Filled the pool with champagne and swam with the big names
"I wouldn't recommend that it might be a bit too salty for your liking," Estella teased Marloise, placing a piece of bread in her mouth. Her friend rolled her eyes, ignoring Este's comment, and ordered the very thing Este told her not to.
"So Este, how's everything with the businesses going?" Marloise asked, taking a sip of her water. Estella swallowed the piece of bread in her mouth before answering her.
"It's good, I have a new investor looking to give a sizable award to the ballet school," She answered. Estella didn't need an investor, she had all the money she needed.
Henry had never told her, but he had written Estella in his will and wanted her to have everything he would inherit from his father. It's safe to say Estella was practically drowning in money.
And with money came the rumors. After Henry's death, Estella fell into a dark place and the town's gossip mills didn't make it any better. There were rumors spread stating that Estella had poisoned Henry and only married him for his fortune. Although she knew that wasn't true, it didn't make it hurt any less.
She moved from St. Louis within a year of the funeral and set out to the city with a small group of friends, determined to make a new life for herself. She met with philanthropists and heiresses, hoping to create a name for herself in the socialite world which she successfully did. Everyone knew her name.
"Ah, how is the construction on the school coming along?" Marloise inquired. "It's good, the school is nearly done and we'll be taking applicants within a few months of the inspection," Este explained.
Inspired by her love of ballet and art, Estella opened up her very own ballet school in the heart of the city. Striving to make it the very best, she had to get the building constructed first.
"That's good to hear, I'm happy everything is working out for you Este. I really am," Marloise squeezed her friend's hand, giving her a genuine smile. Marloise knew her friend had suffered the last few years after her husband's death.
"Thank you, now shall we get going? The Schuylers are having their gala tonight and we have to get ready," Este reminds Marloise who nods in agreement.
It was time for Este to make a final imprint on the socialite world with her ballet school, and that started with befriending the Schuylers. So the pair left the restaurant, trudging their way to Este's modest mansion.