Girls' Night (Manifesto)

[Sofia Vasilieva]

Colette wasn’t an airhead at least, and she spoke all the right words with confidence and charm. She was both beautiful and erudite, and if she was perhaps a touch too naive in truth, she certainly had enough about her that Sofia suspected she was almost always underestimated by those around her. That alone was enough to capture attention. Heiresses were usually vapid, but as the evening unfolded Sofia continued to warm to this new diamond of the social scene. She enjoyed being the conduit through which Colette would find her feet in Moscow, and made certain in turn that the powerful circles Sofia traversed and directed were very well witnessed by the other woman. By the end of the evening she was curious to witness whether Colette could truly attain and manipulate the great heights to which she intended to reach for. By the morning, gossip already circulated that Sofia Vasilieva had taken the new American under wing. The two were seen together at a prestigious spa at Sofia’s invitation (the night had been rife with alcohol, of course; a true Moscovite welcome). A few days later, when the guest list for the Vasiliev anniversary celebration was finalised, an envelope was delivered to Colette’s suite at the Radiance hotel.