Bound by law

Chapter 34:Confessions to Mia

The sun had set by the time Estelle returned to her apartment, her heart still pounding from everything that had happened in Celeste's office. She felt a strange mix of emotions—excitement, fear, and a sense of disbelief that she'd actually signed the papers. That she had officially agreed to work under Celeste.

Not just work—belong. Celeste had made that very clear.

She unlocked the door to her shared apartment and stepped inside, her thoughts still swirling. As soon as she closed the door, she heard Mia's voice from the kitchen.

"Estelle, is that you? You've been gone forever! You missed dinner, and I made a killer stir-fry."

Estelle tried to force a smile as she kicked off her shoes. "Yeah, sorry. It's been... a long day."

Mia popped her head out from the kitchen, raising an eyebrow. "A long day? More like a long week. Come on, sit. You look like you've just walked out of a battlefield." She beckoned Estelle over to the couch with a concerned look in her eyes.

Estelle hesitated, knowing that she couldn't hide from Mia forever. Mia had always been her rock—the one person she could talk to about anything. But how could she possibly explain what had just happened? How could she describe the twisted, complicated relationship that was building between her and Celeste?

Sighing, Estelle walked over to the couch and sat down, her body feeling heavy with the weight of everything. "You don't even know the half of it, Mia."

Mia plopped down beside her, eyes wide with curiosity. "Okay, spill. You're freaking me out. What happened?"

Estelle leaned back, rubbing her hands over her face as she tried to gather her thoughts. "So, you remember how I told you I was working at Scarlett's firm, right?"

Mia nodded, leaning in closer. "Yeah, you were loving it there. What's going on?"

"Well... I'm not working there anymore," Estelle admitted, her voice strained.

Mia blinked, clearly surprised. "Wait, what? What do you mean? Did they fire you?"

"Sort of..." Estelle sighed again, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten. "Scarlett let me go today. But it wasn't really her decision. It was Celeste."

Mia's jaw dropped. "Wait, Professor Thorne got you fired? Are you serious right now? How? Why?"

Estelle leaned forward, burying her face in her hands for a moment before looking back at Mia. "She... she pulled some strings, I guess. She didn't want me working for Scarlett. She said Scarlett was 'using me,' or something. I don't know. And after everything, she offered me an internship at her firm."

Mia's eyes went wide, her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. "Wait, wait, wait. Back up. Celeste got you fired from Scarlett's firm, and then offered you an internship at her firm? What the hell?"

Estelle nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah. And... I signed the papers. I'm working for her now."

Mia blinked again, clearly trying to process everything. "You signed the papers? Just like that? After everything Celeste did?"

Estelle could feel the weight of Mia's judgment, and for good reason. Everything had happened so quickly, so intensely. "I don't know what came over me," Estelle admitted, her voice quieter now. "It was like... I couldn't say no. She has this control over me, Mia. It's terrifying, but at the same time, it's... I don't know. It's addictive."

Mia stared at her for a long moment, processing everything, before finally shaking her head in disbelief. "Girl, this is some seriously messed-up stuff. Like, you're basically telling me that Celeste is controlling your life, and you're... okay with it?"

"No," Estelle said quickly, though she wasn't sure if she meant it. "I'm not okay with it. I hate that she has this power over me, but at the same time... I don't know. There's something about her. Something I can't shake."

Mia leaned back on the couch, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at Estelle. "Okay, so let me get this straight. You're telling me that Celeste is jealous of Scarlett and basically sabotaged your job there, just to get you to work for her. And now you're working for her, despite all of that?"

"Yeah," Estelle said, feeling her face heat up. "I know how it sounds."

"It sounds like a damn soap opera," Mia muttered, shaking her head again. "Look, Estelle, I know you've always had a thing for powerful women, but this? This is on another level. You're telling me Celeste is basically claiming you like some kind of... possession?"

Estelle bit her lip, feeling the weight of Mia's words. "She said I was hers," she whispered, the memory of Celeste's voice still fresh in her mind. "And that she doesn't share."

Mia's mouth dropped open again. "Oh. My. God. This is so much worse than I thought."

"I know," Estelle groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I don't know what I'm doing, Mia. I don't know how to get out of this."

Mia reached over and gently pulled Estelle's hands away from her face, forcing her to look up. "Okay, first of all, you don't have to do this. You don't have to let her control you like this, no matter how powerful or intimidating she is."

"But it's more than that," Estelle whispered, her voice shaking. "It's not just about her control. There's... something between us. This tension, this pull that I can't ignore. I don't know if it's desire or something else, but it's consuming me."

Mia frowned, clearly worried. "Estelle, you can't let her play mind games with you. I know the attraction is there, but she's clearly manipulating you. You need to step back and think about what's best for you—not what's best for her."

Estelle nodded, knowing Mia was right. But it was so much more complicated than that. Celeste's control, her possessiveness—it was terrifying, yes, but it was also intoxicating in a way Estelle couldn't fully explain.

"I'll try," Estelle whispered, feeling the weight of everything crashing down on her.

Mia sighed and pulled her into a tight hug, holding her close. "Just promise me you'll be careful, okay? You deserve more than being someone's pawn."

"I promise," Estelle whispered, though she wasn't sure how true it was. She was already too far into Celeste's web, and part of her didn't want to get out.