The boutique was called L'Éclat. It had no prices in the window, just a single mannequin wearing a dress made of what looked like spun gold. The air inside smelled of jasmine and money.
"This is ridiculous," Maya whispered, tugging at the hem of her jeans. She felt underdressed. Everyone else in the store was wearing heels at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday.
"It's not ridiculous, it's necessary," Sienna said, breezing through the racks like she owned the place. "The Gala is black tie, May. You can't wear the Zara dress. It's practically see-through under stage lights."
"I wasn't planning on going on stage," Maya muttered, trailing behind her.
"You're sitting at the family table," Sienna corrected, pulling a hanger from the rack. She held up a crimson silk gown. "Dad insisted. Which means cameras. Which means you need to look the part."
Behind them, a small entourage followed. Chloe (who had been profusely apologizing since the party) and two other girls, Becca and Jules. They were carrying Sienna's bags like dutiful soldiers.
"Oh my god, Sienna, look at this one," Chloe squealed, holding up a dress covered in sequins that looked heavy enough to drown in. "It screams 'Senator's Daughter.'"
"Too flashy," Sienna dismissed it without looking. She turned back to Maya, holding the red dress against Maya's body. She frowned. "No. Red is my color this year. You need something... softer. Like a dove grey. Or maybe a pale blue to match your eyes."
Maya stood still, letting Sienna treat her like a doll. It was easier than fighting.
"Excuse me," a sales associate materialized. She was a tall, thin woman with glasses perched on the end of her nose. She scanned the group, her eyes lingering on Maya's worn sneakers for a fraction of a second too long. "Can I start a fitting room for you ladies?"
"Yes," Sienna said. "We need options for my friend. Size 2. Nothing over-the-top, but elegant. Floor length."
"Of course." The woman's smile was tight. "And what is the budget range we are working with today?"
The question hung in the air.
Maya felt the heat creep up her neck. She opened her mouth to say "Zero. The budget is zero because I can't afford a scarf in here, let alone a gown."
But Sienna laughed. "Don't worry about it. Put it on the Sterling account. My mother called ahead."
The sales associate's demeanor changed instantly. The ice melted into sycophantic warmth. "Ah, of course! Mrs. Sterling is a valued client. Right this way."
She gestured toward the velvet-curtained dressing rooms.
As they walked, Maya heard Becca whisper to Jules. "Must be nice to have a fairy godmother."
"Or a sugar daddy," Jules giggled quietly.
Maya's hands clenched into fists at her sides. She kept walking. She stared straight ahead at Sienna's perfect blonde hair.
Just get the dress, she told herself. Get the dress, survive the Gala, get the job in the archives, and get out.
Twenty minutes later, Maya was standing on a podium in front of a three-way mirror. She was wearing a dress of slate-grey chiffon. It was simple, strapless, with a bodice that fitted her perfectly and a skirt that flowed like water when she moved.
It was beautiful.
For a second, staring at her reflection, Maya forgot about the price tag. She forgot about the whispers. She looked... like she belonged.
"Oh, wow," Sienna breathed, coming up behind her in the mirror. She rested her chin on Maya's shoulder. "See? I told you. You look like a princess."
"It's... nice," Maya admitted, touching the fabric.
"Nice? It's stunning," Chloe chimed in from the
sofa, sipping complimentary champagne. "Seriously, Maya. You clean up well."
It was a backhanded compliment, sharp as a tack. You clean up well. Implying that usually, she was dirty.
Sienna missed it. She was too busy signaling the saleswoman. "We'll take it. And throw in the silver heels she tried on first. The ones with the ankle strap."
"Sienna," Maya hissed, turning around. "The shoes were six hundred dollars."
"They complete the look," Sienna said firmly. "Consider it an early birthday present."
"My birthday is in November," Maya argued.
"A very early birthday present. Stop arguing. You're making me look cheap." Sienna laughed, turning away to grab her purse.
Maya stood on the podium, trapped in the thousand-dollar dress. She looked back at the mirror. The girl staring back didn't look like a princess anymore. She looked like a prop. A doll dressed up to make the set look better.
"Thank you," Maya said to Sienna's back. The words tasted like ash.
"You're welcome!" Sienna called out, already texting Roman. "Hurry up and change. We're getting sushi after this."
Maya went back into the changing room. She unzipped the dress carefully, terrified of snagging the fabric. As she pulled it off, she looked at the tag.
$2,400.
That was three months of rent for her mother's old apartment. It was more than her mother made in a month at the Estate.
She put her jeans back on. They felt rough against her skin.
When she came out, the saleswoman handed her a sleek black garment bag with the store's logo embossed in gold.
"Enjoy the Gala," the woman said.
Maya took the bag. It felt heavy.
"I'll try," she whispered.
As they walked out of the store, Chloe fell into step beside Maya.
"You know," Chloe said, her voice low so Sienna couldn't hear. "It's really sweet of her to do this for you. Most people wouldn't bother dressing up the staff."
Maya stopped walking. She gripped the handle of the garment bag until her fingers turned white.
"I'm not staff," Maya said calmly.
Chloe shrugged, adjusting her sunglasses. "If you say so. But you know what they say. You can put a tuxedo on a goat, but it's still a goat."
She sped up to catch Sienna, linking arms with her and laughing at something Sienna said.
Maya stood on the sidewalk. The sun was shining. The bag was heavy in her hand.
She looked at the black car waiting for them at the curb. The tinted windows reflected her own face back at her—distorted, small, and dark.
She got in the car. Because what else was she going to do? Walk home?
She didn't have the shoes for it.