Princess of the Elite

How Much?

Despite the men in immaculate suits and the woman in elaborate dresses, who hung onto their arms as if their life depended on it, the party was dull.

The man next to me puffed out his chest as he explained to me just how many zero's were in his bank account. I'm not exactly sure but I think it was around the fourth or fifth zero when my patience finally snapped. I downed the remaining contents of my champagne glass before standing up from the table. The man didn't even notice my absence as he continued his speech, now going into detail about each one of the shiny cars that sat in his garage.

Dodging the men whose eyes were so obviously trained on the breasts of the woman before them and sidestepping the girls whose fake laughs were just a little too loud, I finally made it to the door at the far side of the banquet hall. A large man stood in front of the door to check the credentials of anyone who tried to enter. His height was daunting and the suit he was wearing did nothing to hide his intimidating build. Behind his sunglasses, I could see his attentive gaze missed no detail as he scanned the people before him. The party-goers around him were so obviously off-put by the presence of the burly man and I shrugged off their wary glances as I approached him.

"Hey Danny, is my father in there?"

"Yes, he is. Go right ahead, Mrs. Viotto," his voice completely void of emotion.

I cast him an appreciative smile as he opened the door and allowed me entrance to the casino den.

The banquet hall, where most of the guests convened, was filled with people hiding their insecurities and bland personalities under designer clothing and pounds of makeup. The air was stale and suffocating, and just like the personalities of the guests, it sucked the life right out of you. The casino den, however, is where the elites of the elites gathered. At each one of my father's events there was a party within a party as if to remind everyone that no matter how elite you might believe yourself to be, there is always another hoop to jump through. The people who populated this room didn't bother to hide their cruel personalities behind insincere remarks and poor facades. The only thing they bothered to conceal was the hand they'd been dealt and their true intentions.

The heavy atmosphere of the room clung to my skin and my nose turned up at the strong stench of cigars. I grabbed another flute of champagne from a waiter as he made his rounds throughout the crowd. The gambling tables that littered the room were alight with activity. Excited cheers, despondent groans, and shifting glances from anxious betters were in abundance.

After some searching, I spotted my father, Carlos Viotto, at the back corner of the room in deep conversation with the men at his table. Their receding hairlines and salt n pepper beards revealed they were much older and most likely much higher in status than most of the guests present. Whatever they were currently debating must have a large sum of money resting on its success, as nothing else could explain the deep furrow in my father's brow. As I approached the table, the heated exchange ceased, and all eyes were focused on me.

"Jade, darling, are you enjoying yourself?"

My father asked as he moved from his seat to embrace me, the worried expression fading from his face as he did so.

Mr. Viotto was a very influential man with billions of dollars to his name. These parties he often hosted were a way of playing politics, keeping up appearances, establishing connections, and other things of the like. While I had no interest in making connections with any of the people my father associated with I always attended these dreadful parties for his sake.  It had been almost three hours since I got here and with each mind-blowingly boring conversation, I found myself craving the warm comfort of my bed.

"The party was wonderful, Father. I'm actually here to say goodbye."

"Are you sure you don't want to try your hand at the poker table before you go?" He asked, completely oblivious to my obvious urge to go home.