Chapter 4 — Dress for War

“Zara, if you miss this interview, I will personally disown you.”

Zara groaned, dragging the blanket over her head as if that could block out Chloe Bennett’s voice and the reality that came with it.

“Five minutes,” she mumbled.

“You said that twenty minutes ago,” Chloe replied, already moving around the room with purpose. “At this point, you’re not sleeping, you’re negotiating with unemployment.”

Zara let out a quiet sound of protest and turned to the other side, determined to ignore her.

That lasted exactly three seconds.

The blanket was pulled off.

Zara blinked up at the ceiling, then at Chloe, her expression slowly shifting from confusion to realization.

The interview.

She shot upright. “What time is it?”

“Late enough that I had to intervene,” Chloe said, completely unbothered. “Which brings me to this.”

Zara frowned slightly. “To what?”

Chloe didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she reached for something hanging neatly against the wardrobe and turned back, holding it up.

Zara stilled.

It was a dress.

Not loud. Not flashy. But deliberate. The kind that carried quiet authority, the kind that did not need attention to command it. It was structured in a way that suggested precision, something that belonged in a place Zara had not yet entered but was about to.

“You’re welcome, I got it on my way” Chloe said, her tone light but her eyes watching closely.

Zara swung her legs off the bed slowly, her gaze still fixed on it. “Chloe…”

“No,” Chloe cut in immediately. “Don’t start with me this morning.”

Zara looked at her properly now. “This cost money.”

“And so does failing that interview,” Chloe replied without hesitation. “Consider this a strategic investment.”

Zara let out a quiet breath, shaking her head as she reached out, her fingers brushing over the fabric. It felt as expensive as it looked.

“You didn’t have to do this I've not even paid back for the groceries.”

“I know,” Chloe said simply. “I wanted to.”

That stopped her.

Zara’s expression softened, just slightly, in a way that didn’t happen often.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

Chloe shrugged, but there was satisfaction in it. “You’re going to walk in there looking like you belong, whether they like it or not.”

Zara let out a faint huff of amusement. “You have a lot of faith in me.”

“Of course I do,” Chloe replied. “You just need to catch up.”

Zara shook her head, but the tension in her shoulders eased just a fraction. She stood, taking the dress properly now.

“If I get the job,” she said, glancing at Chloe, “I’m paying you back.”

“With interest,” Chloe added immediately.

Zara almost smiled. “We’ll see.”

Chloe watched her for a moment, then nodded toward the bathroom. “Go. Get ready. Try not to overthink it.”

Zara paused at the door.

That was the problem.

She already was.

But she said nothing, stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

---

By the time she emerged, dressed and composed, Chloe was leaning against the wall, arms folded, watching her with a critical eye.

Zara stopped. “What?”

Chloe pushed herself off the wall slowly, walking toward her like she was inspecting a finished project.

“Turn.”

Zara narrowed her eyes. “I’m not—”

“Turn,” Chloe repeated.

Zara exhaled and did as she was told.

Chloe nodded once with a light smile. “Good, the ass is well shaped.”

“Not again.” Zara said with an eye roll.

“That’s it,” Chloe confirmed. “You look like you belong in that building. Now all you have to do is act like it.”

Zara picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. “And if I don’t?”

Chloe’s expression softened, just slightly.

“Then you fake it,” she said. “Until it becomes real.”

Zara held her gaze for a moment, something thoughtful passing through her eyes before she nodded.

“Alright.”

She moved toward the door, then paused.

“Chloe.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

This time, Chloe smiled properly. “Go get the job.”

Zara stepped out into the morning air, the door closing quietly behind her.

For a moment, she stood there, adjusting her grip on her bag, grounding herself in the stillness before the day truly began.

Then she started walking.

She did not know what was waiting for her on the other side of that interview.

She only knew one thing.

She was not walking in unprepared.

Not this time.