Emma the dominant woman…..Daniela the rebellious girl.

CHAPTER ONE: Daniela the Rebel Child…Emma the Dominant Woman

The mansion smelled of vanilla and polished wax, but chaos reigned in the center of the living room. Daniela lay on the enormous beige velvet sofa, her legs crossed, her muddy shoes propped up on the cushions. She played idly on her phone, swiping her finger across the screen while chewing gum with her mouth half open. Her hair, somewhere between bright red and faded orange, fell in messy strands around her face.

Emma watched her silently.

Tall, slender, with a straight back and an impenetrable expression, she showed no emotion as she analyzed the scene. Daniela, without even looking at her, let out a theatrical sigh.

“Let me guess,” she said without taking her eyes off her phone. “My parents hired another poor bastard to try to fix me.”

Emma didn’t answer. She took a step forward, her heels clicking on the marble floor, and stopped in front of the sofa. Her eyes scanned Daniela with surgical precision: her black nail polish was chipped, her jeans had more holes than necessary, and her sweatshirt—probably stolen from an ex-boyfriend—was wrinkled.

“If you’re going to keep using that cheap hair dye,” Emma said neutrally, “at least learn how to apply it properly. It looks horrible.”

Daniela looked up, surprised. Then she smirked.

“Wow! The governess has a very sharp tongue. This is going to be fun.”

Emma leaned in slightly, just enough to get close to the teenager without losing her stiff pose.

“I’m not here to entertain you, Daniela. I’m here because your parents believe there’s still something in you worth saving.”

Daniela held her gaze, challenging her, but for a second—just a second—she felt a lump in her throat.

Emma straightened and looked at the stained sofa beneath the girl’s feet.

“Take off your shoes.”

Daniela gave a dry laugh.

“Excuse me?”

Emma didn’t repeat the order. She just looked at her expectantly. An awkward silence fell. Daniela felt a pressure in her chest she didn’t fully understand. Emma wasn’t yelling at her, wasn’t threatening her, wasn’t treating her like a problem child. She was just waiting.

For some reason, that was worse.

She clicked her tongue, rolled her eyes, and, with the worst possible attitude, took off her shoes and dropped them on the floor.

Emma gave a small smile.

“Good. I guess you’re not completely lost.”

Daniela felt anger burning on her skin.

That game was just beginning.
Daniela sat on the stool in the mansion’s enormous bathroom, her arms crossed and the expression of someone condemned to death. In front of her, Emma was preparing everything with meticulous precision: latex gloves, a brush, light brown dye, and a towel to prevent the beast-like teenager from escaping at the last minute.

“This is torture,” Daniela complained, looking at herself in the mirror with annoyance. “My friends are going to kill me when they see me.”

“If your friends think your faded red hair is a symbol of rebellion and not a cry for help from the salon, you should get a new one,” Emma replied without taking her eyes off the dye.

Daniela pursed her lips. She wasn’t going to give her the pleasure of admitting she was right.

Emma stood behind her and began sectioning her hair. The touch of her fingers on her scalp made her tense without realizing it. It had been so long since anyone had touched her gently… that she couldn’t even remember the last time her mother had run her fingers through her hair.

The scent of the dye wafted through the air, and Emma began applying it with firm, confident strokes.

“You’re not doing so bad,” Daniela murmured, trying to sound nonchalant. “Did you learn this in prison?”

Emma gave a slight, sarcastic laugh.

No. I learned not to hit annoying teenagers. A much more difficult challenge.

Daniela smiled unconsciously. It was strange. Usually, when people tried to correct her, they did so with yelling or lecturing. But Emma… Emma treated her with a mixture of coldness and patience that unsettled her.

“There,” Emma announced as she finished applying the dye. “Now we have to wait.”

Daniela shifted in her seat.

“How long?”

“Twenty minutes.”

“Great.” She rolled her eyes. “Twenty minutes of awkward silence.”

Emma crossed her arms and stared at her.

“If silence makes you uncomfortable, it’s because you’re not used to listening to yourself.”

Daniela narrowed her eyes.

Do you always talk like a self-help book?

“Only when necessary.”

Silence fell between them.

For the first time in a long time, Daniela didn’t feel the need to fill the void with sarcastic words or loud music.

Twenty minutes later…
Emma rinsed Daniela’s hair with warm water and applied a little conditioner. Her fingers moved confidently, gently detangling the damp strands.

Daniela closed her eyes.

“Are you giving me a head massage?”

“Don’t get excited.”

I’m just keeping you from screaming like a cat when I try to comb your hair later.

Daniela smiled to herself. Emma was definitely different.

When Emma finished drying her hair, she grabbed a pair of scissors.

“Okay, now…”

Daniela jumped to her feet.

“No! We just said dye.”

Emma stood still, watching her with her eternally calm expression.

“You said I wouldn’t touch your hair even with scissors,” she corrected. “I didn’t say anything.”

Daniela gritted her teeth.

“I don’t want you to cut my hair.”

Emma sighed.

Daniela, your ends are like straw. I’ll only cut what’s necessary.

“No.”

“Your bangs are blocking your eyes.”

“No.”

Emma raised an eyebrow and took out her phone again.

Daniela slumped in her chair, frowning, her arms crossed, and the aura of a cornered beast.

Emma calmly picked up the scissors, as if she didn’t have a teenager standing in front of her about to jump on her neck.

“Don’t be dramatic,” she said as she carefully untangled a strand. “It’s just a minimal trim.”

Daniela snorted.

To you, it’s ‘minimal.’ To me, it’s a betrayal.

Emma ignored the comment and separated her hair into sections.

“Hold still.”

“No.”

Emma looked at her through the mirror.

“Daniela.”

“Emma.”

The woman rolled her eyes and held her head firmly, but not roughly.

“If you keep moving, I’ll end up with one side shorter than the other.”

Daniela immediately stilled.

Emma smiled with slight triumph and began trimming the split ends with quick, precise movements.

The teenager clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“I hate you.”

“I wouldn’t be the first.”

“My friends will say I look like a good girl.”

Emma continued trimming without flinching.

“Then your friends need therapy.”

Daniela snorted, but a small, traitorous smile appeared on her face.

“What’s wrong, Nanny? Don’t you like rebels?”

“I like smart rebels. You’re just a mess on your legs.”

Daniela remained silent. For some reason, the insult didn’t bother her as much as it should have.

Emma trimmed her bangs, arranged the strands with a brush, and placed the scissors on the table.

“Done.”

Daniela looked at herself in the mirror.

For the first time in a long time, her hair had shape, shine, and a decent color. It looked… good.

Too good.

“Shit,” she muttered, touching her bangs with a frown. “Now I really look like a functioning person.”

Emma smiled.

“What a tragedy!”

Daniela stared at her.

CHAPTER TWO: Setbacks?

Daniela continued staring at herself in the mirror, frowning.

Her hair was no longer a tangle of split ends or a mess of cheap dye. Now it looked… normal.

Too normal.

She turned her head from side to side, touching her bangs with an expression of deep disgust.

“I look like a good girl,” she blurted out, almost in disgust.

Emma put away the scissors and took off her gloves, as calmly as ever.

You look like someone who takes care of herself. But if you want to look like a homeless person again, I’d gladly lend you a can of red paint and a lighter.

Daniela snorted.

“Funny.”

She crossed her arms, pursing her lips as she continued to stare at herself in the mirror. She didn’t want to admit it, but… she looked good.

Cleaner. Tidier. More like the version of herself her parents would have wanted.

And that infuriated her.

“Great.” She stood up abruptly, turning to Emma with narrowed eyes. “What’s the next step in your plan? Make me wear pretty dresses? Sign me up for piano lessons?”

Emma didn’t even flinch.

“How interesting you should mention that. Your mom gave me the phone number of a music school.”

Daniela’s eyes widened.

“No way!”

Emma smirked. She knew that would make her angry.

“Calm down. It was a joke.”

Daniela glared at her, but Emma had already gathered everything and was walking toward the door with her usual firm posture.

“Now that you look civilized, go to dinner.”

Daniela stood in the bathroom, arms crossed, pursing her lips, feeling as if she had lost a small battle.

But the war wasn’t over yet.

If Emma thought she could control her, she was sorely mistaken.

After dinner, Emma made sure Daniela went to her room.

“Bed.” Her voice was firm, with no room for argument.

To her surprise, Daniela didn’t protest.

She simply shrugged and walked toward her room without complaint, closing the door with a soft click.

Emma frowned.

Too easy.

But the house fell silent, and after a long day dealing with the most stubborn teenager on the planet, Emma allowed herself to relax.

Or at least she tried.

A couple of hours passed, and Emma still couldn’t sleep. Something wasn’t right.

She got out of bed, walked out into the hallway, and approached Daniela’s door. Everything was silent.

She rapped on the wood.

“Daniela?”

Silence.

Daniela had escaped.

Damn, that little brat is going to find out what’s good, a big punishment awaits her…

 

 

(Part two comming soon)