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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Chương 10: Rags or Riches: Part Two

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

"Well, that's what I thought as well. That's what Niko told me, but I arrived before twelve and heard the end of their conversation. Doll, you are so darn lucky.." She gazed at her face like she was a work of art. "you have no limit to what you can spend today! Oh," She waved her hand, nearly sloshing the champagne down her jeans. "But don't worry, they do this for all their staff.. Well, we all had a ten 'k limit, though."

Esme stared at Hana even as the room went silent. It was bizarre; she'd never met the man in charge. The only thing Esme could recall was spying on Niko's conversation the night before. But she didn't let herself think too much about it.

Who would want their staff looking like they lived in the slums? ONYX appeared to be like the nightclub equivalent of a palace to a royal family; all human and vampire staff were good-looking and never looked shabby. Then Esme arrived and definitely looked out of sorts.

"In rags or riches, we still outshine everyone," Isana winked, making Esme snort aloud and covered it up by fake coughing on her drink.

Hana patted her back, "Drink went down the wrong hole!?"

Esme nodded her head, then sipped on her tea and sighed, "I doubt I will be going over the ten 'k limit set for you guys anyway. Hell, we're already saving with the discount from their rudeness."

Hana stood up and tutted, "Don't worry about the prices, chica, we will get your money's worth out of today! Seriously, use this to your advantage! I'm not a gold digger, but these guys could buy ten islands in a day and still have a ton of money to last them five lifetimes! Honey, I think Niko only works there for the fun of it; he's also minted!" She walked to the rails and pulled out three dresses, passing them to Esme to try on.

That was very true, and it wasn't like she would take the clothes with her when she would leave. It was just a little more unbelievable, considering she was a werewolf.

"I think we should be past the stage of shock right now. You WORK IN A VAMPIRE BAR!" Isana screamed in her mind as Esme winced and walked towards the smaller room.

"Hey, no need to be shy; you can get changed here. There's a lot more room here than in there anyway," Hana smiled, closing the door and gesturing for her to get unchanged. "I'm just gonna be drinking my champers on the couch anyway!" She flopped back down and put her feet up on the rest of the love seat, crossing one leg over the other.

Esme looked at the curtained space and the room Hana was chilling in. "Where's the fun in that? At least, you will be more surprised when I walk out the curtains!" She exclaimed before shutting the curtains behind her.

Esme clung onto the shut curtain for a moment, her head bent over as her hands shook slightly, a long sigh escaping her lips. Her body was disgusting, and Hana would be shocked by the sight of it asking her questions she was unable to answer. She gulped and spun around, ready to try on the first of many clothes that day.

Three hours later, the pair left a coffee shop after eating a small meal and people watching. They held many bags full of high-end clothes and shoes.

"I feel like we are missing something.." Hana pouted as she looked deep in thought. They continued to walk down the high street until Esme felt her arm dragged into another store again. She didn't get the name of it, but by the strong smell of cosmetics, the number of make-up brushes spread on counters and the flawless faces of women smiling at them, she knew they were in a make-up store.

"Eeek! This is what we were missing!" Hana squealed and jumped up and down, clapping her hands before grasping Esme by the shoulders. "You just have such natural beauty that I forgot you aren't actually wearing make-up, right?"

Esme looked at the women in concern, but Hana came back into her line of sight. "Let's make you look like a star!" Hana smiled as Esme pursed her lips.

She glided her hand across the black counter surface and along the clean make-up brushes lying in wait to be used. Her brows pulled together as she felt her heart pick up its pace at the sight of it all. She was nervous; there was no need to be, but how could she push past a habit instilled in her?

Before she knew what was happening, Esme had been sitting in a chair while an attendant 'painted' her face. A little while later, Esme felt eyeliner being brushed onto her top lids. "This will accentuate your eyes more! And this, if we did a smokey eye look, no one would dare to look away from you!"

That wasn't exactly what she wanted. "Erm, please, I think the eyeliner is enough," Esme muttered before being shushed so her lips could be painted. By the time her face was coated in their products, she was finally able to look at what they'd done to her.

Esme held the mirror in front of her, instantly inhaling sharply. Her make-up was still kept quite natural though the light freckles on her nose could no longer be seen under the foundation, not that others would see them anyway. But the eyeliner was winged on her top lid, with the mascara truly did make her eyes more noticeable. Tears began to blur her vision, not because of how she looked but because there was nothing and no one now stopping her from wearing it.

She covered her nose and blinked rapidly, trying not to let the tears fall down her freshly done make-up. A piece of tissue was thrust before her face. "Honey, don't cry! Your make-up will get ruined! I know they did a good job but come on.. You know you're all it!" Hana blabbered on, trying to cheer her up. Esme sniffled and took the tissue from her, dabbing under her eyes and smiling, making sure her make-up was indeed not ruined.

"Sorry," Esme lowered her face.

"Sweetie, don't worry about it," Hana rubbed her back, and the she-wolf looked up at her. "Now your liner matches how fierce your personality is!" She winked, making her chuckle and shake her head.

Hana really was something else; she reminded her of Ruby, a girl she met within the first six months of escaping that hellhole. Ruby was just as energetic and bubbly as Hana, their friendship was genuine, and she helped Esme overcome a lot. In fact, if Hana met her two years ago, she would be unrecognisable.

"Should we go?" Hana interrupted her thoughts.

Esme nodded, feeling a little worn out from a day of overcoming such minuscule things. If anyone told her she would cry about make-up six years ago, she would find them utterly ridiculous. Yet, another lifetime ago where she lived a completely different life.

The pair left the store with the newly brought make-up purchases, which Esme felt a little guilty about. But she at least got herself some lingerie insisting she could buy her own underwear and not have the bill show up on their boss' statement.

Rich or not, she wouldn't take advantage of one of the most dangerous beings on earth. She wasn't suicidal!

By the time they returned to ONYX for her evening shift, everyone had stared at her more than they usually did. She walked in, holding several bags, hair swept back in her usual do, wearing a black midi skirt, long-sleeved skin-tight black, shimmering polo neck top, her heels clicking against the floor, her flawless features much more radiant and compelling. Her large dark eyes of earthy hues captured the hearts of any who looked her way.

Unaware of her beauty, Esme wondered if her clothes made her stand out more. Was it because she had the appearance of fitting in? Up until now, Esme had been the club's entertainment, the new girl who didn't take any BS from anyone, no matter their status. She was the club's 'ruffian'. Which she found entertaining herself considering the number of vampires using the place for fresh blood.

She shook her head and pushed past her angst at being stared at. They would soon get used to her dressed up and grow bored at her new attire. People did start to calm down as hours passed, but Esme couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Their presence was too powerful to ignore; it was the same man from before.

Once again, she found herself searching the room with her eyes, her hand paused, holding the knife slicing into a half-cut lemon, her other hand holding the fruit down. But she could not see him, and the feeling soon passed, so she returned to slicing up the lemon. This person would at some point reveal themselves unless they wanted to keep playing hide and seek.

"You know, you're quite fascinating, kid."