The next day ? Heaven . And then came my day off . A sacred thing . 55 vouchers I imagined sleeping in . Watching trashy reality shows . Maybe stealing some more waffles from the expensive kitchen . But no . Instead ... Regine Elise ... Steven McLeon's mother . Yes . The High Queen of Elegance herself , Lady Elise McLeon - fashion icon , philanthropy goddess , and a woman whose perfume smelled like " old money and lawsuits " -had other plans . " Darling , " she said that morning , her voice as crisp as iced champagne , " I've made you an appointment . " I blinked . " An appointment ? " She smiled . " For your transformation . " That should have been my first clue . Because apparently , my day off meant : SPA . DAY . But not just any spa . Oh no . This was La Maison de Riche , a spa so rich even the towel hooks had attitude . The elevator had gold trimming . The receptionist spoke in a whisper , like she was addressing royalty - or pricing diamonds . There was a tea butler , I kid you not , whose only job was to offer me hibiscus elixir with edible 24k petals every time I blinked too loud . And the towels ? Folded into swan sculptures so delicate I was afraid touching one might trigger a security alarm or summon a French lawyer . " Relax , Madison ," Steven's mother said with a gloved hand on mine . " Today is all about you . " Oh , sure . All about me . And also about waxing , pedicures , manicures , a full blowout , a diamond dust facial , 11:28 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 12 ... 71 55 vouchers and something called a " Brazilian blackout skin detox " , which sounded like a Marvel villain's origin story . I was terrified . I sat on the luxurious recliner in a robe that maybe cost more than my entire college education and whispered to myself , " You are strong . You survived Steven's abs . You can survive rich woman spa torture . " Spoiler : I almost didn't . It started innocent enough . Manicure ? Fine . I still had all ten fingers . Pedicure ? A bit ticklish . Whatever . I lived . Then came the waxing . Oh sweet mother of sin . No one prepared me for this . The aesthetician was a six - foot - tall Eastern European woman named Inga . She had the arms of a Viking and the smile of a person who enjoys watching people cry . " You first time ? " she asked , snapping on gloves with the enthusiasm of a Marvel villain . I nodded . " Yes . First time ... anywhere ." Inga smirked . " Good . Make strong girl today ." Then came the wax . The heat . The countdown . The scream . " AAAAA- " " Shhh , " Inga cooed , " You're scaring the cucumbers in facial room ." Lady McLeon was sipping lavender tea like nothing was happening while I gripped the spa bed like it was the last raft on the Titanic . " This is ... normal ? " I squeaked as another strip was torn from my soul . She nodded . " Beauty requires sacrifice ." " Well , I hope beauty appreciates how much leg hair died today . " After the waxing war , I was ushered to the facial room , where diamonds were allegedly rubbed into my skin , and someone massaged my face like I was a princess with trauma . Then came the hair blowout . They did things to my scalp I didn't even know were legal . By the end of it ? I looked in the mirror and did not recognize myself . Smooth glowing skin . Hair like it belonged on a shampoo commercial . Nails ? Perfect . Legs ? Smooth like 11:28 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 12 : marble . My face ? Bright like someone who drinks green juice and doesn't cry over taxes . 71 55 vouchers I turned to Elise Regina McLeon , who inspected me like a jeweler admiring her most chaotic diamond . " Well ? " she asked . I blinked . " I look expensive ." She grinned . " You are , darling . Get used to it . " And maybe ... maybe for once in my poor , chaotic , caffeine - fueled life- I believed her . ***** By the time I left La Maison de Riche , I wasn't walking - I was gliding . My skin ? Glowing . My hair ? Flowing . My legs ? Silk sheets could never . My nails ? French - tipped and ready to slap a tax audit into place . I felt like a walking Vogue cover meets Asian - Italian Cinderella who just got her fairy godmother certified in skincare . I smelled like roses , wealth , and emotional healing . Elise kissed me on both cheeks and whispered , " Make sure my son sees you before the glam fades . Men are tragically visual . " Wait . Why ? Anyway . I nodded , clutching my designer purse like a baby , and climbed into the black town car she summoned like magic . The seat warmer hummed beneath me like it knew I was a changed woman . And me ? Oh , I was feeling myself . I arrived at the penthouse , heels clicking against marble tile like I was about to auction off my old life . The doorman opened the door like he'd seen a hundred billionaires but no one quite like me . I entered . Ready . Transformed . Glowing . And then ... There he was . Steven Freaking McLeon . On the couch . Shirtless . Again . Eating grapes like some Roman God of Mild Annoyance . I stood by the door dramatically , one hand on my hip , Dior sunglasses on top of my head , glowing like I had 11:28 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 12 : been blessed by seventeen seraphim and two luxury estheticians . He looked up . Paused . Eyed me . Up . Down . Blink . And then he said- " You changed your shampoo ? " Excuse me ? I blinked . " You're joking . " 55 vouchers D He looked at me with the same level of mild interest he gave to deciding between oat milk and almond milk . " You look ... clean ? " he offered , biting another grape . Clean . Not divine . Not stunning . Not radiant . Clean . This man has the emotional range of a houseplant . I strutted into the living room like a panther in silk and sat on the farthest couch with the most audible sigh in Manhattan history . " You're unbelievable ," I muttered . He tilted his head . " What ? I noticed something was different . " " You said I look clean , Steven . Like a mop . Like a recently washed fruit . " He shrugged . " Better than looking dusty ? " " I had a glow - up , sir . A luxurious , painful , wax - ripping , soul - scraping GLOW - UP . And you're sitting there half - naked eating grapes like you're immune to beauty ? " He raised an eyebrow . " I'm not immune . I'm just used to it ." " Oh my God . " He chuckled , popping another grape . " Okay , fine . You look good ." I crossed my arms . " Good ? " " Like ... upgraded . Still you . But deluxe version . Madison 2.0 . " I narrowed my eyes . " Try again ." 11:28 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 12 : 71 55 vouchers He sighed dramatically , stood up , rolled closer - grape bowl in hand - and looked at me properly this time . Eyes trailing from my polished toes to my still - sássy smirk . Then quietly , like it slipped past his ego- " You look ... beautiful . " Boom . I smirked . He blinked , clearly panicking he just admitted something dangerously genuine . So I stood , tossed my hair , and whispered near his ear- " Too late . You noticed . Abs or not ... I win . " Then I strutted off , headed toward my room . And just as I reached the hallway , I heard him grumble from behind : " Still look better in shirts , though ." Oh no he didn't . This man was playing with fire . And guess what ? I brought matches . 曲 AD Comment Send gift No Ads 11:28 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 13