“She wants independence,” he begins, humour gone. “She wants something with her name on it, to earn her own money, to have something that’s hers. She’s never even had a bank account, Sai.” His voice tightens, brows creasing. “I don’t even know if they were paying her, or just giving her a room and the bare necessities. Never any excess to use for herself. You remember what Julien said? About how she reacted to the clothes?”
My jaw tightens. “Yeah, I remember.”
He said she cherished them. He told us how she’d slept on the floor, but wouldn’t let them touch it. Like they were more valuable than her.
“And the pastries?” he adds.
How she’d never had chocolate ones before. Fuck. I was too busy admiring her mouth to remember that one.
When the shadows twitch, I realise we’re stepping into dangerous territory. That tight, burning feeling of anger building inside us both.
“She doesn’t even have a second name,” he bites, eyes locked with mine, and the room darkens. “They could’ve given her anyone’s, but instead they kept her blank. Like she wasn’t worth carrying it…” His teeth grind, and I realise I’m doing the same, everything inside me tense.
How long had Zeek been brewing on these thoughts? Since I told them about her name? Since she asked for the contract? Longer? And what other things hadn’t she had? What else had we missed?
We look at each other, see the rage, but when I take a deep breath and hold, he copies. We breathe out together, and the shadows slowly withdraw.
“I want us to give her everything she’s never had,” he vows. “But I also want her to feel like her own person.”
I swallow my anger down, take another breath. “Tell me the plan, Zeek.”
“She’s asked for a contract, so we’ll give her one,” he says. “But we don’t want her to sign it. I want her to know we’ll give her those things whether her name’s on a piece of paper or not.”
“I’m guessing that’s why you’ve decided to make it a fantasy novel?” I nod at the stack.
“Still won’t be enough,” he says, a faint smile tugging his lips. “She’s too sharp for half-measures. We need to make it something she won’t want to touch. So…” He hands me the contract, finger tapping the final page.
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All clothing must be approved, selected, and purchased by Julien. (Sai has jurisdiction over footwear.)
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Uniform requirements: a skirt.
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One date, per bond, every week. Schedule TBC.
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Weekly meetings with employer.
