel made the last–minute switch.
When a cleaner accidentally ruined her clothes earlier, Jennifer had called in a favor from Z&M’s store manager, who rushed over with a dress to save the night.
Before the gown arrived, Jennifer had slipped on a work uniform–her own clothes had been sent off for cleaning by housekeeping.
She’d grown up surrounded by music. It came naturally to her, and she loved it deeply.
