The Party Girl: A Novel

1 | Her Entrance

John

November 15

I'm the king of parties, but this one wasn't one I was looking forward to.

My name is John Halloway, but you probably already know that. I'm basically New York royalty. I grew up in a rich household. I've never known what it's like not to be able to afford something. I've had maids, I've had chiefs, I've had everything that rich people have. Ever since I've inherited the family mansion, I've held parties at the end of each month. The whole city looks forward to them.

The party I'm attending tonight isn't going to be a fun one. My rival is holding it, and he invited me. He loves to brag about his riches and make me feel bad, even though I have everything he has and more. His name is Jonathan Thornton, and he's the second richest man in New York, after me. We love to compete against each other to prove we're better than the other. Our parties are one of the ways we do this.

He promised me I'd find love. He knows I've been struggling to. He knows I'm lonely, having my mansion all to myself. Though he loves to prove me wrong, he agreed to help me with this one thing, since he says he can see me drowning in depression thinking about it.

"Are you ready to go, John?", my maid, Hannah, asked.

"I'm almost done. I just need to get one thing.", I responded. I walked into my walk-in closet and grabbed a ring. It wasn't an engagement ring, nor a wedding ring. It was just a ring, though an expensive one. I told myself that I would give it to someone if I found them worthy of marrying me. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but you do ridiculous things when you're rich.

I put the ring in a ring box and put the box in my coat pocket, and started the walk to the front door. When I got there, Hannah was waiting for me. I saw a limo outside of the door, the driver waiting for me.

"Ok." I said to Hannah. "I'm ready."

I walked out the door. The driver opened the limo door for me, and I got in.

"Have a great time Mr. Halloway."

When I got to John's estate, he's outside, greeting all of his guests.

"Welcome to the party, Mr. Halloway!", he said to me, going in for a hug.

"It's nice to see you, John.", I said, accepting the hug.

When I walked into the party, I could see there's a lot of people there already. A lot of people recognized me, but some didn't until someone told them. All eyes were on me. I was used to that. When you're the richest man in New York City, you always have eyes on you.

I walked around for a few minutes, admiring the people who roamed the party. So far, I couldn't find anyone who interested me. I tried to enjoy the party and not look for someone. I do this at every party, look for someone for myself. I shouldn't though. I should learn to enjoy the party and not worry about finding a wife.

It was then when someone came into the door. Someone I recognized instantly. Her name is Anna Walton. She's also rich, but could care less about her money. She's always got a book in her hand and a song in her heart. She has an older brother named Dean, who she loves very much. Anna is best friends with billionaire Daisy Owens. I've heard they have dinner together every Friday night, so they can talk about their weeks and the latest gossip. I've always found Anna interesting, but was never attracted to her. Then again, I never thought about it before. I decided to make it my goal to talk to her tonight. Maybe she could be the one.

I made my way up to her and tapped on her shoulder.