Exquisite desires|WLW

Her whole life, somebody had always told Estrella what to do, what to study, what to become, what her future should look like, and what kind of life she was expected to live. She had spent years surrounded by expectations, especially from her father and the rest of her family, until eventually, she realized she wanted something that belonged entirely to her.

Estrella wanted to build something of her own. Her own reputation. Her own career. Her own life, far away from the weight of her family's expectations.

So when she applied for a position at Sambo-70 as Tutberidze's secretary, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. She had heard the rumors about Eteri and her team, of course. Everyone had. But Estrella had never been the type to believe something simply because people repeated it. She preferred to see things for herself before deciding what was true.

With little more than a few small bags, she packed up the life she had known and left her hometown behind. Moscow was waiting for her, a city she barely knew, a new job she knew even less about, and a future she couldn't predict.

For the first time in her life, there was no one standing over her shoulder telling her what to do.

She had nothing but hope.

And, for once, that was enough.