Richard McMillan had a scowl on his face as he walked with determination through Lakeview Mall, towards his unfortunate destination. There was a new skin cream set his wife wanted for her birthday that was on hold at this branch of Esensia. That wasn't the problem; the problem was that Richard was the one picking it up. He had people to take care of that sort of thing, or at least he usually did.
Mr. McMillan was the richest man in Lakeview, running McMillan Industries, a growing conglomerate with a focus in construction and real estate development; just by looking at the grey Armani suit he wore under his nice long dark coat or the gold Rolex on his wrist, you could tell he had money. With that wealth came assistants and gofers who often handled menial tasks for him, like pick up his drive cleaning, or silly things his wife and daughter wanted like today, but things had gone awry. See, Richard wasn't the best when it came to keeping his assistants for very long, frequently firing them or at least demoting them back to another section of the company.
Was it his fault HR kept saddling him with incompetents? (In truth Richard had a rotten combination of extremely high standards, a deep held elitism, and a temper that tended to flare, that led to him having trouble keeping a long term assistant or secretary either because they'd quit or he'd fire them.) This last one had spilled his coffee all over the nice rug in his office and then started crying when he'd told her the cost to replace it would come out of her salary. Well, needless to say he'd let her go.
Unfortunately for him, he'd forgotten she was supposed to pick up his wife's gift when it came in, and HR couldn't get him a new assistant fast enough that late in the day, which led to Richard reluctantly driving to the mall himself, cutting into his afternoon golf time, and putting him into a mood. He'd thought about asking Susan herself to pick it up, but realized that was probably not the most tactful option.
Susan was at work anyway, finishing up at the law office where she worked as a secretary. Richard made more than enough money for her to not work, but, perhaps out of pride, Susan kept at it. The two of them had a functional if unexciting relationship, and Richard knew her well enough not to push her on it. He did care about her even if he wasn't great at showing it, and the two had a genuine connection that had led to him marrying her instead of going for a model or something.
Stepping into the store he immediately commanded the saleswoman, "I have an order I'm picking up, and I'll thank you to be quick about it.
Then the world changed.
The entire store had transformed, changing from the tan and white color scheme it had to a more sophisticated combination of dark woody browns and reds. The sign had changed too, declaring it to now be Rosethorn, though it was still a cosmetic shop. Indeed, across the region Rosethorn branches had burst into existence, a new major retailer for makeup, lotions, haircare and beauty products of all kinds.
Bethany Black stepped back slightly on her 4' shiny black slingback heels and blinked as the world resettled. Bethany now cut an impressive figure; she wasn't actually taller but her now habitual high heels, confidence and improved posture made her imposing in a way she hadn't been. Her red hair was glossier with a wave and bounce that only came from regular visits to a professional stylist, and her makeup was impeccable, with her previous neutral peach lip stick replaced by a bold red, and a bit of eye shadow and mascara made her eyes pop. It was a look she easily could have pulled off before the reversal, but usually wouldn't bother for a day at work, saving it for if she was going out or something.
That stubborn 20 pounds had gone and then some, as she was now trim and fit all around, with a tight stomach and arms without a hint of flab. Her smaller midsection enhanced her hourglass figure, and the overall improved fitness could let her pass for 5-10 years younger now. It was an interesting case as pretty much all of her physical shifts came not from traits she acquired to fulfill Richard's role, but rather due to the benefits of her new lifestyle. For instance, she now had the time and money for a personal trainer, spa days to rejuvenate her skin, a professional stylist to maintain her hair and on and on.
Gone was her uniform, replaced by a power outfit. Like Richard she had Armani, a charcoal grey single breasted blazer in her case, pulled across her large chest, below it a low cut blue silk blouse; she wore an expensive bra that shifted her girls up and made her already wonderful cleavage incredible. She found a little sex appeal could really help in business negotiations, and she was also in the beauty industry after all. She should look the part. A black pinstripe pencil skirt came to just above her knees, and sapphire cluster earrings sat in her ears that previously held simple metal studs.
"Can I help you," Bethany drawled to the oafish looking man who'd wandered into her store. Well, not her personal store, just a branch of it she was doing a surprise inspection of. Rosethorn was her personal beauty brand and a core part of the larger Black Consolidated company, so she liked to check in from time to time. This particular store was doing fairly well except for a new hire, Jade, who Bethany instructed the manager, Cynthia, to assign remedial training for. Bethany believed in second chances, but if the girl didn't shape up she'd have to have her let go for the good of the company.
"Uh, you sell, like skincare stuff right?" Richard McMillan asked hesitantly, a bit out of his depth at this sort of store. "I'm looking for something for my wife's birthday." Richard was the foreman of a construction crew, working on all sorts of projects around Lakeview. It wasn't the most prestigious work, but he'd entered the work force pretty much right away after he got Susan pregnant the year after they graduated high school. He had come from a job sight and wore a dusty pair of overalls over a flannel shirt, kicking himself for leaving it so late to find something for Susan.
Beth smiled kindly at him, "I do believe one of our associates can help you find what you're looking for," directing him towards Cynthia who was manning the desk behind her. Cynthia absolutely pounced on Richard, trying to show the best customer service in front of her boss, well really her boss's boss's boss. Bethany just smiled and shook her head before strutting out of the store, already having seen everything she wanted to see.
She was justifiably proud of her growing beauty empire; sure, she came from money, and had received considerable help from her parents starting out, but she was the one to build it into a multi-million dollar company. With a chuckle she began walking for her car, eager to head home and check in with Karyn. Hopefully cheer leading practice had gone well.
