After what felt like the longest day of her life, Estelle finally trudged up the stairs to her apartment. The day had been intense—hours of work under Celeste’s watchful eye, the constant tension simmering between them, and the whirlwind of her new role at the firm. Her mind was spinning, and all she wanted to do was collapse on the couch, maybe in her favorite sweats, and forget about everything for a few hours.
But as she reached the door and fumbled for her keys, the door swung open before she could even touch the handle. Mia stood there, wide-eyed and grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Oh my god, Estelle! What is this?” Mia exclaimed, her voice full of excitement and disbelief as she pulled Estelle into the apartment. She pointed dramatically at the mountain of designer bags and clothes that filled the living room.
Estelle stared at the bags, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her. She had forgotten about them. The shopping trip, the ridiculous amount of money Celeste had spent on her, the surreal events of the day—it all felt like a blur now that she was back home.
“Uhm… those are bags, Mia,” Estelle muttered, dropping her work bag onto the floor and kicking off her shoes.
“I know they’re bags,” Mia said, rolling her eyes dramatically. “But what are they doing here? You don’t do designer clothes. This is insane! This is, like, thousands of dollars worth of stuff, Estelle. What’s going on?”
Estelle sighed, knowing there was no way she could avoid this conversation. Mia had always been quick to pick up on anything unusual, and there was no way she wouldn’t dig into this further. She dropped onto the couch and leaned back, rubbing her hands over her face.
“They’re mine,” Estelle said, her voice sounding more resigned than anything else.
Mia gaped at her, her eyes wide. “Yours? You guess? You guess? Estelle, do you have any idea how much money this is?” She waved her hands toward the pile of bags. “This is… this is thousands! Thousands of dollars! Are you telling me you’re secretly rich and didn’t think to mention it?”
“No, Mia,” Estelle said with a tired laugh, shaking her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not rich. You’ve seen me—half the time, I’m in sweats or jeans.”
“Then what is this?” Mia asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Estelle. “Because normal people don’t just come home with bags full of designer clothes. You’ve got to explain this.”
Estelle took a deep breath, trying to figure out the best way to explain everything that had happened without making it sound even crazier than it already was. “Okay, okay… let me explain from the beginning.”
Mia dropped onto the couch beside her, pulling her legs up as she settled in, clearly ready for the whole story. “I’m listening,” she said, her eyes bright with curiosity.
“So, today was my first day at the firm,” Estelle began, her hands fidgeting as she spoke. “But before I could even really get started, Celeste—uh, I mean, Miss Thorne—decided that what I was wearing wasn’t ‘appropriate.'”
Mia snorted. “Of course she did. You know she’s intense about appearances.”
Estelle nodded. “Yeah, but it wasn’t just a simple suggestion. She took me to all these high-end stores and… basically made me buy all this stuff.”
Mia’s jaw dropped, her eyes wide with shock. “What? She made you buy all this?”
“Well,” Estelle said, hesitating, “she didn’t just make me buy it. She bought it all. Like, everything.”
Mia blinked, completely speechless for a moment, which was a rarity for her. “Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. You’re telling me that Miss Thorne took you shopping and spent thousands of dollars on you? Why?”
Estelle groaned, leaning her head back against the couch. “Because she’s… controlling. I don’t know, Mia. She said I needed to look the part, and that I ‘work for her now,’ so my appearance reflects on her.”
“Wow,” Mia breathed, still looking completely stunned. “So, she just… bought you a whole new wardrobe? Like, no big deal? What is she, your sugar mama now?”
Estelle shot her a look. “No, Mia. It’s not like that.”
Mia raised an eyebrow. “Really? Because it kinda sounds like that. She’s got you dressed up in designer clothes, buying you stuff left and right… are you sure there isn’t something more going on here?”
Estelle flushed, her mind immediately flashing to the tension between her and Celeste—the way Celeste had touched her, the way she looked at her, the unspoken intensity that hung between them like a dangerous current. But she quickly pushed those thoughts aside. “It’s not… I mean, there’s nothing like that happening.”
“Uh-huh,” Mia said, clearly unconvinced. “Okay, so she’s just super invested in your appearance. Got it. And now you have a wardrobe that costs more than my car.”
Estelle let out a tired laugh. “Yeah, pretty much.”
Mia stared at her for a moment, then leaned back on the couch, shaking her head. “Girl, you’ve gotta tell me more about this job. I mean, it’s already sounding like a soap opera.”
Estelle sighed, sinking deeper into the couch cushions. “You have no idea. There’s so much going on already. The way Celeste is… it’s like she’s always testing me. Always pushing, trying to see how far she can go.”
Mia gave her a knowing look. “Sounds like she’s interested in more than just your work ethic.”
“Mia,” Estelle groaned, covering her face with her hands, trying to hide the flush creeping up her neck.
“What?” Mia said, laughing. “I’m just saying. If someone bought me this much designer stuff, I’d start to wonder what their intentions were.”
Estelle pulled her hands away from her face, giving Mia a serious look. “It’s complicated. There’s this… weird dynamic between us. She’s my boss, my professor, and now she’s practically controlling everything about my life.”
Mia nodded slowly, her teasing expression fading. “Okay, I get it. But you need to be careful, Estelle. It sounds like she’s got a lot of control over you, and that can get messy. Just… make sure you don’t lose yourself in whatever this is.”
Estelle nodded, feeling the weight of Mia’s words. She knew Mia was right. She had to be careful. Whatever was happening between her and Celeste, it was dangerous ground. And the last thing she wanted was to lose control of her own life.
“I’ll be careful,” Estelle promised, though she wasn’t entirely sure how much control she had left.
Mia gave her a reassuring smile. “Good. Now, can I at least try on some of those heels before you stash them away in your fancy new closet?”
Estelle laughed, the tension in the room finally easing. “Sure. Knock yourself out.”
As Mia dove into the pile of designer bags, trying on shoes and making exaggerated poses, Estelle felt a brief moment of normalcy return. But in the back of her mind, the thought of Celeste—her control, her presence—loomed large.
Because no matter how hard she tried to escape it, she knew that tomorrow, and every day after, she’d be right back under Celeste’s watchful eye.
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