Aliyah dashed out of her room and forcefully opened her front door… Imogen stood with her eyes wide, her personal assistant Rose standing behind her,, struggling with six shopping bags in her hands.
"Rose, leave the bags in the car," Aliyah mumbled sluggishly as she walked back in, leaving the door open behind her for both of them.
"Young lady! You will not ignore me," Imogen snapped, waving Rose away and slamming the door shut behind her.
"Careful with my door… It's not like my parents own a mansion or anything," Aliyah sighed.
Imogen hesitated, frowning. "What's going on with you?? And why were you soaked earlier?" Her voice cracked in worry.
"I had a little play shower on the rooftop… that's all.." Aliyah cleared her voice to sound more cheerful, "God forbid a girl has a little fun, right?" She offered a half smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"In the rain?!" Imogen gasped, giving her a playful slap on her shoulder. "We're not thirteen anymore, you know that, right? We're grown-ass women, for fuck's sake."
And you believed that?
Aliyah thought bitterly as she got up and walked into her room to get her mug of hot chocolate.
"Guess what! Liyah!" Imogen trailed after Aliyah into the bedroom and collapsed into her bed.
"I met a guyyyy," she sang out loud at the top of her lungs.
"Wow," Aliyah said dryly, shaking her head. "Didn't even give me a damn chance to guess."
"I think I'm finally in love," Imogen snatched the mug off Aliyah's hand and took a large slurp of it.
Aliyah watched her as she bit her lips in a smile—this wasn't even the hundredth time she had heard those same words, " I think I'm finally in love," from Imogen.
Should I tell her about the call from my dad's doctor?
Should I ruin her horny little love parade with my shit news? She debated.
"He's got a cute friend…" Imogen snorted cracking up as she playfully spanked Aliyah's ass.
"Just the type you'd go for, Liyah—innocent and nerdy… what'd you say, huh??" She spanked her again.
"Should we go on a double date and get fucked right after?" She laughed out loud, practically falling off the bed. "Bestie goals, huh?"
How did I ever end up being best friends with this stranger…
Aliyah stared at her, really stared… Imogen's bright hazel eyes still sparkled despite being half-hidden behind her wild laughter—she looked nothing like the flawless, untouchable girl splashed across the billboards outside Étoile and the glossy banners lining their hallways.
In those ads, she wore a sequined black gown, her hair slicked back in a perfect styled ponytail, giving her already sharp cheekbones a more sculpted and powerful look.
Aliyah always thought the stern expression on her face in those pictures made her feel intimidated, small, like a reminder that girls like her didn't belong on the walls of places like Étoile… not even in their dreams.
"My dad's doctor called," She finally said calmly.
She watched as Imogen's eyes froze, switching from her wild laughing expression to a straight, concerned, and curious look.
"Is he…. dead?" Imogen wimpered, her voice cracking in a childish sob.
"God.. No!" Laughing through the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. Aliyah grabbed the nearest book from the table beside her and tossed it at Imogen playfully. "You're insane, Gen.."
Gen.
It was a name only Aaliyah called her. Nobody else called her that.
It was her own special and private thread of closeness just between the two of them.
"My dad's not responding to his medication," her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her sweatshirt.
"He said I should be ready to expect anything."
She looked down at the bed at Imogen, waiting, half-bracing herself for one of her usual over-the-top reactions.
But Imogen only mouthed one word. "Liyah…" She got up and hugged Aliyah tightly..
The embrace was warm and steady — exactly what Aliyah hadn't realized she needed until that moment.
Neither of them spoke.
They just held onto each other, clinging to the silence, as if letting go would shatter something too fragile to fix.
Aliyah wanted to tell Imogen how close she had come to ending her life — and how it wasn't an angel who saved her, but the devil himself.
But she knew better.
Imogen's reaction would be loud, dramatic, and anything but what Aliyah could handle right now.
"Miss Ashford." The sound of Rose's voice echoed faintly from the front door.
"We're late for the shoot… and Mr. Jake just called," Rose added.
Imogen released from the hug with frustration on her face.
"Fucking Jake. He won't give me a break…" she rolled her eyes.
"You should go," Aliyah suggested with a soft chuckle, gently pulling away.
They never really spent time together anymore.
It was always like this.
Imogen always had her shoots, and she also had work.
She watched Imogen hesitating, glancing between her and the door.
"I have to go see my dad anyway," Aliyah said, her voice quieter now as she walked towards her closet, searching for something presentable to wear.
"You sure you'll be okay, baby?" Imogen said with a hint of worry in her voice as she gulped down the remains in the mug.
Aliyah paused, her back to her friend, as she scanned through clothes.
She turned slightly, offering a faint, reassuring smile.
"Yeah… sure," she murmured softly, her words barely more than a breath.
Imogen's voice lit up once again.
"I heard Mr. Alexander Sinclair visited your unit today." Her eyes shone in astonishment.
Aliyah blinked in confusion. "Alex…who?"
"…Sander Sinclair!" Imogen's voice rose with disbelief as she stomped her feet on the floor.
"Don't tell me you don't know him, Liyah."
She walked up to Aliyah, as if standing closer would help her grasp the significance of what she was saying.
"Who's the billionaire that owns Étoile Management? …Mr. Damon Sinclair! And who's Alexander Sinclair? Mr. Damon's first son, who's also a billionaire."
Imogen's energy was building up as she spoke.
"I heard he just got back from Japan and is finally ready to settle down in a suitable position at Étoile."
She flopped onto the edge of the bed, crossing her legs comfortably as if she were preparing to spill the rest of a juicy story.
"You know what that means, Liyah?" She smiled from ear to ear.
"Settling down in a suitable position at Étoile…. And also settling down with the perfect girl…. He's single!" Imogen giggled.
Aliyah couldn't ignore this time. "I thought you just said you've found love."
"Come on, you know that's my type, Liyah. Wealthy… powerful… manly.." Imogen got up and danced around the room.
"He's mine!"