Chương 9: Rags or Riches: Part One

Esme was dragged out of ONYX by an excited Hana; she couldn't help but be amused by the girl. Hana's enthusiasm was contagious, and she found herself smiling for the first time in quite a long while. The muscles in her face started to get tired from 'overuse' which Esme knew was normal for others.

The girls were strolling down the high street; Hana was chatting happily by Esme's side about where to go first, what clothes would suit Esme and what to wear for work. She just nodded her head along as she stared up at the tall buildings, still in awe at their extravagance. It took the she-wolf a while to realise, Hana had grabbed her by the upper arm dragging her inside a flashy shop.

Esme nodded back at the security guard who stood outside the shop. Where did Hana take her? Her eyes landed on a price tag of just a pair of jeans and made sure her eyes didn't bulge or pop out of their sockets. Seriously why were they so pricey? While her thoughts were screaming about the absurd pricing, her face was completely neutral.

Without even glancing their way, she could feel the gaze of the workers burning into her skin.

"Sale items are at the back, miss. Or there is a Primark down the road." A tall lady in heels, blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun approached her, her heels clicking on the tiled flooring. Esme tilted her head to the side. She could see what this woman was thinking; it was written all over her face, the utter disdain of dealing with someone like Esme. A waste of her time.

"Primark!? Sale!?" Hana wrapped her arm over Esme's shoulders, dropping some of the clothes she already held onto the floor and glared at the woman, "I used to think this was the finest establishment here.. Come on, Esme, let's go to Chanel, I heard they just opened down the road."

"Oh! Miss Hana, I did not realise she was with you!? Please-"

"You know," Esme cut off the woman who started to beg in front of Hana, not herself. "This was my first time in this store," She pulled the black card out of her coat pocket and held it in front of her face. Miss blonde ponytail's eyes widened, and she gulped. "But I find your service utterly disgraceful. Come on, Hana, let's take our business elsewhere. I am sure Chanel or the other well-established shops would warmly welcome me."

Esme turned on the spot, ready to leave, but another lady rushed towards the doors, blocking them; her face flushed, but she wore an apologetic smile and even bowed her head. "I apologise for Sarah's attitude towards you. Please do not be hasty, I will take 30% off what you spend today, and you will not see Sarah's face again."

Esme tapped the card against her chin as she stared up at the woman. "Make it 60% off, and I will make sure not to utter a word of what happened here today to my friends," Esme warned, her voice deepened almost threateningly. She had to refrain from growling and was very conscious about her eyes glowing from her demand. The woman opened her mouth to argue, but when she looked at Esme's hardened gaze, the woman nodded her head and started commanding another worker to get the same clothes from the rails that were on the ground.

The manager, Esme presumed, continuously clapped her hands to urge the others in the store then told Sarah to go home. Esme watched as the two other girls checked the rails for the clothes Hana had previously picked up. Turning her back on the panicked workers, she let her hand glide along with the expensive clothing, her mind wandering to a time when she visited a shop similar to the one, she was in now.

The first time Esme entered such a place, her mouth fell open, and anyone could see stars shining in her eyes as she stared at all the clothes she could never once afford. Even entering such a place made her anxious. But a warm hand wrapped around hers, pulling her into the shop like they owned the shop.

She scoffed at where her thoughts were leading her. Yes, once she had her own black card, walked in many shops such as this, ate in the three Michelin star restaurants and lived in a mansion, but it was all a part of their flawless public façade. It all meant meaningless to her at the end of the day when the following days and nights grew long.

Esme stopped in front of a daring backless red dress, and she returned to the present. It was absolutely gorgeous, something that would suit her well, but she couldn't wear such a thing. Not anymore. She lowered her gaze. "I don't want anything with short sleeves or anything that would reveal my chest," She spoke over her shoulder.

Hana was still standing staring at the petite woman who seemed to have turned into a badass boss bitch. She shook her head and snapped out of it, frowning when she heard what Esme said. "Won't you get too hot?" She asked, walking up the two steps that led to where Esme was now staring out the window, or more like longingly looking at the red dress on the mannequin before her.

Esme didn't turn around as she responded, "Winter is coming; the days are getting colder."

"Ohhh, loving the GOT reference. Are you a GOT fan!?" Hana nudged her excitedly. Esme looked at her quizzically.

"GOT? There was no reference; I was stating a fact?" Esme smiled sheepishly as she wondered what the girl was talking about.

Hana looked at her like she had lost her mind. "Game of thrones!?" She shrieked, then covered her mouth and glanced at the attendants before lowering her voice, "Please tell me you have at least heard of it?"

Esme's blank look was all the answer Hana needed. "Have you been living under a rock the last ten years?" She said under her breath, not meant for Esme to hear. The girl chuckled and shook her head.

Esme frowned and looked away from Hana; she wasn't annoyed by her rock statement, which of course, she could hear because of her heightened hearing. But she wondered what else she must have missed in her life.

"It was only like one of the biggest shows ever! Even I watched it, and I'm not into that fantasy world shizzam.." Hana exclaimed while showing her images on her phone after searching the internet. Esme chuckled at her choice of words.

Oh, if only she knew what sort of world she actually lived in. Although there weren't dragons and what looked like some sort of frozen zombies, in real life, vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters lived among the humans. Some even say there are witches, but she wasn't too sure on that one, but who was she to say if there was?

"Anyway.. When did you nab the boss' card?!" Hana whisper-shouted close to Esme's ear, making her smirk.

She handed it back to her and patted her on the shoulder with a mischievous glint to her eyes. "When we left the club. I suspected something like this would happen," Esme murmured with a shrug. Hana's brows pinched together at her response, but she hooked her arm in between hers and leaned her head on Esme's shoulder.

"Well, you put them in their place! I didn't expect anything less. But, my gosh girl, you.." She looked at her in admiration, "your aura was so powerful! Like you could lead a whole boardroom of men in a company meeting without batting an eye, and they'd follow your every word!"

Esme chuckled, "Don't be ridiculous. I just copied how our customers act. It's quite fun, really," She winked, shrugging off the girl's comment while Isana walked at the edges of Esme's mind proudly.

"Please have a seat in one of our rooms, and I shall bring you some refreshments," The manager, whose golden name tag read Caroline, gestured with her hand in the direction of the changing rooms. "Would you prefer champagne, juice, water or tea and coffee?"

"Ohhh, champagne! Esme, what about you?" Hana smiled brightly and pulled away from Esme, looking at her.

"Tea for me, peppermint if you have any," Esme replied casually before shrugging out of Hana's hold and sauntering over to the changing rooms. Each room was large enough to fit a couch, some plants, a golden clothes rail to the side, and another smaller room with a curtain. They walked to the one at the far end and sat down on the couch, waiting as the manager brought a tray of tea, biscuits and a bucket with a champagne bottle.

Hana sighed loudly, snuggling into the plush two-seater light blue loveseat before sipping on her champagne. "This is what I am talking about! Honey, you are so lucky to have landed a job at ONYX. It's not every day the owner pays for your clothes. You must have left quite the impression on him!" She played with her curly hair as she watched the golden railing being filled with clothes.

Esme paused, raising her cup of peppermint tea, her head whipped to the side. "The.. owner?" She frowned, "I thought Niko was paying.."

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