Life Begins at Midnight

Elegance

Before Monica could wake up, Anna, who was up all night, had called up the concierge and asked for a breakfast for two. She couldn't bring herself to leave Monica out. She simply didn't feel vengeful. She brushed her teeth and woke Monica up, telling her that breakfast was on its way. Monica just shrugged and went off to brush her teeth. Soon, the breakfast arrived, and the girls settled down at the table to eat. Anna was hungry, and she wolfed hers down. It had been a whole day since she'd eaten something. Monica was feeling triumphant. She could see Anna trying to control her shivers.

By the time they finished their breakfast, there was a knock on their door. This time Anna expected the parcel. There was one. She was surprised by its size. It was so large that it needed two men to deliver it. One of them asked for "Miss Analemma Wrenner", and Anna repeated the previous night's protocol by identifying herself. He told her that she was to open it immediately. She took the parcel in and thanked him with a smile.

Monica was surprised. Anna opened the package and found a leather case. She opened the clasps, and allowed herself a gasp. Inside lay a delicate affair in some rich soft fabric. It was simple, and baby-pink throughout. The pleats at gathered at the narrow waist, and the insides of the pleats were softly bleeding amaranth. She gently picked it up and examined it. It was beautiful. She changed into it. Obviously it fit her perfectly. Anna looked like a princess from a fairy tale. The leathern case also had beautiful wedges for her feet, and yet again, a note:

"Miss Analemma Wrenner,

I await you in my own home.

I would like it if you could wear your hair down. And no makeup, please."

This time, there were no initials on the note. Anna understood that he wanted her to wear this dress today. The dress was elegance itself. Anna stepped into the wedges and let her hair out of her braid. Combing out with her fingers, she could see that her hair was in a good condition, so she let it be. She wore the trench coat over the dress, because she had developed a slight chill.

Just as Monica got ready, there was a knock on the door.

This time it was Zoe. Anna opened the door and Zoe gaped at her.

The dress had a way of clinging to her luscious curves without looking tight in any way. It had something stiff around the hips, which made the lower part float around her legs in a perpetual flare. The dress ended at tea length, just enough for the white wedges to peep out an inch. Anna looked breath-taking, and her utter lack of makeup made her look like she belonged, and had always been so gorgeous that she never had to pretend anyways.

Despite Monica looking on, Zoe had to say it – "You look ravishing, Anna!" And Anna had blushed, adding to the sheer beauty of the ensemble.

Monica wasn't exactly invited for the shoot, buy she came anyways, because she wanted to see what Ricky West was going to do today to Swot-Girl Analemma. For the first time, she was feeling glad about not getting chosen for this. She had no idea that this suffering was designed for Analemma and Analemma alone. And that she, Monica, could never elicit such an intense feeling in Ricky West.

Anna tried her best to avoid shaking. When Zoe gave her a questioning look, Anna blamed it on the wedges. The truth was that the wedges were perfectly balanced. Her knees were shaking and she had a fever, but she refused to give in to it.

When they arrived at the West Mansion in the Zephyr complex, Anna seemed to belong. The plush carpeted floors and wooden details were lit up with ambient lighting, and the simple elegance that filled the place seemed to resonate with Anna's own. The elevator zoomed to the first floor within seconds, and the ride was so smooth that it was imperceptible. Anna caught her reflection in most unexpected places, and it made her flush to see herself that way. She had never really known that she was beautiful, or could look as exquisite as the creature staring back at her from the reflective glass, the polished details and chic vases.

Richard West did await her. She had handed over her trench coat at the door to a waiting maid, and so she was trying her best not to let her trembling show. Everything felt cold. She knew she was running a temperature, but she didn't want Richard or Monica or anyone else to know it. It would be a sign of weakness. She could not afford to be ill, now. Not when she knew that she could face whatever Richard West could plan for her. Anna was sleepy, but her eyes didn't show it. She hadn't slept a wink, wondering whether Richard West treated all his models that way or whether he specifically hated her for something. But she couldn't see anything objectionable or offensive in her own behaviour, except when she had retaliated by asking him where Richard West was. He couldn't have taken it badly, could he? But then she had remembered that he'd been rude right from his first sentence to her. She didn't know what to make of that.

Today he waited on an antique leather chair that seemed so much a part of his aristocratic-looking first floor of the mansion. He wasn't wearing his regular jeans and t-shirt, which had made him look effortlessly rich. Today he wore formals, and looked, for the first time, like a businessman. His dark curls were parted at the side, and his bright eyes searched for Anna. When they found her, his breath was taken away. He'd chosen the dress himself, and never thought anything could possibly look lovelier. He realized right away that he'd been wrong. It did look lovelier when it was on Anna. He strode over to one of the vases with their fresh flowers, and pulled out a single lovely bloom. It was a rose. Not a red one, but a fresh one which seemed to be pristine-white at first glance, but had a heart that blushed a gentle pink, just like Anna blushed when she accepted the rose from him.

Zoe was already prepared, as she knew it was an indoor shoot, so the crew had immediately set up everything accordingly. Richard announced that he would be modelling today. Modelling for his own line! Everyone was momentarily taken aback, but Zoe shrugged, and everybody got back to business.

Richard sat on the antique chair, and asked Anna to kneel at his feet. Now she knew his plan. He wanted to humiliate her, by making her pose at his feet. She smiled and complied. He would not hear her complain. She would not give him that pleasure. Her shaking knees touched the floor, and the skirt of her dress flared out around her. She looked like pure radiance. Her peachy lips had darkened into the colour of Damask roses, and her cheeks burned with fever. She emanated warmth and beauty, and pride. Her kneeling posture could not mask the straight back, squared shoulders and the defiant erectness of her neck. Her proximity to Richard West could not hide the bold sparkle in her eyes, which looked at Zoe's camera, than at him.

Her body was burning with fever, and it effused her face with a warm glow. It was as if the complete lack of makeup beautified her, and she looked even more pure and innocent. She couldn't help her blood pooling into her cheeks and the colour rushing to the tips of her ears. Her dark waves cascaded down her shoulders like a sheet of silk. Unintentionally, Richard took her chin in his hand, to ask her to turn towards him and look up. His hand brushed against her throat, and he pulled back at the feel of the heat.