The House of Liwia
Chapter 6 — Part VII — Lady Liwia’s Choice
Lady Liwia led the way through the quiet marble corridor without once looking back.
Tiffany followed several respectful steps behind her, matching her pace almost instinctively. The confidence she had found only minutes earlier inside the VIP Lounge had slowly faded during the walk, replaced by the familiar uncertainty that had accompanied her since arriving at the Pink Maid Atelier that morning. She replayed every word she had spoken, every gesture she had made, wondering whether she had overlooked something obvious or misunderstood what Lady Liwia had wanted to see.
At the end of the corridor, Lady Liwia pushed open the door to Elizabeth’s office.
Elizabeth was already waiting.
She rose gracefully from behind her desk, setting her tablet aside before offering Lady Liwia a warm, professional smile.
“Welcome back, Lady Liwia.”
“It’s lovely to see you again.”
Lady Liwia returned the smile with effortless elegance.
“Likewise, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth gestured toward the comfortable chair opposite her desk.
“Please… make yourself comfortable.”
“Thank you.”
Lady Liwia took her seat as though she had done so a hundred times before, crossing one leg elegantly over the other while smoothing the emerald fabric of her gown almost absentmindedly. Tiffany, meanwhile, quietly stopped several steps behind Lady Liwia’s chair. Her hands folded neatly in front of her apron, her posture straight despite the heels, her eyes respectfully lowered as she waited in silence.
For a few moments, the conversation drifted effortlessly into familiar territory.
Elizabeth asked about Lady Liwia’s recent travels, whether business had been keeping her busy, and if she had finally found time to spend a quiet weekend away from the city. Lady Liwia answered with the relaxed confidence of someone speaking to a trusted colleague rather than a service provider, occasionally laughing softly as the two women exchanged light-hearted remarks and old memories Tiffany couldn’t possibly understand.
Standing quietly behind them, Tiffany found herself growing increasingly anxious.
Surely this wasn’t why they had come here.
Every passing minute stretched the anticipation further.
Finally, Elizabeth picked up her tablet once again.
Her expression remained warm.
Professional.
“So…”
She smiled gently.
“Have you made your decision, Lady Liwia?”
Lady Liwia didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she leaned back slightly in her chair, thoughtfully turning the stem of her champagne flute between her fingers before allowing her gaze to drift briefly toward the large office window.
“You know me, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth smiled knowingly.
“I do.”
Lady Liwia returned the smile.
“I’ve always had a soft spot for feminine boys.”
Elizabeth understood immediately.
Without hesitation, she unlocked her tablet and began scrolling through several familiar profiles.
“In that case…”
She stopped on one profile and turned the screen slightly toward Lady Liwia.
“I believe Evelyn is currently available.”
Lady Liwia tilted her head with quiet interest.
“Evelyn?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“Five-star average.”
“Exceptionally observant.”
“Elegant.”
“Calm under pressure.”
She scrolled a little further.
“Our clients frequently mention that she notices what they need before they even ask.”
Lady Liwia listened attentively, saying nothing.
Elizabeth continued.
“She’s been with PMA for almost three years now.”
A proud smile appeared.
“One of our strongest girls.”
Silence settled over the office once again.
Behind Lady Liwia’s chair, Tiffany remained perfectly still.
She wasn’t part of the conversation.
She wasn’t expected to be.
Yet every sentence seemed to land directly in her chest.
Five stars.
Three years.
One of our strongest girls.
Without realising it, Tiffany clasped her hands together just a little tighter.
Elizabeth looked back toward Lady Liwia.
“I genuinely believe Evelyn would be an excellent match for you.”
Lady Liwia remained thoughtful.
“Hm…”
A faint smile crossed her lips.
“I remember Evelyn.”
She gave a slow, almost approving nod.
“Beautiful posture.”
“And remarkably attentive.”
Tiffany lowered her eyes even further.
For the first time all afternoon…
she found herself wondering whether she had ever truly stood a chance at all.
Elizabeth glanced down at her tablet.
“There’s one more thing, Lady Liwia.”
Liwia looked up.
“Oh?”
Elizabeth smiled politely.
“While you were in the lounge…”
She tapped the screen once.
“Tiffany received another enquiry.”
Liwia’s eyebrow lifted ever so slightly.
“So soon?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“It appears your interest encouraged another client to take a closer look at her profile.”
A faint smile.
“It happens from time to time.”
Liwia remained thoughtful.
“Hm.”
“Who?”
Elizabeth looked back at the tablet.
“I’d rather not disclose that until they’ve confirmed their request.”
A small pause.
“But the enquiry is genuine.”
The silence lingered for another moment before Elizabeth gently cleared her throat.
“Lady Liwia… if you’ll excuse me.”
Liwia’s eyes shifted from Tiffany to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth offered an apologetic smile.
“Regardless of the final assignment… there is one thing we can’t postpone any longer.”
She reached for a pale blush-pink leather folder resting neatly on the corner of her desk.
“The employment agreement.”
Without another word, she opened it with practiced precision and turned it toward Tiffany.
“The Pink Maid Atelier officially welcomes you today.”
Tiffany remained where she was.
For a heartbeat, she simply stared at the open folder.
The embossed PMA crest.
Her name.
Several neatly prepared pages.
Everything had already been printed.
Everything had already been approved.
She slowly walked to the desk, almost without realizing she had started moving.
Her heels clicked softly across the marble floor before coming to a stop opposite Elizabeth.
She didn’t sit.
Instead, she stood quietly, looking down at the contract.
A strange mixture of relief and disappointment settled inside her chest.
I’m staying…
But I might not be staying with her.
That single realization suddenly outweighed everything else.
The room had gone strangely quiet.
Only a few hours earlier she had walked into the VIP Lounge convinced that everything had suddenly made sense. Lady Liwia had been there. The woman who had unknowingly become the reason she had stopped wanting to leave. The reason the uncertainty surrounding PMA had somehow become bearable.
And now…
She wasn’t even sure whether she would ever work for her.
The realization settled heavily in her chest.
She slowly drew a quiet breath through her nose.
Not dramatic.
Not defeated.
Just… accepting that some decisions were no longer hers to make.
Her fingers tightened around the pen for the briefest moment before she lowered its tip onto the paper.
With calm determination, she signed her name.
Tiffany
When the pen left the page, the contract no longer belonged to possibility.
It belonged to reality.
Behind her, Lady Liwia had already risen from her chair.
Without saying a word, she wandered toward one of the illuminated display shelves as though something there had unexpectedly caught her attention. A decorative sculpture… a crystal object… it hardly mattered.
She wasn’t looking away because she wasn’t interested.
She was giving Tiffany the space to make the decision entirely on her own.
Elizabeth closed the folder with practiced precision.
No applause.
No dramatic congratulations.
Only a warm smile.
“Well…”
She looked directly at Tiffany.
“Now you really are one of us.”
The words were simple.
Almost understated.
Yet they somehow carried more weight than an elaborate speech ever could.
Elizabeth opened the top drawer of her desk and carefully placed two items onto the polished marble surface.
First came a matte blush-pink access card embossed with the PMA crest in rose gold.
Beside it she laid a matching company smartphone, equally discreet, equally elegant, the PMA emblem resting on the back.
“Tiffany…”
“This is your access card.”
“Always keep it with you. It opens every area you’re authorized to enter.”
Her hand moved to the phone.
“And this is your company phone.”
“This will be our primary way of staying in touch. Every important contact has already been added for you.”
She smiled reassuringly.
“My number…”
“The Beauty Department.”
“The Styling Department.”
“And, of course…”
“…the official PMA application.”
She paused just long enough for Tiffany to look down at the phone.
“Your employee profile is already active.”
“You’ll be able to check your assignments, schedules, internal messages, training materials and client requests there whenever you need.”
For the first time since entering Elizabeth’s office…
The reality of it finally settled in.
She wasn’t just visiting anymore.
She belonged to Pink Maid Atelier now.
Tiffany accepted both with careful hands.
They felt surprisingly light.
Far lighter than the weight sitting in her chest.
For a long moment, nobody spoke.
Behind them, Lady Liwia slowly turned away from the display shelves and began walking back toward the desk.
Her heels echoed softly across the marble floor.
She stopped beside them with the same calm confidence she seemed to carry everywhere.
“Elizabeth.”
Her voice was warm.
“Thank you for today.”
A faint smile appeared.
“It has been wonderful, as always.”
Elizabeth inclined her head.
“The pleasure was mine, Lady Liwia.”
Liwia gave one last appreciative glance around the office before reaching for the door.
“It’s getting late.”
“I should be leaving.”
Tiffany’s stomach tightened.
The realization struck almost instantly.
Of course…
Lady Liwia was leaving.
And she…
…was staying.
She was a PMA employee now.
She had a contract.
A company phone.
An access card.
And somewhere in the building…
there was apparently another client already waiting to meet her.
For the first time that evening, Tiffany felt genuinely alone.
Liwia opened the office door.
One hand still resting on the handle, she paused
Lady Liwia rested one hand on the office door.
She did not speak.
She simply turned her head slightly and looked at Elizabeth.
Nothing more.
The silence lasted barely a second.
Elizabeth met her gaze.
Then, almost imperceptibly, she smiled.
“Of course.”
Without another question, she reached for the tablet lying on her desk.
A few quiet taps echoed through the office.
Tiffany couldn’t see the screen.
She had no idea what Elizabeth was doing.
A notification appeared.
Elizabeth glanced at it only briefly before locking the screen again.
She looked back at Lady Liwia.
“The other inquiry has been withdrawn.”
Another pause.
“Tiffany’s profile is now exclusively assigned to you.”
Lady Liwia’s expression barely changed.
Only the faintest smile touched the corner of her lips.
“I knew I could count on you, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth answered with a warm, professional smile.
“You usually can, Lady Liwia.”
Only then did Lady Liwia turn toward Tiffany.
She looked at her for a long moment.
Not teasing.
Not testing.
Simply certain.
“The reception has already prepared my luggage.”
A heartbeat passed.
“Tiffany.”
“We’re leaving.”
For a brief second Tiffany simply stood there, unable to move.
The knot in her stomach disappeared as quickly as it had formed.
Without realizing it, she smiled.
“…Yes, Lady Liwia.”
And for the very first time since entering the VIP Lounge…
she walked after Lady Liwia not as a visitor,
not as a candidate,
but as someone who had just been chosen.
