The Game of Appearances

Beatrice stood at her usual spot by the premium bar, where the Italian marble counter caught and reflected the deep blues and purples of the ambient lighting. Her sequined dress - a Balmain creation that had never seen a price tag - shifted like liquid mercury with each subtle movement. The diamonds adorning her fingers caught the light like captured stars, while a strand of Mikimoto pearls emphasized the elegant line of her neck. She was thirty-two but could pass for twenty-five, a fact she maintained with religious dedication to her beauty regimen and her father's platinum credit card.