The soft glow of the screen illuminated Diara's face as she scrolled through the banking app on her phone. The figures stared back at her,
a breathtaking confirmation of months, maybe years, of strategic saving and careful planning. Her heart swelled with a mix of relief and pride.
It was more than enough. Enough to finally sever the last tether holding her back. Enough to launch her own fashion house, a dream that had simmered in her chest for so long it felt almost surreal to see its potential become tangible.
She allowed herself a small smile, one laced with bitterness but triumph nonetheless. Kellan, for all his faults, and they were numerous, had never failed to honor his promise of payment.
The contractual amounts, plus the extras she'd earned along the way, had trickled into her account steadily, and now they pooled into a sum that symbolized her escape. Her fingers lingered on the screen, the vision of her future playing vividly in her mind.