Ok, lovely people. This chapter is on Emma's POV, and so it's the next one. Originally they were supposed to be the same chapter, but I started writing and they became kind of long, so I decided to split them up. The other part will be up before next tuesday (when I finish the last details)

Thanks for the comments, follows and fav! Leave your opinions :)

EMMA'S POV

It had been a tough day. And it was still not over, Regina's campaign launch party was tonight. I had a long night ahead of me. I stared at myself in the mirror, studying ever inch of emotionally drained self. 'Force a smile, Nolan!' I told myself. A second after, the corner of my lips moved upwards. It was not a smile, but it was good enough.

I walked away from the mirror and towards my bed, where my clothes laid. I had chosen to wear a tuxedo, it was more comfortable and in case of any emergency I could move more freely than with a dress.

"Are you sure you want to go to this party, Emma?" My roomie asked entering my room.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because of what happened between you and Regina," she pointed out and turned around so I could close her dress's zipper.

"My job is to see this party through and make sure everything is perfect, remember?" I replied hiding my feelings.

"Look at you, all responsible and grown up," Mary Margaret turned on her heels and smiled at me. "I'm proud of you," she added squashing my arms.

I knew Mary Margaret suspected I was on the verge or a breakdown, and to be honest I was. But I had to keep it in, at least for tonight. This party was my fresh start; I wasn't sure about it when Regina first brought it up, but now I knew it was true. Regina's launch party had to be perfect, then I would open my own party planning company and move on with my life.

'Conceal it, Swan,' I repeated to myself 'Just for one night,'

I looked at Mary Margaret, she was wearing a pink dress that looked like the one Audrey Hepburn wore on Breakfast at Tiffany's (and I of course knew that because Mary Margaret had made me watch the movie at least 5 times). She looked a little bit down too, she hadn't talking to David about Kathryn yet.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to, though," I told her and she gave me a weak smile, "Granny's doing the catering, so I can hide with Ruby in the waiters' zone,"

"It's ok," Mary Margaret said "I need some fresh air anyway,"

"You do know that Kathryn will probably be there, right?" I asked, just to be sure that Mary Margaret knew what she was getting into by coming with me to the party.

"I trust your brother, I know he would never cheat on me," was her answer.

I sighed. I trusted my brother as well, but I didn't trust that bitch and I definitely didn't want to see Mary Margaret getting her heart broken. Even if David didn't like Kathryn anymore, if she kissed him and MM happened to pass by that second, she would suffer. A lot. I needed to keep that blonde whore away from my brother. Kathryn had to leave town, end of story. I'd think of a plan tomorrow, when all this mess was done.

Without saying any other word about the party or my brother, Mary Margaret walked towards my dressing table to start doing her makeup. I used the silence to get dressed. Black almost-tight pants, white long-sleeves button shirt and a black blazer. Then I took a black tie out of one of my drawers and walked towards the mirror to put it on. I remembered when I had learnt how to tie a knot, it was one of the few memories I had with my father; he, of course, was teaching David how to do it, but I had decided to join the group and learn as well.

A smile cracked my lips as I finished fixing the knot. I had learnt faster than David, it had infuriate him at the moment; and I, of course, had made fun of him for a whole week.

"I'm ready," Mary Margaret's voice brought me back from my memories. I blinked two times and stared at her. She looked lovely - leave it to MM to know how to rock a cocktail party.

"I just need to do my make up, I won't take long," I said taking the sit in front of the dressing table that Mary Margaret had just vacated. "Would you please bring me my black pumps?" I asked her.

"You are going in high heels?" she replied with another question. "I thought you wanted to be comfortable,"

"Pumps are comfortable!"

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes but laughed, "Sure they are, Emma," and walked towards my closet to look for the shoes.

Ever since Regina stayed over that first night, I had really made an effort to keep my room clean and organised, and I had succeeded, somewhat. At least I didn't have clothes on the floor anymore! My closet, well, that was another story. It was still a mess. But I had worn the black pumps last week, so my friend had no trouble finding them.

Since I had to be at the party before everyone else, to check that everything was going according the plan, I offered Mary Margaret to drop her at my brother's house, so that she wouldn't get bored while I did my rounds. But she replied she rather be with me. Something told me she was really avoiding the conversation with David. I could see she was scared, even if she knew and trusted my brother, she was afraid of what he would tell her. I didn't push her into staying with David - I was afraid too, I prayed that Regina was right about David being in love with MM.

The party was taking place on a yacht, the yacht belonged to a wealthy Storybrooke family that was giving their support to Regina, offering their boat was just a small percentage of their funding to Regina's campaign. At first I hadn't liked the idea, but when Regina took me to the ship, I became mesmerised by it. Millions of ideas had hit my poor brain the minute I step on the yacht.

"This is beautiful," Mary Margaret commented studying the place, lightbulbs hung above their heads giving a cozy and almost romantic atmosphere.

"I know, right?" I replied, "Imagine how awesome would have been to own a yacht during high school,"

"Someone would have drown," a third voice commented. Mary Margaret and I turned our faces to see Ruby climbing the yacht's ramp, wearing a white uniform. "Food is here," she added pointing at the group of people following her. They were all wearing a similar uniform to the one Ruby was wearing.

"Great! The kitchen is this way," I lead the way and the waiting staff, Ruby and Mary Margaret followed me.

Ruby started giving orders as soon as we reached the kitchen. She was a natural at being the catering's boss. When I saw that Ruby and her waiting staff was set, I told Mary Margaret that I need to walk around to see if everything else was in order, she told me she would stay with Ruby.

I went out of the kitchen and walked around the yacht, hoping to not bump into Regina. The ship had four floors; the last one had a pool, but we had decided to keep that one closed to avoid any kind of inconvenient. After I was done doing the rounds and making sure everything, up to the last detail, was as Regina had planned I decided to sneak into the last floor and be alone for a while. Soon, the guests would arrive and I would have to put a fake smile and tell them how lovely it was to have them here.

Tonight it was new moon, but sky was lightened with million stars. The white dots looked specially lovely this evening. I had always liked stargazing. It all started when I was five, our parents were somewhere in Asia and I missed them; so, David told me that whenever I felt alone, I just needed to look at the stars, because at that moment, someone I loved would be looking at the stars too, and then I wouldn't be alone. And even now, after all those years, I still found peace and comfort by looking at the night sky.

"It's a lovely night to watch the stars," I heard a familiar voice say. I sighed. Regina had found me.

"Miss Mills," my gaze shifted from the stars to Regina, "Everything is going as planned,"

"This is how it is going to be, then?"

"Is there any other way two business partners treat each other?" I tried to sound cold but professional.

"We are not just business partners," she took a step towards me, and I took a step backwards, letting her now I didn't want her close to me. "Emma," Regina whispered in a tone that carried so much pain that almost pierced my heart.

"Stop it," I begged, "It was hard enough for me to put on a happy face and come here," I added and looked away.

'Don't let the tears fall, Swan,' I yelled inside my mind, 'Put up a show!'

"It doesn't have to be this way, Emma," Regina placed her had above mine. "We can -"

"We?" I moved my hand away. "There's no we anymore, Regina," I shook my head. "After tonight's party you won't see me anymore,"

"Is that so?" she asked. I knew she was trying to stop the tears inside her eyes. But I didn't care, she didn't love me, and I loved her too much to continue with this fake relationship. All this time, she had fed me with false hopes, pretending she cared about it. At the end, David had been right about Regina, she would only love one person and he would always own her heart, and that person was not me, that person was Daniel.

"I need to get back to the party," I said, my nails digging into my palms to stop me from a breakdown, "After all, that's what you are paying me to do,"

I heard her saying my name once more, but I didn't turn back. My emotions were catching up with me, they were building up in my throat and they wouldn't let me breath. I needed to get away from her, I needed to stop thinking on those lips that had just pronounced my name, because they were not longer mine. I needed to take those beautiful dark brown eyes away from my brain, because all the love I had once seen in them was nothing but something I had chosen to imagine.

Jogging down the stairs I joined the party. Most of the guest had already arrived, I smiled at the ones that nodded my way. During the months of preparations, I had met some of the people who were funding Regina's campaign, they were some of the most respectable people from town, some of them had made business with my parents and were pleased to meet the next Nolan who would leave a mark on Storybrooke. I was counting on that, if they hired me to organise their parties, I could soon become the most known party organiser in Storybrooke, and even Maine. People would do lines to have their parties organised by the same person that organised the Elite's parties. Then I would have a lot of work, and no time to think about love. Because at the end, no one truly needs it.

"There she is!" That voice sounded very familiar. It almost sounded like... "Aren't you going to hug your old man, Emma?" ... my father's.

"Daddy," I said weakly and walked towards him. He was surrounded by important people, rich business men, just like him. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, after I heard that someone was running against Cora Mills I decided to show my support and provide financial aid," my father said proudly, it was no secret he disliked Cora, they had a fallout some years ago. "Specially when I also learnt that my own daughter was planning the launch party, you have outdone yourself, Emma," he added, "At least all those crazy years in high school taught you something,"

I smiled but didn't say anything. My father was funding Regina's campaign. Did she know? If he was in the boat, it meant that he was on the list, list that I had carefully read two days ago. He had not been on that list two days ago, I would remember my own father's name. Had Regina kept another list? Had she deliberately forgotten to tell me? Did she just keep me for my father's money? It wouldn't surprise me.

"Well, I'm glad to see you, Dad," I forced a smile. I need to get out of here. "David should be here, I'll make sure he says hi,"

"Oh, your mother and I were earlier at the house," he replied. "Your brother came with us to the party, he's with that blonde girlfriend of his,"

"Kathryn?" I asked confused

"Yes, that one," my dad smiled, "I thought they broke up, but they looked fine to me,"

My jaw dropped and I felt the air leaving my body and the world spinning around me. What the fuck was going on? Regina had only hired me because of my money, my parents had come home without even telling me and David had come to the party with his ex-girlfriend when he knew that Mary Margaret would be here. This was just too much.

'Don't let them see, don't let them know,' the voice inside myself reminded me once more.

"I need to go," I said, trying to maintain my calm, even when all the muscles inside my abdomen were trembling. "Work is calling," I added, fighting to sound convincing.

Nodding at the men that were with my father, I turned on my heels and walked away. I met one of Ruby's waitress as I made my way towards the bathroom, I grabbed a glass of Champagne that she was offering and drank the alcohol drink with one gulp. The sweet taste of the fermented grapes burning my throat. At least it was better than feeling ever last inch of my heart getting broken.

I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I checked my phone, it was 9 P.M. This night had gone so wrong already, and it was far away from ending, the party had just started. I rested my head against the door and breathed in.

What to do now? Should I just go home? My job was pretty much done, Ruby would take care of the food and the orchestra was already playing the background music. I stood up straight and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I will control my emotions. I am in charge of my life, no one else will play with me. I breathed in and out. I will face everyone in this party with a smile, and I would mean it, because I can win this time. I would face my parents, and Regina, and David, and that bitch of Kathryn. I will protect Mary Margaret. I will show them that they can't bring me down. I am strong woman.

I can do this.

I took a deep breath and rested my hand over the door know. 'You can do this, Emma,' I told myself before opening the bathroom door and walking back into the party.