Page 156 of Cashmere Cruelty

Elias hugs me goodbye once more. “Your grandmother would be proud, you know. Of the woman you’ve become.”

I don’t answer. I don’t think I can.

As soon as Elias is in the elevator, Petra rounds the corner. “Who’s that?”

“Good morning to you, too.”

She drops her bag unceremoniously on the table. “And why are your eyes red?”

I rub them off with the back of my hand. “New shampoo. Wanted to test if that ‘No Tears’ thing was real.”

“It’s a scam,” Petra huffs. “It means ‘No Tearing.’ As in, no tangles and whatnot.”

“That’s not very nice.”

“No, it’s not.” She snatches a Greek yogurt from the fridge. “So who was that?”

“My boss.” I shrug. “Clothes hand-off. Nothing exciting.”

“Thatlooks exciting,” she comments, giving the crumpled pamphlet in my hand a pointed look. “Since you’re trying to hide it and all.”

Crap. Should’ve known better than to play this game with Mrs. Bond here. “It’s just something Elias brought over.”

“Something secret?”

I sigh. “Something ridiculous.”

“Gimme.” She motions for me to hand it over.

“You know, you’re almost as controlling as your fiancé.”

“‘Almost’? You insult me.” She gives the pamphlet a quick scan. “This doesn’t look ridiculous.”

“It does if you’re broke,” I reply. “It does if you’re me.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Oh, right, thanks,” she drawls. “I completely understand now.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s the Mallard! No one from public school goes to the Mallard.”

“This doesn’t say anything about entry requirements.”

“It’s implied.” I throw myself down on a chair. “Like with any other fashion school, really.”

Petra puts the pamphlet down and stares me in the eye. “I think you’re full of shit.”

That shuts me up.

“Humor me,” she presses. “What happens if you compete? What happens if you win this?”

“Well…” I try to find the words. “The Mallard Fashion Expo’s like an audition. If you win the contest, you pass. If you pass, you’ve got your foot in the door of the fashion world.”

“Doesn’t sound like a total waste of time to me.”

“Well, it is,” I insist. “It’s a cutthroat environment. The competition’s insane. And everyone’s filthy rich, so they’ve gotaccess to the best materials: silk, cashmere, freakingdiamonds. Like I said, there’s no point.”

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