Still, there were moments that tested her. The gala tonight was one of them.
It was being held at the Harrington Estate, a sprawling mansion on the edge of the city. Emma had been invited because, months earlier, she had helped the Harrington family matriarch after a fall at the community center. Emma had been working there as an event assistant, and without thinking twice, she’d taken charge—calling an ambulance, keeping the woman calm, and even staying overnight at the hospital when the Harrington children were delayed by travel.
Mrs. Harrington had been grateful in a way Emma hadn’t expected. “You must come to our charity gala,” she had insisted later. “Bring your son. I’d like to meet him.”
And so here they were, standing in their living room, preparing to walk into a world Emma had only ever seen in movies.
