“Oh.” I swallowed hard. I was usually really careful about checking the to: section of an email, but with everything going on in my life, I must have not double checked like usual.
“I rather suspected it was you and not Anastasia. The work was too good. When you emailed me, it just confirmed it.”
“So you’re here because of the research? I’m doing my best. I just got it and-”
The senator held up her hand to stop me. “I’m here because you shouldn’t be doing it. I was promised that Anastasia was as good as you. That was why I agreed to the switch. It was a way to make Audrey Verna happy and possibly get another qualified aide. I never thought she’d make you do her daughter’s work.”
I shrugged. “Never put anything past Audrey.”
Senator Glenn nodded. “If I had known that she was going to drop you here, I never would have agreed to it. She promised me that it would further your career. That this was something you wanted.”
I couldn’t keep the bitter laugh contained. “That’s what she told you?”
Senator Glenn grimaced. “Looking back, it’s rather obvious. I’m sorry, Aria. I never would have agreed to it if I had known what she was actually planning. I really thought she had your best interests in mind.”
My anger rose, hot and searing, but then died just as quickly, leaving me empty. The senator had been taken in by Audrey’s charm just like so many others had. Even I had believed my stepmother at times. Audrey Verna was a professional liar and manipulator. The senator was simply her latest mark.
“Well, I’m still working on that research for you,” I said, sitting back down in my chair in front of my laptop. “There’s still a lot to do.”
“You will stop immediately,” Senator Glenn replied sharply. She stood up and closed the laptop.
“What? I thought you needed it as soon as possible.”
“I needed it from Anastasia, not you. I will not have you working for nothing.” Her blue eyes flashed. “It’s unacceptable that you haven’t received payment nor recognition for your work. I won’t accept any more of it.”
“You mean, I’m done?” I held my breath. If I was done, I could go to the ball. Well, if I could find a dress, and then go to the ball.
“I will inform your stepmother that the work was finished in a timely and efficient manner. And then I’m going to fire her daughter,” Senator Glenn replied. “So I don’t want you wasting another moment of your time on this.”
I let out a sigh of relief that almost came out as a laugh. “Now I just need a dress.”
Senator Glenn frowned slightly, her head tilting to the side. “What do you need a dress for?”
“I’ve been invited to the Paradisian Masquerade Ball,” I explained. “But, my dress... my dress is gone.”
“The Paradisian Masquerade Ball? How wonderful!” A slow smile crept across the Senator’s face. “I think I might be able to help you.”
I frowned, not following. The senator and I were nowhere near close to the same size to where we could share a dress. I was almost a foot taller than her, and hadn’t had three boy children.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you still living at your mom’s place? The apartment by the train station?”
“Yeah. How do you know about it?” I asked, wondering how she knew it was my mother’s place. It wasn’t like I put that the apartment was my mother’s on any forms.
Senator Glenn smiled. “I knew your mother. I actually was the one who introduced her to your father.” She smiled at the memory. “Your mother was a paralegal in my firm. I picked up many files from her at that apartment. You have her brains and beauty. She’d be very proud of you.”
The world froze for a moment as I remembered the woman with dark hair and a beautiful smile that I could only seem to remember in dreams.
“I didn’t know that you knew them both,” I said softly. I knew the senator had worked with my father, but I never suspected she knew my mother as well. It was so rare to hear anyone speak of my mother. She’d died when I was just a child, and there weren’t very many people left in the world that remembered her.