Chapter 12: A Change in Fate

Delilah looked at the post she made and gasped in surprise as the number of likes rapidly increased. "No wonder Maya's an art director. Just a photo of an oyster is attracting so much attention," she sighed in disbelief. Even the photo of her at the pool party in a bikini didn't rack up so many likes in such a short amount of time. "Don't tell me I can't compare to a damn oyster!" she exclaimed.

She turned on her phone camera and flipped it to take a few selfies; a daily habit of hers. She then swiped through her gallery to find a good photo but frowned. "When will my nose get better?" she thought. Her looks were her proudest asset. She would have much preferred breaking an arm or a leg over breaking her nose.

Checking her social media account again, she noticed a few new comments.

"That looks so fresh, where are you eating it?"

"What a great way to end the year. I want to eat oysters too."

"That chandelier looks like the one in Monet Restaurant. I've always wanted to eat there."

But she took particular notice of one comment from an account that had been following her for the past few months. This account always left comments on her photos. Today, his comment read, "Oysters are my favorite too, especially Speciales Gillardeau Oysters. Happy new year!"

Delilah scoffed. [Happy new year? There's nothing happy about spending the new year in the hospital.]

Delilah had almost forgotten what day it was. This time last year, she was at a club, flirting with men, and dancing until her feet could barely move. Now that she thought about it, she was carried out of the club by a handsome young music producer that night and they ended up spending the night in his soundproof studio. [What happened to that guy?] Delilah remembered snippets from that night and fanned herself a little as she looked around her empty hospital room. [What a contrast.]

She never imagined spending her new year like this...

However, she couldn't blame the commenter for making the comment that he did. He didn't know her actual situation. In fact, he was just a stranger on social media who she had never met before. He didn't even post any photos of himself on his account. He simply left nice comments on her photos. So, she liked his comment and replied, "Happy new year to you too."

To her, this man was a fan; she couldn't get angry at her fan. So, it was only right to give a standard reply. That was how the world of social media worked.

Just as she finished replying, there was a knock on the door. "Delilah..." a familiar voice called out.

Delilah looked towards the doorway and saw two familiar faces enter her room holding bags of shopping in their hands. It was Tiffany and Sam. They placed the bags on the floor and started pulling boxes and boxes of food out. They knew Delilah didn't eat much, but they still got a bit of everything. After all, one couldn't be stingy on new year's eve. "Since you're stuck in the hospital, we thought we'd celebrate the new year here with you," Sam said.

Delilah smiled when she saw her two best friends. Even though she was at the hospital, at least, she wasn't alone.

Delilah first met Tiffany and Sam in the 5th grade. At that time, her mother had just remarried and she was forced to transfer to the school near her stepfather's place. At first, she was worried that she wouldn't fit in, but to her surprise, the moment that she laid eyes on Tiffany and Sam, they immediately clicked and became best friends.

After that, they were inseparable.

They were there for each other when Tiffany almost had to repeat a grade, when Sam decided to come out to his family, and when Delilah had her heart broken for the first time (and the many times after that). Although she never really achieved much, Delilah actually lived a smooth and fortunate life up to that point and things always seemed to fall into place for her.

This time, for example, she didn't even have to lift a finger and she was asked to marry someone from the upper-upper-class; something she had always dreamed of doing.

But sometimes, fate could be kind to some and harsh to others.

Unlike Delilah, Maya did not grow up with any good friends. When she first arrived in New York with her father, her English wasn't good and the other kids teased her for being different.

It took her a long time to learn how to fight back and focus on getting what she wanted, but the other kids simply feared and respected her, they never treated her sincerely as a friend. It wasn't until university that she finally found some genuine friends to confide in. But right after university, she landed a job in LA, left her friends behind, and threw herself into the world of loneliness again.

The truth was, if Delilah didn't make Maya fly to Vegas to be her substitute, she would be spending new year's eve all on her own and living the same boring, mundane life.

It's funny how things turn out sometimes. Maya always thought that she was protecting and helping her younger sister, but this time, it seemed as though Delilah had unexpectedly helped her older sister instead.

Perhaps, now that Maya was in Vegas, it was time for her fate to change...