Estella Henderson was on FaceTime with Scarlett while both girls were doing their makeup.

"I can't believe you asked him, El! I'm so proud of you." Scarlett says wiping away a fake tear.

"I can't believe he said yes," Ella says putting on red lipstick.

"Ella, he's lucky to have you. But is this serious? I mean would you want it to become serious?"

Estella bit her lip and shrugs, "I really like him Scar, so if he asked me to be his girlfriend. I would say yes."

"I'm so happy for you. And I'm pretty sure he likes you too."

"You really think so?" Estella's dating history has never been pretty. She never really had teenage relationships, never being ready in high school. And in college, nothing stuck. Ella always felt like an outsider and different.

"Of course, you should see the way he looks at you," Scar says to her best friend.

"You're overreacting!" Ella laughs.

"I'm not, El! You just can't tell but don't worry tonight will go perfect." Scar says making Ella cross her fingers.

"Hopefully, have you and Amber picked your dresses yet?" Estella asks as she plugs in the curling iron.

"I have. I'm wearing the purple one with feathers and Amber is wearing the black one you designed last season."

Ella loved seeing people in her dresses, they made her feel appreciated.

"I'm so excited to see you both. Is Liliana going?" Liliana is currently five months pregnant so Kimberly gave her the option of not attending.

"I texted her like five minutes ago and she is but only for a bit," Scar says also straightening her hair. "Wait what are you wearing?"

Ella looks at her dress and smiles, "I'm wearing the one I designed three weeks ago. The blue and pink sparkly one."

Scar gasped, "I'm so glad Emma and her team finished it in time."

Emma was the head of the seamstress team, Ella may be the one designing the dresses but there the ones who made the dresses.

"Kim make sure to hand the design over to Emma so it'll be ready on time."

"Kimberly loves you. You're like her favorite person."

Ella smiles, "I love her too, she's really been there for me. I'm so grateful to her."

Both girls finished their hair at the same time and began to put on jewelry.  Ella put on some simple diamond earrings Kimberly gifted her for Christmas last year.

Kimberly truly did care about Ella, it was obvious to everyone in that office. They spent most lunches today, Kim cared more about Ella's opinion than anyone else and she always put Ella's designs above everyone else's.

Some of the other employees did find it unfair but never said anything because it was like Ella was her daughter. Scarlett and Liliana didn't mind that Ella was the clearly favorite because they knew she had no family. That and Kimberly had never treated them badly.

"Those earrings are beautiful. Wear that diamond bracelet I convinced you to buy."

Another perk of working in a luxury fashion empire and being the CEO's favorite is the yearly net worth. Ella gets paid roughly around $700k a year not including bonuses and sale commissions. But she wasn't rich enough to compare to the women at the events. Especially the ones she's seeing tonight.

"I will! At least it doesn't make me feel that poor compared to the woman at that event." Both girls laugh.

"Honestly! Those women donate more the our entire salaries combined to look good."

"At least it's going to charity," Ella says picking up two pairs of heels. "Should I wear the clear ones or blue ones?"

"The clear ones!" Scar says holding up her earrings.

"The long ones! They look better with your dress."

Ella looks at the time and It's almost seven. "Already, I'll see you at the event. I need to put on my dress and look for my bag."

"Sounds good. See you!" They both hang up and Ella puts on her dress and heels. She quickly puts her lipstick, cash, cards, phone, and a small mirror in her bag.

The bell rings and it makes her smile walking over to the door. She opens to door and sees Nik standing there in his tux and holding beautiful flowers.

"Hi, Nik." She smiles making him smile back.

God, she's adorable. Klaus thinks to himself before stepping forward. "Hi, Stella. Wow, you look stunning."

He kisses his cheek and hands her the flowers, "Thank you, Nik. And I love these flowers, they're beautiful."

"I'm glad you like them, love."

Ella blushes and steps back, "Come in, I just need to grab my bag."

They both step inside the house and Klaus immediately starts looking around. Her apartment was pretty and comfortable.

He noticed all the pictures hung up, designs all over in table, and clothes all over her couch.

Estella really was different than other doppelgängers. She was special, he liked her personality and hobbies. Her nervous habits and passions. Klaus still wasn't sure if he was going to accept the bond fully but for now, he just wanted to get to know her. 

------

"You nervous?" Klaus asks as they walk into the place. This event was being hosted at a beautiful country club.

Ella looked at him and shrugged, "Kind of. All these people are powerful and sometimes they make you feel like you're nothing compared to them."

"Some of them are snobby but money isn't everything. I have to say, you look better than all of them." Klaus flirts with her.

Ella giggles and lends closer to him, "You're too sweet Nik. You look handsome too. I'm lucky to have you as my date." She flirts back.

Before Klaus could reply, Kimberly walked to her favorite designer with some people around her. "Ella, darling! You look beautiful, that dress is perfect."

Ella smiles and hugs her, "Thank you for putting it on top of the to-do list."

Kimberly whispers in her ear, "Don't worry about it, darling."

They pull away and Kimberly turns to Ella's date, "Hello, I'm Kimberly Kingsley. I hope you're treating my Ella well."

"I'm Nik Myers," they shake hands and Kimberly turns to her group.

"Everyone, Estella Henderson. My top designer designed the dress she has on. Isn't it beautiful?"

"I need the same one in purple for my daughter." An older lady says. Everyone started talking about it and Ella wasn't sure what to say. She feels Nik grab her hand.

"I'm glad you all like it, you'll be seeing more of my designs next month," Ella says making Kimberly nod. They're having a fashion show next month and Ella was really excited about it.

"Ella has really outdone herself." She turns to Ella, "I'll leave you two for now. You'll be sitting next to me in table three."

Ella and Nik nod and walk away, "I think I love that dress more knowing you designed it."

"Thanks, Nik." She turns to look at him, "You want to go outside for a bit. They have a beautiful garden."

Nik nods and they go outside. All the flowers were really pretty. The roses especially.

"You want to keep playing? We never finished yesterday." Stella says looking up at Nik.

"Sure but I'll go first this time," Nik says as they sit on a bench. "What was your first job before getting your dream job."

Estella laughs, "My very first job was working as a lifeguard in high school. Then in college, I worked as a waitress but I hated that." Klaus looked at her, hopefully, she'll continue. "People were really shitty and mean."

"I bet, but I'm sure you handle it like a pro." Klaus complemented and Estella laughed, "Barely, I almost got fired multiple times for yelling back at customers."

"I bet. Oh, before I forget I got you something." He pulls out the Tiffany box from his pocket.

Ella's eyes widen in shock as Nik hands her the box. She slowly opens it and gasps when she sees the heart-shaped necklace.

"Nik, it's beautiful." She touches the necklace and looks at Nik with a smile. "I love it,"

Klaus thinks for a second before meets her eyes, "Estella, remember never take it off." He compels making her nod.

He stands up and puts the necklace on her, "Thank you. I love it."

Estella felt a little different when she put it on, good different. It made her feel lighter. 

"My turn, tell me something about yourself. anything." Ella asks making Nik think for a bit before answering.

"I love art drawing, painting, and sketching. They actually have a lovely museum near here where my work is shown."

"Really? Wow well, now I have to go and see it." Ella says hoping that Klaus got the hint about a possible second date.

Klaus laughs because he understands what she wants by the look on her face, "I would love to take you one day and show you. but for now, let's go back inside. I know you're here for work. Well finish the game later and I'm starting next time." Estella nods happily and they walk back inside hand in hand. 

They spent the rest of the night talking to other guests mainly staying close to Stac and Kim. Nik kept his word and was her supportive arm candy. The whole night was perfect in Estella's mind and she was grateful to of had Nik there to talk to in between breaks. That and they continue to learn more about each other. 

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Author notes: hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope I ended it nicely. I didn't want to add any work talk. Katherine is making an appearance next chapter! any guesses how?

I also hope you liked the necklace idea, I thought it was a nice touch and it grows their bond. 

Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow me so you stay updated on what I'm writing.

Word count: 1737