Destress

Calliope raised her gaze to look at the red dress that Persephone was holding for her. She blinked her eyes, trying to resist the sudden moisture in her eyes and lifted her hand to touch the soft fabric of the dress against her fingers. 

"Isn't it pretty?" Persephone asked with a soft smile.  

"Very much so," Calliope whispered, her eyes fixed on the beautiful red fabric. She wouldn't curse the beauty of the cloth by touching it, would she? 

She was truly scared…

"We are buying this one," Persephone announced on behalf of Calliope and moved to pick out another outfit. 

Two hours passed in the same boutique and Persephone and Calliope were still choosing clothes for both of them.  One might believe that the two of them had purchased a number of clothes but it wasn't the case. They were having fun trying out different outfits and then choosing the one they liked the most. 

"Ma'am, we can show you our new formal summer collection," The shop assistant said with a polite smile. "Would you like to check it out?"

"Absolutely," Persephone said and dragged Calliope with her to the second floor to check out formal clothes. From their interaction, it appeared as if they had known each other for a long time. 

Calliope was roaming around the second floor of the boutique while her self proclaimed friend was trying out clothes. Her eye caught one dress on the mannequin and instinctively she strolled forward to caress the beauty of the magnificent dress. 

"Would you like to try it on, ma'am?" The shop attendant asked with a polite smile. 

Calliope shook her head in no. She glanced at the dress and then at the confused shop attendant. "Can you pack it up for me?" 

The shop attendant appeared confused for the moment but then smiled at her brightly. "Sure, ma'am. Would you mind telling me in what size you want the dress to be altered to?"

Calliope pointed at the green dress on the counter and the shop assistant understood what she was trying to do here.  

"I will get it altered and packed for you instantly," The shop attendant said. However, as she touched the mannequin to peel off the piece of cloth, a smooth manicured hand grabbed it at the end moment, startling the shop attendant for a moment. 

"Amaya, this will look perfect on your figure, "A girl who wasn't older than eighteen said with excitement obvious in her blue eyes. She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear and added,  "Green will look good on your complexion." The girl turned to find a shop attendant standing at a distance. "My cousin would like to try it on." 

"I'm sorry, Miss. But the dress has already been sold," The shop attendant said with a smile. Although she was telling the haughty teenager the dress was sold, she understood clearly what was coming next. She understood these unreasonable rich young socialites. 

"Excuse me, "The girl narrowed her eyes and said in a proud tone. "We are platinum members of the boutique. Didn't it mean we are eligible to check out the new collection before the normal customers?" 

"I can't explain much more than this, ma'am. The dress has been sold. You will have to wait for five days before we order the sold-out collection again," The shop attendant replied monotonously. 

"Amelia, I don't wear some hundred dollar clothes," Amaya, the woman for whom the girl was fighting, said. She stared at the beautiful but cheap dress and added, "This is beneath my standard." 

Calliope who had been waiting for the show to be over couldn't help but say, "Can you please hurry? My friend will be waiting for me." 

"Sure, ma'am, "The shop attendant immediately replied and walked away with the dress. 

"Who do you think you are?" The teenager glared at Calliope, pointing fingers at her. "Do you even know who we are?"

"Do tell?" Calliope asked with a blank expression on her face. She wasn't curious to know the identity of the brat in the least. She had browsed through the portfolios of powerful households so many times that she knew each one of them by their name and faces. 

"Are you mocking us?" Amelia Engelson said with a sneer.

Calliope shook her head and heaved out a sigh. This wasn't how the children of Engelson household were supposed to behave. She walked ahead and calmly rubbed the teenager's back as she said, "Life can be hard and stressful Kiddo. But it doesn't mean you will alleviate your stress by throwing off the weight of your surname. House Engelson wouldn't be pleased to know." With a smile, she added, "Take care. And don't forget to destress yourself." 

"Amaya–" 

"Stop Mia! She is not an ordinary woman," Amaya Engelson said while her eyes were fixed on Calliope's retiring back. She didn't realise how tight her posture was due to stress. "She knows we are Engelson even without you telling her. She wasn't afraid or even intimated by the tone of your voice. Do you know what it meant? Either she is too powerful or she wasn't scared of Engelsons at all."