PROLOGUE.
Caroline Forbes did not like tardiness, she did not like people being late or people giving excuses for being late. She did not like it when people were unprofessional, forgetting the many lines between colleagues, she did not like it when people lied about who they were or even so slightly altered their details. At least, that was what it said in her CV. And those were the exact same words she had uttered during her first interview with Carol Lockwood, editor of the Lockwood magazine. In reality, Caroline Forbes was a liar. A dirty, disgusting liar who could have changed everything about her if she could just to get that one job, but nevertheless, as a result, Caroline had been hired. Two weeks after she had given the interview for one of the best jobs in the country, she had gotten hired. Such luck! Or not. Caroline Forbes soon realised that working with Carol Lockwood (read: Ms. Lockwood) came with its perks, and its disadvantages.
For one, she would have to tolerate the many tantrums of Carol Lockwood, supreme bitch and head of bitch committee worldwide. Secondly, she would have to be nice to Carol Lockwood while pretending to love being her little poodle. She hated it. She hated every single moment of being nice to Carol Lockwood, pretending like she loved talking to the bitch, listening to her tantrums, fetching her coffee (was that even the job of an assistant editor?) and other stupid things. Another thing Caroline absolutely loathed was that despite her working her ass off to pay the bills and tolerating Carol, the bitch still found a way to demean her.
"The sugar is too little", "The sugar is too much", "Why did you not finish the report yesterday? (because the report was not due for another two weeks, you fucking bitch) were things Caroline would often hear from Carol Lockwood whenever she did a stupid task for the witch. She hated Carol Lockwood with all her heart, and had decided very early on that Carol Lockwood was not a good person, but instead, someone who really, really sucked. And her thoughts only seemed to get stronger when the woman called her in. On a Sunday. When she had already divulged to Carol that she would not be able to come on Monday, because she was busy preparing for her friend's birthday on Sunday. It turned out that Carol had forgotten to tell Caroline about the fact that an author would be interviewed by Lockwood about their newest book, I dreamt of Heaven, which they were still writing. Just perfect. Caroline fucking hated Carol Lockwood. And it wasn't like the book was anything good, it was probably just another stupid erotic "novel", why did Caroline have to waste her weekends because of the stupid erotica that a stupid woman would stupidly write because she was just so stupid! Caroline's phone pinged with the promise of a message. She picked up her phone, bracing herself of the fury she would be able to feel from Bonnie's messages.
Matt (6:48 p.m.) : Hey, Caroline, where are you? You promised to meet us at Russo's for Elena's 'surprise' birthday, which I'm still sure that Elena knows about, but nevermind that, where are you? Call me when you get this?
Caroline felt a pang of gratitude strike her right in the chest. Matt was always kind to her, even when she screwed up. She took a deep breath, she'd finish reading this manuscript of the interview, figure out a witty summary and leave in, what was the time right now? She glanced at the clock set right in front of her, 6:50 p.m. Yes, she'd be finished in twenty minutes, she just had to stop contemplating Carol's murder without getting caught. She set aside her cellphone and began reading the interview, which was 10,000 words long. No wonder Carol called her in, who was this stupid interviewer? Oh, right, it was Vicki Donovan. Matt's sister. Tyler Lockwood's girlfriend. The girl who Carol had to hire after yet another tantrum from Tyler. She read the 'interview', skimming over words and cutting them out. Some questions were stupid, some were highly personal, some were just straight up nonsensical. Why did it matter if the author (whom Vicki had so stupidly named, S.S.) thought which animals were the rudest of them all? Caroline got it. She genuinely got it. Vicki was a nice girl, if not slightly slow witted at times. But she did mean well, and had been very excited to get a job at Lockwood. So why was Vicki asking such weird questions? She erased another paragraph of a stupid question, "Water or Coke?" when her phone chimed,
Bonnie (6:57 p.m.) : Care? Where are you? You know that it's Elena's bday tmrw, right?
Bonnie (6:57 p.m.) : Care, if you bail on this because you met yet another 'soulmate' of yours, I will never talk to you again!
Bonnie (6:58 p.m.) : Look Care, I cancelled this bar review thing we were all supposed to be going to, so please do
n't bail on me! This was the first bar review I was invited to and I just turned them down! Pls come! If you're still mad about that thing where we called you a control freak, I'm sorry – we were just joking! You can call me a heartless bitch if that helps.
Bonnie (6:58 p.m.) : I'm serious, Care. Please call, I'll apologise.
Bonnie (6:59 p.m.) : Or better yet, tell me where you are! I'll come there and beg for your forgiveness. Seriously.
Bonnie (7:00 p.m.) : Care, we didn't mean to hurt you, we were just joking. I'm so so so sorry if we hurt you. Please call me.
Caroline groaned. She was not mad at Bonnie, she did not hate her, she did not not come to Elena's surprise birthday party preparations out of spite. She had wanted to come, but her stupid boss kept her from coming. Caroline picked up her phone, and began typing with the speed of a marathon runner,
Caroline (7:05 p.m.): Bon, I'm not mad. It's just that Carol called me in bc there's a novel that this author is writing and Vicki conducted an interview for the author and like,, Carol told me to like,, yk do the whole editorial assistant stuff. Add all that glamour LOL. I'll be there in like 10 mins, I promise.
Caroline winced when she got Bonnie's reply. She had cut out her own anger, and her sentences because she did not want Bonnie to get mad on her behalf. She wasn't that horrible. Carol Lockwood might be a bitch but Vicki Donovan hadn't exactly made the next great masterpiece of all time and if something like that monstrosity was put into Lockwood, Carol Lockwood would, to put it politely, lose her shit.
Bonnie (7:06) : Oh. All I can say is that you are tooooo nice. Just add all your glamour and everything and try to come, ok? Bye xx
Caroline breathed a sigh of relief, putting the phone down and returning back to the expectant screen of her laptop. On the bright side, Bonnie was as understanding as ever. On the not so bright side? She still had 9000 words to edit and/or cut out. But hey! 1000 words were gone, right? So if she made 1000 words disappear every five minutes, she'd be done in, what? 15 minutes? So she'd be 5 minutes late, whatever, Bonnie would forgive her. And with that hope brewing in her head, Caroline begin skimming through Vicki Donovan's dumb work, while cutting out stupid questions and answers. Who knew? Maybe she'd even be promoted to a better position? That hope made her work harder.
– I DREAMT OF HEAVEN –
Caroline had been working at Lockwood for around 5 years. When Caroline had graduated from college with a bachelors in journalism, she'd known that she'd wanted to work for a fashion magazine – that was the reason she had gone through all four years of a journalism degree. So at the age of 21, Caroline had applied to most possible fashion magazines as a staff writer, while applying to high end magazines such as Vogue and Elle and Cosmopolitan as an editorial assistant. She didn't get the job at Vogue. Or Elle. Or Cosmopolitan. But she had gotten the job as a staff writer at Lockwood, a prestigious magazine catered mostly to the metropolitan city of New York. Carol Lockwood, who's husband had begun the magazine in her honour, didn't have to work to get a position considered highly prestigious by many in the country – Caroline included. She'd always thought that it was incredibly unfair. How come Carol Lockwood got to rest and play around while she did all the work and yet, still get treated like shit at the same time?
So at the age of 26, Caroline still sat at the measly job of an assistant editor. Of course, she was happy that she had a job which many envied. But at the same time, it was annoying to do almost all the work, and yet Carol Lockwood got all the credit for all the work she did. Caroline hadn't gone through 4 years of hard work only to be Carol Lockwood's little dog that sat in her lap. The worst thing was that Caroline always had to be at her beck and call, ready to do whatever Carol Lockwood ordered her to do. That was exactly why Caroline was currently surfing her laptop for a job as a columnist at Elle, Paris. For as long as she had known, she'd loved Paris. The movies, the shows, the books she had read only seemed to solidify that view. She knew that in reality, Paris wouldn't be quite as fairytale-like as it was in books and movies, but her heart simply refused to listen to that reality.
Just as she clicked Send, her phone began ringing. Caroline jumped at the sudden sound, sighing and rolling her eyes once she found her phone, picking up the call once she saw the caller ID. It was Bonnie.
"Hey Bon" Caroline said, closing her laptop and smiling as she talked through the phone.
"Care, the party begins in thirty minutes and it's in Manhattan. Where are you?" Bonnie said frantically, as Caroline's eyes widened and she looked at the clock hung on the cream colored walls of her one bedroom apartment.
"Thirty minutes? Oh my god, Bonnie, I lost track of time. I'll get ready right now, okay?"
"Alright, don't worry much though. I'll stall Elena if you come late, plus Matt is at the door, okay? Come fast!" Bonnie said, knowing that tone of voice from Caroline, but not wanting her to waste any moment. Caroline nodded, forgetting that Bonnie couldn't see her and hastily cut the call, rushing to her closet.
Thankfully, Caroline had already picked up a dress to wear to Elena's surprise birthday party. It was a white floral sundress with two straps of fabric she had to tie together to make sleeves. Once she was done wearing her dress and putting on a pink lipstick (the only thing she had time to do), Caroline wore her yellow Mary Jane's hastily and grabbed her bag– a white Chanel purse she had saved for months to get – it was the one remotely 'high-end' item in her entire ensemble.
Caroline rushed to the train station, huffing as she sat, ignoring the people giving her strange looks. It was only when the doors began to close that she realised. She forgot Elena's gift. She forgot Elena's gift. No, no, no, no, no. She forgot Elena's gift. God, no. She'd bought an amazing perfume for Elena. It was an intoxicating floral scent, and it hadn't been too expensive either. She'd gotten it at a sale at Marks & Spencer, along with which she had bought a beautiful pair of gold hoop earrings. Caroline looked at the train door, chewing on her bottom lip and fiddling with her butterfly locket. If she left now, she'd be able to make it. Maybe? No, it was 6:20 already, there was no way in hell she'd be able to get to Manhattan from Brooklyn in ten minutes by a cab, unless the cab went at an incredibly high speed. To go, or not to go. To go, or not to go? To go, or not to go? She took her phone from her purse fast, and began typing,
Caroline (6:21 p.m.) : Bon, I'm on the train right now but I forgot Elena's gift, how long can you stall her?
Bonnie's reply didn't come. After what felt like an eternity to Caroline, an announcement rang throughout the train. The train would take off now, and the doors would close in two minutes. Caroline looked at the doors, then at the screen of her phone. Go or not go? Go or not go? Go or not go?
Caroline bolted for the door, looking like a madwoman, she was sure. It had been a purely impulsive decision, she thought as she ran towards her building, and then her apartment, opening her door fast and grabbing the M&S shopping bag. She looked at the watch on her wrist. 6:30?! God, Bonnie was going to kill her. Actually, Caroline would have killed herself if it were possible. God, she hated herself. How long would Matt be able to stall Elena? And how long before she stormed in and everybody shouted Happy Birthday except Caroline because she was so stupid to forget Elena's gift? Caroline felts tears coming, she knew it was stupid to cry over something as trivial as a birthday party, but she had planned this party from March, she'd prebooked the area, and she'd prebooked the caterers. She'd done everything. And it all came undone at the worst possible moment. Because of a stupid gift.
No, no, there was no need for crying, Caroline could turn this around, she thought as she called a taxi. It wouldn't take too long to reach Manhattan, right?
Thankfully, it didn't. Or maybe it did, whatever. She reached it in 10 minutes. She looked at her watch, 6:45 p.m. Caroline snuck in through the back entrance, preparing for the worst that could happen – the surprise had long since been over and that the party was in full swing. She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling air fill her lungs when she realised that wasn't the case. The room was dark, it's lights were off and she could make out the silhouettes of people hunched over sofas, and tables.
"Care" someone whispered, Caroline nearly screamed when Bonnie's hand came in contact with her forearm.
"God, you're finally here! We've been waiting for, like, forever? What were you doing for forty-five minutes?" Caroline winced, feeling another one of Bonnie's lectures coming on. They didn't. Bonnie simply whispered to her that Elena was going to come in any second as she ringed Matt, telling him that it was okay to let Elena in now. Sure enough, a few moments later, the sound of heels began coming, and she knew it was Elena. Bonnie signalled to everyone, and someone – Matt? – turned the lights on.
"Happy Birthday!" everyone screamed at Elena's lips formed into a delighted smile, and her eyes widened in surprise. She opened her mouth, then closed it, then again opened her mouth, and closed it. Caroline rolled her eyes and enclosed her into a hug, which she returned, as Bonnie joined them.
"Guys" Elena breathed , "thank you! This is amazing, you guys"
