Paris, France. 2023.

Olivia sat on a high backed leather chair as she stared back at herself in the mirror. Her long raven hair with red tips which was always tied into a ponytail was left open around her.

A small smile adorned her lips as she brought up her fingers to play with the tips of her hair which was about to be cut.

Initially, Olivia couldn't afford going to a hairstylist's shop and to her, she was forced to keep her hair. She'd always wanted to dress in a masculine way but she knew that a tomboy lifestyle comes with a filled bank account. She'd always wanted to cut her long hair short and don a short spiky hairstyle but she knew that she's not capable of paying the barber or hairstylist and she knew better than to disrespect herself.

And now, when she'd finally gotten her hand on a few million dollars, she's prepared to kick start her tomboyish lifestyle and start dressing how she really wanted.

As the stylist started with her hair, the small smile still played on Olivia's pale pink lips. Till the stylist finished, she still had that smile. When the stylist was done, she leaned closer to the mirror, her hand brushed her new hair as she gazed at herself in the mirror in admiration. Now, she's starting to look how she looked in her imagination.

She paid the stylist more than the normal amount and hopped out happily out of her shop and into the street of Paris. It was nearing night and she was supposed to have gone back to her dorm but Olivia didn't care because she had no plans to go back and sleep in her dorm tonight.

Not because she was scared of someone tracking her. In fact, she felt assured since she knew that it can never happen… unless her senior was. But even with that, she'd evolved and had polished that style so no one will be able to get to her. But if only she knew…

She'd planned not to sleep in her dorm room tonight because she wanted to live life to the fullest. She didn't have the chance to live life before and just spent her time working away while life moved past her. Her childhood was but a fleeting whisper but henceforth, Olivia is determined.

“That life, I will live it.” She muttered to herself for the upteenth time this night as she gazed at the starless sky dreamily.

She walked a little before she saw a high-end nail tech shop across the street. She hurriedly crossed and entered. A brunette lady wearing a short white gown stood behind the receptionist desk. She eyed Olivia as if contemplating on what to say.

“Bon… Good evening ma'am.”
She said which made Olivia smile wildly.

“You don't have to worry. I can speak French but you can proceed with English.”

The lady let out a relieved sigh before she continued.

“You came to get your nails done right? Have you booked an appointment?”

“Yup. Nah… just wanted to get… my nails done.” Olivia said uncertainty evident in her tone while picking invisible dirt from her nails.

The lady eyed her from toe to head. Starting from her homely slides to her overworn Gap jacket.

“Well, we are about to close as you can see.” She said, gesturing to the whole shop. “However, we can do with you since you seem to be in a… sort of hurry.” She added.

“Please, follow me.”

The lady left the receptionist’s table and led Olivia deeper into the nail shop and into a glass room and on the glass, ‘Nail room’ was written on it.

She motioned to Olivia to sit down and drew a white towel from a towel rack near the door and placed it on Olivia's thigh, then she left the room.

After some minutes, another lady wearing a pair of white gloves entered and bowed slightly at Olivia, she then moved close to her and sat down.

“Manicure and pedicure right?”

‘Manicure and pedicure?’ Olivia wondered before it clicked together.

“Ohh ohh, yesss.” She hurriedly said.

The lady left and brought something for Olivia to dip her feet into. The lady started from Olivia's fingernails. She filed it, cleaned it and added oil.

“What color would you prefer?”

“Red.” Olivia said without a thought and the lady continued.

After her fingernails and toenails had been painted with red polish. Olivia paid and tipped the nail tech, then she carefully slipped her feet into her slides, pocketed her socks and stepped out of the nail tech’s shop.

She brought out her phone and went to chat gpt and asked:
‘What to do after getting your dream hairstyle and nails?’

She read the response with a smile before she muttered to herself.
“Spa it is then.”

_ _ _

From a spa's shop to a teeth whitener’s shop to a high-end restaurant. Olivia kept tipping them everywhere she went. Meanwhile, her goal of spending 500,000 dollars that night is still not accomplished and it's nearing 10 pm. Olivia decided to change her phone, branch off to Versace and finally, lodge into a hotel and enjoy the rest of her night.

Olivia let out a satisfied smile as she stepped out of a luxury restaurant while rubbing her filled stomach. She walked to the nearest apple store. For the first time since Olivia got admitted to Sorbonne, she finally had her fill of food.

“Quite remarkable.” She said, openly mocking herself as she crossed the street again to the apple store which was emitting a soft light in the distance while rubbing her tummy which despite eating much food refuses to protrude more to Olivia's disappointment.

Olivia entered the store and after some minutes came out with a brand new iPhone 13 pro max held tightly between her fingers like a treasure box. She took the whole box and dipped it into her jacket and under her armpit then stiffen her shoulders to make it unassuming.

She moved under the night lamp, her iPhone X held in her fingers. Even with the time slowly moving towards midnight, the streets of Paris refused to be covered in darkness and were still bustling with people. It's as if the city doesn't know night.

Olivia browsed the map for Versace stores close to her and she's slowly trailing the map despite her feet feeling wobbly and the food she'd eaten, long digested which made her stomach rumble again.

‘A little more.’

‘A little more.’

She kept chanting in her head like a mantra. Her legs never stop for once, not when she's so close to getting her last wish for the day.

‘A little more.’

‘A little more.’

She continued to chant, her eyes fixed on her phone's screen before she realized that she'd reached the front of Versace. The luxury fashion store stood before her, beckoning her to enter its grasp.

Olivia had always dreamt of donning an outfit from Versace and now, it looked like her dream was about to become reality.

Slightly shivering, she walked to the glass door and tried to open it but it refused to bulge. She tried again and again but it didn't open. She pushed it then glanced at the blonde receptionist who was staring funny at her through the see-through glass with a pleading look before she stepped back and gazed at the glass door.

And on it, ‘pull’ was inscribed in broad golden capital letters which made Olivia hope that the ground should open and swallow her.

Her face flushed with embarrassment before she moved to the door again and forcefully pulled open the door. The force was so great that it almost backfired. Composing herself, Olivia entered the store and smiled at the receptionist who was also smiling back at her.

Amidst the opulence and grandeur of Versace, Olivia stuck out like a sore thumb.

The whole store was adorned with a soft golden light coming from a crystal chandelier. The outer part was filled with standing golden mannequins donning different Versace outfits.

The receptionist table is a reflective glass and it was softly glowing from the chandelier’s light. The floor was made from black and white checkered tiles.

Olivia moved closer to the receptionist, still smiling to cover her nervousness.

“Two leather jackets, three combat boots, a round neck, five t-shirts, three leather skin trousers and a few gowns.” She said at a go, not taking a breath because she was scared that she would forget what she crammed.

“You don't have to be so stiff and nervous ma'am.” The receptionist said with a smile. “I've also made mistakes like that.”

Olivia only nodded and kept her mouth shut.

“Sign here.” The receptionist said, passing her a tablet with a pen and directed her to move inside when she was done signing.

Olivia stepped into another portion of the store filled with plenty of racks of luxury clothes. She selected a black leather jacket, matching trousers and a pair of combat boots, all Versace.

She entered the changing room and changed into the new clothes then unboxed her new phone and stood before a full length mirror and took a few pictures. She airdropped it to her second phone and sent it to her best friend, Lisa.

Olivia felt giddy, excitement coursing through her bones as she saw how clear the pictures were and how she looked masculine and at the same time exuding femininity.

“I'm starting to look how I wanted.” She said to no one in particular.

She pocketed the phone and its charger into the inner pocket of her jacket after switching it off and proceeded to select the remaining clothes and shoes she liked until she reached her goal of spending 500 thousand dollars.

Olivia stepped out of the store with hands filled with shopping bags that she can barely walk. Her lips were split in a satisfied smile. She exhaled deeply and gazed up at the starless sky before a manic laughter tore through her throat.

When she was done, she continued on her way with her old phone held tightly in her hand, her eyes scrolled through a list of luxury hotels near her, her other hand filled with shopping bags.

Olivia's smile dimmed a little when she discovered that the nearest hotel is several miles away. However, lady luck seemed to smile down at Olivia as she saw a taxi sped past her. She hurriedly shouted while waving and the taxi reversed and came to a halt beside her.

She stepped inside, forcefully dragging the shopping bags with her. She gazed at the driver wearing a face mask with confusion and shrugged it away.

“Where to?” The man asked, his voice not soft, not firm. Olivia noted that he'd a voice that's slightly too soft for a man. He sounded like a teen and she made a mental note to tip him well when she reached the hotel.

“Le Bristol.”

The hotel was still several miles away so she decided to rest her head a little. Unbeknownst to her, the taxi had halted and the driver turned to her with a white handkerchief held between his fingers and covered her nose with it.

Olivia struggled for a while before she fell limp on the seat, her Versace goodies and old phone falling with her.